Everton need to get Ross Barkley’s attention
It’s safe to say that yesterday didn’t go accordingly to plan for Everton. The Toffees had their Premier League unbeaten streak broken by Bournemouth in a 1-0 loss. Even worse, star midfield Ross Barkley put in another horrible performance.
His play was so weak that Everton manager Ronald Koeman declined to discuss it after the match. The authoritative boss snapped back at media who wanted him to specifically discuss Barkley’s performance. It’s quite clear that Koeman is very frustrated with the English international.
Rather surprisingly, Barkley managed to stay on the pitch for the full 90 minutes against the Cherries. Most thought Koeman would haul him off the pitch before the match’s conclusion. He only managed to muster a Whoscored.com player rating of 6.0 on the afternoon. That was the worst mark of any player during the match.
The real bad news for Everton is that their manager has already played his supposed trump card with Barkley. Koeman has already attempted to utilize the press to motivate him with his negative comments. That’s the sort of high-risk strategy that can ruin a relationship between star and manager.
Now Koeman has to make an exceedingly tough decision. He can either bench Barkley and risk losing him completely, or he can allow him to try to play his way out of the form. The latter causes Koeman to risk losing the rest of the club’s dressing room.
Given Everton’s hot start to the season, this isn’t a dire situation as of yet. If the Toffees lose another match or two in quick succession, the stakes could be raised quickly. Koeman, and Barkley’s future at Everton both depend on one another. The sooner each man realizes that, the better off the club will be.
Pay close attention to how Ronald Koeman manages Ross Barkley in the aftermath of his poor match versus Bournemouth. His next few moves could determine whether or not Barkley has a long-term future with the club.
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