TARK IN BID TO CLEAN UP IN EUROPE..
JAMES TARKOWSKI wants to end the season looking forward to a European double.
The Burnley central defender hopes helping to secure Europa League qualification for the in-form Clarets will see him force his way back into Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2020.
Sean Dyche will see his team leapfrog Tottenham in the Premier League table if they beat Jose Mourinho’s injury-hit side at Turf Moor today and extend their six-game unbeaten run.
Burnley qualified for Europe by finishing seventh against all the odds two seasons ago.
And Tarkowski (below) believes if they can continue their run of clean sheets – they have kept 11, second only to champions-elect Liverpool – they will be right in the mix again in May.
He said: “Qualifying for Europe is something we would all like to achieve again.
“Getting to 40 points is always the first target for us and we are close to that.
“But once we’ve got to that stage we won’t down tools thinking our season is done. We have been in this position before when we have been quite high up the table and managed to stick at it and get into Europe.
“There’s a very positive feeling around the squad, we’re in touching distance of a few of the teams above us and there are still plenty of points to play for. So if we can keep picking up results we can catch them.” Tarkowski and defensive partner Ben Mee have played every minute of every top-flight game this season and, along with goalkeeper Nick Pope, have been the cornerstone for Burnley’s impressive defensive record. Now he hopes what he regards as the best form of his career will lead to an international recall and see him add to the two England caps he won under Southgate in 2018 – with the Euros looming in the summer. “It’s something I’d love to be involved in,” said Tarkowski. “I’m doing the best I can to be part of it, but I know how difficult it is to make the squad. There’s a lot of talent out there in every position, not just mine. “I’ve just got to keep showing what I am about and then it’s down to the manager to decide what players suit his style and what he wants to do with the team.” Burnley have a score to settle today after their normal defensive solidity was shattered in a 5-0 defeat at Tottenham, their heaviest of the season.
But the fact Harry Kane and Son Heungmin, who scored three of the goals that day in December, will be missing again will boost their chances of revenge. Tarkowski, 27, added: “It is still a talented Spurs squad so I am not expecting an easy day, for sure.”