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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
It has been a long road of recovery for Seamus Coleman since suffering a broken leg whilst playing for Ireland against Wales in March 2017.
He returned to the pitch earlier this year and although he showed signs of getting back to form at the end of last season, building up an effective partnership with Richarlison, he is still yet to get back to his highest levels of performance.
The 30-year-old received the lowest rating of any Republic of Ireland player from Sofascore in the draw against Switzerland, and he was also the recipient of some criticism on social media, which suggests times have changed.
From a once bustling full-back who loved to get forward, the Irishman contributed just two assists last term from 30 appearances, and has often proved more error-prone in losing the ball, as his performance against the Swiss showed.
That match also indicated he is struggling with the pace of the game at times, as he made no interceptions in the European Championship qualifier, and that could be a worry for Marco Silva and Everton moving forward.
Despite that, his leadership qualities proved useful for his side as they were able to snatch an equaliser in the closing stages, and it is likely Coleman has helped to foster the belief that allows the team to never give up.
However, for Everton it could be a different story. They have their sights set on the top six this season and in order to crack it they will need all of their players to perform to the highest level.
As a result, the fact Coleman lost possession on 15 occasions on Thursday simply isn’t good enough, and he will need to improve drastically under a manager who likes to retain possession.
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One of the main reasons for his sloppiness with the ball was his passing. For a defensive player to have just 73% pass accuracy is worrying, and if repeated in a ruthless division such as the Premier League the Toffees could find themselves conceding not only chances, but goals.
Off the ball he needs to be more aggressive, too, and if he fails to improve he could lose his place to new signing and France international Djibril Sidibe.
He was beaten by an opponent on two occasions, and lost five out of eight duels, which is uncharacteristic of the player we have seen over the years in the top flight.
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