Merlin Rohl disguises glaring weakness in Everton draw vs Crystal Palace
Merlin Rohl’s performance in Everton‘s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace looks very promising on the surface level.
The German was drafted in by David Moyes for the 3-3 draw with Manchester City last time and retained his place at Selhurst Park.
James Tarkowski put the Blues into the lead, Ismaila Sarr equalised before Beto had the Toffees back into the lead.
However, Jean-Philippe Mateta notched a 77th-minute leveller that meant both sides walked away with a point.
Rohl has seen his Everton role increase slightly in recent weeks, but he has not necessarily convinced that he deserves more game time going forward.
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How did Rohl perform in Everton draw?
Rohl put in an average showing Everton’s latest trip to London, so he may not have suggested that he should be a regular for Moyes.
His passing numbers were brilliant, he completed 96 per cent of his attempts, per Sofascore, and showed that he was comfortable in possession.
He was successful with 94 per cent in the opposition half, and 100 per cent in own half, proving that fact.
However, that disguises a glaring weakness in his performance, one which will make his manager think twice about selecting him.
| Rohl’s stats vs Crystal Palace | |
| Pass accuracy | 96% |
| Pass accuracy in own half | 100% |
| Pass accuracy in opp half | 94% |
| Defensive contributions | 2 |
| Ground duels won | 1/8(12.5%) |
Defensively, he was abysmal, as he completed just two defensive contributions (one interception, one clearance) and won just one of eight ground duels that he contested.
That left him with a 12.5 per cent success rate in that area, which is just not good enough for a Premier League midfielder.
Why it is difficult for Moyes
Rohl still has some way to go to adapt to the English top-flight, which is evident.
It makes sense that Moyes wants to get him involved, with the Toffees locked into the £18m permanent clause in his loan, as that will quicken that process.
However, it may be hurting his team at the moment, as the 23-year-old is very weak defensively, and can’t be relied upon in that area of the game.
It is a tricky situation for the manager, as he obviously wants Rohl to learn, but there is still a potential European berth to play for, and having him on the pitch may be restricting the Blues’ chances.
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