Everton’s Roberto Martinez is aiming for the Premier League’s slowest midfield
Everton would have the slowest midfield in the Premier League if it partnered Gareth Barry with Manchester United’s Michael Carrick
Everton manager Roberto Martinez must not understand that pace is a valuable asset to have in a midfielder. There’s no other explanation for Martinez’s reported transfer interest in Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick.
Don’t get me wrong, having an experienced midfield is a good thing too, but Martinez is taking that to an unhealthy extreme. Squawka.com reports that he is keen on adding the 34-year-old Carrick in this summer’s transfer market. If successful, Martinez would partner Carrick with his stalwart Gareth Barry.
Ten years ago that would have been a terrific partnership at the Merseyside club. In the 2016-17 version of the English Premier League it strikes me as a terrible idea. Martinez should be trying to purchase a more dynamic midfield instead of partnering two dinosaurs in the middle of Goodison Park.
In the interest to fairness, Barry has managed to give Martinez a very solid season despite his advanced age. He’s managed 28 Premier League appearances on the season for Everton and has posted a very solid Whoscored.com player rating average of 7.00. It’s a gamble to expect him to continue that form next season, but perhaps Martinez will get lucky in that regard.
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Expecting Carrick to perform at an average Premier League level is, in contrast, a ridiculous notion. The English international has been a below-average player for Louis van Gaal at United this season. In his 22 Premier League appearances on the season he’s posted a below-average Whoscored.com average of 6.64. Expecting him to have a bounce back season away from Old Trafford is madness on behalf of Martinez.
The really troubling thing about this potential transfer is that the two men would be a horrible pairing. Both Barry and Carrick require a very athletic partner in the defensive midfield. Pairing the two slow men together only exposes their weaknesses while completely eliminating the ability to showcase their strengths.
For Carrick, partnering him with a more dynamic midfielder would allow him to spray the ball around with his masterful passing ability. He can be exposed out in space, but even at his advanced age he can still deliver a wonderful ball to an ambitious attacker. He just needs time to make that happen.
On the other hand, Barry can still break up play at a high level if he isn’t exposed too much athletically. Playing alongside someone like James McCarthy allows him to focus on defending in tight quarters. When he’s asked to make plays out in space, bad things happen.
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Everton fans must hope that these reports are just rumors and that their manager is too smart to pair Barry and Carrick together. If it does come true, then look for a lot of opposing attacks to find a lot of space, and joy at Goodison Park next season.