The fall-out from the sale of Mikel Arteta to Arsenal is still seemingly rumbling on in the media unabated. What has become apparent though is that the majority of the press seem to be signalling that, for want of a better word, Everton are now basically screwed. Strangely the modus operandi of both broadsheet and tabloid alike is that Everton have lost not only their best player, but also their most creative, Talksport even felt moved to point out that the club would more than likely be relegated this season.
The irony behind all this of course is that Arteta was certainly, over the last two years, no longer Everton’s most creative player. He no longer made things tick in central midfield where Marouane Fellaini had become the greater influence. It could also be argued that the departure of Steven Pienaar left a bigger hole, one which Royston Drenthe has been brought in to hopefully fill, than the departed Basque will do.
Unquestionably Arteta will be missed but the one thing Everton have in abundance in the squad is central midfielders. It is now up to other members of the squad to fill the void that has been left behind and the player with the most to prove is Jack Rodwell.
The irony being of course that Rodwell himself had been touted as a possible big name departure fromGoodisonParkover the close season but no bids were forthcoming despite the player being linked with a whole host of clubs. One explanation for the lack of interest is that Rodwell’s progress has slowed somewhat and his star has waned slightly over the past 18 months for a number of reasons.
The main cause of him slipping off the radar is the three months of last season that he missed with a serious ankle injury picked up against Aston Villa. Startlingly injuries have actually restricted Rodwell to just 41 Premier League starts since he emerged on the first team picture three seasons ago. Consequently he has never had the opportunity to put a run of games together and really show what he can do.
The other problem, and manager David Moyes must take the blame here, is the insistence on playing Rodwell out of position. Even this season against QPR Rodwell was deployed on the right wing, clearly not his best position. Moyes has argued the case that it is important for the younger players to get game time, which is a more than valid point but the flip side to that is surely it must be in their natural position. As a consequence of being deployed all over the midfield Rodwell’s confidence has been drained and his progress checked. In his preferred position he has the opportunity to influence the game and be constantly involved rather than being a peripheral figure. His superb performance for England Under-21s against Azerbaijanon Thursday was a timely reminder of what he can do when played in his preferred position.
The emergence of the talented Ross Barkley, ironically another contender for the position vacated by Arteta, has also seen the media focus shift somewhat away from Rodwell which will see some pressure lifted from his still young shoulders and ultimately can only benefit him. He is fit, sharp and looking focussed, now is his big chance to push on and become the footballer that everybody expects him to be.
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we don’t give a damn on who takes over from Arteta at Everton bcos Barca never give a fuck on who takes over from Fabregas at Arsenal.