Everton have improved massively under David Moyes – and Michael Ball has been impressed with one particular player since the Scot came in.
Everton no longer have any relegation worries having surged clear of the drop zone in recent weeks.
Currently, the Toffees are 15 clear of Ipswich Town and Leicester City, and it would take the most incredible collapse to drop into the Championship from this point.
David Moyes has not actually changed a great deal since replacing Sean Dyche.
Ultimately, while he’s made a few tweaks here and there, the biggest thing he has done is instill confidence into a previously beleaguered bunch.
One man who has certainly been showing a lot of confidence recently is Jake O’Brien.
O’Brien recently admitted he wasn’t happy under Dyche, but has found a new lease of life under Moyes – and Everton legend Michael Ball has praised the star in his latest Liverpool Echo column.
- READ MORE: Jake O’Brien makes promise to Everton fans on Instagram after scoring his first goal vs Brentford
Michael Ball lauds Jake O’Brien who has made Everton much more calm
O’Brien has now started Everton’s last seven Premier League games.
It is perhaps now a coincidence that Everton have not lost a single one of those games, with the Irishman really adding more solidity to Everton’s backline.
It has been fascinating to watch him in this right-back role, which sometimes sees him tuck inside to allow the winger ahead of him to become a wing-back.
It’s complex, but O’Brien has taken to it well – impressing former Everton full-back Michael Ball.
Feeling he has made Moyes’ version of Everton much calmer than Dyche’s, he said in his latest Echo column: “There have also been squad members who we’d hardly seen anything of like Jake O’Brien, whose performances have been fantastic since the new manager brought him in as a right-back.
“Despite playing in a position that isn’t natural to him, he’s held his own and brings a calmness in possession. We were very hectic under Sean Dyche and often looked nervy on the ball, but Jake has got that presence like Jarrad Branthwaite and composure that sets up our play.
“Jake has shown his football intelligence of knowing what to do. It’s not natural for him but he knows what a full-back is supposed to be doing and he’s doing it well.
“As Moyes said, he’s deployed this kind of tactic before in the past with Joleon Lescott. Jake has done well against some very tricky wingers and since he came into the side, several of the opponents’ best player has been their left winger.
“He’s won a lot of his battles really well and even when he was on a yellow card against Manchester United, he remained very controlled and picked his moments.”
O’Brien is one of Moyes’ biggest player success stories at Everton
O’Brien’s recent rise at Everton has been great to watch and it’s remarkable to think O’Brien played as little as he did under Dyche.
Admittedly, Everton were fairly solid defensively under the previous incumbent and Ashley Young was actually having a pretty good season.
But O’Brien – who joined Everton for £17 million (Guardian) has come into that position now and is really showing a solid level.
Pundit Adam Virgo said O’Brien was ‘an absolute revelation’ against Brentford, and he certainly deserved his goal for the huge defensive display he put it.
Perhaps after Beto, O’Brien is the biggest player success story so far for Moyes in his second spell at Everton, and it’s exciting to think about where he could get to.
With James Tarkowski ageing and Everton supposedly in the market for a new right-back this summer, one wonders if we will see O’Brien perhaps starting alongside Jarrad Branthwaite in the heart of the defence in 2025/26.
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