Martin Keown says Everton midfielder Ross Barkley has all the potential to be the leading player of his generation.
|||
One midfield star might be about to leave the red half of Merseyside but, if things continue as they are in the blue half, another could soon be on his way.
Ross Barkley is the closest thing we have to the new Steven Gerrard.
He is still a long way from becoming the complete player who Gerrard is, but he has all the potential to be the leading player of his generation.
The big problem is, can Everton keep pace with the growth of his talent? Wayne Rooney was the last great star to come through at Goodison Park but Everton could not hang on to him.
Now he has won 12 trophies at Manchester United while Everton have won nothing in 20 years. If that drought continues, will Barkley be forced to follow Rooney’s lead?
It would never be allowed to happen but Brendan Rodgers must be looking over the fence because Barkley is the perfect replacement for Gerrard.
When I saw a young Barkley out on loan at Sheffield Wednesday, I didn’t know why he wasn’t in the Everton first team. The first time he picked up the ball he surged forward, beat three players and pinged a pass with his left foot. Next time he did exactly the same with his right.
It was like watching the Ronnie O’Sullivan of football. Young players don’t always translate early success to the first team, but Barkley was always destined for the top. He had a slow start, his broken leg halting his progress, before making his mark last season. But it’s those setbacks that have made his breakthrough more meaningful.
Everton invested a lot of time and effort developing Barkley and he will feel he owes them, and Roberto Martinez, his loyalty.It was Martinez after all, not David Moyes, who Barkley flourished under and he will want to repay that faith.
That is an admirable trait for a young man of his talents but it won’t be long before people start questioning whether he would fare better away from Goodison.Everton are a fantastic club, and I can speak from experience, but at the moment they are shopping outside Harrods — just on the fringes of the big sides.
Barkley is Everton born and bred and his dream will have been to lead them to glory. But they are in freefall. They rescued a draw in the FA Cup against West Ham but four straight Premier League losses is alarming for a squad of their quality.
They still try to dominate possession but are ineffective with it. They are averaging around 50 passes more per game this season but have lost nine times.
This time last year they had lost only twice.Barkley has been played all over midfield and has struggled to have the same impact. Every time he scores it feels like he has to run 50 yards and beat a team before smashing it in. It’s time to play him higher up the pitch and build the team around him.
Look at how Gareth Bale improved when Tottenham moved him forward. There’s no doubt Barkley has the talent to develop along similar lines.
If Everton continue to struggle, their best player could be prised away.
He is Everton’s next Rooney but, like his predecessor, unless the club gets back to where it was last year, holding onto Barkley could soon become an impossible task. – Daily Mail
from Soccer Soccer Extended RSS http://ift.tt/1yYLjkr
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire