Ross Barkley

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catcherintherye said:
You are right, it is a lazy tag much like the "fat" one banded about but it doesn't mean the essence of it is untrue.

Barkley's strengths are not his footballing intelligence, his fitness can be worked on. In spite of that he still had a better domestic season that pretty much any midfielder other than Mahrez and that is with falling away from March onwards. He plays on instinct and there does come a point with Barkley where you work on a lad strengths not their weaknesses.

Gerrard was one of the most influential players of his age group but I would also say lacked a football brain. Benitez tried to coach his but in the end got the best out of him when he let him be what he was and focussed on improving his strengths (goals, assists from central areas).

Whether that means playing Ross deeper in an 8 so he has players in front of him and can break from deeper, or as a 10 (more in a second striker role) or as almost an attacking wide striker in a 4-3-3 I am not sure. There are arguments for both. However in spite of Collymore's intervention inspire of a lack of a football brain he has still performed better than any other players in that England squad in terms of stats and deserved better.

The Liverpool Echo rightly asked which of that England football team had a football brain. Die doesn't, Alli definitely doesn't and was completely lost, I'm not sure Kane or Sturridge really do either and Vardy was woeful. I was a funny intervention from Collymore, not wrong but just surprising he chose to pick on the lad who didn't play a minute in any of the appalling performances at the Euro's. Smacks me of deflecting the blame.

As a final point, Dowell has a fantastic football brain. When you watch them both they are completely different. He lacks Barkley's power and strength of running as well as his ability to "get stuck in" win headers etc (Barkley can get better at this) but he is a much cleverer player.
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Agree with everything pretty much but I'd say Kane definitely has a football brain. In fact I'd say it's one of his major strong points.

Unless we're talking just on showings at the Euros of course :)
 
Titus Bramble said:
Having several boss players for each position is not a bad thing
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There is NO finer motivation in any profession than knowing if you do not consistently perform you will be replaced by someone who is waiting for the chance to impress. Look what happened under the last regime when a player lost his place it was nearly only due to an injury irrespective of form. Then as soon as the player was fit again they automatically regained their place in the starting line up. Even if in many cases that player was not even match fit. Now that did everybody's head in. including the fans.
 
DrEFC said:

He needs fitness and consistency, and someone to share the creative load. We were a team under Moyes that created a lot through Baines/Pienaar, but it was still essentially crosses at the end of it to a waiting Yak/Cahill/Fellaini. Under Martinez we tried to be more creative through the centre of the pitch, but we scored a lot by overloading with fullbacks.
The stuff he does in that video, others couldn't dream of, like the backheel flick to Mirallas ect.
If he was consistent- he wouldn't still be at Everton TBF. I'd also get him working on through balls! His simple ones never seem to come off!
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Anyone who says he doesn't a football brain should be shown some of those assists. Perfectly timed and deft.
 

bring back the catt said:
There is NO finer motivation in any profession than knowing if you do not consistently perform you will be replaced by someone who is waiting for the chance to impress. Look what happened under the last regime when a player lost his place it was nearly only due to an injury irrespective of form. Then as soon as the player was fit again they automatically regained their place in the starting line up. Even if in many cases that player was not even match fit. Now that did everybody's head in. including the fans.
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Unless you are the prime minister
 
Love barkley and he had a season regarding stats wise, one of the highest output of a number 10.

He only got two years left so if he doenst sign a new contract soon, he will be sold unless I'm wrong nad he got more then two years left
 
Connor said:
Anyone who says he doesn't a football brain should be shown some of those assists. Perfectly timed and deft.
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It's not as simple as saying he doesn't have a footballing brain. He clearly has vision, but for whatever reason he hasn't always regularly applied it.

For every sublime piece of play and assist, there's a time when he aimlessly wandered into a position he's surrounded and harried off the ball.

As @RFUS mentioned, it might be down to overthinking or as some suggest Martinez failed to give him and others a defined role or approach.

This season could be the acid test for whether Barkley utilises the potential under Koeman's stewardship to become a top player as we all desire.

He's certainly improved his output in goals and assists, however it is now time to really become more consistently influential in games.
 

I don't think the football brain is the problem here. It's simple I think - he keeps the ball well, dribbles, runs at players, but then there were no outlets, players in space or formations that could take advantage of it. He attracts players, sometimes 2 or 3, to him, and at that moment when he could release the ball or play someone in, the angle, space or movement is not there. Lukaku, annoyingly, would always get hassled and shout 'Ross, Ross, Ross, and tell him off, but his run was static or in the wrong space. I think our overall movement was too 'stop-start' and if we have a more flowing, structured system in place, Ross can use his talent better.
 
I'd also like to point out he was a marked man as the season went on.

Teams hurried in twos on him cos they knew he'd do damage. Anytime he had a shot outside the box, would be players out to stop him.

He's learning. And being a marked player while you're still learning is gonna be tough.
 
Ross under a proper manager, wherever he plays will be allowed more freedom and will fulfill his potential of being perhaps the best English midfielder since Gazza himself.
 

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