After not winning a single game in December and having not won a game in the last four matches, Everton finally put three points on the board and moved into the top 10. Everton put three past a quiet Queens Park Rangers who didn’t cause any attacking threat until late in the second-half. Ross Barkley opened the scoring with a terrific strike into the top corner of the goal. Kevin Mirallas made it two, ten minutes after, with a deflected free-kick just before the first-half ended. Into the next forty-five minutes and Steven Naismith headed home to make it three after brilliant work from Aiden McGeady. Bobby Zamora then scored a consolation goal ten minutes from time. It was certainly one of Everton’s finest performance’s of the season so far, however there was two outstanding players on the evening. One was Muhamed Besic and the other was Ross Barkley. Lets analysis their fantastic performances.
First-Half performance
Muhamed Besic was solid in the first-half for Everton in the defensive midfield role. The Bosnian had mis-placed 7 passes (ending the half with a 74% passing accuracy). He had also made 27.27% of his touches in the defensive third and 65.91% in the middle third. Besic’s tackling was at it’s finest once again, having attempted 9 tackles in the first 45 (3 successful, 5 failed, 1 foul). He ended the first-half making 2 interceptions, 2 clearances and also making one foul.
Ross Barkley had an awesome half, mainly because of the terrific goal he scored. He hit it outside of the area with his left foot, and the ball flew into the top corner of the goal. The midfielder played in a much deeper role than what he normally plays in, allowing him more time on the ball. He ended the half with a 88% pass accuracy, creating one chance. Barkley also made two successful take ons, winning 40% (2 out of 5) of his attempted tackles.
Second-Half performance
Bosnian midfielder Muhamed Besic was once again as solid as he was in the first forty-five. Besic had made 4 take ons in the second period, also having a very impressive 93% passing accuracy. Muhamed had also won 100% of his aerial duels and completed 50% tackles successfully (2 out of 4). He made 3 clearances and made a block. In total, Besic ended the night with a 84% passing accuracy, 4 take-ons, winning 38% of his tackles, 100% aerial duels won, 2 interceptions, 5 clearances, made 2 fouls and made one block. He also had 86 touches (most on the pitch) and made 60 passes (most for Everton).
Ross Barkley continued to perform in the second-half. The English midfielder’s pass accuracy for the last 45 was 86%, he also created one chance and a cross. He also had another 2 take-ons completed and also won 100% of his aerial duels. Ross Barkley’s tackling was just as impressive, winning 66% of them (2 successful, 1 failed). Barkley ended the match having had 3 shots, 87% passing accuracy, 2 chances created, 1 cross attempted, 4 successful take-ones, 50% tackles successful, 100% aerial duels won, 1 interception and making 1 foul.
He has already made some impressive performances for Everton so far in this campaign, however, I believe that Monday night was certainly his best. Besic covered everywhere all evening. Left to right. Even though James McCarthy or Gareth Barry wasn’t there, Everton seemed completely fine defending for most of the night.
Besic was crucial and his tackling made him the stand-out figure. Muhamed made tackles everywhere on the pitch, and surprisingly wasn’t even booked that evening. Muhamed completed 38% of his tackles, with only Marouane Fellaini (8) and Jake Livermore (9) successfully completing more tackles than Muhamed Besic (5) in the Premier League this weekend.
The Bosnian star completed 5 of his tackles, 6 of them failed and 2 were given as fouls.
Ross Barkley – Defensive Role help?
With Gareth Barry suspended and James McCarthy injured, Everton moved Ross Barkley back into a deeper role and Steven Naismith went into the attacking midfield position. QPR didn’t pressure at all throughout the 90 minutes, which gave Ross Barkley more time on the ball. The midfielder made more creative passes, including a fantastic ball early on in the game to Steven Naismith.
Barkley ended the game with a 87% passing accuracy and attempted 55 passes during the match (only Muhamed Besic attempted more for Everton with 56). Barkley also was more careful with his take-ons, attempting 4 and completing 4.
Ross was certainly a key player in the match, and he did score a incredible goal.
Conclusion
Two astonishing performances from two key players for Everton this season. It was certainly Muhamed Besic’s best performance in an Everton shirt, but I still think that he will show a lot more in weeks to come. Ross Barkley was also terrific, who has been slightly inconsistent so far this season. However, Barkley was fantastic in his passing, dribbling and even made some important tackles in the game. Lets hope that both of them can perform just as they did against QPR for the rest of the season.
