Tennessee Blue Mike
Player Valuation: £50m
To err is human forgive divine. Barkley way to amped up. Needs a little settling. Lucky boy though.
Very poor first half but improved a lot in the second. Was the only player trying to make something happen in the final third and released the ball to the wings a few times but our crossing wasn't good enough to make the most of it.
Strong challenge on Lovren but NEA, happens every derby from most players.
Its these games where Ross simply has to impact/effect the game in a positive manner more.
Its these games which will get him back into the England line up.
I love the player; think hes great and does seem to be ironing out his inconsistencies. But the big games are where the big players step up and he simply must do that to take himself to the next level.
I think he has played well against most top teams because he is given time and space. Liverpool have done well against the top teams because they plan to stifle the creative and most dangerous players and do it to great effect. Look at Spurs and Arsenal at the pit...nullified the most creative players. Same with Ross and Lukaku not being given an inch. They fully concentrated on our 2 most effective players.
Thing is, when Sewerness made that statement the footage he was talking over from the match showed Barkley spinning away from Liverpool players and looking a real thoroughbred.Souness murdered him. It's like the past three months never happened. This one match somehow overrides all the improvements he's shown this season.
If I was playing with him, I would be falling out with him. Not every game; every five minutes. He runs with it when he should pass it, he passes it when he should run with it. His decision making is poor in the extreme, and you can be kidded by him sometimes because he will do that: turn away from a couple of players and flash one over the bar.
He's got all the equipment to be a player, but I just see his decision making not improving. And if his decision making doesn't improve, then he won't improve as a player.
I see him as the kid in the playground. That's how he plays football to me.