Form Guide: Would frustrated Barkley benefit from Everton exit?
Two minutes into stoppage time in Monday’s Merseyside Derby, Ross Barkley stood over an Everton free kick. The England international played the ball short to Seamus Coleman who returned to Barkley. Rather than compose himself, however, the 23-year-old midfielder aimlessly lofted a long ball over Simon Mignolet’s goal. Two minutes later and Liverpool were ahead courtesy of Sadio Mane, who tapped past Joel Robles to give the Reds the bragging rights over their Merseyside neighbours.
The sound of frustration bellowed around Goodison Park, not only with the result, but in what proved to be another infuriating evening for Barkley. The aforementioned wasted punt for a goal kick was effectively his performance in a microcosm. For a player with so much potential to become one of the best in the country, the young midfielder has failed to push on and live up to the hype. Naturally, when a player breaks onto the scene at a young age, the pressure to see more of him increases significantly, as does a willingness to see him strive for his team.
Similar is said of Barkley, but as the weeks turn to months, the Everton man is failing to live up to expectations. Since becoming a first team regular for the Toffees, his WhoScored rating this season (6.83) is his second lowest. However, when factoring in just starts, a WhoScored rating of 6.86 this term is his worst in his last four Premier League campaigns. "We know he (Barkley) is one of the players who needs to bring more productivity and that is the talk we had about his situation," Everton boss Ronald Koeman recently explained of Barkley.
Unfortunately for Koeman, though, is that his player isn’t responding to the call for him to produce more in the final third. Barkley has just two goals and two assists to his name in the Premier League this season. Of his two goals, one was a lucky free kick that drifted in at the far post in a 1-1 draw with Spurs on the opening day of the campaign, while the other came against a West Ham side that has shipped the fourth most goals (31) in the Premier League this season.
A return of just 18 league goals in the last four seasons can be considered a disappointing return for Barkley, with a conversion rate of just 6.9% the second lowest of those to score more than 15 goals over the same period. For a player who has been routinely deployed in a number 10 role, an underwhelming goalscoring return certainly weighs against him. Barkley isn’t adverse to going for goal, though, with 2.5 shots per game second only to Romelu Lukaku (2.6) of all Everton players in the Premier League this season.
Yet, at 23 years of age, Barkley is at the stage of his career where he should be taking his game to the next level. Of those 2.5 shots per game, 1.1 are coming from outside of the box, which is also the second highest return of all players for the Toffees. While he’s averaging a commendable 2.5 key passes per game, having created just three clear-cut goalscoring opportunities suggests Barkley is perhaps struggling to forge the required chances to really carve open opposition defences.
The return in key passes per game, though, is up from 1.5 last season, while passes per game (47.4 to 39.7) and pass success rate (86% to 82.2%) have dropped, though this is due to Koeman demanding a more direct approach compared to predecessor Roberto Martinez, noted in Everton’s drop in possession (51.5% to 49.8%). That being said, it’s interesting to note that Barkley’s successful dribbles are at a disappointing 1.1 per game this season, that figure down from 3.1 last season, while he is being dispossessed 2.7 times per league match, far and away his worst in a Premier League campaign.
Unsuccessful touches are also a concerning 2.2 per game, again his worst in a top-flight season, as the player struggles to have a real influence on games. After breaking onto the scene, Barkley should now be at the stage to grab games by the scruff of the neck and thrust Everton forward, but opponents are now able to limit his influence and capitalise on a poor first touch in order to keep his impact at a minimum. While this doesn’t bode well for a player deployed behind the strikers, Barkley doesn’t offer enough defensively to play a deeper role in a similar vein to Idrissa Gueye, Gareth Barry, James McCarthy and Muhamed Besic either.
When he’s on form, Barkley is one of the Premier League’s more influential attackers, which was highlighted in when he played a decisive role in the 2-1 win against Arsenal, with his assist for Ashley Williams’ winner helping return of rating of 7.98. Against Liverpool in the following game, however, the England international gained a rating of just 6.48 and this tendency to blow hot and cold leaves fans vexed as they are well aware Barkley offers more to his game than a series of inconsistent performances. Unfortunately, the inconsistent outings look to be outweighing the consistent performances with each passing week.
With just 18 months left to run on his current deal at Goodison Park, Barkley’s career is very much at a crossroads and with the January transfer window approaching, rumours of an Everton exit will only intensify in the coming days. As Koeman looks to put his own stamp on the squad, it remains to be seen how Barkley fits in under the Dutchman and it could well be that both player and club need to part ways in order to evolve accordingly.
