Liverpool Echo

Latest Liverpool news and gossip as an ex-coach has claimed that a former Tottenham defender is 'better' than Reds captain Virgil van Dijk

A former coach has explained why he believes ex-Tottenham Hotspur star Davinson Sanchez is "better" than Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk. Servet Cetin, a former centre-back for Turkey, has claimed that Van Dijk is not as good a defender as Sanchez.

Van Dijk is into his seventh full season with Liverpool and second since being named Reds captain following Jordan Henderson's departure. The 33-year-old's contract at Anfield has been the subject of speculation with the current contract set to expire at the end of the season.

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Sanchez, meanwhile, is enjoying his second season at Galatasaray after signing for the Super Lig club from Tottenham in 2023. During his time with Spurs, Sanchez made 207 appearances but was an unused substitute against Liverpool in the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid.

Servet, a former centre-back who made 59 appearances for Turkey, has made a claim about Van Dijk. The 43-year-old, who was most recently a coach with Super Lig club Sivasspor, has explained why he believes Sanchez is "better" than the Liverpool captain.

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''I think Sanchez is a better stopper than Van Dijk. In England, stoppers play regionally, they do not change their positions," Cetin told Ajannsspor.

"They do not enter the level of right back or left back. They constantly take positions in the centre. They usually play slowly. They intercept the ball in the centre because they are physically good. But they struggle when they have to open up.

"Van Dijk had a hard time against Baris Alper Yilmaz in the Turkey-Netherlands national match [at Euro 2024]. However, Sanchez is both in one game. He has a level, plays in a wider area and does not let anyone pass. He does a much more difficult job. He goes out with the ball very well.

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Ange Postecoglou has started to struggle at Spurs in recent weeks

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou is odds-on to be sacked before Christmas - with his Celtic successor Brendan Rodgers favourite to replace him in north London.

The Aussie is coming under increasing pressure at Spurs after a shaky start to the season which included defeat to Arsenal in last week's derby and they scraped through in the EFL Cup with a late show against Championship outfit Coventry City. Postecoglou moved to the English Premier League outfit from Parkhead at the start of last season with Rodgers returning to the east end of Glasgow for a second stint at the Hoops in a controversial move.

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Rodgers won the double and has made a flying start to his second season and is tipped for a third stint in the English Premier League having previously managed Swansea City, Liverpool and Leicester City.

The sportscasting.com/uk traders are making him 8/11 to be gone by Christmas and even shorter (2/5) to not last the season.

The oddsmakers are also pricing up Rodgers as the favourite to take over at 5/1 - a man that's been rumoured for the Spurs top job many times before - with former England man Gareth Southgate not ruled out either at just 7/1. Spokesman Andy Newton said: "The new Premier League season is only a handful of games in but already there is mounting pressure on Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou after a very average start."

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"Postecoglou had promised big things over his second season at the North London club, but he's already on the back foot with just one league win so far and with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy no stranger to culling his managers, I'm not surprised to see Ange odds-on to be gone by Christmas. If so, there has been a lot of talk about Brendan Rodgers joining Spurs in the past and they could finally get their man - if, of course, the compensation to Celtic is enough to let their highest ever paid manager leave the Scottish giants."

ANGE POSTECOGLOU ODDS SPECIALS

To be sacked or quit before Xmas :

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Yes 8/11

No 11/10

To be sacked or quit before the end of the season:

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Yes 2/5

No 2/1

Ange Postecoglou Next Job

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Leicester 4/1

Southampton 9/2

Everton 5/1

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Wolves 7/1

Man Utd 8/1

Crystal Palace 9/1

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Next Spurs Manager

Brendan Rodgers 5/1

Thomas Tuchel 11/2

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Gareth Southgate 7/1

Graham Potter 7/1

Maurizio Sarri 8/1

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Xavi 9/1

Our manager broke down in tears after Liverpool thrashing and sacking - I cried too

Kyle Walker has recalled how Andre Villas-Boas and the Tottenham Hotspur squad were left in tears after being thrashed 5-0 by Liverpool

Kyle Walker has recalled how one heavy defeat to Liverpool once left him and his team-mates in tears after it resulted in an unwanted managerial sacking. Manchester Man City captain was still at Tottenham Hotspur when he was on the wrong side of a 5-0 loss at White Hart Lane in December 2013.

Luis Suarez scored twice for Brendan Rodgers’ side that day as further goals from Jordan Henderson, Jon Flanagan and Raheem Sterling clinched the most emphatic of victories in North London.

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Spurs finished the match with 10 men after Paulinho was sent off just after the hour mark with the score still at 2-0. And the defeat would prove to be the final nail in the coffin for manager Andre Villas-Boas.

While the win left Liverpool second in the Premier League table, Tottenham were down in seventh - eight points behind leaders Arsenal - as they continued to struggle after selling Gareth Bale to Real Madrid.

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The defeat was the club's worst at White Hart Lane in 16 years. And while Spurs had been on a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions prior to losing to the Reds, the pressure had still been building on the Portuguese, having also lost 6-0 away at Man City just three weeks earlier and won just one of their last six home matches.

Villas-Boas was sacked by Tottenham on December 16 - less than 24 hours after the final whistle at White Hart Lane.

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And recalling how the Spurs squad found out about their manager’s dismissal, Walker revealed that Villas-Boas burst into tears when addressing the squad, with the England international then one of a number of players who also started crying.

“He was just so, so nice. He was so nice and sometimes I think that probably killed him,” he admitted on his BBC podcast, ‘You’ll Never Beat Kyle Walker’. “He was too nice.

“I can remember when he left, and I will never forget it, I swear to you, I will never, ever forget it. We were sat in the auditorium and we got wind that he was going.

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“(Daniel) Levy sacked him but he was still in the building and we were still ready to train. He came downstairs and started crying in front of us, he started crying in front of us.

“And I remember his assistant was telling him to pull it together. He started crying, I’ve got tears running down my eyes.

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“A lot of the lads had tears, Michael Dawson is welling, he’s just like he can’t stop crying. He’s emotionally crying, because that is how much he meant to the lads.

“Now we probably didn’t do him justice on the pitch because that’s why he got the sack, but for 10-12 men to be crying because the manager has gone, he has done something well in the dressing room.

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“Football aside, he’s emotionally connected with us as well. As a team, we probably let him down a bit.”

Our Everton fans' jury are back as they give their opinions on the defeat to Tottenham and this weekend's game against Bournemouth

It has been quite the week for Everton supporters. On Saturday, their side were hammered by Tottenham Hotspur in the capital before the Blues managed to pick up their first win of the new season against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup.

Iliman Ndiaye scored on his full debut, while Tim Iroegbunam and Beto were also on target in the 3-0 victory. Ndiaye certainly gave his manager plenty to think about with an eye-catching display.

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The Blues, who are currently bottom of the Premier League table, face Bournemouth at Goodison this weekend. And ahead of that game, our Blues jury have returned to have their say on the week that has been and this weekend’s huge showdown.

Luke Davies - An outstanding gripe I have had with several Everton sides

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One thing we have already learnt this season is that this is Everton and we don’t make things easy, as the trip to Spurs proved especially difficult.

I don’t believe fans who travelled to North London were expecting a victory but merely hoping for a point and a respectable performance. However, what followed was nothing short of unacceptable; the players - apart from a short spell - looked disinterested and simply not good enough.

My opinion on the manager’s role in the defeat: his hands are tied, but he doesn’t help with the negative set-up. One thing I would like to praise Sean Dyche for is starting 19-year-old full-back Roman Dickson; he gave a good account of himself and, for the most part, coped with far superior and experienced players.

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An outstanding gripe I have had with several Everton sides for many years is the lack of pace. We must be the slowest team in the league, and the strikers, wingers and full-backs have such an apparent lack of speed. You can only get away with being slow in the modern game if you are exceptionally technically gifted and 'read the game' - Everton also lacks this. I’d love to be able to take a positive from the trip to London, but I think I’d be kidding you; it was a disaster in every aspect on and off the field.

One glimmer of hope was the second-half performance against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening. New signings Tim Iroegbunam and Iliman Ndiaye particularly stood out, but as Mr Dyche tends to do, it would not shock me in the slightest if Abdoulaye Doucoure came back into the number 10 role - but a good performance and a relatively kind fixture should be a combination to tempt Dyche to start Ndiaye.

Winger Jesper Lindstrom looks slightly off-pace currently, but he still showed glimmers of what he can do. Hopefully, next week I can say I was wrong and Ndiaye scores after starting the match against the Cherries. Anyway, 36 to go.

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Paul McParlan - A step forward?

It has not been the start to the season that any Blue wanted. After the 3-0 home defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion, fans were entitled to expect a response at Tottenham Hotspur last Saturday.

A solid defensive performance? A battling point? Sadly, neither happened. Instead, it was a crushing 4-0 humiliation with Everton not laying a finger on their opponents. Two games played, seven goals conceded, none scored, and no points. It wasn’t supposed to be like this!

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Fans had expected that the winning sequence of results towards the end of last season might have heralded a turnaround in performances. Instead, a club that appeared to have united the fanbase and the team already finds itself riven by rancour and anger.

The scenes of players being berated by incandescent fans at Euston station were not something that any level-headed Evertonian wanted to see. But you can feel the frustration. A Spurs side that struggled to gain a point at Leicester City should not be coasting to a routine 4-0 win over Everton. And for a side whose defence was the fourth best in the Premier League last season, leaking seven in two outings is a cause for concern.

The sight of Micky van de Ven running from his penalty area to the edge of the Everton box and setting up Son Heung-min to score the fourth goal without a single Everton player getting near to him was depressing to behold. Watching a flagging and breathless Dwight McNeil trying to catch up with him reminded me of Billy Bunter racing against Billy Whizz on a school sports day!

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Tuesday night's game against Doncaster Rovers in the Carabao Cup gave fans something to cheer about, especially now that we have a home tie against Southampton in the next round. A win is a win no matter who you are playing against. After a lacklustre first half, Everton played some attractive, entertaining football to earn a comfortable 3-0 win. Tim Iroegbunam impressed with his distribution and tackling, while Jake O'Brien was calm and composed in defence. Jesper Lindstrom also offered glimpses of his potential, and Beto showed far more appetite than Dominic Calvert-Lewin has recently.

Iliman Ndiaye produced a standout performance, scoring a brilliant solo goal by slaloming through the Doncaster defence. His creativity, vision and ability to bamboozle opponents means he should be an automatic starter for our next game. But will Sean Dyche trust a flair player?

We play Bournemouth at Goodison on Saturday, a side not renowned for their defensive resilience and who have sold their star striker, Dominic Solanke. It is the perfect opportunity to grab a much-needed win and kickstart our season.

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Also, if we can shift out some deadwood from the bench and bring in some new signings before deadline day, then Evertonians can head into the international break with feelings of positivity rather than a sense of foreboding. Things can only get better, can’t they?

James O'Brien - Making us look like relegation fodder once again

Well, this definitely hasn’t been an ideal start of the season for Everton. After the embarrassment against Brighton, Everton more than doubled-down on it against Tottenham. Countless mistakes and missed opportunities meant that we never really stood any chance, making us look like relegation fodder once again.

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I think, like most, I was surprised that Dyche gave Roman Dixon his Premier League debut considering he didn’t have the ‘experience’. Overall, I think he had a decent game and handled Wilson Odobert and the heavy pressure put on his side well. But I think that’s where my compliments for Everton end, as everything else was pretty dire.

The attack, probably not a shock to anyone, was very poor once again, and there was just no creativity throughout. I can understand why he started a more defensively sound Doucoure over the likes of Ndiaye, but I hope that we start to see some of the new attackers more regularly, as I don’t think I can take the current one much longer.

At least Everton now have scored their first goal(s) of the season and got their first win under their belts against Doncaster Rovers. The first half wasn’t great, but I’d play that down to the new signings just finding their feet and gelling together. Ndiaye had a great game and has definitely made a strong call to start against Bournemouth; his creativity and ability to run at defenders is something we’ve missed for years.

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Also, I was very pleased with what I saw from Beto and would not be against him having a good run of games up top. Since he came to Everton last season, he hasn’t been given a proper run of consistent game time, and with Calvert-Lewin’s contract issues and potential departure, I think now is better than ever to give him that chance.

It was nice to see the likes of Garner and Coleman return to the squad and give Everton that much-needed depth. Hopefully we can still get a few more faces in the door before the transfer window closes on Friday, as depth is a real issue at the moment. Wouldn’t mind Branthwaite returning anytime soon too; we’ve missed him!

Looking ahead to Bournemouth, I think this is a real chance for Everton to finally get some points on the board. The Cherries have started with two 1-1 draws against Forest and Newcastle and more recently lost 1-0 to West Ham in the Carabao Cup.

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I was surprised that Roman Dixon got his chance against Tottenham Hotspur but pleased - this was a decision I was hoping Sean Dyche would make and I think it paid off. There were few positives to take away from the game, but the teenager’s performance was certainly one of them.

I understood the concern people had about throwing him in at the deep end. At 19 and having not played a single minute of senior football, this was always going to be a huge step up. But for all those who were worried that a tough performance could destroy his confidence and set back his development, I believe the opposite is true.

As a youngster in that situation, you have nothing to lose. Heung-Min Son is one of the best in the world in that attacking role he often adopts on the left - though did not until the final stages on Saturday. Kyle Walker, who has won everything, can have a bad game against a player with the quality of Son. So for me, it is a no-lose situation.

I remember playing in Everton’s reserves as a teenager and coming up against Karel Poborsky just after he had moved to Manchester United following his success at Euro 96. It was not as daunting as it perhaps should have been. I saw it as an opportunity - if you struggle, well, no-one expected you to be able to manage a player of such talent but you still learn valuable lessons. If you do well, you earn immense confidence and it can kickstart your senior career.

I was just 17 when I made my full Everton debut and while I may have been thrown in at the deep end, I actually thought it came six months later than it should have done. Sometimes it is the best thing for a player. So I was pleased when the team news dropped on Saturday and I thought Dixon could take pride from his performance. He held his own, won his battles with Wilson Odobert and did well.

The fact he impressed did expose issues in this Everton side, though. Introducing young players into the first team can bring an injection of energy to the dressing room. They are enthusiastic and have no fear. They should also cause those around them to raise standards - this did not happen at Spurs.

This was a match in which a player with limited experience was under the microscope but where it was some of the most experienced players on the pitch that were left with questions to answer. Too often Dixon was left isolated and exposed in his defensive duties. Elsewhere on the pitch there were problems too. For the opening goal Dejan Kulusevski was given too much time and freedom in the Everton box. The challenges that tried to halt him were too weak and somehow, despite 10 Blues players being in the box, he was able to find Yves Bissouma in space on the edge of it.

Jordan Pickford made three brilliant saves before that opening goal but his mistake was costly - just like Idrissa Gueye’s last week. In both cases, they led to Everton being 2-0 down and with all sense of hope of a fightback gone.

From a wider perspective, Spurs were not made to work for their win. We know they are a talented side who were playing Everton when they were vulnerable. But even if the squad was suffering an injury crisis, I still hoped Everton would try and make it tough for the home side - that they would make this game an ugly one and try and quieten the home crowd. That did not happen.

The lack of players stepping up in the big moments has made me worry, it is a sign that players are lacking confidence and perhaps thinking too much about their own games at a time when, because of injuries and the threadbare nature of the squad, the resolve of those senior players is more important than ever.

All of a sudden this is a big week and Everton need to improve. Hopefully they can use these two home matches as an opportunity to build their way into the season.

Sven was a wonderful person and I will always be grateful for the chances he gave me

I would just like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Sven-Goren Eriksson following his sad passing. Sven was a top coach who showed belief in myself as a youngster - I made my England debut against Spain in his first England squad. I will always be very grateful for that opportunity.

I also had the fortune to get to know him as a full-time manager a couple more times in my career, at Manchester City and Leicester City. He was a wonderful person with a positive attitude to help all his players to be the best they could. He’ll be sorely missed by myself and the football world.

Everton FC correspondent Joe Thomas takes a look at the state of play at the club heading into the final week of the transfer window

The future of Dominic Calvert-Lewin is set to be the major focal point at Everton as the transfer window enters its final days. A busy summer has seen high profile arrivals and departures at Goodison Park but it is the story that has rumbled on since June that looks set to persist through to Friday night.

Calvert-Lewin has started both games this season and therein lies the problem for Sean Dyche and those around him. The 27-year-old has entered the final 12 months of his contract and is yet to sign fresh terms that have been offered to him but remains Everton’s most important forward.

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Should the club lose him at this late stage of the summer it would undermine a team that has already laboured in front of goal - mustering just two shots on target across more than 180 Premier League minutes. Yet would the club be able to turn down serious money for a player who would be free to leave next summer? Dyche has already answered that question

“Any offer of a certain level would have to still be looked at by the club,” he said at Finch Farm last week. “We're in a better position because of how much we bought in player trading and how much we've lowered the wages, but it's not solved.

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“So therefore there would still be a moment where the big people at the club get a phone call and go ‘right, here's the reality, we've been offered this’. Then it's down to them. I can obviously give a football opinion, but I think we all would go ‘you don't need to be selling anyone at the minute’. But that doesn't mean that that happens. The powers that be are still not in a position where we just go ‘no, no, we're fine, we can start bankrolling the club and we're going to sign players’, as you can quite obviously tell.”

Having such a tough call to make is dependent on an offer of substance being made over the coming days and, while there are claims Newcastle United might revive their interest from earlier in the summer, there is no guarantee that will happen. That could be good news for the Finch Farm side of the business at least. Calvert-Lewin has suffered problems with injuries and dips in form over recent seasons but his all-round play is an important part of Everton’s tactical approach even when he is not scoring.

And the flurries of goals when they have come have been invaluable - as they were in April when he hit form to help Everton to safety and a memorable Merseyside derby win.

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Beyond the Calvert-Lewin situation, the most predictable subjects of interest from within the Blues squad are Neal Maupay and Mason Holgate. Both players spent last season on loan and have barely featured during the season to date. Maupay is being monitored by Marseille, which has had a loan bid rejected - essentially for technical reasons. Maupay’s contract expires next summer but Everton have an option to extend the deal by 12 months.

The club would prefer not to leave itself in a situation whereby it had to trigger that extension in order to be eligible for a fee for the player. The French outfit, which has already worked with Everton this summer over the sale to the Blues of Iliman Ndiaye, has reportedly been told a bid of around £6.5m would be required to seal a permanent deal for a club looking for support after its key forward suffered a serious injury earlier this month.

Holgate’s future looked uncertain before Everton’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur but the decision to give teenager Roman Dixon a debut ahead of Holgate, who while an imperfect solution to the problem on the right of the defence is still a player with 137 Premier League appearances who has previously played right back for Dyche, cast further doubt over the 27-year-old’s future.

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The recent intrigue around Everton’s efforts to strengthen has focused on the right side of the defence with Kieran Trippier a player of interest to the Blues. Having lost the captaincy at Newcastle United and his starting place, the England defender is a player said to be searching for first team football he would probably find at Everton.

But with limited resources available it is open to doubt whether the Blues would seek to move for a player in an area where Dyche considers the problems to be short-term. He had a tough call to make against Spurs but Ashley Young will return from suspension for Bournemouth and there is a hope Seamus Coleman is close to a recovery from a calf issue while Nathan Patterson is edging towards a return from hamstring surgery.

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Amid the Trippier links Dyche said of the right back situation: “You can never guarantee with injuries but we think that after [Spurs] we will have strength coming back. Youngy will be available again, Seamus has made good progress this week so he is likely to be around it again.

“If it was about right-backs specifically it has got to be something that could build the team going forward, not just for one game. But any good players - if they are available, I am not sure we have the money available to sign all these players we keep getting linked with but we seem to keep getting linked with them… If we had some money and we could look across the market at players, we would look at many different positions, but we wouldn’t be looking at right-back straight away because of the players we have got here.”

Central midfield remains an area where Everton are light. Amadou Onana and Andre Gomes departed the club this summer, with Tim Iroegbunam joining from Aston Villa and starting the first two matches. The signings of Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom also provide Dyche with the ability to drop Abdoulaye Doucoure deeper - an option he has not yet taken.

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Director of football Kevin Thelwell has placed an emphasis on attacking wide players while thought will need to be given this week to what options would be available should Calvert-Lewin depart - conversations over a contingency plan would be wise.

But Dyche has moved to temper expectations about Everton’s ability to strengthen further after veteran goalkeeper and free agent Asmir Begovic became the sixth addition of the summer last week.

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James Tarkowski spoke about the final week of the transfer window and a big week on the field for Everton following the 4-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur

James Tarkowski is hoping Everton can avoid any late sales of their stars in the final week of the summer transfer window. Ahead of Saturday’s 4-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur, Sean Dyche warned that the position of the club’s finances ensured any serious offers for his players before deadline day would have to be considered

But Tarkowski wants all of the current group to stick together to help them starting climbing the table.

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The centre-back, who again captained the Blues against Spurs in Seamus Coleman’s absence. said: “I think I’ve been involved in many transfers windows when there is a speculation.

“I think at times, people move on and people stay. I hope that all our players stay here, and we bring a few more faces in, so we’ve got a strong squad and competition.

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“But yes, that’s out of our control. We had a strong team out there (at Tottenham) and as I say, we’ve got a few more faces back. We’ve got real competition for places and hopefully performances improve.” Following their 6-0 mauling at Chelsea on April 15, Everton then went on to win three home games in the space of a week and preserve their Premier League status for another season.

And with back-to-back fixtures now coming up at Goodison Park against League Two Doncaster Rover in the Carabao Cup and then Bournemouth next Saturday, Tarkowski is determined to turn things around.

He said: “I’ve been through a lot of challenges in my time at this football club.

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“I’ve only been here a couple of years, so I know what we need to do. We just get back out there on that pitch and work hard again.

“Prepare for the game properly like we will do. I’m very hopeful that performances and results will pick up.

“Every team goes through phases in the season when they’re not winning games. We started slow last season and we finished with a decent point total, considering all the challenges we went through so there’s no reason why we can’t do that again this year.

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Tarkowski added: “It’s a good week for us, a cup game at home and then Bournemouth. Hopefully, we get three points there and then we go into the international break with a bit of positivity and get a few faces back.”

Spurs were gifted their second goal when goalkeeper Jordan Pickford’s loose first touch from Tarkowski’s back pass presented their captain Heung-Min Son with a simple chance to score.

But given the goalkeeper’s repeated heroics for Everton in recent years, Tarkowski believes his team-mate should be forgiven for a solitary error. He said: “I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my time.

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“He’s been our best player for many years, even before I was here. So, I think if anyone’s allowed to make a mistake, it’s Jordan.

“I can only talk on Jordan that I’ve known for the last few years. He’s man enough to hold his hand up when he makes a mistake.

“As I said, he’s been outstanding in my time and even before that. We all make mistakes, and Jordan did today, he held his hand up.

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“Jordan’s one of the people who will be vocal, and there’s many of us within that group. We need to be doing that over the next week and beyond that.

“It’s been a tough start, it has. We have to accept that as a group, that we’ve not been good enough so far, because to concede seven and not score is not performing.”

Sean Dyche’s decision to give Roman Dixon his Premier League debut against Tottenham Hotspur was a bold one. To an extent, it paid off. Dixon’s debut ended up being one of few bright spots on what was another difficult day for Everton in north London.

The 19-year-old acquitted himself well and won his battles against Spurs winger Wilson Odobert.

He can take immense pride in his display and Dyche can take credit for giving him an unexpected opportunity.

It was a move that will have immediate, perhaps unintended, consequences that go beyond Everton’s search for an answer to the long-term issue on the right side of defence, however.

If Dyche is willing to overlook in Mason Holgate a defender with 137 Premier League appearances in favour of a teenager who had not played a single minute of senior football, the next question is how long can he continue to use a lack of Premier League experience to delay the integration of the club’s summer signings into a first XI in need of a boost after two chastening defeats?

This summer felt like a positive one at Everton and the potential remains for it to be one in which genuine progress has been made. A

As challenging as the transfer market is for the Blues, early and progressive business hinted at the creation of a side that, for the first time in several years, has the attacking weapons to hurt opponents.

That is one of the reasons there were so many empty seats in the closing stages of the home defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion.

Dyche’s pragmatism has been central to his ability to keep Everton in the Premier League these past two seasons. It has not always produced the most enthralling displays - the most high profile example the grinding win over Burnley in April that Dyche later celebrated as three points that were ugly by design.

He had every right to celebrate those points - they were hard-earned and a major step toward survival for a team hit by wave after wave of turmoil, most of which was the making of neither the players nor the manager.

Such an approach was easier to accept when it was understood Dyche had no alternative. This time, he does.

Jesper Lindstrom and Iliman Ndiaye are a significant upgrade on anything he had available to him last year - at least if you work on the basis that, for whatever reason, Arnaut Danjuma’s loan move was not destined to work out. Both may have suffered disappointing seasons last year - there is a reason such talent has come into Everton’s orbit this summer.

Yet a Europa League winner and a player who was one of the outstanding attackers in the Championship give Dyche new options.

That much was clear when Lindstrom helped to transform the attack against Preston North End in pre-season, and when Ndiaye injected an energy and flair that swung momentum in Everton’s favour in the final half an hour against Roma.

Dyche has a real dilemma on his hands. He has an injury-hit squad that is already under pressure as it fights rivals with superior budgets.

His natural instinct may be to approach games with caution while players improve their understanding of each other and influential figures return to the side.

But if Everton’s current plight means they cannot rely on defensive solidity to keep them in games - and seven goals being conceded across 180 minutes suggests it cannot - then it is not unreasonable for supporters to clamour for some of that caution to be sacrificed in the hope of giving the team a better chance. Sometimes, attack is the best form of defence.

The game on Saturday was essentially lost by this point but, at Spurs, the best passage for the Blues came after the introduction of Ndiaye and Lindstrom - the latter quickly getting Everton’s first shot on target, one of just two from the side so far this season.

A major theme of pre-season was Dyche’s message of patience over new signings - including centre back Jake O’Brien. Their lack of Premier League experience was an issue that needed to be managed carefully, he repeated.

That approach would be fair in normal circumstances, but this Blues side is in need of an injection of positivity and, with performances and results having been so difficult to date, citing the lack of experience of players that have played senior football outside the Premier League for years as a key reason for their lack of minutes so far is becoming increasingly problematic.

An important week lies ahead for Everton and now may be the time to consider tweaking the approach ahead of the visit of Bournemouth.

A look at some of the moments beyond the headlines from Everton's trip to Tottenham Hotspur

“It is painful to see… Everton deserve better.” That was the sentiment expressed by one Tottenham Hotspur fan heard talking on the Tube as it pulled out of White Hart Lane station after the match.

Happy as he no doubt was to see his Spurs team run riot, he clearly felt a sense of sadness at the plight of a famous rival that failed to muster much of a fight.

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There are all sorts of reasons behind the 4-0 defeat, its scale and the manner of the performance

Most are well known and many lie outside of the control of manager Sean Dyche, who has fought them to keep Everton in the Premier League against the odds these past two seasons.

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But this is another troubling start and those outside the Blues bubble can see it clearly.

Here are some of the moments you might have missed on Saturday...

Richarlison's respect tugs on the heartstrings as player's love for Everton clear

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One player who appears to be hurting is Richarlison. Tottenham have not provided a happy home for the Brazil international, who found himself on the bench even with £65m summer signing Dominic Solanke ruled out through injury. His situation seems absurd from afar, particularly when viewed from Goodison Park,where he remains largely adored.

Richarlison makes little secret of his love for Everton. Arnaut Danjuma spoke of this while on loan last season - reflecting on his previous decision to walk away from the Blues in the 11th hour to join Spurs, only to find Richarlison waiting for him in the dressing room to question his decision.

Social media posts point to his remaining affection for his former club and his actions do, too. On this occasion he finished the match with a walk to the away end, where he gave his shirt to a young Everton supporter.

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James Tarkowski shows his class with tunnel gesture

Richarlison’s gesture was not the only touch of class on show. James Tarkowski was happy to take the time to chat with the mascot who was set to walk onto the pitch with him as they laughed together in the tunnel.

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As they prepared to do so, the heavens opened. Tarkowski responded by removing his training coat and draping it over the youngster before the pair walked onto the pitch.

After the match it was the centre-back who fronted up to the media - as he did after the Brighton & Hove Albion disappointment and as he so often does at difficult times. He does not have to do this - doing so is evidence of the respect he clearly has for the fanbase.

Steve Stone's final advice as Roman Dixon gets the support of teammates and friends

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Few of the travelling Blues will remember this latest disappointment in north London with any fondness, but it was a huge day for Roman Dixon.

The 19-year-old was a surprise inclusion in the starting line-up as Dyche attempted to deal with an injury crisis at the back and worked hard during what was his first senior appearance.

The build-up would have been emotional for him but he had the support of those around him. Following the defensive warm-up drills the likes of Mason Holgate and Tarkowski were quick to go up to him and wish him the best before assistant manager Steve Stone took him to one side on the pitch and spoke at length with him about his role.

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Off the pitch, he was also shown plenty of support as past and present academy team-mates paid tribute to his call-up, from Under-21s youngster Halid Djankpata to Katia Kouyate, now of Barrow.

Asmir Begovic back on the pitch with Everton

Harrison Armstrong also got onto the pitch to make a late debut - an opportunity that crowns a remarkable rise to prominence this summer for the 17-year-old midfielder. Armstrong looked composed in stoppage time after replacing Idrissa Gueye and flashed a dangerous ball across the Spurs box that Cristian Romero was forced to scramble behind.

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How the national media reacted to Everton's 4-0 Premier League defeat at Tottenham Hotspur

Shambles was a word that was repeated across several of the reports on Everton’s miserable defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. The Blues’ injury misfortune was acknowledged but few reporters who watched events unfold in north London took any encouragement from the away side's display.

Instead, the 4-0 defeat was the pretext for discussions about the importance of the final days of the transfer window, the threat of another relegation battle and even over Sean Dyche’s future.

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Timothy Abraham at the BBC described an apparent sense of resignation among the travelling supporters, many of whom had left by the final whistle.

He wrote: “The manner of this drubbing at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will set the alarm bells ringing for Everton fans, who scurried for the Seven Sisters Road long before the full-time whistle went.

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“There is the unerring sense that the die for the Blues has already been cast and another glum season of relegation toil awaits.”

Gary Jacob, writing for The Times, set Everton’s injury misfortune against the backdrop of self-inflicted problems - most notably in this match the Jordan Pickford mistake that gave away the second goal and ended this game as a contest. He wrote: “Everton are a once great club fumbling in the dark and things might get worse rather than better while the transfer market is open.

“They have lost both opening league matches by a margin of three or more goals for the first time in the club’s history and are yet to find the net. They are also winless in 12 away league fixtures stretching back to beating Burnley in December.

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“Their season has quickly unravelled into a shambles in part of their own making, taking in the financial issues resulting from past overspending, questions over a change of ownership, a depleted and limited squad and Jordan Pickford’s howler that allowed them to fall 2-0 down inside 25 minutes.”

Matt Barlow in the Mail said Everton were left “looking rather feeble”. He wrote: “They have leaked seven goals in their first two games without finding the net, have not won away from home in 2024 and the threat of points deductions still lingers in the background.

“They were depleted and patched-up in North London and on the back foot from the outset.”

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The lack of spirit was a key theme in most reports, with Jacob Steinberg of The Guardian asking: “Where was the anger? The soul? Where was the resistance when Cristian Romero powered in a header in the second half?”

He drew on the post-match comments of Blues boss Dyche that his side was too “subservient” and wrote: “It was an abject surrender, typified by Pickford losing the ball before Son Heung-min’s first goal midway through the first half, and it is hard not to conclude Everton are destined for another grim battle for survival.

“Reinforcements are required before the transfer window shuts even though money is tight, while more adventure in possession would not go amiss.”

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Jim White in The Telegraph suggested Dyche was almost rewarded when he did try to inject some creativity - leading to Jesper Lindstrom testing Guglielmo Vicario shortly after his entrance. But his summary of the situation - that “it was as close to a one sided match as you would see in the Premier League” - led to the suggestion the return of an out-of-work David Moyes is not as distant as it seemed 10 days ago.

He concluded: “After the match, Dyche recognised the issues at hand. “In the past, we have done well when the challenges have come our way,” he said. “Anger doesn’t change anything. What changes anything is action. I’ll be taking action.”

“Frankly, he needs to. And fast. Much more of this and David Moyes’s return to the club before the first international break looks ever more plausible.”

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In the ECHO, there was no such prophecy but the point that, for all the issues that made this match such a tough prospect from the outset, the search for a solution to Everton’s problems must go deeper than putting them all down to injuries and misfortune: “This was always going to be an uphill struggle for a threadbare Everton side dealing with an injury nightmare.

“Yet at no point did Everton look capable of being able to compete in this match. And for that, this defeat cannot be written off as simply another bad day. After two games Everton lie at the foot of the Premier League table having lost two games, conceded seven goals and not only having failed to score, but having managed just two shots on target across more than 180 minutes. The squad will improve and the opponents should get easier.

“But according to Opta, Everton have lost their first two games in a top-flight season by three or more goals for the first time in their history. If the final week of the transfer window is unlikely to provide a solution then answers need to be found from elsewhere.

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“That search needs to begin with an acceptance that not all of the blame for this miserable start can be put down to injury misfortune, controversial refereeing decisions and a lack of Premier League experience.