It has been a bit of a mixed bag so far this season with Everton, but James Tarkowski has made a solid start for the Toffees.

At the moment, there is acceptance about Everton’s situation, so 10 points from seven games isn’t too bad given the size of the squad. However, frustration has been growing over the last couple of weeks, and the nature of the defeat to Chelsea has changed the narrative slightly.

But while there is criticism of Everton mainly from an attacking standpoint, the defence has largely been quite good.

And James Tarkowski in particular has shown a real consistency, and the man deserves his flowers after he was the subject of a difficult narrative at the end of last season.

James Tarkowski might be Everton’s most important player now, after calls to drop him

Tarkowski was in the crosshairs of a lot of Everton fans on a weekly basis at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.

Everton were chasing European football, but ended the season with a seven-game winless run – and the defence was all at season. In the final five games, Tarkowski and Michael Keane were the centre-back pairing after injury ruled out Jarrad Branthwaite.

Everton shipped 11 goals in those final five games and Tarkowski and Keane looked so vulnerable.

Many were making the point that Tarkowski’s role ought to be reduced going into the 2026/27 season, with Jake O’Brien to move into the middle alongside Branthwaite.

But that hasn’t happened. Tarkowski has kept his place, and perhaps powered by wearing the captain’s armband, the veteran has produced a string of great performances this term.

Everton have kept three clean sheets in the league so far and Tarkowski has played a big part in those shutouts. So far in the competition, he has won the most duels of any player with 57. Some have suggested that this is actually not a good thing, as it demonstrates Tarkowski being put under pressure.

With Everton’s small squad size, there are a number of very important players in this team. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Jack Grealish are vital in terms of making things happen and creating chances. And Thierno Barry is obviously integral right now, being the only recognised striker.

But arguably none of them are as important as Tarkowski, who is not only performing so consistently, but is showing great leadership at a bit of a desperate time. He is vocal on the pitch, communicating off it and showing a fantastic example.

And it’s great to see after plenty of people doubted him coming into this season.

It may well be that he won’t sustain this level for the whole season. But certainly for now, he is indispensable to the Toffees