Everton manager Roberto Martinez has admitted, for the first time publicly, that the club are staring at a possible relegation battle this season.
It’s an amazing notion given the quality of players that Everton have in their squad. The likes of Ross Barkley, John Stones, Kevin Mirallas, Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman are constantly linked with big moves to elite clubs and the idea that they should be scrapping for their Premier League status, with such a top manager at the helm, seems crazy.
But a spate of draws at the start of the season – Everton are of course notoriously slow starters – twinned with some key injuries to the likes of Stones and Barkley, have left Everton 12th, just four places off the relegation zone. Martinez said:
“Until you get 40 points everyone is in a relegation battle.
“I’ve been long enough in this league to understand how difficult it is to get to 40 points. In the same way, I know what we are capable of doing. Last season showed our standard and that is what we are fighting for. We know what level we can reach.
While it hasn’t quite clicked for Everton this season, with record signing Romelu Lukaku not always hitting the right notes, it’s still ludicrous to think that Everton won’t climb the table instead of descending between now and May.
Martinez is right to give his players a wake up call and guard against complacency. But any team with Ross Barkley in it should be ok. And, if he can hit form for a few months we think that the others will respond.
vern
Jan 31, 2015 at 10:57 am
Everybody keeps on about how brilliant Ross Barkley is and I cant disagree, he has been fantastic on occasions but for a while now he has been one of our weakest links, bad passes, the wrong passes, losing the ball while in possession when he should have passed it to someone who has made a run and is in miles of space, but worst of all his lack of desire to win the ball back after he ( or one of his team mates) has lost it, he has looked very lethargic (in fact I would almost say lazy), yet he keeps getting picked to play in the centre, putting Naismith on the wing. This doesn’t make any sense at all, Naismith plays amazingly well in the centre, playing perfect balls for Lukaku to run on to and chiming in with goals of his own. Lukaku is looking poor because he is not getting any service and this is mainly down to Barkley.
paddy
Jan 31, 2015 at 1:59 pm
concur