David Moyes has a David Beckham-esque weapon he must utilise at Everton in the upcoming FA Cup fourth-round clash against Bournemouth.
Bournemouth completed the Premier League double over the Blues this season, including a 1-0 win at the Vitality on 4 January, which marked the end of Sean Dyche’s tenure on Merseyside.
However, James Garner ran Leicester City off the pitch during the 4-0 win at Goodison Park on Saturday (1 February), and he could prove to be Moyes’ secret weapon in the FA Cup after Ben Foster described the midfielder as “a bit like David Beckham” on The Cycling GK podcast (4 February, 17:56).
He said: “He was class. Really good player. Technically brilliant. A bit like David Beckham the way he whips the balls in actually. He works hard, and he’ll have a fantastic career.
“He’s still only young. When he can get in that Everton team and show his ability, because he has got pure class, he oozes class, he really does. A natural with the ball at his feet.”
James Garner will boss the midfield for Everton
The 23-year-old made his first start for Everton on the weekend since the 0-0 draw against Newcastle United on 5 October and immediately played one of “the best passes in football” as Jamie Carragher described.
Although Moyes has gotten off to a flyer at Goodison Park, winning three of his opening four matches in charge, he has lacked the required personnel in the engine room. Garner’s return couldn’t be more amply timed, with loanee Orel Mangala now ruled out until the end of the season.
In what was considered a relegation six-pointer heading into the clash proved to be men against boys, with Garner at the heartbeat of everything good on Merseyside.
The midfielder was essential in every sense of the word, completing 81 per cent of his passes, three key passes, two big chances created, and the assist for Beto’s second goal [Sofascore].
His influence is no coincidence – last term, Garner played all but one of the Blues’ 38 Premier League matches and created 98 shot-creating actions, equating to 2.57 per game and eight goal-creating actions for a side that finished 15th in the league table [Fbref].
Although the former England Under-21s international only managed one goal and two assists last season, the goals scored thus far under Moyes equal 34 per cent of the total goals scored in the Premier League – a remarkable return that should lead to further involvement for Garner.
James Garner showcases complete midfield performance
Furthermore, in a graph provided by The Opta Analyst, he ranks in the 59 percentile of midfielders across Europe who have played more than 500 minutes of football and, even more impressively, in the 67 percentile for defensive actions.
Against Leicester, he won 100 per cent of his ground duels, 100 per cent of his aerial duels while making three clearances, two tackles and one interception in 82 minutes of action [Sofascore].
At the beginning of the season, Garner was vastly underutilised as Dyche leaned on his versatility to fill the gaping hole at right-back in the absence of Seamus Coleman and Vitalii Mykolenko.
However, his complete midfield performance on the weekend proves he will be a valuable asset to Moyes in the heart of the action and could be the difference maker in helping Everton overcome a notorious bogey team in Bournemouth and progress into the latter stages of the FA Cup.
