James Tarkowski: We can take some positives from Aston Villa game

James Tarkowski, who currently plays for Everton, believes his side can take positives from the Aston Villa game, despite a 1-0 defeat following manager David Moyes' return.  

The game saw both sides share 50 per cent possession, a figure Everton have only surpassed once in their last eight Premier League games, and James Tarkowski believes this has allowed him and his team-mates to feel more in control when facing their opponents.  

The defender said they still have a lot of work to do to get the team up in the Premier League table as soon as possible.  

James Tarkowski said: "I thought this game was a very close game. I saw them play in the group stage and they really controlled the possession. But it was evenly matched in this regard. We felt like we controlled it better than usual. We created a lot of chances, but we didn't take advantage of them, and they did."  

"Also, I think we need to improve on the ball, which is a problem for all of us. We lack the ability to keep the ball in tight areas and solve problems, which Aston Villa are good at."  

"But a lack of confidence can also lead to that, we didn't win a lot of games so maybe that was a factor. "I think it takes time to get used to it, the changes are not huge, sometimes just small details.  

"We looked better in control of the game and had more possession, which means we were more comfortable on the pitch and had better possession. Of course, we wanted to get the ball upfield and create more chances to score. In this game, we created a few chances, but not enough to score."  

When talking about the impact of new manager David Moyes on the team, James Tarkowski said: "Before the game against Aston Villa, the coach conducted two training sessions. We learned a lot in a few days and the coach also tried his best to guide and teach us."  

"But it's really tough as the games go on. We'll work hard on the training ground and get ready for the games ahead. We are confident we can move up the table and hopefully by the end of the season we'll be much higher than we are now because we need to win games."