Ross Barkley (left) has looked athletic in the middle of Luton Park this season. Photo: Nick Potts/PA
There It was big events for Ross Barkley last week that went unnoticed but were nonetheless significant. Playing for Luton against Arsenal and Manchester City, he started seven consecutive Premier League matches, something he had not done for six years.
It's been a long period in the wild for the Merseyside prodigy: he was out of sight for four years at Chelsea and then out of sight and out of mind in Nice last year with games under his belt. There was a time when he was more likely to be seen playing for England, making 11 of his 33 caps after an unsuccessful move to Stamford Bridge.
He returned to the Premier League this season. and was revived in Bedfordshire. He picked up an injury towards the start of the campaign which limited his involvement, but it has been seven games in a row since he returned to Rob Edwards' starting line-up and there are signs of the type of player seen at Everton when he looked beyond his years at midfield .
“I saw Ross Barkley, who we all know and love, enjoying his football and performing like that,” Edwards said. “He's a pleasure to watch. He works so hard. He comes in with real humility and shows what he can do by simply being the best Ross he can be. We're giving him a platform to do that and we're really happy with him.»
Luton manager Rob Edwards (left) says Barkley it was “pleasant to watch”; this season Photo: John Sibley/Reuters
Barkley looks different than the last time we saw him in the Premier League. It would be wrong to say that he looks slimmer as he has a lot of muscle in his upper body which allows him to bounce off opponents when he holds the ball. But he certainly looks athletic, with his chest puffed out as he pushes around in the middle of the park.
When he was in possession against City, he was effective in driving his team forward and causing problems for Rodri, who wanted to control the game by dominating that part of the pitch. With his sights set on goal, he could have scored with a strike from the edge of the area that would have given his side a 2-0 lead at half-time. It's a different story at 2-0.
In the end, City fought back, as they often do, to emerge victorious, but Barkley is making his mark on the Premier League this season. He turned heads against Arsenal last week and it was another performance he can consider a positive step on his return to England.
So is Barkley coming back to prove a point? «You might have to ask him, and I don't know exactly how he feels, but he's got a bit in his mouth. He's hungry. You can see it in what he does on the field,» Edwards added.
Next up for Luton is a series of tough fixtures, but don't be alarmed: Bournemouth away, Newcastle at home, Sheffield United away and then another match Barkley may be eyeing — the match at Kenilworth Road against Chelsea. If there was any fixture he would want to take on in this form, this would be it.
It will be Barkley who will have a big say if Luton manage to pull off a rescue escape, in which Edwards believes they are ready and capable of. They have played well in these matches against title contenders, but they need to find a way to win.
“In the cold light of day the boys will reflect and gain confidence, but they're flat and down there,» he said. We approach every game with the belief that we can get something out of the game, and if we don't, then you're in trouble. They are in pain now.”
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