“It was a long time coming.”
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A week ago, James Garner penned a new Everton contract. It was richly deserved for a player who has arguably established himself as the Toffees’ most important player. Forget Jack Grealish’s assists, look beyond Iliman Ndiaye’s ball carrying qualities; Garner’s consistency is what has Everton up in to 10th place, 13 points above the relegation zone, and just three behind rivals Liverpool.
Garner shone in Villa triumph
The stand out display for the season came in the recent 1-0 win at Aston Villa. With a lengthy absentee list in tow, Everton upset the odds to claim a huge three points. Everton may have been aided by the absence of Boubacar Kamara and the early withdrawal John McGinn. Nevertheless, they capitalised impressively to return to Merseyside with all the spoils.
Garner was a midfield machine in the narrow victory. Indeed, he made more tackles (7) than any other player. 14 ball recoveries also ranked first. It was a showing that really thrust the midfielder into the limelight. For supporters, it was par for course.
The 24-year-old now ranks fourth for both tackles (68) and ball recoveries of outfield players (117). The former is more than any English player. Only Elliott Anderson (194) trumps Garner for the latter. Why is that important? Because England head coach Thomas Tuchel was in the stands for Garner’s midfield masterclass at Villa Park.
Performances justifying England talk
Tuchel is well stocked in the middle of the park. Anderson and Declan Rice are the first-choice pairing at the base of the 4-2-3-1 formation. Adam Wharton and Jordan Henderson are expected to make the cut for the World Cup. Kobbie Mainoo and Alex Scott are also options. Competition is rife.
Garner, though, is doing everything in his power to force his way into Tuchel’s plans. Time isn’t on the player’s side, however. There is one final international break of the year before the World Cup. England face Uruguay and Japan at Wembley later this year as the Three Lions’ summer preparations really get underway.
In truth, Tuchel will already know the bulk of his squad for the summer, injury permitting. Conversely, Garner would bring experience to a role that would suit a specific set of circumstances.
Everton rank fourth bottom for possession (43.3%) in the Premier League this season. They don’t see much of the ball, meaning they need the likes of Garner to carry out the defensive duties to ease the pressure on the goal. England are expected to dominate opponents from the outset. Only a handful of teams can be expected to enjoying a higher share of the ball than the Three Lions, who ranked top for possession (74.3%) in World Cup qualifying.
Yet against those nations that pile the pressure on England, this is where Garner’s experience of playing on the backfoot would come to the fore. And it’s not just through winning the ball back for his team.
Everton’s brain and brawn
Garner hasn’t exactly proven an elite distributor, but he ranks top for passes per 90 (46.8) and pass accuracy (88%) for David Moyes’ side. He’s also third for key passes per 90 (1.2) and top for touches per 90 (69.3). He’s heavily involved for Everton both on and off the ball, and helps to keep play ticking over. It’s a similar story with Anderson at Forest.
The Tricky Trees do have a marginally higher possession average, yet it’s Anderson who is the stand out for the Midlands side. The 23-year-old only made his England debut last September, and has quickly risen to first choice under Tuchel. Granted, Anderson came to the fore during qualifying, and was instrumental as England breezed to the World Cup.
However, likewise, Garner is shining as a relatively big fish in a relatively small pond. He’s the brain and the brawn of this Everton side, much in the same way Anderson is for Forest. And it’s only a matter of time before he does receive international recognition for his club performances.
With the added bonus that he has already played at both right and left-back, this versatility would appeal to Tuchel. Whether he has done enough to appease the England boss with summer’s showpiece edging closer remains to be seen. That’s not to say he doesn’t deserve his chance to feature for the Three Lions. Rather, with just two remaining games to play before the summer, Tuchel may not risk unbalancing the squad ahead of the World Cup.
The German already has his four core central midfield options to call upon, and it would take a huge slice of good fortune for Garner to leap ahead of Rice, Anderson, Wharton and Henderson in the pecking order. Even so, Tuchel has witnessed Garner’s quality first hand, and against a title and Europa League pursuing Villa no less. Maintain his flying form, and it will be impossible to overlook the Everton man later this year.
