James Garner makes compelling case to finally get chance to solve Everton attacking woes now
James Garner has made a convincing argument that now is the time for him to be let loose at Everton and help solve the attacking issues at the club.
The summer midfield signing from Manchester United has come off the bench in every game since making his Toffees debut against his old club (9 October), and is pushing to make his first start.
With Frank Lampard badly in need of an attacking spark after a pair of toothless displays, and with injuries to Dominic Calvert-Lewin plus two midfielders in Amadou Onana and Idrissa Gueye against Leicester (5 November), 21-year-old Garner has chosen a very opportune time to make his case to the national media.
He told The Times on Monday (7 November): “I like to win, I would say I am a winner. I hate losing. In terms of attributes, I am a midfielder that can play in all three of the positions – six, eight or ten – whatever the game needs or whatever the manager needs in a specific game.
“I feel like I have good attributes going forward in terms of my deliveries and shots. I need to score more goals which I demand of myself every day in training and I feel I can do the defensive duties as well. I feel like my overall game is ready.
“I don’t want to make any excuses for myself, ‘Oh, I need time to adapt.’ I want to come in now and hit the ground running.
“I have more than 100 appearances. I am not as experienced as some of the lads in the team and I am a young kid in terms of age at 21, but I have played high level games like a play-off final and Europa League games.
“I feel I can handle the pressure.”
Time
Lampard has largely settled on a line up so far this season that is functional and geared towards not being open, but relying on forcing mistakes from the opposition hasn’t been enough against Fulham or Leicester.
Garner may be young but he has shown flashes of quality in his cameos off the bench, and clearly has plenty of confidence in himself, so with Gueye and Onana both picking up knocks last time out it seems the perfect time to give the former Nottingham Forest loanee a proper shot.
With Everton facing Bournemouth twice in a week, Garner getting a start in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night (8 November) would appear to the obvious audition chance before the crucial league meeting next weekend.
Gueye has been inconsistent in his return to the Premier League, as he looks to re-adapt to the style of football, and has been caught in possession a number of times.
He is probably most under threat long-term out of the three regular starters in midfield, with Alex Iwobi one of the first names on the team sheet, even if he does need to add more goal threat.
It is a lot of pressure to put on Garner to expect him to be the creative key that unlocks the attacking capabilities of the likes of Anthony Gordon and Demarai Gray, but he has made clear that he is prepared to handle it, and it is exactly what Everton need at this time.