Why James McCarthy could disrupt Arsenal’s midfield fluidity

James McCarthy

James McCarthy is a player who epitomises everything that Everton as a football club stand for. Despite still being just 23, the Irishman will never shy away from a battle, he will fight for every single ball and he will run himself into the ground for the people that believe in him. Yet, when he signed for the Toffees in the summer some fans were unconvinced that he was a player who would better the side.

Perhaps it was a result of the hefty fee forked out by the Everton hierarchy for his services, or maybe because he was part of the Wigan side that had just been relegated to the Championship. Either way, those who were doubting the midfielder’s ability are slowly being silenced.

With Roberto Martinez’s arrival at Goodison Park came a new central midfield partnership of McCarthy and Gareth Barry, with the latter signing on a season-long loan from Manchester City. Neither held a reputation for being the most exciting players and few were expecting anything more spectacular than a solid base to the side and a few meaty challenges.

The pair have flourished alongside each other this season, though, and are growing in confidence every week. Wednesday night gave them the opportunity to test themselves against a rigid-looking duo of Marouane Fellaini and Ryan Giggs and they took the opportunity with both hands – McCarthy in particular.

The Republic of Ireland midfielder isn’t one who tried to steal the spotlight, he merely does the gritty jobs before handing responsibility over to the more creative outlets in the side. But what he does do, he excels at. McCarthy made two interceptions, completed both of his clearances and won three of his four tackles, but it’s his distribution that sparkles amongst his arsenal of attributes.

McCarthy is everything that the Manchester United fans had hoped Tom Cleverley would turn out to be.

He completed 85% of his passes in Wednesday’s clash, three of which were key, and squeezed United out of possession whenever possible, the importance of which will be seen against Arsenal this weekend.

Everton travel to the Emirates looking to scupper Arsenal’s chances of stretching their lead at the top of the Premier League table and McCarthy will be pivotal to their success. Even watching the north London side zipping the ball around the pitch can be mentally-draining, and as Hull found out this week if you don’t keep your shape you can easily be forced into submission.

Whilst at Wigan last season, McCarthy was at the heart of everything. He played a part in all 38 of the Latic’s league games – completing 36 – and it turned him into a patchy player. The weight that he carried at the DW has now been released, however, and it allows him to press the ball more aggressively, nibble at the opposition’s heels and ultimately make life difficult for whoever he is up against, all the while knowing Barry is behind him to sweep up what’s left.

McCarthy’s energy levels will be tested to the brink on Sunday coming up against the likes of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey and Santi Cazorla, but Martinez can be certain that McCarthy will be going all out to stifle the Gunners’ creative fluidity.

His agility has come into play this season, too. He is comfortable with the ball at his feet and as a result is able to either dart up the pitch and burst past opponents or turn on the ball and pick a pass. His tackles success currently stands at 56% and he has been successful in nine of his 14 take ons, as well as carving 16 chances for his colleagues.

Everton’s form this season has been no surprise – the spine of their team is remarkably strong. While the tried and tested centre-back pairing of Phil Jagielka andSylvain Distin stand tall in front of Tim Howard – the goalkeeper who has kept the most clean sheets in the Premier League this term – McCarthy and Barry provide a platform for Romelu Lukaku to work from.

The Toffees have lost just once in their 14 outings so far in the league, and despite Arsenal’s fine form at present there will be people laying down a few pennies to say that they will return to Merseyside with at least another point.