Football

Tougher than Burnley?

Barkley is another in the long line of English midfielders who have been overhyped and start to believe their own press. Don't get me wrong he is a talented player with pace has two good feet but his decision making has not improved in the four years he's been playing with the first team. Martinez tried the gentle approach encouraging him to make mistakes and try things and that's fine if you are playing in a winning team but it doesn't work so well when you start losing games and start to analyse why? He bulked up too much last season and that impaired his fitness. He still isn't as fit as he should be and still doesn't know when to pass, dribble or shoot. He often overthinks things and then get's dispossessed. I've said it before on the forum I would have much rather taken the money for Barkley if it was ever offered and kept Stones but after last season his formed dipped and so there wasn't much interest. I think Koeman will give him a season to prove his worth and it hasn't started well. After getting dropped from the English squad Koeman challenged him to show what they were missing out on and that didn't seem to work. I think a loan move away from Goodison would do him the world of good as he's been too comfortable too long playing at his boyhood club. If he doesn't improve I can see that happening at the end of the season.