Everton are on a rampant pace this year although the man Koeman sought to maximize, Ross Barkley, is slow going. What happens when he clicks?
Everton started the season without Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley started slow to boot. But they didn’t lose and the have continued not to lose. Along the way, Romelu Lukaku clicked and as soon as that happened, the 2-1 and 1-0 score lines became 3-1 and 3-0.
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Four goals in under 300 minutes will have a tendency to do that. Lukaku was arguably the biggest piece of the puzzle and now that that has clicked in, Koeman can turn his attention to maximizing the man he made his top priority – Ross Barkley.
The young Englishman might be the only Toffee that is not having a ridiculously good start to this year. He hasn’t been bad, not by any means, as he has a goal and an assist to his name. But his maintenance of the ball has been sloppy and has cost Everton.
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For starters, Barkley’s 82% pass completion is the lowest it’s been in the Premier League since young Barkley’s 2012/13 season, where he played 200 minutes.
But the true downfall comes in his ability to retain the ball. Thus far into the season, Barkley is averaging 5.4 possession losses per appearance. I don’t need to say this, but that is terrible for a central midfielder.
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And yet, Everton are flourishing. Everyone around Barkley is clicking on all cylinders and that is what a good team does – they pick up their down team mates. Finally, we are seeing what Everton is truly capable of and from an opposing team’s standpoint, it’s terrifying.
But the fact that Barkley hasn’t even clicked yet is even more terrifying. In answer to the question ‘what happens when he does?’ I think the answer is simple: complete and utter pandemonium. Everton will be on a whole new level where all of that talent that Roberto Martinez failed to utilize will be achieving the heights we always knew they could.
There will come a time this season when it will be Barkley’s turn to carry the slack. It’s a cycle. No team ever maximizes all their players all season long. The fact that the Toffees have been able to navigate through the various cycles of Lukaku and Barkley, albeit early in the season, is a massive testament to what Koeman has been able to do.
Now the trick is keeping this going.
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