Everton's season has been poor. Few people would debate that statement. But that is not to suggest that certain individuals have not performed well amidst the chaos and dogged relegation scrap.
For a period their defence was one of the best in the Premier League, and if not for a brutal mid-season collapse under Frank Lampard, they surely would have upheld this had Sean Dyche replaced him sooner.
The former Burnley boss did not waste time outlining the issues at the club, packing out the midfield to protect the back four which has resulted in a few vital wins to lift them out of the relegation zone.
In fact, since he joined the club the Toffees sit fourth in the form table, with only Arsenal, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur above them.
His impact has been borderline revolutionary and has finally seen the best of James Tarkowski once again, although his levels have never really dropped despite the rest of his team's failures.
It was therefore a huge disappointment to see him omitted from Gareth Southgate's most recent England squad, although it hardly came as a surprise.
Should James Tarkowski be picked for England?
Back in 2017, Gareth Southgate proudly proclaimed: "I never pick on reputation — form has to come into it."
However, it is quite clear that since then he has developed certain favourites who maintain their place within his squad regardless of club form.
Until recently, Conor Coady was a mainstay within the England squad despite seldom actually playing. Whilst this was likely due to what he could offer within the dressing room, the continued selection of the likes of Eric Dier, Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips have all raised eyebrows.
The latter two in particular, given how neither plays regularly for their clubs.
Meanwhile, Tarkowski has played every minute of their albeit poor Premier League campaign thus far, yet without him their situation would look considerably more dismal. For comparison, the Manchester United defender has started just five times in the league for his club.
The fact that the Toffees' stopper has also maintained a 7.19 rating throughout a tumultuous campaign too, the highest rating of any of his teammates to feature over five times, further exacerbates his importance. The 7.00 average rating of Maguire is also somewhat gratuitous given his far smaller sample size within a squad boasting far more quality. However, it still does not compare to the former.
It is no wonder that other pundits were pleading with Southgate to take the £100k-per-week titan to the World Cup, with Danny Mills even telling Match of the Day (via the Daily Star): "He's [Tarkowski] the best English centre-half we have that's playing regularly. He's been that good."
Whilst his level hasn't dropped from that period, it feels like his opportunity to feature for his national team dwindles with each passing break.
Evertonians are seldom surprised to see their top players snubbed, so Tarkowski will have to do something truly exceptional to add to the two caps earned back in 2018.
