- Tarkowski targets European qualification via 3 special days starting with the derby.
- Everton sits eighth following a vital point earned at tough Gtech Stadium.
- The Hill Dickinson prepares for its first competitive Merseyside Derby this Sunday.
With just six games to go in 2025/26, Everton skipper James Tarkowski has challenged his teammates to give it one final push and make the club’s European dream become a reality.
In an interview with Everton’s official club media following the 2-2 draw against Brentford, Tarkowski made clear what he expects for the rest of the season: a return to European football.
The Toffees currently sit in eighth on 47 points, level with Brentford and just a single point adrift of sixth-placed Chelsea, who they beat 3-0 just before the international break.
Tarkowski didn’t shy away from the difficulty of the task ahead but made it also very clear what is need for the club to finally return to the European stage. He told Everton’s official website:
“The league is so tight, it’s ever so tight. There’s a lot of teams chasing these positions now, so it’s on us. I’ve said we need probably two or three special days to get where we want to go.”
Starting with the Merseyside Derby…
The first of those special days is almost upon us. On Sunday (April 19), Everton will host Liverpool in the first-ever Merseyside Derby at the Hill Dickinson. Tarkowski admitted that, in terms of momentum, the international break didn’t come at a good time, but he also believes that the return to the banks of the Mersey is the perfect stage to build on the hard-earned point at Brentford.
“Hopefully we can start that [a winning run] next weekend against Liverpool because that’s what’s going to get us where we want to be,” Tarkowski said. The magnitude of the fixture will clearly not be lost on anyone, but this time it’s not about scraping points to steer clear of the relegation scrap.
This time, there is more than local pride and relegation-saving points at stake. Under the leadership of David Moyes and the growing influence of The Friedkin Group, top-six ambitions have replaced the all-too-common relegation anxiety.
Pragmatism but progress
Tarkowski claimed the performance at the Gtech Community Stadium was “not great”, but felt they were worthy of a point that came via a 91st-minute goal strike from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.
But with a daunting run-in to come, which includes a visit to the Hill Dickinson from title-chasing Manchester City, the centre-back’s influence will be vital in maintaining what he described as a “winner’s mindset.”
For a club that has spent too many recent years fighting for its Premier League life, Tarkowski’s clarion call will be music to the ears of Evertonians.
But it’s not blind optimism. Far from it. If the Toffees can find inspiration in those “two or three special days”, then European nights at the Hill Dickinson could very soon become a reality.
