Records will show Chelsea added four players to their senior squad in the summer of 2018, but Ross Barkley believes he should be regarded as No5.
The midfielder joined from Everton for £15million last January, but he is a completely different figure to the one that first arrived.
Then, the 24-year-old was working his way back to fitness after a serious hamstring injury had prevented him playing for the Merseysiders for eight months. He managed just four appearances in the second half of last season, due to more fitness problems and coach Antonio Conte not trusting his ability.
After struggling on debut as a substitute in a League Cup semi-final loss at Arsenal, there were suggestions that Chelsea had made a mistake. No one is saying that now — quite the opposite. The England international is in peak condition, starring for club and country, and is looking a bargain buy.
Missing out on a place in England’s World Cup squad proved a blessing in disguise, as Barkley was able to spend the summer improving his physical condition and meaning he was in position for the start of Maurizio Sarri’s reign when the Italian replaced Conte.
Crucially, Barkley knows himself that he is better equipped now to make the move to Chelsea pay off.
“I’m in a totally different frame of mind this season,” he said. “When I first arrived, I was excited to join a massive club, with the ambition to achieve success. But I came here with a long-term injury, so I had to focus on just getting my body right and getting back to normal.
“Then I had a few niggles, so it was a bit stop-start. I knew then that this season was going to be my time, and that I would be more like a new signing this summer than I was in January, just because of where I was at physically. When you first come back from a long-term injury, you’re just trying to get your body in order and trying to get back into the training and match routine.
“That’s why it was important for me to get a strong pre-season under my belt, because it gives you the right platform. I’m back on track and I hope I’ll continue to improve, score goals and get assists.”
Barkley has scored two important goals in his last two outings — the first in a 3-0 win at Southampton and then the dramatic late equaliser at home to Manchester United on Saturday.
In between, he played a key role in England’s 3-2 victory over Spain, providing a sublime pass that led to the third goal. Significantly, Barkley’s Chelsea team-mates have noticed a vast improvement in his self-belief compared to when he first arrived.
Willian told Standard Sport: “Ross is one of the players who can make the difference. I am very happy for him because we know how difficult it was for him at the start. He arrived here, began training, got an injury, came back and got an injury again. We knew it was hard for him. But this season he is playing very well, is scoring goals and is back in the national team.
“We can see he is becoming more confident. It’s normal when you start to play — you feel more important, you feel confident on the pitch.”
It says a lot for Barkley’s development that he is making it difficult for Sarri to leave him out of the starting XI, regardless of the competition. The former Goodison trainee has jumped above fellow England international Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who did play at the World Cup, in the pecking order and is putting pressure on Mateo Kovacic.
After coming on as a late substitute against United, Barkley is expected to start the Europa League game at home to BATE Borisov tonight.
It was the fine assist in Chelsea’s opening win at PAOK Salonika last month that appeared to kickstart Barkley’s renaissance. Victory tonight will keep Sarri’s side on course to reach the knockout phase, as well as keeping intact their unbeaten record in all competitions.
“It’s brilliant how the team’s started,” Barkley said. “We’ve adapted really well to the manager’s system and started the season on fire. We’re unbeaten and that shows how well we’ve adjusted and also the manager’s style of play is really exciting for the players.
“So, you’re looking forward to games as a chance to take what you’ve learned on the training pitch onto the big stage. We have got the players who have achieved success before and we believe we are capable of doing that.”
