
Everton: Garth Crooks slams James Tarkowski and Ben Godfrey amid ‘perilous’ situation
Garth Crooks has slammed Everton pair James Tarkowski and Ben Godfrey who gave away penalties in the 2-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
The BBC pundit insisted that Everton are in too much of a perilous situation to be making reckless challenges, especially when they result in yet another loss.
With Everton unbeaten in eight games across all competitions, stretching to 11 just in the Premier League, they cannot continue to keep throwing away results while in a relegation battle.
Writing via his BBC Sport Team Of The Week column [12 March], Crooks shared: “Two very badly timed tackles cost Everton this game.
“Does James Tarkowski or Ben Godfrey understand the perilous situation Everton find themselves in and why they can’t afford to be reckless in their own box? You would have thought they’d have learnt their lessons by now.”
Everton can’t afford to keep dropping points
Although they may have climbed out of the relegation zone thanks to their ten-point deduction being reduced to six, Sean Dyche’s side remain in a hotly-contested relegation battle with teams around them consistently picking up points.
The defeat at Old Trafford came courtesy of the two penalties given away by Godfrey and Tarkowski, and despite the defence having been the key part of Dyche’s setup and any success Everton have had, they also cannot afford any mistakes.
That also comes from the profligacy this team have shown going forward, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin especially wasteful, despite receiving some advice from Alan Shearer recently in a bid to find a return to form.

With just four points separating the Toffees from Luton in the relegation zone, and with the Hatters’ game in hand still to be played, every point could prove crucial in the battle against the drop.
In other Everton news, the club are to make a decision on Jarrad Branthwaite’s future within weeks.
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