Can Everton Turn Things Around in Their Tough Run of Form?

After Everton’s slender defeat in the Merseyside Derby, the Toffees will be hoping to improve the execution when the ball is in the final third of the pitch; however, a tough opponent stands in the way of ex-Everton player Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

Too many times on Tuesday night a lack of quality led to possession being overturned, whether that be the struggle to hold the ball or lacklustre passes to counterattack to the maximum. The tight offside goal going in the favour of the Reds was unfortunate, but James Tarkowski’s escape from a sending-off went the other way. The possible red card was a topic of discussion post-match as PGMOL confirmed the 32-year-old should have been dismissed from the field of play. Unfortunately, it seems some users on social media have been targeting Tarkowski, leaving vile messages on the English defender’s wife’s Instagram, leaving Samantha Tarkowski with no choice but to share the incident with her 11.7k followers:

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Samantha Tarkowski Instagram Statement:

"I wasn't actually going to say anything because we usually just laugh if off but f*** it. The level of abuse my husband is receiving - wishing death on him, vile comments about me, about us as a couple, and about him as a person - is beyond disgusting. People forget that he is more than just a footballer. He is a husband, a father, a brother, a friend, and most importantly, the father of our two children. He goes out there and does his job and does it very f****** well yet he's subjected to so much hate. For those acting like he deliberately set out to hurt someone - are you serious?! Football moves at speed, and tackles are split-second decisions. No player goes out there to injure someone and do you think any player would feel good about it if they did? But the pure s*** messages, the threats? That's intentional. That's on you. Football is a sport, but the way some so-called 'fans' behave is disgraceful. The abuse, the threats - it's not passion, it's pathetic. We're real people, and this goes far beyond football."

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Tarkowski has now played 500 career games for Oldham Athletic, Brentford, Burnley and the mighty blues of Everton, and I am sure he will be hoping to add to that number, starting with a tough test midday on Saturday.

For the past two seasons, and more than likely this season, as Liverpool sit 12 points clear, Arsenal have finished in second place, not having the sheer quality to compete for the title as of late. Although this season's champions are almost confirmed, Arteta has mentioned that Over my dead body. If not, I will go home.” Mathematically, it is possible. Three days ago we could close a gap, and you are like, 'You are one and a half games away. The difficulty is higher than three days ago, but if you are going to win the Premier League, you have to do something special. If you are going to win the Premier League with the circumstances we have, you will probably have to do something that nobody else has done in the history of the Premier League."

It may be even tougher for the Gunners as Brazilian centre-half Gabriel sustained a hamstring injury during their 2-1 victory against Fulham, where goals from Mikel Merino, Bukayo Saka, and a consolation goal by Rodrigo Muniz in the 4th minute of additional time required surgery, therefore ruling the 27-year-old out for the remainder of this Premier League campaign.

On the other hand, and perhaps luckily for Arsenal, centre-half duo who can replace Gabriel, Jurrien Timber and Ben White may be available for their trip to Goodison Park. Also, this may be a huge boost as preparation for the UEFA Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid! Due to the huge fixture, Arteta will be thinking whether it would be smart to play Bukayo Saka from the get-go. The Englishman picked up a hamstring injury on the 21st of December and has only just returned to the match-day squad, featuring but not making a clear impact, with the goal.

For the Toffees, David Moyes has confirmed in his pre-match press conference that Senegalese international Iliman Ndiaye, who featured against the Reds, is edging closer to making a full return after picking up a knee injury quite a few weeks ago. Furthermore, Dwight McNeil has a chance of featuring too; however, Jesper Lindstrom, who missed the Merseyside Derby with a groin injury, will not be available for the clash against the Gunners.

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Premier League Matchweek 31:

Saturday 5th April:

Everton 12:30 Arsenal

Crystal Palace 15:00 Brighton

Ipswich 15:00 Wolves

West Ham 15:00 Bournemouth

Aston Villa 17:30 Nottingham Forest

Sunday 6th April:

Brentford 14:00 Chelsea

Fulham 14:00 Liverpool

Spurs 14:00 Southampton

Man United 16:30 Man City

Monday 7th April:

Leicester 20:00 Newcastle

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Thank you for reading my pre-match article!