Ross Barkley

[ChicagoLion]

Either Smith has a total blind spot or his contract stipulates he plays if he declares himself fit.

Which is it?

Neither

[aj2k77]

I don't know why he needs to be played in to fitness. He was injured for 2 months but returned nearly 2 months ago didn't he? The truth is, he just appears to be not that good.

[Smithy]

I like him as a player, and I'm as baffled as any as to why his form has dropped off so much since coming back from injury.  He's just not looked like the same player who came straight into the side on his arrival.  It could be a temporary form thing, it could be fitness, it could be he's reverted to his 'norm' after a bump from a new environment - it could just be other teams are now tactically better dealing with our '10' position better than they were pre-xmas.  Whatever it is, they need to find a way to fix it.

I'd say he's playing himself out of a permanent move at the minute, which is a massive shame, because the Ross Barkley of his first half-dozen or so games would be a massive asset to the club.  The Barkley of the last half-dozen or so games would struggle to get in a lower-midtable side.

At his age, he's unlikely to become a much better player than he is right now, so it's all about consistency because his good performances are still very, very good. But, if at 27 we can only rely on him to put in a performance once every three or four games, then I can't see him becoming someone we can rely on week in, week out?

[aj2k77]

Well there you go, we're nearly in to March and he's played about half a dozen good games. For an outlay of upwards of Ł50m to sign and pay him, that would be an astonishing misuse of funds.

[ChicagoLion]

I have always believed there is an underlying fitness problem. At 27 he should be at his peak.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

...the Ross Barkley of his first half-dozen or so games would be a massive asset to the club.  The Barkley of the last half-dozen or so games would struggle to get in a lower-midtable side.

I'm struggling with "the Ross Barkley of his 1st half dozen games"
Against L'pool it was clear he was playing off Ollie and had no midfield responsibilities at all. He got one goal but should have had 3 or 4. L'pool playing such a high line and the Villa team doing no wrong that day contributed to the 7-2.
Teams that don't play a high line and forces us to press around their penalty area show up Barkley's shortcomings and the huge gap between him and the rest of midfield.
I didn't see the Leicester game but I'm sure reports at that time said he hadn't played well, but he got the winner. I also didn't see the Soton home loss or the win at Arsenal. Did he play well against a team we went 4-0 down to? I'll bow to better judgements re Arsenal.
Leeds at home he was poor and contributed to at least one of their goals.
As we all know he only lasted 2 mins versus Brighton despite not playing for 2 weeks due to internationals, giving him plenty of time to improve his fitness. I know hamstrings can go at any time, but in that Brighton game he hadn't even extended himself.
I'm not convinced his 1st 6 games were all that and the Ross Barkley we've been seeing for a while is the real Barkley as a player, who clearly isn't good enough for Villa and certainly not worth the figures being quoted for him imo.

[Pat Mustard]

I have always believed there is an underlying fitness problem. At 27 he should be at his peak.

Something isn't right with him, he looks knackered after 5 minutes despite hardly ever breaking into a sprint as far as I can see.  He doesn't track back, and yet when we break forward he is nowhere near close enough to Watkins to provide meaningful support.  He constantly looks like he is running through quicksand to me, and shouldn't be starting games ahead of Sanson, Ramsey or Nakamba.

[thick_mike]

I have always believed there is an underlying fitness problem. At 27 he should be at his peak.

Something isn't right with him, he looks knackered after 5 minutes despite hardly ever breaking into a sprint as far as I can see.  He doesn't track back, and yet when we break forward he is nowhere near close enough to Watkins to provide meaningful support.  He constantly looks like he is running through quicksand to me, and shouldn't be starting games ahead of Sanson, Ramsey or Nakamba.

Agreed, he looks knackered all the time.

[eamonn]

Abbeyfeale is right. Give Barkley no responsibility for defensive duties and he can be useful but as luxury players go, he still ain't all that.

[Ian.]

Just looking at our attack at 0-0 yesterday when Ollie produced a bit of magic, only Traore is in the box, Barkley is not really near the action. He should be busting a gut to get into the box.

[spartacuss]

Looks low on confidence and full-match fitness, so it doesn't do him or the team any good to have him starting.

D.S. now needs to re-calibrate him as an impact sub with a firm requirement for him to make a difference rather than coast through his limited time on the pitch.  He's got to put himself 'back in the shop window' and prove his capabilities rather than being judged by his provenance as having a 'big club' valuation/reputation. 

[Risso]

If Smith starts Barkley against Leeds he wants a slap round the face with a wet fish. We can't afford any passengers whatsoever against arguably the hardest working side in the Premier League. At least with Traore you get a bit of unpredicatability and goal threat, but we can't afford two players who aren't known for their defensive capabilities, especially when one of them isn't contributing in any sense at all.

[brontebilly]

I have always believed there is an underlying fitness problem. At 27 he should be at his peak.

There's an underlying attitude and application problem with him that he has had for years. It's why he never kicked on from a promising young player at Everton.

Like with the OP, I'm not buying the narrative that it's only since Barkley's injury that his form has become a problem. He was appalling in the home defeats to Leeds and Southampton, check back those match threads and you'll see ratings of 3 and 4.

Smith had a chance to lay down a marker then with Barkley then, I'm fairly sure for the Leeds game he was terrible for one or two goals by not bothering to track a runner. Instead he was given 90 mins in both those games and his laziness was tolerated.

Ross Barkley is nowhere near good enough to be given an armchair role in our team and we arent good enough to carry him. The penny should have dropped with him years ago (Conte treated him as a joke player at Chelsea for example) but evidently it still hasn't. Clearly hasn't much respect for Smith or the club if his repeated antics after being deservedly taken off are anything to go by.

[Sexual Ealing]

After his antics after all his substitutions over the last games, I'd love to see footage of him answering the question, "what did you think that you did well?"

[Risso]

I have always believed there is an underlying fitness problem. At 27 he should be at his peak.

There's an underlying attitude and application problem with him that he has had for years. It's why he never kicked on from a promising young player at Everton.

Like with the OP, I'm not buying the narrative that it's only since Barkley's injury that his form has become a problem. He was appalling in the home defeats to Leeds and Southampton, check back those match threads and you'll see ratings of 3 and 4.

Smith had a chance to lay down a marker then with Barkley then, I'm fairly sure for the Leeds game he was terrible for one or two goals by not bothering to track a runner. Instead he was given 90 mins in both those games and his laziness was tolerated.

Ross Barkley is nowhere near good enough to be given an armchair role in our team and we arent good enough to carry him. The penny should have dropped with him years ago (Conte treated him as a joke player at Chelsea for example) but evidently it still hasn't. Clearly hasn't much respect for Smith or the club if his repeated antics after being deservedly taken off are anything to go by.

A fair summary there BB.