Clarke: Godfrey ‘becoming one of PL’s most reliable defenders’, makes Ferdinand comparison
Premier League pundit Adrian Clarke has lavished praise on Ben Godfrey after his colossal centre-back display for Everton against Leeds United on Wednesday.
Godfrey has been shifted around the Blues backline all season with regular stints at left-back, particularly during the absence of Lucas Digne over the festive period.
However, he was partnered with Yerry Mina in the centre of defence v Leeds with first-team mainstay Michael Keane dropped and he vindicated Carlo Ancelotti’s faith in him with a blockbuster performance to keep out one of the Premier League’s most feared marksman in Patrick Bamford.
In his ‘Talking Tactics’ feature for the Premier League website Clarke added his voice to those impressed by the 23-year-old, saying: “Ben Godfrey is fast becoming one of the Premier League’s most reliable defenders.”
He added: “Godfrey’s style of play has been compared to that of former Man Utd defender Rio Ferdinand, and it is easy to see why.
“The Everton defender is composed, comfortable on the ball, has good decision-making and is extremely quick.”
He’s got it all
Just how good is Godfrey on the ball?
Well according to stats by Wyscout Godfrey has a respectable 85.1% pass accuracy in the Premier League this season which decreases slightly to 84.3% in his five games as a centre back.
In this position he has a 71.2% forward pass accuracy and makes 15.24 of these per 90.
Keane and Mina both outperform him in these categories but that has a lot to do with the volume of passes with both averaging over 50 per game compared to Godfrey’s 35.47, and one of these games was a brief substitute appearance.
What he does have in abundance and especially over Keane and Mina is rapid pace.
According to Premier League stats Godfrey is Everton’s quickest player so far this season with a top speed of 35.45km/h just ahead of Dominic Calvert-Lewin with neither of his positional rivals featuring in the top five.
This will allow the Blues to operate higher up the field safe in the knowledge that Godfrey has the power of recoveries to catch up with attackers who race through on goal.
It might be a gradual process but it is certainly something to look out for and could help Everton get more possession on the ball than their current average of 49.4% which ranks them among the bottom ten in the division.
Whether Godfrey can match the feats of six-time Premier League champion Ferdinand remains to be seen but he has certainly taken to life at Goodison Park with ease.
In other Everton news, our view on the big boost that could act as a springboard for a Blues European charge.