Abdoulaye Doucoure urges Everton boss Sean Dyche to utilise James Tarkowski and Michael Keane more from set pieces
Everton midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure has raved over teammates James Tarkowski and Michael Keane, who ensure the Toffees are “very strong” from set pieces, according to the official Everton website.
Doucoure scored in Saturday’s (18 March) 2-2 with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, heading in from a Tarkowski flick-on from Dwight McNeil’s corner.
It was Doucoure’s second headed goal of the season, with the midfielder urging Everton boss Sean Dyche to utilise defensive duo Tarkowski and Keane from set pieces more often.
“We know we are very strong from set pieces,” said Doucoure, as quoted by the official Everton website. “We have big defenders in Tarkowski and Keane and I think we felt confident about winning the first ball which then led to my goal.
“We know from set pieces we can be great, and we need to continue like this.”
More set piece goals needed
Everton have certainly not used their towering defenders to their full potential, with the Toffees sitting joint-10th for headed goals in the Premier League this season with five, according to the official Premier League website.
Doucoure, therefore, has a point when he says the club need to focus more on set piece success going forward, with only five other clubs below the Toffees on the headed goals list.
The midfielder was joined on the scoresheet by young striker Ellis Simms, who came off the bench to grab a late equaliser against Chelsea.
The draw means Everton are now undefeated in three successive Premier League matches for the first time since October 2022.
Not only regular duo Tarkowski and Keane, but reserve centre-backs Conor Coady and Yerry Mina have proven over the years that they are capable of getting on the end of set pieces, and that could be an area that Dyche will really look to focus on in the coming weeks.