Danny Murphy names Dwight McNeil and James Tarkowski as two best Everton players, makes relegation prediction live on BBC
Danny Murphy has named Dwight McNeil and James Tarkowski as the two best Everton players since Sean Dyche took over.
The Toffees winger scored the only goal of his club’s Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest on Saturday (2 December).
Both he and Tarkowski played the entire 90 minutes at the City Ground as Everton left with all three points to clinch their fifth win of the campaign.
“He’s been great since Sean Dyche has come in,” Murphy said on BBC Match of the Day (2 December). “Arguably him and Tarkowksi have been the two best players since Dyche took the job. He knows them well, they know his blueprint, he trusts them.
“McNeil was actually their top goalscorer in the league last season with seven goals. He hasn’t quite hit those heights this season but you know what you get from him. He’s got a quality left foot, does his defending well, he’s got great energy.”
And discussing Everton’s chances of survival this season, Murphy added: “I think they’ll be okay, I really do. They’ve got some tough games coming up, but I think they’ll have enough.”
Staying up?
Dyche certainly knows both McNeil and Tarkowski well due to their time together at Burnley, but now they are trying to forge new success at Everton.
The pair were key as the Toffees picked up another impressive win on the road, with the majority of the club’s success coming away from Goodison Park in recent times.
That will both please and anger fans, with supporters set to be happy that points are coming, but sad that they are not coming on home soil.
All Dyche will care about, however, is climbing the Premier League table, particularly after the club were handed a 10-point deduction for breaching the competition’s profit and sustainability rules.
After losing 3-0 to Manchester United last time out, the Toffees have now already clawed back three of those 10 points, and have since risen to 18th place in the table after falling to 19th with the deduction.
In other Everton news, a former Goodison Park chief has shared a “very surprised” verdict after the club’s 10-point deduction.