No coincidence that since Koeman's 'Barkleys contract not a priority' comments back when Barry signed his extension that the lad has improved ten fold. Clever from Koeman as its clearly seems to have struck a cord in the lad and he is delivering the consistency we've been after for years. Ross is no longer a player that delivers a 9 one game then a 4 the next, he's consistently delivering 7/8s every game now and its a joy to watch.
He'll sign a contract as well.
Fully agree that we are now seeing far more consistency with Ross. However, I'm not sure if his contract situation has had that much impact in this. I think it's more a combination of things including.
1. Personal fitness levels. You can't begin to compare the Barkley we're seeing now with the one that finished the last campaign. He's lean having lost a lot of that excess bulk he put on over the last 2 seasons, plus he's clearly fitter stamina wise.
2. Coaching. I think for the first time he's getting proper coaching. I think RM just told him to go out and do his thing and believed that was the way to get the best out of him. RK is clearly working on his weak areas to improve him personally as a player, but also concentrating on making Ross more of a team player too. I suspect RKs biggest challenge is working out how best to accommodate his skills within the team set up.
3. Work rate. Obviously this has improved in line with his fitness levels. But he is pressing a lot more than he used to and, in recent weeks, is starting to actually throw in some tackles. I don't expect him to be another Gana Geuye, but I really thought he would never get over the mental block following his bad leg break as a youngster.
4. Confidence. I think more than any other player on our books Ross is a confidence player. This has actually been a major problem for both him and the team. Being our only really creative player, Ross is so important to the team. If he plays poorly, invariably the team doesn't perform either. When he plays poorly and is also perceived to be not putting in a shift, then the crowd tend to get in his back, which directly affects his confidence. What we've seen in recent weeks is the crowd recognising the extra effort he is clearly putting in, and getting behind him. The positive effect on him is clear to see. It's a while since we've seen him playing with a smile on his face the way he is now.
5. Better players. I think bringing in the likes of Davies and Schneids to the midfield has helped Ross. There is more movement around and, crucially, ahead of him, which in turn gives him more options. Imagine the positive effect bringing in a second playmaker type player would have on Ross. If nothing else, it would take away a large part of the burden of creativity from his shoulders. Plus a bit of competition is always a good thing.
6. Maturity. Easy to overlook but maybe Ross is just maturing a bit now and learning from some of his earlier mistakes.
All of the above points are, of course, inter linked and it's the combination that has brought about the consistency and also moulded him to a much more rounded midfielder. Similar to Robles, we're all waiting to see if he can maintain the consistency. If he does, then we have one of the best players in the league on our hands and the sooner we get that contract sorted the better. With consistency will come more goals and assists and that is what will attract other clubs and I just hope we manage to hold on to him when they do.
