Can Everton's Ross Barkley learn the same lessons Joe Cole had to under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea?
Monday 19 December 2016 00:13, UK
Ronald Koeman's treatment of Ross Barkley echoes Jose Mourinho's methods with Joe Cole at Chelsea. Can the Everton youngster respond in the same way and become a more complete player? We take a look at the parallels…
Ross Barkley returned to the Everton starting line-up for the first time in three matches and set up the winner as they beat Arsenal 2-1 at Goodison Park on Tuesday.
It was a bright performance in what has otherwise been a difficult season under manager Ronald Koeman for the 23-year-old, who has been in and out of the team.
After Everton beat Sunderland 3-0 at the Stadium of Light in September, Koeman gave a typically frank response when asked why he had hauled Barkley off at half-time: "He did not show the level I expected, I had to do something. He lost too many balls."
In 2006, Jose Mourinho had hooked another precocious young English player in even more severe fashion.
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With Chelsea a goal down away to London rivals Fulham, the Portuguese hauled off Joe Cole after just 26 minutes, replacing him with Damien Duff and changing his formation. Cole was blanked and threw his tracksuit to the ground in disgust.
It was a public display of Mourinho's dissatisfaction with Cole's refusal to apply the same determination to his defensive work as he did in attack. Henrikh Mkhitaryan appears to have experienced similar treatment this season at Manchester United, too.
This time last year, Barkley was enjoying his best spell in an Everton shirt since making his debut in 2011. Nine goals for both club and country showed there was substance to go with the natural ability and a series of impressive displays, notably against Spain, where he did not look out of place against the likes of Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta, caught the eye.
"Roy Hodgson must find a place for Barkley in the team," said former England captain Terry Butcher. "I think he should play and that they should virtually build a team around him."
These words fell on deaf ears. Despite being included in Hodgson's 23-man squad for Euro 2016, Barkley never left the bench as England crashed out to minnows Iceland in the last-16. Barkley felt he should have been shown "more faith."
However, under club manager Roberto Martinez, Barkley was allowed to flourish and play with freedom. The former Wigan boss talked of him being "world class" and fulfilling his potential. His words transpired confidence into the midfielder, who in turn was making good on such high praise.
But Koeman, unlike his predecessor, has been far more critical, unwilling to join in with the plaudits, saying: "He is already been playing for four years in the first team and you are not 'a talent' any more. It means you have to show you have improved."
And improved Barkley has not. The stats show his touches on the ball have fallen from 74.9 per game to 63.6 in the Premier League, while he has also dribbled, tackled and passed less this season.
But there was a difference on show against Arsenal. Only Idrissa Gueye (51) made more passes in midfield than Barkley (48), who played with far more purpose on Tuesday evening than he had done in recent weeks.
His three key passes included the assist from the corner for Ashley Williams to nod in as Everton won their first game since beating West Ham at the end of October.
It was a mature display and testament to Barkley's willingness to take the Dutchman's instructions on board. The situation has all the hallmarks of Cole's relationship with Mourinho, who instilled more of a defensive mindset and committed work ethic into the player to make him adhere to the strict tactics of a winning formation.
While Cole was no longer the free-spirited trickster first seen at West Ham, he took note of the demand for improvement and played a pivotal role in helping Chelsea win back-to-back titles, rightfully earning his place in the side, ahead of the likes of Duff and Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Like Cole, Barkley has creativity and flair in abundance. But there's a need for discipline, too.
In essence, Cole's career - particularly the period at Chelsea, which was his most successful - should act as a blue print for Barkley. There were occasions when he was made the scapegoat and unfairly singled out, but Mourinho's influence ultimately turned Cole into a more complete player and made him a winner. Can Koeman do the same with Barkley?
