As we come into the month of May, we head into the period of end of season awards where individuals are honoured in a sport where the whole is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts.
It’s a bizarre notion when you offer much thought to a subject that really doesn’t need it, but ultimately there are valid reasons why they exist.
Individual players can act as that invaluable missing cog that restarts the motor and gets a team firing on all cylinders. They can also be one of a few bright sparks in a season where everything is relatively depressing and those players deserve to be singled out and applauded for their efforts.
Fortunately – or unfortunately depending on how you look at it – Gareth Barry has been both for Everton Football Club this season and was recently a worthy winner when he was named as the Supporters’ Clubs Player of the Season.
It’s a deserving recognition of a player who acts as the glue between defence and attack and has been one of Everton’s exemplary players throughout Roberto Martinez’s tenure.
Boasting a higher number of total forward passes than other English standouts in Mark Noble and Eric Dier and doing so in less games, as well as a greater average pass length this season, Barry has proved his value as more than just a defensive midfielder, all the while seemingly bearing the brunt of Everton’s ability to transition between phases.
Combined with the fact that when Barry has played the full 90 minutes in the Premier League this campaign, Everton have avoided defeat 79% of the time and the experience that Barry provides becomes clear – even more so when points have been hard to come by.
That importance to the team was exemplified more than ever in the recent Merseyside derby. After suffering an injury and being replaced at half-time in a relatively tight game, Everton completely collapsed and barely left their own half for the remaining 45 minutes en route to an embarrassing 4-0 defeat.
Barry’s impact on Everton’s ‘success’ also raises a magnifying glass to the lack of leadership and general absence of calming influences that has plagued the Toffees throughout the season.
No Everton player has made more tackles, interceptions or blocked as many passes than Barry.
It shows that despite his advancing years, Barry’s tenacity has failed to waiver and following a stellar individual season, he has put thoughts that he had ‘lost his legs’ last season in the rear-view mirror.
What Everton must do now however is think long and hard about the midfielders clear authority on how they play. Relying on a 35-year-old next season as well as a man entering the last year of his contract could prove costly for the long-term future of the club.
Only Darron Gibson has proved somewhat competent at replicating Barry’s style of dropping deep to build from the back, but the Irishman’s injury record means his future will not be at Goodison Park.
Whether youngsters like Tom Davies, Ryan Ledson or Joe Williams can bear the responsibility of immediately filling Barry’s shoes is unclear, but it would be asking a lot of the talented trio despite their apparent potential.
Looking elsewhere, Ross Barkley has expressed a desire to adapt to a more box-to-box role and alongside a midfield partner, he could help redesign Everton’s methodology while possibly opening up a place for the highly thought of Kieran Dowell.
What’s clear is that Barry has remained a vital component of Everton’s proficiency both on and off the ball this season. If they continue to pin their hopes on the Englishman’s broad shoulders next year, it could prove disastrous the season after.
