Jarrad Branthwaite

Jarrad Paul Branthwaite



Current Club: Everton.

Previous Clubs: Carlisle United.

Loan Clubs: PSV Eindhoven, Blackburn Rovers.





International: England 1 cap.

Trophies Won: Netherlands FA Cup 2022/23. European U-21 Championship 2023.





When he first broke through, Branthwaite looked like he had it all, but his potential, while still high, has waned significantly in the last year or so. Watching him play, it looks to me like he has suffered badly under the coaching of Sean Dyche and his staff, added to the style of play, which saw Branthwaite play a style that did not utilise his talents to the full, nor develop his all-round game. What is surprising is how the physical side of his game has also been developed in the wrong direction.



Having watched a lot of Dyche's teams over the years, it is clear that he works hard on getting players fit and strong, having lots of stamina so that they can cover ground and work hard. While that is particularly useful in players in midfield, particularly if they are of the box-to-box variety, for a centre-back stamina is not so much of an issue, they usually cover the least ground of outfield players according to the statistics I have seen. What would have been useful for Branthwaite, as he lacks it badly, would be the development of his acceleration and nimbleness, so that he could turn quickly and get up to speed.



That would have helped him against quick, nippy forwards running in behind, particularly. It does seem an area of physical development that Dyche's coaching completely neglects, as I cannot think of a single player that has improved his acceleration and ability to turn quickly under Dyche's tutelage, either at Everton or Burnley. That maybe as a result of how Dyche sets out his team to play, with a defence drilled to just drop deep and deny space in behind, relying on packed bodies in the box to keep the ball out, rather than good reading of the game.



The problem is that Branthwaite's awareness of runs off him is extremely poor now, which means that any time he is high up the pitch it results in problems, with opposition players able to run in behind him at will without him adjusting position at all. That is fine when playing in a defence that sits deep, but it does mean that he will struggle to adjust if he does move to a team that wants to play a higher line, which is most of the top half teams in the top leagues in Europe. That is not to say he is not a good defender, it is just that he will need to adapt if he moves on from Everton or they change their style of play.



Branthwaite does have qualities, defensively he is strong, good in the air and willing to put his body on the line to block shots. He is also not slow, it is just that it takes him a while to get up to speed, which means when he anticipates danger, or is just already moving to drop deep anyway, he has the pace to deal with most attackers. If he can develop his awareness of what is around him with experience, he can use that to make up for the lack of a burst of pace in most instances.



What makes him most interesting to the higher table teams is his ability on the ball, which is very good. He is very much a ball-playing defender, though he had little chance to show that aspect of his game under Dyche. It is that part of his game that makes him of such interest to teams higher up in the table and a target for Manchester United last summer. Can he step up a level? Yes, and he will have to, whether he stays or leaves, but it does look like he has lost his chance to reach the top table of football now and become a regular UEFA Champions League player with a team that has aspirations of winning it.



Requested by -