Gareth Barry: Retired

[TheSandman]

Grauniad

Gareth Barry was key to England's plans but he is going backwards fast

The holding midfielder was once given special treatment by Fabio Capello but is quickly becoming an irrelevance


Gareth Barry struggled to get hold of the ball against France and was unable to help his inexperienced midfield partner, Jordan Henderson. Photograph: Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Gareth Barry was once more prominent in his manager's thoughts on Wednesday night. In the 2-1 defeat by France, however, Fabio Capello treated his removal as a matter of urgency and the midfielder was one of three men taken off at half-time. The decline in Barry's fortunes has been even steeper than that of the team itself. He must be suffering from disbelief as much as disappointment.

Until quite recently, Barry stood out for the exceptional value he had for his country. He had even qualified for the sort of treatment that goes against the grain for Capello. The manager had been insistent that only those who were fully fit could go to the World Cup, but an exception was made for Barry. While ankle trouble kept him out of the opener against the United States, he was in the starting XI for the other three games.

Such dependence on him is going out of fashion. Manchester City, who find goals elusive, may have thought that prudence was not essential in the home match with Birmingham last weekend. It finished goalless even though Barry was on the bench until the 83rd minute.

His relevance should not be at an end since he is still three months away from his 30th birthday, yet he is, at the very least, in a lull and appears inexplicably ponderous. Given that he is meant to be critical to Capello's scheme there are ramifications when his presence is not felt. The manager must have assumed that Barry would escort Jordan Henderson through the match with France.

The Sunderland midfielder may have felt abandoned instead. Capello had imagined Henderson's skills looking particularly apt on the international scene. "He plays one-touch, two-touch," the manager enthused on the eve of the match. "His vision on the pitch is really good all the time. I think he's one player with a different style of play in the middle. Something new."

Capello may not have anticipated the effect on Henderson of lacking possession. At 20, it is likely that he still sees a match in terms of using the ball rather than shutting off the paths to goal that the opposition can take. By siting Henderson so near the back four, Capello was requiring him to take on defensive tasks.

Barry was in too much trouble of his own to relieve the youngster of part of the burden. Mentors were in short supply against France and Kieran Gibbs, in his first start with England, had too much ground to cover. Appreciation for the missing left-back Ashley Cole should have soared as onlookers recalled how he seems to flourish in all areas of that flank.

At least the 21-year-old Gibbs has seen action in the Champions League this year and last.

To some extent, Barry is at a disadvantage by comparison with many England team-mates since he has never played in the tournament, let alone immersed himself in it. None the less, there was no apparent handicap during the World Cup qualifiers when he looked essential to the England line-up. Indeed, it was his judiciousness that appeared to allow Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard both to have an impact.

Barry's poise wavered at the tournament itself, just as it did in the match with France, but it is no shock that the degree of difficulty should increase when the other side is so well-equipped. For much of Wednesday evening, England were pinned down and it did not look as if Barry or anyone else could settle when there was no pattern to the side's play. Andy Carroll, on his debut, earned approval, but that was partly out of appreciation for the efforts he made single-handed. When the substitute Peter Crouch supplied a goal with his first touch, it was as if France did not realise he had taken the field.

The Tottenham attacker had struck at a set-piece and that seemed to underline the banality of England's work in open play. Basic pace was supposed to bring thrust to the attacking, but Theo Walcott was hardly noticed and had only one burst on the right before being replaced. The friendly could have been disregarded had it not repeated the sort of blankness that had been apparent in 0-0 draws with Algeria at the World Cup and Montenegro in the Euro 2010 qualifier.

Capello, who insisted not so long ago that having two strikers is "my style," has bowed to the times and, as he puts it wryly, uses a "9-1" formation. The trouble is that the system will not work reliably unless a fit Wayne Rooney who is also in form can burst from a deep-lying position to help the lone forward and cause devastation. Until the Manchester United forward re-emerges, there will be an unhealthy emphasis on that duo of holding midfielders.

So much for moving to City to keep your England place eh Gareth. It is quite surprising how much of a nosedive his form and ability seems to have taken. Money City supporters seem none too enamoured with him either.

Real shame.

[damon loves JT]

Gareth Barry is too slow to go backwards fast

[peter w]

Not just them. Oliver Holt in The Mirror wrote a piece saying much the same thing. problem for me with Barry is that he was never a holding player with us and that was what made him into an England regular and who man City wanted. now he's stuck there and he's not good enough.

[Toronto Villa]

I was just thinking the same about James Milner the other day. He's being shunted out to the wing where we all know he's not close to the player his playing in an attacking CM role.

[N'ZMAV]

No way should Barry have ever played the holding role. He only got that position for England by default. If Hargreaves had been fit he'd never been tagged as a holding player.

[olaftab]

The only thing he is doing fast is building up his bank balance!

[darren woolley]

How the mighty have fallen.

[The Left Side]

It looks like man citeh are having a firesale in january, I wonder in Barry will be shown the door?

[Matt C]

We had the best years from Gareth and if that lot don't want Milner, we'll have him back.

[The Left Side]

We could take Adam Johnson off their hands too, they aren't playing him as often as he would like!

[Mazrim]

I knew we'd had the best of him when he left.

Anyway, fuck him. Old news.

[TimTheVillain]

I knew we'd had the best of him when he left.

Anyway, fuck him. Old news.

This.

[luke25]

Pay attention Mr Young

[N'ZMAV]

A few of them City players will regret moving there. Barry, Milner, Given, Adebayor etc - none of them have done anything.

[Somniloquism]

A few of them City players will regret moving there. Barry, Milner, Given, Adebayor etc - none of them have done anything.

I think the extra few million they earned there rather then at the teams they left will soften the blow.