Everton legend Kevin Ratcliffe has called for manager Marco Silva to bring veteran defender Phil Jagielka back into the fold.
The 36-year-old, on a reported £50,000-per-week at Goodison Park [Source: Spotrac], has played just twice for the Toffees this campaign.
However, Ratcliffe would like to see him if a tactical change was on the cards: “I’d go with [Michael] Keane and [Yerry] Mina – Keane had a sticky spell last season but played himself through it – but if we were to use three at the back the man I’d have in the middle might surprise people,” he wrote in the Liverpool Echo.
“Phil Jagielka came on for the last 20-minutes at Chelsea and his experience and assurance shone through. I like the idea of an experienced player in the middle talking and guiding the other two. If Marco Silva does decide to introduce three at the back I think Jags comes back into the fold and I’d like to see him in that role dictating things.”
OPINION
This is an interesting suggestion from Ratcliffe. The Toffees’ next game is a home match-up with newly promoted Cardiff City so it’s unlikely that Silva will opt for a back three in that one, but on occasions when Everton are playing the Premier League’s really top teams it might make sense for the Portuguese to shift to a central defensive trio. If that’s the case then Jagielka could be a good shout. He’s lost a bit of pace, that’s undeniable, but if he were flanked by Keane and Mina then that limitation would be somewhat negated. In that case what he would give Everton would be his intelligence, leadership and tactical nous. It’s something that could work when Silva’s side are under the cosh against the big boys. Obviously that leaves no place for Kurt Zouma, which seems harsh, but it’s a nice problem to have for the Toffees boss.