TFG must ditch Everton star who “looked about 90 years old” vs Man Utd

Merseyside truly is a place of two parts right now. The Red side revels in the joy of a new era taking off, whereas Everton are feeling rather blue, mired in Sean Dyche’s failing system.

Is it harsh to think it unlikely that the gruff-talking manager will remain in the manager’s seat this time next year? Certainly, Dyche’s hold on his tenure is slipping with each passing match week.

December will offer no respite. Having been thrashed 4-0 by Manchester United on Sunday, the Toffees teeter on the edge of the Premier League relegation zone, painfully aware that contests against Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City lie ahead before the new year.

Dyche cut a dejected figure as he trudged off the Old Trafford pitch, with his side’s “glaring individual mistakes” precluding even a fighting chance of some points haul to take back to Liverpool.

With defensive solidity disintegrated, what does the former Burnley boss have left to suggest that he is the man to carry this club forward, out of the trenches?

Everton’s struggle under Sean Dyche

Before the nightmare in Manchester, Everton had made gains after a dismal start to the season that saw four Premier League fixtures lost in succession to set a sobering tone.

One defeat across eight matches bespoke Everton’s inherent resilience within Dyche’s set-up, and indeed suggested that enough would be staked in defensive moments to remain a cut above the relegation fodder.

The bitter fact is that Everton built an illusion of solidity, papered over cracks, and now face a worrying month of tough contests, all the while seeking to stay above the bottom three – Ipswich Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers are 18th and 19th respectively, both trailing the Merseysiders by two points.

Everton need to rally and ensure that they preserve Premier League status, especially with this being the final season in the historic Goodison Park, twinned with The Friedkin Group purchasing tycoon Farhad Moshiri’s 94% stake in the outfit.

Again, you can’t help but think that Dyche’s days are numbered. Everton rolled onto their back against Ruben Amorim’s United, meekly agreed to the thrashing after Marcus Rashford opened the scoring after 34 minutes.

Before then, the Blues actually played quite well, threatening and prodding against the hosts’ own defensive shakiness. To no avail.

Things need to change, and while veterans such as James Tarkowski will be needed for the rest of the 2024/25 campaign, he must be sold next summer at the beginning of a new chapter.

Why TFG should ditch James Tarkowski

Tarkowski, Everton’s vice-captain – and principal wearer of the armband, with Seamus Coleman scarcely featuring this term – has been a solid and dependable option for the club since joining in July 2023 after the expiry of his contract with Burnley.

Tried and tested under Dyche’s wing, he is the manager’s most-used player (75 appearances) since the pair reunited at Everton, notably keeping 13 top-flight clean sheets last season, winning 70% of his aerial duels, as per Sofascore.

Father Time appears to be catching up with him. 33 years old, Tarkowski is perhaps at the beginning of a decline that Everton cannot afford in their backline at the moment.

His shortcomings were brutally exposed against the Red Devils, with Amad Diallo and Rashford cavorting around him, wreaking chaos within the Everton rearguard.

Combined, Tarkowski and his partner Jarrad Branthwaite managed to win ten of 12 contested duels, though their defensive errors indeed negated any semblance of organisation that might have been otherwise mustered.

Sky Sports pundit Dean Ashton lambasted the visitors for their “pitiful” attempt at stopping Rashford from scoring United’s third, singling Everton’s skipper out and saying that he “looked about 90 years old.”

Not a good afternoon. As per GIVEMESPORT, Tarkowski was branded with a 4/10 match rating after his forgettable outing, having combined with Branthwaite to make some rather ignominious blunders.

Given that journalist Dave Downie also rebuked the ageing titan for his “embarrassing” defensive efforts, it’s clear that Everton might need to ship him on sooner rather than later, especially when considering the fact that he is in the penultimate year of his £100k-per-week contract, and could still fetch a penny or two.

It might be that an overhaul is needed. Branthwaite probably failed his audition after struggling at Old Trafford, having been courted by Man United a matter of months ago. Should the rising star be sold next year, Everton will collect quite the recoup, having valued Branthwaite at £75m in the summer, and might need to redirect their funds toward a brace of new defenders to kickstart a new era.

One thing’s for certain, if his older partner Tarkowski is unable to prove his durability going forward, it may well be that he joins Goodison Park – and perhaps Dyche – in parting from Everton going forward.

Tarkowski’s got some way to go before he hits his ninth decade, but it’s pretty concerning to think that he’s starting to look a bit leggy and sapped against the pacy outlets from the top clubs.

Of course, he will be needed for the remainder of the campaign but must be axed in the summer, sold while TFG can still claim something for him, and hopefully before he’s already sent them towards relegation.

It’s a new era for the Blues, and a rebuild is needed.