Kevin Campbell: Holgate not suited to playing in midfield
We’re delighted to welcome former Everton striker Kevin Campbell as our exclusive columnist. Each week the former Toffees captain will be giving his views on the biggest talking points at Goodison Park…
Kevin Campbell believes Everton defender Mason Holgate lacks the offensive ability to play in midfield for the Toffees.
The 24-year old started alongside Tom Davies and Gylfi Sigurdsson in Everton’s stalemate at the Amex on Monday, where the Blues couldn’t find a way past a resilient Brighton.
Davies was the only fit central midfielder available to Carlo Ancelotti ahead of the game, after a slew of injuries have left the Blues with a heavily depleted squad.
Speaking exclusively to Goodison News, Campbell said: “Obviously he’s not a midfielder and it’s very difficult to expect too much from him because he doesn’t know how to use the ball as he should, because he’s a defender.
“What he’s good at, he’ll protect the back four, or back three when they play five at the back. That’s what he’s good at, breaking things up.
“But offensively it would be wrong to put any blame at his feet because he’s a defender and not a midfielder. It’s [Everton’s system] not setting him up to fail, but when there are opportunities to play he’s just not good enough to hurt opposition.”
Worth experimenting
Everton’s injury issues have really taken their toll on Ancelotti’s squad this season.
Holgate has played in central midfield before and thrived, so there was certainly method to the madness in fielding him in that role against Brighton.
We’d say that Holgate not having offensive capability doesn’t matter too much when his sole purpose was to act as a screen for Everton’s back three, while Davies and Sigurdsson were tasked with putting in the leg work.
However, it didn’t work this time.
The former Barnsley man has been an inconsistent performer this season, though Peter Crouch labelled him “brilliant” in February, and his ability to do a capable job in midfield allows him to bring an additional dimension to Everton’s squad depth.
Holgate isn’t someone who should play in midfield often, but when desperate times arrive he is probably going to be the desperate measure that the Blues turn to.
In other Everton news, Martin Tyler and Alan Smith slammed a “desperate” Blues player in the draw with Brighton.
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