Everton fans will love what happened at full-time versus Chelsea as Jarrad Branthwaite ‘bodyguard antics’ shared by journo
There is a real togetherness among the Everton squad right now, a feeling enhanced by their performance in the fine 2-0 victory over Chelsea on Sunday (10 December).
The fans too are right behind the team and Sean Dyche, who saw his side pick up a third straight Premier League win to move four points clear of the drop zone despite having a hugely controversial 10-point deduction dished out for breaching profit and sustainability rules.
While there is still plenty to work out off the pitch amid continued uncertainty over the sale of Farhad Moshiri’s shares to Miami-based firm 777 Partners, on it there is a real bond being built by the squad.
That was encapsulated by Everton players rushing over to defend Nathan Patterson after he was grabbed around the neck by opposition striker Nicolas Jackson.
But it was the “bodyguard antics” of Jarrad Branthwaite, pointed out by Liverpool Echo journalist Joe Thomas (11 December), that Everton fans will particularly love.
“Everton have good teams rattled. For the second game in a row the visitors to Goodison Park were left incensed on the final whistle as the frustration of being beaten boiled into anger. On Sunday, Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson provided the flashpoint by stalking Nathan Patterson then clinching him around the neck. It was an act of aggression that, incredibly, reports suggest he will avoid disciplinary measures over. As the carnage unfolded on the pitch it was actually Jackson’s boss, Mauricio Pochettino, who was among the crowd who tried to drag the striker from trouble. It was a blessing for Jackson. By this point Amadou Onana, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Tarkowski were among the teammates who had rushed to step in,” Thomas wrote.”
“United on and off the pitch it was another sign of togetherness and Branthwaite’s bodyguard antics mirrored the role he played on Thursday as he brushed off the advancing Bruno Guimaraes and Fabian Schar as they sought to target Jordan Pickford. The Blues are proving so successful at getting under the skin of opponents that Newcastle United striker Callum Wilson complained about Pickford in his comments after his club’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening. This group of Everton players is fighting for the badge and each other at the moment and they are leaving battered psyches in their wake.”
Branthwaite is only 21-years-old, but the centre-back is enjoying a storming season and was hugely impressive against Chelsea.
But more importantly he is developing into a real leader of this team, someone willing to put himself in harms way both when the game is going on and when tempers are flaring like they were after the game.
The youngster will surely earn England recognition at some point, but for now Everton fans can just sit back and enjoy the passion he is instilling into the team.
In other Everton news, the 777 takeover is expected to completed within 11 days.