Phil Jagielka is receiving a public lambasting for his performance on Saturday against Swansea. Does he deserve all the criticism he’s receiving?
Jagielka had one of those days he’d like to forget against Swansea. The problem is that it wasn’t an isolated event as the center back has been in a state of decline for some time now.
The 34-year-old clumsily brought down Gylfi Sigurdsson, which led to Swansea’s only goal from the spot. That was Jagielka’s only tackle of the game, a startling statistic that led to the center back being derided and ridiculed on social media.
Jagielka has been great servant to the club but I think its time for Funes Mori to play with Williams, Anyone else agree? #EVESWA
— Everton Blue Army (@EvertonBlueArmy) November 19, 2016
https://twitter.com/evertonfin2/status/800300385420201984
Jagielka made his 300th Premier League start on Saturday. It’s a start he’ll want to forget. Unfortunately, I’m not sure he’ll be able to. He surrendered his third penalty of the season after giving up two in the same match against Manchester City on Oct. 15.
Maarten Stekelenburg miraculously saved both penalties in that match but couldn’t save his captain’s blushes this time around.
Are the sands of time catching up to Jagielka?
A great ambassador and warrior for the Toffees, Jagielka has put his body on the line for Everton for almost a decade. Nobody can fault his commitment to the Everton cause. But it’s overtly apparent that the sands of time are catching up to the ageing center back.
The Premier League is played at a devastating pace and players who can’t keep up are found out quickly. Jagielka no longer has the pace to keep the faster players in the league in check. His unusually high number of rash challenges this season are symptomatic of this.
Jagielka is making fewer tackles this season than ever before. On average, he’s only making about one tackle each match (every 83 minutes). Compare that to a tackle every 66 minutes last season and you start to see why there’s cause for concern.
He’s also intercepting passes less frequently. Jagielka intercepted 67 passes in the first 21 games last season, an average of 3.2 per game. he has intercepted 16 passes in 12 games this season, an average of 1.3 interceptions per game.
It’s not all bad news on the statistics front. Jagielka is winning more aerial battles than previous seasons. He’s winning an aerial duel every 24 minutes, compared to 35 minutes last season and 32 minutes in 2014-15.
Nobody is questioning Jagielka’s aerial prowess, though. He’s often dominant in the air and age has little effect on how well, or often, a center back heads the ball. Fatigue can come into play during the latter stages of a match, but Jagielka’s match fitness isn’t in question here.
It’s his lack of pace on the ground that is most disconcerting for the Toffees, which the severe drop off in related statistical categories support.
Is Ashley Williams performing that much better?
The statistics suggest that Ashley Williams isn’t fairing much better than Jagielka. The English stalwart has won one more tackle and has a better interceptions-per-minute ratio than his Welsh partner.
Jagielka has also won 17 more aerial battles than Williams. But the stats tell a misleading story. Very few people go through the stats with a fine-tooth comb, and for many onlookers, the stats are completely inconsequential.
Next: Ross Barkley & Idrissa Gueye: Everton bright spots vs Swansea
Williams is performing steadily and, most importantly, has avoided the big mistake.
The same cannot be said for Jagielka, who has already committed three penalties this season. He was also exposed in a one-on-one battle with Swansea talisman Gylfi Sigurdsson in the lead up to the penalty on Saturday.
It’s these moments of madness that have supporters questioning Jagielka’s place in the team and whether one of the most experienced center backs in Premier League history has had his day in the sun.