What can Tottenham and Everton expect from Nuno Espirito Santo and Rafael Benitez?
Tottenham and Everton finally appointed new managers this week, with Nuno Espirito Santo coming in at Spurs and Rafael Benitez joining Everton. Jake Osgathorpe It has been a bad few years for Tottenham. In the few months leading up to the Champions League final in 2019 Spurs were performing like a mid-table team based on underlying numbers, and that hasnt improved since. Mauricio Pochettino  who Spurs were rumoured to be interesting in re-hiring  was replaced by Jose Mourinho, which brought about a more negative style of football and the same underlying numbers. After a good start to the 2020/21 campaign, Spurs were looking to be in a title race, but they capitulated, once again playing like a mid-table team. Mourinho was sacked days before the Carabao Cup final  which was odd given his record in finals. Nuno Espirito Santo is a manager familiar with the Premier League, and one who probably deserves a crack at a big job given what he achieved at Wolves. He inherits a team that finished last season in seventh spot, which earned them qualification for the famed Europa Conference League, but that finish flattered them according to expected goals (xG). CLICK TO VIEW: Infogol's 2020/21 Premier League xG table Their performances warranted a tenth-placed finish, averaging 1.56 expected goals for (xGF) and 1.42 expected goals against (xGA) per game  a woeful process given the talent at hand. If improving the team's xG process is what is required, then they have made a decent appointment. Nuno made Wolves a team to be feared Nuno took Wolves to the Premier League at the first time of asking when he was appointed in 2017, before finishing seventh in each of their first two seasons back in the top-flight. On both occasions though, their underlying process deserved more, sitting fifth in Infogols xG table in both 2018/19 and 2019/20, improving their expected goal difference (xGD) year-on-year. USE xG TO INCREASE PROFITS IN FOOTBALL BETTING  Last season deserves an asterisk next to it for Nuno and Wolves, as an extended season, a deep run in the Europa League and severe injuries to key players caused an already small squad to run out of steam. The ex-Porto goalkeeper is known for his preference for a back-five system, which helped Wolves become one of the meanest defences in the Premier League. In fact, only Manchester City boasted a better xGA per game figure than Wolves in the 2019/20 season, while they ranked fifth on this metric in 2018/19. Daniel Levy was reportedly concerned about the quality of football that Nuno would play, and its hard to not to be. If you love watching an attritional side who are tough to beat, then I apologise, but if you enjoy free-flowing attacking football, Nunos Wolves werent the team to follow. Spurs fans grew tired of Mourinhos defence-first approach to matches, and that could well be the case with Nuno, unless he does plan to play in a more expansive manner  a method he hasnt yet proven he can get results with. Nuno knows how to organise a defence, and that is something Spurs are in desperate need of. Overall, Nuno will bring structure and stability to a flaky side, but whether he will WOW fans with his football remains to be seen. Rafa needs time, but is a solid appointment Liam Kelly Everton passed on Nuno in the almost comical managerial merry-go-round we have had to endure over the past few weeks, eventually bringing Rafa Benitez to Goodison Park despite his ties to local rivals Liverpool. Hiring the 61-year-old has been met with toxicity following his history on the Red side of the city, but it might be an upgrade, even if his predecessor has returned to the luxuries involved in coaching Real Madrid. It wouldnt surprise me if a fair few Evertonians are just happy to be rid of Carlo Ancelotti, which may sound strange considering they were challenging for European football for the majority of the 2020/21 campaign. Ancelotti underachieved After an excellent start to life under Ancelotti from a data perspective, the Toffees have declined to a bottom-half level team, perfectly displayed by their rolling xG trendlines during the Italian's tenure. Everton averaged 1.32 xGF and 1.47 xGA per game last season, finishing 12th in Infogols expected Premier League table. CLICK TO VIEW: Infogol's 2020/21 Premier League xG table That is simply not good enough for a squad of such quality, as Everton are not the small club that Rafa claimed they were after a Merseyside derby in 2007. Moving onto Benitez, his success at Liverpool is well-documented - a proven winner - but the last time we have seen him in a big job was at Newcastle, scrapping to keep the Magpies in the Premier League.