Micah Richards urges Gareth Southgate to pick Everton star Jarrad Branthwaite after ‘outstanding’ display v Chelsea
Micah Richards has urged Gareth Southgate to pick Jarrad Branthwaite in his next England squad after his “outstanding” display for Everton against Chelsea.
The Toffees ran out 2-0 winners at Goodison Park on Sunday 10 December, thanks to second-half goals from Abdoulaye Doucoure and Lewis Dobbin to help Sean Dyche’s side move four points clear of the relegation zone.
While the attacking players in the Toffees ranks received a majority of the plaudits from fans and pundits alike, Richards was blown away by Braithwaite’s display at the heart of Everton’s defence, admitting he could go to the “very top”.
Speaking on Match of the Day 2 (10 December, 1:01:30) he said: “We’re not blessed with great centre-halves at this moment in time, I just thought he was absolutely outstanding, if he carries this on, he’s going to the very, very top.
“He slips here and has he got the recovery pace, in the Premier League against Broja, of course he has. You always want your centre-back to have good positioning, he’s got that at just 21 years of age. The covering round is perfect, and these are just the details.
“This is top defending, you see the celebration, you see what it means to him and I’m excited about him, I really am.”
Some player
While so much of the focus from Sunday’s clash will be over just how poor Chelsea were once again, some more attention needs to be paid to just how good Everton were once again and the incredible job that Dyche is doing at Goodison Park.
The foundation of this upturn in form and fortunes this season has been the incredible defensive performances of James Tarkowski and Branthwaite in particular, with the pairing going from strength to strength with each passing week.
Branthwaite has been a revelation at the heart of the defence and the 21-year-old should certainly be under consideration when Southgate names his squad for next summer’s Euros. Few English defenders are performing at such an impressive level so consistently, especially in the Premier League.
The 21-year-old won seven of his nine duels in the match and won three of his four attempted tackles in an incredibly strong defensive display. Branthwaite deserves all the plaudits he’s received and if he keeps going like this, he’ll go right to the top as Richards has predicted.
In other Everton news, Tim Sherwood has made a new “exciting” relegation prediction involving the Toffees