James Tarkowski may have made twice as many blocks than any other player in the Premier League but it is his efforts at the other end of the pitch that are currently on his mind.
The 29-year-old put in another steadfast display at Fulham as he led a rearguard action that prevented the freescoring hosts from grabbing a winner at Craven Cottage on Saturday. It was the latest performance to showcase the resilience of Frank Lampard's new-look defence, and further evidence of the growing relationship Tarkowski is building with centre back partner Conor Coady.
But after the match it was his contribution at the other end that was bothering him. Tarkowski is yet to score for the Blues, and he wants that to change.
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Addressing his failure to get on the scoresheet so far, Tarkowski told Everton's club website : “I need to add more goals to my game.”
He is behind Coady, who opened his Blues account at Southampton - and would have had another had he not been fractionally offside when he thumped the ball into the back of the Gwladys Street net in the Merseyside derby earlier this season.
But he is desperate to change that - and came close at Fulham, winning a header from a corner but being unable to direct it beyond Bernd Leno. Frustrated, Tarkowski said: “I feel in my own box I’m quite good at getting my head on things, so I need to start getting my head on the ball in the other box.
"I had a chance against Fulham but my header went straight down the goalkeeper’s throat. Hopefully, I can get some goals in the coming games.”
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