The James Garner right-back experiment was successful | OneFootball

Everton produced their best performance in a couple of months to secure a 2-0 win over Fulham at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.

Three points against the Cottagers helped the Toffees to move up to 11th in the league standings. More importantly, though, it brought to an end a three-game winless run for David Moyes’ side.

While goals from Idrissa Gana Gueye and Michael Keane capped off a brilliant performance from the hosts and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall had his best game in an Everton shirt, it was James Garner’s performance at right-back that caught the eye the most.

Before the clash against Fulham, Moyes made a big call by dropping Jake O’Brien and moving Garner to the right-back slot instead.

A midfielder by trade, Garner has become something of a Swiss Army knife for the Blues. He was deployed at left-back at the start of the campaign with Vitalii Mykolenko out injured, was moved back to his favourite position in midfield after Mykolenko’s return, and also saw out some games at right-back.

This was, however, his first big test in a new role and Garner came out with flying colours.

For starters, Garner improves Everton’s buildup from the back dramatically as he’s so much more comfortable on the ball compared to O’Brien. Garner’s ability to manipulate spaces, find passing lanes, carry the ball forward with a run or avoid the opposition press with changes in directions enables the backline to avoid becoming predictable and constantly find the free man in midfield.

It is in this aspect of the game where O’Brien often looks boxed in, especially when faced with an opposition press. The Irish international has little solutions to offer in possession besides passing the ball backwards to James Tarkowski or hoofing it forward with the hope that Iliman Ndiaye latches on to it.

How often have we seen the ball shuffle across the backline from Tarkowski to O’Brien and back either to Tarkowski or Pickford only for them to launch it forward towards the striker, leading to possession loss and inviting more pressure?

Needless to say that these deficiencies hinder the side’s ability to progress from the back which is a shame because you want players like Ndiaye, Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish to have as much of the ball as possible.

Garner had an 86% passing accuracy against Fulham while O’Brien has a passing accuracy below 70% so far this season.

Even in the final third, the 24-year-old is capable of making a bigger impact. He offers more solutions to Ndiaye as he’s capable of making both overlapping and underlapping runs.

He can make the run outside the full-back and either take the player along with him to open up spaces for his teammates or swing in a deadly cross into the box, a role O’Brien is also decent at. However, Garner brings a natural ease when drifting inside and creating numerical superiority in the central spaces and shooting from distance that O’Brien just can’t match.

Defensively too, Garner looked sound last night and held his own against Kevin besides a couple of instances where the latter seemed to outfox him.

This is the only area of the game where O’Brien has an edge over Garner at the moment. Not to mention that the Irish international has faced some of the best wingers in the league, while Garner is relatively untested in that department. However, the defensive fundamentals are there, and he showed a lot of it when played at left-back. It should also be something he gets better at with time.

At this point, it seems a no-brainer that Moyes should continue to trust Garner at right-back for the foreseeable future. While he sacrifices a little defensive solidity, the team gains a lot in terms of ball progression, ability to build from the back, and stronger balance on the flanks.

Seems like a gamble worth taking.

Reader Comments (27)

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Robert Tressell 1 Posted 09/11/2025 at 17:41:57

I'm not sure it's an experiment is it? He's played there plenty of times now.

The likes of Kimmich, Laimer, Sergi Roberto have all successfully been converted to full-backs (and back) recently -- Lewis-Skelly and Alexander-Arnold closer to home -- so not an especially unusual move.

Ideally I'd like to see him centrally with Röhl but he gives us a much better shape when at right-back. He's a good player having a really good season.

Sean Mitchell 3 Posted 09/11/2025 at 18:01:47

He's a good player with better players around him. It's showing now.

He was excellent yesterday.

Dave Leeson 4 Posted 09/11/2025 at 19:10:12

I agree with the point of the article but let's not forget that Jake is a centre-back being asked to play out of position and has given his best every game he has played.

Ernie Baywood 5 Posted 09/11/2025 at 19:50:58

It improves the full back position but weakens the midfield. Against Fulham, that was alright. But we've seen our midfield dominated before when Garner has been in defence.

As it happens, I have wondered in the past whether it's a change Garner himself might consider. I like him as a player but I'm not sure how good he can be as a midfielder. With his attributes, it's possible he could be a very good right-back.

John Pickles 6 Posted 09/11/2025 at 20:07:13

Not for me, I liked the high press, but it was let down when there was always an easy ball to the left midfielder.

Nearly all the balls we played forward had to be accurate as there was a defender right on our player, yet any ball lumped up in the general direction of their left midfielder found him, as Garner was nowhere near him.

If that had been a top team, we would have been punished, repeatedly.

I like Garner, I like him in midfield.

Mike Allison 8 Posted 09/11/2025 at 21:11:07

At least Moyes changed something for the home game.

Now we've got to convince him that Dewsbury-Hall can play deeper and Alcaraz can make things happen in the Number 10 position.

After that, if someone can teach him about substitutions having a positive impact and managing the squad so that everyone gets game time, then we might be okay.

Mike Allison #8, I had the same thought... at least he tried something different. I think he did it becuase we played at home and vs Fulham.

Dewsbury-Hall will never get out of the Number 10 position because he sees him as a Doucoure-type player, runner, presser and that ugly stuff. Only injury or suspensions would change that... or maybe in the cup?

Mike Gaynes 11 Posted 10/11/2025 at 04:54:07

I'm going to disagree with Anjishnu that Garner is a good right-back, that"the defensive fundamentals are there" and that continuing to play him there is a "no-brainer."

Garner is an outstanding player and there's no question that his skills add something to our attack when he's playing right-back. But he is a raw beginner in terms of positioning there. Five games with the U21s two years ago and four subsequent Premier League starts do not remotely make him a professional defender who knows where to be.

We've seen him searching the sky for the ball as it goes over his head, and searching in vain for runners going off his back shoulder. He struggles with decisions on whether to close down on crosses or hang back.

His tackling and ferocity make him able to defend one-on-one, but unlike Jake, he wins nothing in the air, and I expect he may well cost us goals at the back that Jake wouldn't -- both with his inexperience and with his crucial absence from midfield.

I'm not saying Moyes shouldn't play him at full-back. It's a calculation. Maybe he brings more to the attack than we lose defensively. But it sure as hell isn't a "no-brainer" of a decision.

Mike, great analysis.

My brother Ken was so good at analysing he would have liked to read it. Great Evertonian, he died recently, and so I can't share it with him (or can I???) After his memorial, I'm on my way back to Adelaide in a place called Hay, in the middle of nowhere (okay, no one's bothering me!). Keep on keeping on with your TW comments.

I just omitted to add that my nephew, 77 like me, flew over from Colorado Springs. First time we've met. but not the last!

Sam Hoare 13 Posted 10/11/2025 at 07:13:12

I think continuing to play Garner at right-back depends on how well the likes of Röhl and Iroegbunam can do in the middle. Certainly when Gueye leaves for Afcon, you'd imagine Garner will be back in the middle.

Having a full-back who can pass and run and overlap and be comfortable on the ball is vital in the modern game. Especially if you play wingers who want to drift inside at most opportunities! Priority position in January.

Derek Knox 14 Posted 10/11/2025 at 07:25:53

Sam @ 13,

Tim Iroegbunam played okay on Saturday, but with all of his appearances, he tends to fade out after the first half.

I would like to see Röhl given an extended stint there, I think he has the look of a very good player for us. I feel for Alcaraz too, who must be thinking "What have I got to do to get a starting spot, or even a cameo from the bench?"

Liam Mogan 15 Posted 10/11/2025 at 07:53:12

James Garner and Jake O'Brien having to fill in at right-back just shows what a mess the club has made of trying to replace Seamus Coleman.

We did try to get Tete in from Fulham on a free (who I thought did a decent job on Grealish) but, apart from that, didn't seem to make any inroads.

We definitely need better in both full-back spots. Garner and O'Brien will get caught out over longer periods (Jake has looked jaded recently and James doesn't quite have the defensive nous).

Sam Hoare 16 Posted 10/11/2025 at 07:54:37

The other option, Derek, is to drop Dewsbury-Hall back deeper to make space for Alcaraz.

This could be good against weaker teams but I'm not sure Moyes fancies the Argentine too much.

Robert Tressell 17 Posted 10/11/2025 at 09:31:19

The overwhelmingly logical thing to do is to buy a good RB (lots of options) and give ourselves the option of Garner in midfield (as Ernie says the midfield looks better with him in it) and O’Brien at CB (as Dave says that’s his position).

We’re a big Premier League club with proper owners - so we should just behave like one. Hopefully it all gets fixed in January.

Until then our RB may have to depend on the opposition. Fulham aren’t especially good away from home. If we’re away at a good side O’Brien may be a safer (but boring) bet.

Edward Rogers 18 Posted 10/11/2025 at 09:40:18

Dave Leeson @4

Well said. Quite a few have forgotten just what a great job Jake has done since he got into the team. O.K. he's had a couple of dodgy games this season ( who hasn't?) but he gives 100% every time. Don't remember Doku causing him as much trouble as he gave the R.S. fullback yesterday.

Ernie Baywood 19 Posted 10/11/2025 at 09:42:57

Robert, it could well be that O'Brien comes back in against Man Utd. It would make a lot of sense.

I hope Moyes makes the decision he thinks is right for the match rather than the right political/reputational move. But you know if we lose, and that would be a betting favourite outcome, he'll then be criticised for doing the one thing that apparently beat Fulham.

There is no quick fix with this squad. We have some weak positions and you can't improve them without weakening somewhere else, such is the imbalance in the squad.

He's making do. In his typically conservative manner. By now, you'd be surprised to see him do anything else.

Neither Garner nor O'Brien are right-backs and will never be converted into right-backs. Yes, they have both done well being put into positions they are not accustomed to playing in but this can't go on forever.

O'Brien in particular is being increasingly targeted as teams realize his limitations at right back -- I really hope he moves into the centre-back position and prospers there for us in the future.

Ultimately, the club absolutely has to buy a right-back. Tete on a free would have been decent business but that ship has sailed.

Personally I was glad to see Garner move to right back at the weekend. That is not meant as a slight on O'Brien who has done a solid job defensively in the position. He could easily have moved to centre-back in place of Tarkowski who has not been at his best this season, but it offers the team a lot more in possession.

It perhaps does take a little from midfield but gives Iregbounam and Rohl, who I think looks a good prospect, an opportunity to develop. Next season, if we don't recall him earlier, Armstrong is also going to be looking to play in this area as well.

One of the big issues at right back in the games against City an£ West Ham was because Ndiaye was poor defensively and didn't track his runner. Jake will be needed for certain games like Arsenal while Jimmy for others.

While Jimmy is a decent midfielder I think his importance to that area is overplayed and for example both Tim and Rohl add physicality, presence and are capable of running from deep offering us a better attacking threat.We are very wishy washy at times with all three of our diminutive midfielders.

It may be a coincidence but we have won two drawn one and lost one when Jimmy has played a full back. In three of those four games we certainly won the midfield battle.