Ross Barkley

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Quality, again. Great signing. 

[BlueLyon 9,359]

One good buy last season and he cost 15m. 

Dont let that distract you we forked 80m on fucking Drinkwater and Bakayoko.

[Pizy 18,368]

You'd imagine that if he continues this form until January and was still playing for a smaller team there would be a line of big clubs offering huge sums for him.mus getting a full Enhland international for £15m is genius so long as he keeps improving under Sarri.

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

Starting to improve on a weekly basis the last few months. Cost 15m, was shrewd move, offers plenty if starting or off the bench. Still prefer him to Ruben in all honesty but Ruben also continuing to grow.

[Vesper 28,828]

3 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

Starting to improve on a weekly basis the last few months. Cost 15m, was shrewd move, offers plenty if starting or off the bench. Still prefer him to Ruben in all honesty but Ruben also continuing to grow.

This is exactly where I am at too. Sarri has had truly a positive effect on both.

[manpe 10,861]

3 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

Starting to improve on a weekly basis the last few months. Cost 15m, was shrewd move, offers plenty if starting or off the bench. Still prefer him to Ruben in all honesty but Ruben also continuing to grow.

I also prefer Barkley, I think there is not much doubt that he offers more in overall play than Cheeks. Both are goal threats though so both have that going for them. Seriously our midfield depth and quality is just brilliant.

[Fernando 6,463]

12 hours ago, manpe said:

I also prefer Barkley, I think there is not much doubt that he offers more in overall play than Cheeks. Both are goal threats though so both have that going for them. Seriously our midfield depth and quality is just brilliant.

Now to improve the attack and defense. I think we can pass by with the CB but need better LB, striker and wingers. 

[Jase 43,479]

 

[Magic Lamps 11,653]

Machine. Amazing assist so super smooth movement made it look easy and if the goal means we are now a threat from range it gives oppositions quite a bit more to think of. Hope he can keep it up. Definite starter next week but in the cup I wanna see Kovacic and RLC together. 

[Special Juan 27,429]

He's a really good physical presence now too, he has muscled up and under Sarri he is now technically much better and more complete as a player.

If he carries on like this he is going to become undroppable, and that's testament to the lad and how hard he's worked to get into this position.

 

[Sideshow Luiz 2,310]

Barkley vs. Pogba:

 

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

On 29/10/2018 at 9:22 PM, Jason said:

 

Think comparing 9 games against 150 is daft but no doubt he's improved his game here this season. Even last season he looked lost when he played.

[NiclasCFC 2,582]

Nominated for player of the month, vote below!

https://potm.easports.com/

[Tomo 21,733]

12 hours ago, OneMoSalah said:

Think comparing 9 games against 150 is daft but no doubt he's improved his game here this season. Even last season he looked lost when he played.

This is what happens when a manager focuses on actually coaching you instead of moaning about how shit you are.

[Jase 43,479]

Something interesting in the article for those possession nerds out there...

Without goals from the centre‑forward or midfield, there is only so far any side can go. Perhaps Hazard can reach the 40-goal target Sarri has set for him but it would be much easier if he were not the only threat opponents have to deal with. That’s why Barkley is so valuable.

He has never been exactly prolific over his career – just 28 league goals to date – but Jorginho, Mateo Kovacic and Kanté have only 38 over their careers between them. That Barkley has scored in each of his last three games for Chelsea is not a coincidence. But nor is it a coincidence that Sarri has not started Barkley against either Liverpool or United.

He presumably sees Kovacic as the safer option, although at the moment that may simply be an issue of familiarity. Certainly there is little to support a view that Barkley is somehow unreliable or untrustworthy in possession: his pass success rate is lower than Kovacic’s but is still 92%, the second highest at the club and the fifth highest in the league. Factor in the detail that Barkley has three assists to Kovacic’s one and, although there is a small sample size and the nature and condition of the opposition has to be taken into account, there is an argument Barkley’s passes hurt the opposition more.

What the 92% figure clearly suggests is that Barkley has become more judicious in his pass selection. That is a significant leap from a career average of 85.2%, one that can only partly be explained by the possession-based nature of Sarri‑ball. The suggestion is that there is a maturity about him now and he no longer feels the need to play the killer pass at every touch.

The other metric in which there has been a significant improvement is in distance run. Even to the naked eye, Barkley looks sleeker than in the past, and the stats show he is running on average 1.5km per 90 minutes further than in his Everton days.

[BlueLion. 21,491]

Got to be honest, and this is no indictment of Kovacic, but I'm not really that bothered if Mateo stays at Real beyond this season, because Ross can do his job - and arguably, he's better at it. 

Yes, I know they are different players with different skill sets, and yes, they offer different things... but I think Barkley is more suited to the style of play Sarri wants to see. Kovacic is great at carrying the ball and creating space for others with his movement, but this is something Loftus-Cheek offers, too. Ross is just different to the other CMs we have at the club. 

[Jase 43,479]

His passing in the first half against Palace...Jesus Christ! Hope all that recent praise hasn't gotten to his head!

[OneMoSalah 8,778]

6 hours ago, BlueLion. said:

Got to be honest, and this is no indictment of Kovacic, but I'm not really that bothered if Mateo stays at Real beyond this season, because Ross can do his job - and arguably, he's better at it. 

Yes, I know they are different players with different skill sets, and yes, they offer different things... but I think Barkley is more suited to the style of play Sarri wants to see. Kovacic is great at carrying the ball and creating space for others with his movement, but this is something Loftus-Cheek offers, too. Ross is just different to the other CMs we have at the club. 

The Kovacic and Hazard link up is exceptional though. They understand each other on and off the ball and often look to find each other.

Kovacic is a better footballer than Ross and Ruben (fair to say he's similar to Morata in regards that hebplayed for a top top club but never really started) and has got similar footballing intelligence to Eden which is why they combine so well I think, even in the Arsenal game when he came on for his debut, within his first 5 minutes he and Eden combined and you could just tell. The Liverpool match as well for me was a big proving point that Eden and Kova are great together.

I think Ruben could be a more rounded box to box player with a bit of work defensively and positionally. I think Ross and Kovacic are more forward thinking than him, although he can carry the ball well but his final pass isn't as good as theirs. Ross offers much more of a goal threat than both of them for me but he offers more, even at Everton he was a creative hub for them and now he has a bit of maturity to his play. Bit panicky today at times but it wasn't a brilliant performance from the team, sloppy with the ball, got some luck and also had some good David Luiz moments like that excellent block in the first half. 

1 hour ago, Jason said:

His passing in the first half against Palace...Jesus Christ! Hope all that recent praise hasn't gotten to his head!

Nobody in MF bar Jorginho passed well in the first half I thought. Even Jorgi gave some balls away but there is a much better decision making process when Ross gets the ball, which even when he makes bad passes or mistakes he still gets on the ball and still manages to find his team mates. Kante and Azpi were more concerning for me in regards to giving the ball away today, a lot of sloppy passes after 1-1.