Roberto Martinez: Gareth Barry is best defensive midfielder in the Premier leagueThe Blues manager said Barry is reliable and brings balance to the side
Roberto Martinez says no other defensive midfielder in the Premier League is as good as Gareth Barry.
And the Everton manager believes that if Barry was 10 years younger then he would develop into the world’s leading player in that position.
Barry is an injury doubt for the Blues trip to Sunderland tomorrow but Martinez hopes the 33-year-old can recover from an ankle knock picked up in the win over Lille in time.
Martinez made signing Barry on a permanent deal a priority in the close season and handed the former Manchester City man a three-year deal in July.
Everton paid a small fee for free agent Barry in the summer as part of the deal which saw him spend last season on loan at Goodison Park and Martinez says it was worth every penny.
Barry has missed just one of the Blues’ games this season, when he was rested for the Capital One Cup tie with Swansea City, and Martinez says he has become the lynchpin of his Everton revolution.
The ex-Aston Villa captain was overlooked for an England recall again this week but Martinez insists all he is concerned about is Barry maintaining his form at Everton – performances the Blues boss says make him the best in the division.
“It’s not for me to comment really,” Martinez said when asked about Barry’s latest England snub.
“When you make a decision as a manager, you have a lot of reasons for making that decision.
“I’m just looking at Gareth Barry and if you ask me I think he’s best defensive midfielder in the Premier League, and that’s a fact.
“You have got a lot of investment in that position throughout the league and I haven’t seen a better footballer than Gareth Barry.
“And I’m saying a better footballer, not a better Englishman, playing that position.
“From that point on, it doesn’t mean he should be playing for the national team, I’m just looking at Gareth’s level of performance this season which has been phenomenal.
“I have been impressed with the amount of games he can play.
“He’s a reliable footballer, he’s always there.
“The balance he brings to the side is second to none, the understanding he brings into the game is second to none.
“There are not many players with that physical capacity after 500 games in the Premier League.
“For me, he’s a one off and he would play everything.”
Asked about the importance Barry plays in his plans at Goodison, Martinez added: “Sometimes you need a brain on the pitch that he understands some sort of picture that you are trying to achieve. He does that with ease.
“Technically he’s such a gifted footballer, but has all the other attributes you need in the Premier League. He’s got the physicality to cope with it, he can fit into the centre-back position, he can play left-back and as a defensive midfielder.
“He’ll be the one that if you need to go forward and get a goal can start the play.
“He’s such a complete footballer.
“For me, if Gareth is 10 years younger he could become the best defensive midfielder in world football.
“It’s as simple as that, because the level he has shown in the last 16 months is quite difficult to find elsewhere.”
Martinez has also been thrilled with the return to form of club captain Phil Jagielka.
The 32-year-old has scored four times for club and country this season and recovered from a troubling start to the campaign where he suffered a hangover from England’s disastrous World Cup campaign.
Jagielka admitted to lacking in confidence earlier in the season but Martinez believes the turning point came when on international duty in September.
“A lot of things happened in the World Cup and it was in his head for a long time,” said Martinez.
“Football is great when you have a lot of games and you can get rid of the frustrations but the summer was a tough period for everyone involved in the World Cup.
“But Jags has got into the rhythm of training and playing and enjoying his football. He is enjoying having different partners in that centre-half position, he is playing with Jones, with Sylvain, with Antolin.
“The start of the season was tough for us as a team. We conceded a lot of goals, we concentrated on trying to take all these thoughts away from him and concentrate on the best level of performance and I saw a big difference the moment he went away to Switzerland with England. He came on as a sub and he ended up keeping a clean sheet and helping England to win the game. I saw a real change in his confidence.
“There has been a lot of things he had to do as a captain away from the pitch and he has developed an incredible role as captain with the team and the performances have been terrific.”
Martinez continued: “Sometimes in the game the ball bounces or hits the crossbar, hits you on the head and goes in and there is nothing you can do so the confidence does get affected.
“You cannot control everything in football.
“You play it with your feet so it is a game of errors. It is how you react to those errors and I thought Phil reacted in a phenomenal manner. He took the challenge and grabbed it with both hands. He became a captain on and off the pitch.”
Everyone can make mistakes but when you look at them again you see reliable players who are going to win you tournaments,” Martinez said.
“Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka are always there, always available, they are ready, they look after themselves.
“That makes a big difference.
“You see some players who have one good game and then they disappear for three, whenever you need them they are injured or suspended. In these situations you need reliable characters and I don’t think you get more reliable figures than Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines.”
Source: Echo
