Despite Everton struggling under Sean Dyche at the moment, is it as bad as when Frank Lampard was in charge?
Yes, the Toffees have lost all four of their Premier League games, but with a bit more ruthlessness, they may have won at least two, letting slip two-goal advantages over both Bournemouth and Aston Villa recently.
The signs are there, even if the points total doesn’t prove it, but Dyche will be determined to claim that first league win of the season sooner rather than later.
Under Lampard, things were totally different as the former Chelsea midfielder couldn’t get a tune out of his team throughout a torrid 12-month spell in charge between January 2022 and January 2023.
Frank Lampard’s Everton statistics
Following Rafa Benitez’s sacking, Lampard was appointed midway through the 2021/22 campaign.
The club had struggled throughout the opening half of the campaign under the former Liverpool manager, indicating the need for change. Lampard had been out of work since leaving Chelsea a year prior.
Still in the embryonic stages of his managerial career, it looked like a progressive appointment by the Merseyside club, one that could see them return to the top half of the table.
A 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace during the dying embers of the season saved Everton from relegation, giving Lampard a clean slate during that summer to build a side capable of avoiding another relegation scrap.
It wasn’t to be. Across the opening 21 Premier League matches of the 2022/23 season, Everton won only three times, making Lampard’s position untenable.
It was no surprise when he was sacked on January 23 following this dismal run, replaced by Dyche, who managed to keep Everton in the top flight with yet another escape act.
Despite the former England international clearly struggling to get the club to tick during his 12-month spell in charge, he did make some excellent signings during his one summer transfer window in charge.
Amadou Onana
Lille
€39.87m
Dwight McNeil
Burnley
€17.00m
Neal Maupay
Brighton
€11.80m
James Garner
Manchester United
€10.40m
Idrissa Gueye
PSG
€4.00m
James Tarkowski
Burnley
Free transfer
Ruben Vingare
Sporting Club
Loan move
Conor Coady
Wolves
Loan move
Indeed, the likes of Amadou Onana, Dwight McNeil, James Garner and Idrissa Gueye joined the Toffees ahead of the 2022/23 season.
One of his finest signings, however, was one in which the club didn’t need to pay a single penny, as James Tarkowski arrived on a free transfer following the expiration of his Burnley contract.
Considering he had plenty of Premier League experience, the move has turned out fairly well for both player and club, while his market value proves the Toffees hit gold on the defender.
James Tarkowski’s statistics at Everton
“The statistics show that James has consistently been one of the Premier League’s most reliable defenders in recent years,” said Kevin Thelwell, Everton’s director of football, upon Tarkowski’s arrival on Merseyside.“Added to his playing attributes, his excellent leadership skills and experience will be a huge benefit, too.”
During his debut campaign, the former Burnley titan played in every single league match for his new club, becoming the first-choice centre-back for both Lampard and then Dyche when he took over.
Despite the team enduring a poor season, Tarkowski ranked third among his teammates for accurate passes (34.6), second for accurate long balls (3.2), first for clearances (5.2) and third for interceptions (1.3) per game, underlining his importance to the team.
Last season saw the defender improve further, ranking second for accurate passes (31.2), first for accurate long balls (4.2), interceptions (1.5) and clearances (4.9) per game, proving that he was their finest defender.
The £100k-per-week star has played every minute of the club’s league matches this season so far. While the Toffees have conceded 13 goals, Tarkowski has won 59% of his total duels per game, along with recovering four balls per game and making 1.8 tackles each match.
While Dyche’s men have failed to ignite on the pitch, keeping Tarkowski fit and healthy could be crucial for their survival hopes, no doubt about that.
His valuation has also risen during his spell at the club since joining back in 2022, proving Lampard did well by signing him in the first place.
James Tarkowski’s market valuation at Everton
While his current valuation may not be as high as what it was when he was leading Burnley in the Premier League, he is currently worth £17m according to Football Transfers’ expected transfer value (xTV) model.
This value may still rise if he continues to deliver solid performances on the field, evidenced by his statistics over the previous 12 months.
When compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Tarkowski currently ranks in the top 1% for touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 (2.21), while also ranking in the top 1% for blocks (2.16), the top 5% for aerials won (3.71) and the top 15% for clearances (4.95) per 90 according to FBref.
These statistics clearly prove just how good the defender has been when comparing him to his peers and Dyche will be praying he can maintain this type of form during the current season.
Following a win over Liverpool at the tail end of last season, Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas heaped praise on the defender, saying: “Absolute monstrous performance from James Tarkowski last night in the derby. How is he not in the England mix?”
Despite his standing as one of the most dependable centre-backs in the Premier League over the previous few years, Tarkowski has won just two caps for England and was never really in the conversation for a place at the Euros, as his partner in crime, Jarrad Branthwaite, was.
He now hasn’t been in the England squad since 2019 and Dyche will arguably be hoping that this stays the same way, as although the defender may be deserving of another chance for the national team, keeping Everton in the top flight is perhaps his main priority at this very moment in time.
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