2025/26 Jarrad Branthwaite

[davek]

Both slow as the game goes on - v a very good side - plus our full backs our naff.... excuse the one out of position ...

I reckon we have the personnel in the squad right now if we had a manager interested in trying new stuff. Dibling to RWB maybe.

JOB to CB now looks a no brainer though.

 

[Nymzee]

Why do people keep saying O'Brien to CB? If we haven't done it already with Branthwaite out why would this fresh injury change anything.

 

[hetion]

I know you hate him but he's been very solid.

Zero errors leading to a shot, zero errors leading to a goal, scored to give us a point vs West Ham.

Even if Branthwaite was fit he wouldn't be getting dropped.

Numbers are completely sound:

View attachment 329325

I'm probably the biggest stats nerd on this forum but I'd be very cautious about using publicly available data to analyse CBs. It's extraordinarily difficult to do.

Not saying either way about Keane, he has played well this season and getting him on a new contract has turned out to be a fantastic bit of business.

 

[Saint Domingo]

It's not an agenda. We had one of the best defences in the league last season, largely due to the partnership of Branthwaite and Tarkowski. Start of last season was the same with Tarkwoski struggling having to play next to Keane, seen the same happen to Mina while he was here as well.

As you say stats can be hard to read at face value, but I know what I see when he plays. He unsettles the rest of the defensive line. He's never been able to form a partnership with another cb at Everton because he looks an absolute nightmare to play with. He's alright facing the opponents goal winning headers and making clearances, but he often leaves big gaps behind him and when he has to turn and move he completely loses his bearings.

Watch an actually good cb like Branthwaite who always looks assured, makes it look easy, knows where to be. Then watch Keane and you notice, he's always slightly out of position, wrong body shape most of time getting caught flat footed or with his back to the ball.

As I said, he's improved a bit this season but we desperately need him out of the 11 imo.

This basically

 

[pfim]

Left field shout - and I mentioned this yesterday - I see a CB in Iroegbunam.

We might have to start thinking that way too if we get an injury to Keane.

He's poor positionally as a CM, it won't get better in a higher risk area.

It will be Keane and Tarkowski unless the wheels fall off.

 

[Neiler]

As much as we have been "fine" densively without Jarrod if you look at our games, we leave too much space between th emidfild and backline.

Thats where we miss Jarrod iun my opinion, he enables us to have th mobility of playing a higher line - hes also brilliant at covering left full - but thats a whole different story.

We are being hurt in recent games with space between the midfield and defenaive lien as much as everyone has been "fine".

 

[Saint Domingo]

But you’re still missing the point. That is who they were going to sign according to their own client journalists. Whether you think you could have found somebody better is completely irrelevant, the club had narrowed it down to those two options and like I said initially (and at the time) it was very obvious that would be the case, and the reaction to Keane re-signing was based on that (correct) assumption.

Agree to disagree means I’m not going to agree with you. That’s ok you know, but there’s nothing really you can do about it. I just don’t agree with you.

My opinion at the time was we needed a better option than Keane there because he’d be playing a lot if one of the first choice pairing got injured. Just because the club might have signed Adam Webster instead doesn’t change my view. We do need a batter option than Keane in my opinion.

 

[Drago]

Why do people keep saying O'Brien to CB? If we haven't done it already with Branthwaite out why would this fresh injury change anything.

Presumably because he's been really struggling at right back recently.

 

[pfim]

Presumably because he's been really struggling at right back recently.

He's playing poorly, so we're going to replace one of our CBs with him? I'm not following the logic.

 

[Drago]

He's playing poorly, so we're going to replace one of our CBs with him? I'm not following the logic.

He's a centre half by trade, not a right back. How do you think Keane or Tarkowski would get on there?

Given he's seemingly the future of our central defence, I can understand the point others are making.

 

[Hickson9]

He's playing poorly, so we're going to replace one of our CBs with him? I'm not following the logic.

He looked good against Palace when moved inside and Garner did well at right back. That's the logic.

 

[Miked1e]

Just heard 4 months.... Can't see how this is the case if hamstring injury!

I am still very much like to see us re-shuffle the defence slightly... we will gain more with Garner at RB than we will lose in the midfield.

 

[pfim]

He's a centre half by trade, not a right back. How do you think Keane or Tarkowski would get on there?

Given he's seemingly the future of our central defence, I can understand the point others are making.

He's played a total of about 5 matches there for us. We still don't have a RB. I find it highly unlikely he'll play in the center while we still have two healthy CBs.

 

[DanB90]

If he’d have done him with some outrageous piece of skill you’d have a point but suddenly slowing your run into the box to buy a yard from the defender is pretty basic centre forward play. Also I’m not the one arguing he’s been terrible this season, you’re arguing he’s been great, so when I put forward an example of him not being great you then can’t scorn an argument for the extreme binary position that I’m actually not making.

He’s been ok in my opinion, decent in some games, poor in others. Wouldn’t say he’s been terrible, wouldn’t say he’s been great either.

If we’re both running in one direction and I stop without warning, your momentum is going to carry you further.

Doesn’t matter how good of a defender you are, or how good your reactions are, you’re getting done by that simple stop of the run.

 

[Drico]

If this is true, I think any notions of a top half finish will soon start to fade. Keane has done well - but he's a bomb scare. It's only a matter of time before he explodes. Tarkowski is beginning to look like a fella who's playing one season too many. He's sliding off a cliff form-wise. This double disruption to one of the best defences in the league means we will no longer be as solid at the back over the course of a season.

This was a pivotal season for Branthwaite. Injuries look to have ruined it and destroyed his hopes of a World Cup spot. Worse, they are seriously stunting his development. If he returns in 2026, he's not really a "young" defender any more. We live in hope it's not as bad as feared or that he comes back strong when he does.

But this is a blow.