Ryan Giggs Why Barkley can provide the magic ingredient
In today’s derby against Liverpool, the Everton playmaker can ease his England frustrations by showing he deserves Gareth Southgate’s confidence
When I analysed Everton last season in preparation for the three games Manchester United played against them, it was often the positioning and approach of Ross Barkley that caught my eye from the hours of match footage I went over.
Barkley was that rare thing in the modern game, a dribbler of the ball. Not just a dribbler, but a player who would dribble from just about anywhere on the pitch, including, on occasions, his own half. Like most players who are prepared to take risks, it did not always work in his favour but Barkley, on his day, had that quality every team needs but few players possess: he can beat his man.
Watching England try to break down a very deep-lying Lithuania team on Sunday, I thought it was the occasion for someone such as Barkley, who has the ability to dribble through an opponent. Against those organised teams, he is the one who can break the defensive line, collapse the shape of the opposition and give you a road through them.
Casting my eye over his statistics for this season, one in particular jumps out at me. In 36 league games last season, Barkley attempted 199 dribbles with 116 completed. In 27 league games this season, he has attempted just 70 with 42 completed. That is a significant fall and suggests a change in his game, perhaps dictated by his manager, Ronald Koeman, that he should not take so any risks.
Young players such as Barkley are hard to coach – hard but not impossible. You have to insist on them fulfilling their place in the framework of the team, doing their share of the work and maintaining their position in the shape of the formation. But by the same token, you have to allow them to do the things that make them special players. You have to grant them freedom within that structure and that can be very difficult for young players to grasp.
We have seen moments of magic in the past from Barkley and he has played well this year in an Everton team who have the best Premier League record since the turn of the year. No doubt it is for that reason he indicated his frustration at playing no part in the two England games over the international break. But it goes deeper than that. As a young player, you have to earn the trust of managers and, to do that, you need to perform consistently. There were times in my early career during difficult games when Steve Bruce would call over to me: “Come on, we need that bit of magic to win us this.” I would be confronted with the reality of my new situation. I was no longer the kid of whom any meaningful contribution was to be applauded. There were expectations. I had set a standard. My team-mates had seen me win games and wanted me to do so again. The same is the case for Barkley now and, at 23, he is no longer a kid. This footballer has done great things at times in his career. He can go past a player with the lightness of touch and the change of pace that reminds you of Paul Gascoigne. The key now, as he faces another big Merseyside derby today, is to do it over and over until that excellence becomes the norm. That is no easy task but it is what we expect of our very best players. One of the interesting aspects of Barkley’s play is that he can be very hard to track. He picks the ball up all over the pitch, deep in his own half and then in more orthodox No 10 positions closer to the opponents’ goal. The game comes easy to players like Barkley and, as a result, his style can look extremely casual. It is not, I think, what he intends – it just happens to be the way it is. On the occasions when he gives the ball away, the fans can get on his back because it looks like he does not care. That is not the case, it is just that he makes it look effortless. If there is an example for Barkley to look at then it probably comes from a player younger than him who occupies the playmaker role for England. Dele Alli does many things better than Barkley – not all it should be said – but, overall, he has the more complete game. He scores goals, he can defend and keep the team shape. He drops into the pocket in front of the opposition defence. He runs in behind without the ball. Physically, both players are excellent. Barkley is probably the better dribbler. Alli more often makes the right decision – everything from when to dribble or when to lay it off. There will be days when he has a bad game, because everyone does, but generally he inspires confidence and trust in a coach. There are others like Barkley who are adaptable to a number of different positions – I would include Adam Lallana and Jesse Lingard among them. As for Barkley, he just needs to make one of them his own. With England, where it seems his frustrations have been in recent times, there is a spot going in the centre of midfield alongside Eric Dier for a playmaker figure and Barkley has the potential. England have some very talented attacking players in this generation but they will need someone to feed them the ball from deep. While that has not been Barkley’s role in the past, it might just be one he could fulfil in the future, although first he would have to earn the trust of Gareth Southgate. In the meantime, he is a local boy in a local derby which comes with its own extra bit of pressure. It is one of those days when your manager just wants his best players to deliver, and on that basis, a good day for Barkley to rise to the occasion.
He had that quality every team needs but few players possess: he can beat his man