Roberto Martínez believes Everton will witness a different Ross Barkley this season, the midfielder having improved his fitness and decision-making.
The 21-year-old struggled last year to maintain the standards of his breakthrough season under Martínez. Having missed the opening three months of the campaign with a knee ligament injury, he failed to find consistent form – or a consistent role in the side – once he recovered. Barkley said recently that his confidence also suffered but, having missed the European Under-21 Championship with England this summer, he has shown signs of benefiting from an overdue break during the close season.
“Ross is ready to kick on this season,” the Everton manager said. “Last season was challenging throughout because of the injury he picked up, which stopped him starting the season, but he always took responsibility and never shied away.
“I’ve seen a huge difference in him as a player. He is a completely different footballer in terms of the decisions he makes on the pitch. A player of his quality and physicality, if we get that decision-making right, he is going to be at his very best.”
The responsibility will be even greater on Barkley this season: Everton have made two signings and Martínez is looking to develop a team around his young talents rather than for wholesale change. Gerard Deulofeu, one of the new recruits, is among seven players likely to miss the opening game against Watford through injury.
Martínez has stated he wants three more signings before the transfer deadline, with a creative No10-type among them. That would appear to affect Barkley’s role in the team but the Everton manager believes the England international is suited to a different position.
“I really enjoy when he has that real freedom as a No8 and he can get box-to-box in those positions,” he said. “At times as a No10 he feels a little bit more claustrophobic – if that’s a football word. You can give him a bit more freedom in a midfield role or in a different type of role than a No10.”
Barkley is not the only person at Everton with something to prove after the team slumped from fifth in Martínez’s first season in charge to 11th last term, their lowest league finish for nine years. The manager accepts there must be improvement and doubts dispelled.
“If you don’t reach your target then you are going to get doubters, it is normal,” he said. “But, in the same way, what we are concentrating on is to follow the line of the last two years with the young players we are developing, keeping the team together and having some continuity. That is part of the job from my point of view.
“Last season was a very challenging campaign. The Europa League did not help us and knowing how to deal with it in the first half of the season in the league. Are we a stronger group than we were last season? Without a doubt. Mentally and psychologically I feel that we are more mature. All we want to do is to get that momentum we had in the back end of the season and two seasons ago. Without the distraction of Europe, we will find it very different.”
