OPINION
Gareth Barry is now 37 years of age. He will turn 38 later this month. However, you wouldn’t know it from his sensational performance for West Bromwich Albion against Stoke City on Saturday.
The former England international is an ageless wonder, and that was shown once again in his team’s 1-0 win over the beleaguered Potters. He has been excellent in recent weeks and this was another example of how important he is to this Baggies team.
His positioning, his tackling and his use of the ball were all spot on. We all know he’s not the quickest player in the world any more – he wasn’t even during his pomp – but he doesn’t let that affect his football. It could be used against him more but, somehow, it doesn’t often seem to be an issue.
He is so good in possession it’s frightening. He oozes class at this level and he dominated the middle battle on Saturday. There’s no better central midfielder in this West Brom squad, and he’s now undroppable for manager Darren Moore as a result.
The trio of Barry, Jake Livermore and Stefan Johansen is tremendous at Championship level. They compliment each other so well and all have different qualities that make them a good fit playing together.
But it’s Barry who stitches things together. He picks the ball up and finds a team mate. No fuss, no extravagance, just intelligent use of the football. And he rarely gives it away as a consequence.
There is plenty of competition in this West Brom team at the moment as they attempt to secure promotion back to the Premier League, but Barry is the one player they simply cannot do without.
He showed that again against Stoke. In close games it’s the professionalism of your more experienced players which can make the difference. Barry proved that on Saturday.