Chelsea: Four lessons learnt as Blues move on to FA Cup semis

3. Ross Barkley continues to be a conundrum

Ross Barkley’s super-sub performance on Sunday was a perfect microcosm of his career as a whole. First, there was the goal. Barkley’s excellent run towards the near post was met by a brilliant cross from Willian, with Barkley deflecting the ball past Schmeichel on the volley. Incisive, technical, lethal.

Then, late in the match, Barkley led a four-on-two counter, with a chance to put a bow on a Chelsea victory. As he reached the final third, spoilt for choice, Barkley elected to play the ball to Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who was running into the box on Barkley’s left. Barkley’s ball was played slow and well behind the sprinting Loftus-Cheek, who struggled to change direction and poke it back to Barkley. To his credit, Barkley forced a decent save out of Schmeichel, but it was another example of his mind getting in the way of his body.

On pure skill and athleticism alone, Ross Barkley is one of England’s best midfielders. The moments he can produce are as good as anything you’ll ever see on a pitch. Unfortunately, those moments are too few and far between for him to really stake his claim as a world-class No. 8. Barkley’s main Achilles heel is simply his tendency to overthink as he plays. The Loftus-Cheek pass is the perfect example. Barkley has all the time in the world and several decent options around him. As he nears the crucial moment, you can practically see him doing the math in his head, trying desperately to arrive at the right conclusion. By the time he makes his decision—and he made the right one—the moment is gone, and the timing of his pass is off the mark. It’s also typical of Barkley that he would still manage to get off a dangerous shot in the awkward moments after he gets the ball back from a stumbling Loftus-Cheek.

The goal he scored was the perfect example of what every Chelsea—and England—fan wants from him. No thinking, just getting the ball and doing the most productive thing with it right away. His technique is so exceptional that those instinctual moments work out more often than not. As a player who is at his best when not thinking, it’s no surprise that he wasn’t up to much during Maurizio Sarri’s time at Chelsea. Under Lampard, however, there are more unscripted moments and fewer regimented decisions to make. It’s no wonder than that this has been the best Barkley has looked since leaving Everton.

The performance against Leicester was a good display of what makes Barkley so good yet so maddening. Unfortunately, no one seems to be any closer to cracking the code to turn him into a consistent world-beater. Maybe playing for England’s greatest No. 8 is the bit of inspiration he needs, and he’ll finally break through. Moments like his goal on Sunday give you some hope that this may be the case. But, as long as he keeps lapsing into paralysis by analysis in crucial situations, he just can’t be entirely trusted week in and week out. In the meantime, we’ll take the good with the bad, and hope that he can keep his marbles together long enough to get Chelsea over the line in these last few weeks of the season.