Tim Howard says that he had to stop Gareth Barry from straying out of position against Swansea City on Saturday.
Tim Howard says that he had to constantly remind Gareth Barry to stay in position during Everton’s 0-0 draw with Swansea City on Saturday.
Barry was forced to move back into central-defence and largely impressed during his stint in an unfamiliar position.
The move did add to Howard’s workload, though, and the goalkeeper admits that he had to stop Barry from straying out of the side’s defensive line during the match.
“Clearly it’s not his preferred position, but the fact he can go in there and be astute enough to read the game, while being strong enough to deal with Bony and Gomis – he was superb today,” he said to the Liverpool Echo.
“Every bone in his body is a number six, so I was having to make sure we reeled him in and kept him in position. He reads the game well so we were happy.”
Barry will have been pleased to play his part in the club’s clean-sheet and Howard obviously did a good job commanding his defence.
The Toffees have shown a weakness defensively so far this campaign, but they appear to be improving in this area now.
The side are now unbeaten in their last three Premier League fixtures and are looking to close the gap on the top-four.
The club are currently four points off the Champions League qualification spaces, but they are one of the more in-form sides in the division.
The draw against Swansea was a minor set-back, but it was another point to add to their total and Roberto Martinez will be hoping that it will prove vital in May.
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