The Everton man had a day to forget at Anfield.
And so the wait goes on. Liverpool’s 3-1 win against their local rivals has meant that the Toffees haven’t won at Anfield since ’99.
Philippe Coutinho’s one-sided duel with Ross Barkley in the second half might not have decided the 228th Merseyside derby, but it was an important factor in what turned out to be a comfortable win for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
As Liverpool fans eagerly await an update on Sadio Mane’s injury, Everton fans were asking questions about Ross Barkley’s performance, especially given the fact that he was incredibly lucky to stay on the field and his tendency to be frequently caught in possession.
Former Liverpool manager Graeme Souness was on punditry duty for Sky Sports at Anfield and speaking about Barkley, he said: “If I was playing with him, I would be falling out with him. Not every game; every five minutes. He runs with it when he should pass it, he passes it when he should run with it. His decision making is poor in the extreme, and you can be kidded by him sometimes because he will do that: turn away from a couple of players and flash one over the bar.”
Souness adds: “He’s got all the equipment to be a player, but I just see his decision making not improving. And if his decision making doesn’t improve, then he won’t improve as a player.I see him as the kid in the playground. That’s how he plays football to me.”
Neville was also at the game and he questioned the concentration levels of the England international.
Speaking with the Sky Sports podcast, he said : “Because I’ve worked with him for four years with England, I desperately want him to succeed and fulfill his talent and potential. I desperately want him to become the best player that he can be, the best player in the Premier League, but it’s concentration (the issue).”
The former Manchester United defender added “In the first half, his touch and tightness in control – which is usually pretty good – has got to be better, You haven’t got time in the top games.”
“You think about Ross Barkley progressing into Champions League football potentially, or into the highest levels of international football when you have to operate in tight spaces. You think of Silva, De Bruyne, Coutinho, they operate in really tight spaces and receive the ball perfectly. They know where they are, they make very few mistakes on the ball and Ross just makes too many mistakes in matches. He receives the ball and then gives it away,” he said.
Neville adds: “What happens next is that he gets a little bit frustrated with himself and in the first-half today, he was fortunate to stay on the pitch. You look at that game today, Coutinho got man of the match and he (Barkley) has got to get to that level. He has got to get to that level consistently, he does it in flashes, but he has got to do it consistently on a week to week basis.”
