Advertisement

Brendan Stole The Show. No, Not That One.

The Merseyside derby may have not been the most entertaining game ever seen, but to be honest, it rarely is. However, when three of your back four have less than ten appearances in the Premier League, there is reason to be hopeful when they perform so superbly.


Another Brendan may be in the back pages, but Brendan Galloway’s performance on Sunday was top class and was off the back off a succession of ever increasingly great performances. Not sure if you can teach composure or if there is something in the water at Finch Farm but it seems all of the players coming through the club are comfortable on the ball and have a fearless arrogance about their play.


Galloway’s reading of the game, decision making and ability on the ball were all showcased and left Liverpool with little or no threat down their right hand side. Evertonians are starting to get very excited about the 19 year old. Teenagers are meant to lack footballing intelligence and consistency but any youngster showing those qualities along with considerable talent makes any football fan very excited.


Another player who shows those qualities is John Stones, who was at Galloway’s level not too long ago. Stones’ meteoric rise has come through consistent performances and whilst Stones has carried that form through continual improvement over two years, Galloway has only had a handful of games. It’s too early to start saying he’ll be at Stones’ level in two years but it’s certainly something to get excited about.


When he came to the club the debate seemed to be whether he’d be playing in central defence or midfield and it was a surprise to many when he was played at left back following injuries to Baines and Oviedo with Garbutt on loan. Against Man City he was given the toughest of tests but felt at the time it was a terrific learning curve and until his injury, kept a clean sheet. Following his return from injury vs Chelsea he was been nothing short of superb and has played better with each game. His future may be more central but with his skill set you could see him playing anywhere in our back six, be it defensive midfield our along the defensive line.


Galloway out shadowed a solid performance from Browning who has had to cover for the injured Coleman. A more defensive manger may have been tempted to put a more experienced player at right back, but one of Martinez’ greatest qualities is the desire to bring through young players and put his faith in them. In previous matches Martinez could have gone with the option of Ovideo at left back and Stones at right back but instead, he opted to give young players valuable experience and they are not letting him down.


It seems like with Martinez in charge we’ll always have young players coming through. It’s easy to forget that Lukaku (22), Barkley (21) and Deulofeu (21) are all so young and still developing as players. Seven of Everton’s starting eleven were 24 or under which shows the level of potential that is currently in the team.


The future looks bright for Everton and certainly does for Brendan Galloway. If these performances continue then it seems Everton could have another seriously good player on their hands. One Brendan may be all over the news but if it wasn’t for our Brendan, it could all be a different story.