Ross Barkley was dropped during Everton’s 1-0 defeat against Swansea City.
Everton boss Ronald Koeman has suggested to the Liverpool Echo that Gareth Barry’s inclusion in the Toffees’ side against Swansea City worked.
Barry was brought in to start at the Liberty Stadium, with Barkley dropping down to the substitutes’ bench.
The selection decision came as a surprise to many Everton fans, but Koeman insists that he made the right choice.
“We tried to find productivity in the team, and we arrived with a different solution,” Koeman said.
“The diamond that Swansea play, that was the reason I brought Gareth in.
“We wanted to have that control in the midfield, and I thought that we had that.
“But OK, you need to make those kind of decisions as a manager.”
Everton fans appear to disagree with Koeman’s comments, though, and have suggested that Barry should’ve been left on the bench.
Everton slipped to a disappointing 1-0 defeat against Swansea, and they rarely threatened in an attacking sense.
The Toffees had large portions of possession in Wales, but didn’t show their usual cutting edge.
Everton’s defeat to Swansea has surely ended their chances of catching the top six, leaving them with little to play for other than pride over the remainder of the campaign.
Barkley seems likely to come back into Everton’s starting line-up in their next match, which comes against Watford on Friday evening.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
