James Tarkowski reveals stark four-word message that saved Everton's season

Everton captain James Tarkowski has revealed that a stark message from Sean Dyche after the 6-0 thrashing at Chelsea inspired the remarkable turnaround in fortunes to produce three home wins in a week and secure the club’s top-flight status for another season.

After beating both Nottingham Forest and Liverpool by 2-0 scorelines, Idrissa Gueye’s strike on the hour against Brentford gave the Blues the victory they needed to make relegation from the Premier League a mathematical impossibility. Asked what Dyche had said to the squad in crunch talks at the club’s Finch Farm training complex following the Stamford Bridge humiliation, Tarkowski said: “There’s been several bits. When you hit rock bottom like that, sometimes the only way is up.

“That was one of the points that was made (after Chelsea). We had a meeting a day or two after and he sort of said ‘fit in or don’t’ and the lads have all fitted in together like we had to. The Chelsea game was a disaster for us but then we’ve turned up like we have and got three wins on the bounce.

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“I think it was more in terms of it being a real low and it was time for us all to get together. So if you’re not going to get with us, then don’t.

“Everyone just fitted in together, those in the team and out of the team, trained hard, looked after ourselves and got out on that pitch and delivered like the fans expected.”

Tarkowski believed that after the incredible scenes on and off the pitch as Everton defeated Liverpool at Goodison Park for the first time in 13-and-a-half years less than 72 hours earlier, overcoming Brentford was their most difficult assignment of the week but after challenging his players with a brutal message just days before, Dyche encouraged them to savour the experience.

The centre-back said: “The manager told us to just enjoy the moment. After a week we’ve just had there, winning the derby, I think this is the toughest of the three considering we went so high the other night – it’s hard because it can feel a bit quiet before the game, low on energy, the fans are waiting on us and we’re waiting on the fans.

“After 10 or 15 minutes, we got into the game and just ground it out. It’s been an amazing week and he told us just to enjoy it.

“I’m just proud really. From where we were a couple of weeks ago after that game against Chelsea, to where we’ve come in that time, it’s down to everyone at the club.

“The fans stuck with us like I thought they would. The manager got things right for us and we turned up and performed, I’m so proud of everyone.

“We’ve had a couple of good weeks. With three games at home, we just turned up, gave it our all, fought like the fans expected us to and found a bit of quality at times. So yeah, what a week!”

Although there was a huge sense of relief around Goodison after the final whistle, there was not the same kind of wild celebrations that greeted Everton securing their top-flight status in the final home game of both of the previous two seasons and Tarkowski pointed towards this year’s struggle being more down to a brace of sporting penalties rather than their displays on the pitch. He said: “Let’s be honest, we’re not in a relegation battle if we don’t lose eight points, so we’re not here to celebrate staying up. We know where we should be so we’ve got three games to get some more points on the board.

“It’s not really ‘job done’ as such because we weren’t really considering that. We were only down there because of the deductions to we want to carry on and win some more games.

“We can only do what we’ve done on the pitch. Can only control the controllables. The stuff off the pitch has happened and we’ve dealt with it. It’s been a difficult season for many reasons, some of it down to ourselves and some of it not. The way we’ve responded at times, like this week, has been unbelievable.

“I’m proud of everyone at the football club because it’s been very hard at times but you can see a world of difference from last season to this. Progress has been made and that’s what we’re going to take going into next season.

“With a club this big it’s not easy to stay calm, expectations are high. People want to us to win games and that’s what we’ve got to deliver.”

The win that secured Everton’s Premier League status was achieved by Gueye’s goal on the hour. It was the Senegalese midfielder’s third strike of the season – his best-ever return across two spells with the Blues – and Tarkowski reckons the 34-year-old is actually better at shooting than many give him credit for.

He said: “Idrissa has been massive. He’s so good at what he does for us. He reads the play so well, intercepts so many times, takes the ball and I know how good a finisher he is. He does that constantly in training and from probably further out into the top corner as well.

“This was a lot simpler for him. It was brilliant for him to get two goals this week.”

Tarkowski also believes there is a lot more to come from teenage striker Youssef Chermiti who, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Beto both out, started a Premier League game for the first time. He said: “It’s been tough for Youssef in terms of getting opportunities. We’ve obviously got Dom and Beto, so he’s had to bide his time.

“He’s still young, but I see a lot of potential in him. The fans haven’t seen a lot of him but from what you’ve seen today, he’s a very exciting prospect.

“He is physical, strong, runs in behind, holds it up and he’ll score goals. He’s got to be patient, we’ve got to be patient, but he was excellent.”