Everton are the most ‘Route One’ Premier League team research reveals

When Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona side waltzed their way to European glory on multiple occasions playing a dizzying brand of ‘tiki-taka’ football, it seemed as though the days of the target man were long gone.

Made infamous by the likes of Sam Allardyce, Tony Pulis and even the great Jose Mourinho, direct football was fast and physical at its very best - flummoxing even the most elegant defenders.

However, it seemed as though Route One football had started to die out, with the classic No.9 (bristling with physical attributes aplenty) had become obsolete. Yet the cyclical nature of the beautiful has ushered back the days of back-to-front football, with the likes of Erling Haaland, Michail Antonio and Dominic Calvert-Lewin unapologetically balancing their brawn with brains to terrify defenders.

In order to find out which current Premier League side was the most ‘Route One’ in the division, OLBG conducted new research analysing all 20 of the current teams to determine the most direct. The research looked at a number of factors, including the average heights of teams, the number of long passes attempted and the reliance on set-pieces.

Taking the crown as the most ‘Route One’ side in the Premier League is Sean Dyche’s Everton side. They had the third tallest team on average in the division, the most number of long passes attempted and came second in aerial duels won. Since the start of the 2023/24 season, they have also scored 22 goals from set-pieces, which is only bettered by Arsenal, who have scored 23.

Arne Slot has slotted seamlessly into life in the Premier League, with his Liverpool side sitting top of the table as it stands. However, despite the intricate passing patterns, they are not afraid to be direct. The Reds lead the way in aerial duels won, with a 63.8% success rate, 13 crosses chucked into the penalty area so far this season and 467 long passes attempted so far this season.

At the other end of the table, Southampton are the furthest away from what you would describe as a ‘Route One’ side. The Saints have attempted the fewest number of long passes in the league, the fewest number of crosses into the penalty area and have just a 45.3% success rate in aerial duels.