Everton star James Garner has given Thomas Tuchel something to think about as stats emerge
Everton star James Garner will be hopeful of taking a place in the England squad ahead of the World Cup.
The versatile midfielder has arguably been the Toffees’ best player at the Hill Dickinson Stadium so far this campaign.
His consistency prompted David Moyes and Co. to push ahead and tie the 24-year-old down to a new deal on Merseyside.
That hasn’t had a negative impact on his form, and he continues to represent one of the better players in his position across the entire Premier League.
There will be hope that Garner has made a positive impression on Thomas Tuchel, especially while Elliot Anderson continues to struggle at Nottingham Forest.
James Garner has been superb for Everton
The former Manchester United man has struggled over the years in L4 to be a regular, with his versatility often going against him.
That has seen the Englishman be utilised as a right-back at times, although that has changed this year due to his excellence in the middle of the park.
He has scored two and assisted three from midfield in the Premier League, taking 39 shots while completing 35 key passes throughout the season.
His performance against Nottingham Forest earlier in the season was standout, as showcased by Sofascore and proved just how good he can be.
Garner’s all-action output could be exactly what England needs right now, especially with the Everton man putting up positive defensive work as well.
He has won 219 ground duels and got involved with 70 tackles this campaign, while also chipping in with 38 interceptions and 62 clearances.
The Blues’ star is yet to feature for the England senior team, but could look to take the place of Anderson moving forward.
Garner could replace Elliot Anderson for England
This season hasn’t been as good as the last for the Nottingham Forest man, with his 0.04 goals and 0.08 assists per 90 hardly stacking up to Garner’s 0.08 and 0.12, respectively.
Anderson has also struggled with his goal involvement output, putting up a lowly one goal and two assists throughout the campaign.
That has seen the Everton ace rank above his Forest counterpart for the likes of shots taken, pass completion rate and times dispossessed.
| Stat | James Garner | Elliot Anderson |
| Shots taken | 39 | 27 |
| Pass completion (%) | 88 | 85 |
| Times dispossesed | 11 | 42 |
That is just the tip of the iceberg, and there are still elements of improvement for Garner to make, but those areas would benefit from a step up into the England squad.
With the World Cup coming up, the Blues midfielder will look to step up and hope that he can steal in ahead of Anderson in the pecking order.
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