This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Gylfi Sigurdsson has not missed a teamsheet for Everton in the Premier League this season but is yet to discover the form he displayed last term when he struck 13 goals in 38 games.
In his eight league outings thus far, the 30-year-old has unleashed just five shots on target and played 22 key balls for only one assist, per WhoScored data, which came when Everton beat Wolves 3-2 at the start of September.
His creativity has consistently been there for Everton this season regardless of the end result, though, with Sigurdsson managing as many key passes against Manchester City (five) as he had against Burnley (two), AFC Bournemouth (one) and Aston Villa (two) combined.
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He could not help to inspire a win against any of them, however, and failed to spark a favourable result for Iceland last Friday as he earned his 71st cap, while maintaining a 100% appearance record in his country’s Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.
Sigurdsson faced a tough challenge as his country played host to the 2018 World Cup winners France, a side who beat Iceland 4-0 the last time they met back in March and arrived at Laugardalsvollur atop Group H.
It was ultimately not to be Iceland’s night last Friday as a sole goal by Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud from the spot ensured France maintained their fight with Turkey for the top spot, but Sigurdsson would have been hoping for a better display than the quiet night he endured.
Sigurdsson had just the seventh-most time in possession of any Iceland player, and with it only attempted to play the eighth-most passes (22) and completed the joint-seventh-most (15), per WhoScored data, albeit fashioning the joint-most key balls with strike partner Kolbeinn Sigthorsson (2).
Everton’s creative midfielder ranked second among the Iceland squad for dribbles attempted with three and found a teammate with each of his three corners, but could not manage anything more than a sole shot himself, which was off target.
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The 30-year-old could not defend from the front, either, with neither of his two attempted tackles resulting in possession being turned over, which Sigurdsson suffered on one occasion himself when the former Swansea man was caught on the ball and dispossessed.
Marco Silva will be hoping that his number ten will be able to shake off the performance against a tough opponent when the international break ends, as Everton look to get back to winning ways against West Ham United this weekend.
