Del
Ric Wee fan club member 2014
Sylvain Distin and Phil Jagielka exchanged passes deep in their own half during the 0-0 draw with West Bromwich Albion in a position where for the last few years they would have felt obliged to go more direct.
There was an audible murmur from a small section of the home fans and the debate about whether 'passing for passing sake’ serves a purpose beyond pleasing the new manager.
It seemed brutally premature for any show of dissent, but it demonstrated why evolving the blueprint left by David Moyes with a sprinkling of Spanish flair won’t be so straightforward for Martínez.
At their most effective under Moyes, Everton moved the ball from back to front as quickly as possible and were happy to win with brawn as much as artistry. In this goalless draw, outplaying rather than overpowering the opponent was the chief ambition. It amounted to a getting to know you operation requiring further work before familiarity breeds content.
The problem for Martínez is that under Moyes there was a well hidden and broadly disguised split among Everton fans as to what they wanted from this side.
Some tolerated what they perceived as the cautious pragmatism of the Scot because he made the side notoriously tough to beat (only Chelsea won here last season), but others were consistently frustrated by the ultra-vigilance, particularly away from home, where the team was often set up to avoid defeat rather than go for it.
Martínez joined a club where there is desire for more of the same but better, rather than a complete rethink on how to play. It may mean a step back is inevitable before there can be a more permanent leap forward.
He insists he wants Everton to be multi-dimensional. "There’s going to be a bit of a process," he said.
"It’s going to take a little bit of time to be able to make that transition to do things in a different way.
"Remember that it’s not looking for drastic changes. We want to keep all the good things we have at Goodison and use it to our advantage. I need to use all the strengths we have and then on top of that give us more options and dimensions. But overall we want to be a more rounded team where we can be more flexible.
"I could give you four or five flashes that we had in the game. The next thing is to do it for 60 or 70 minutes. It’s not trying to find something that we haven’t got. It’s just making it last longer so we are more in control of our own performance."
It must be hoped impatience won’t sabotage Martínez’s plans, because there is much to look forward to here if he gets it right.
Ross Barkley is a rare talent but still needs longer to develop, and beyond him you’ll be hearing the names Kieran Dowell and Ryan Ledson in the future, Everton’s Academy continuing to compensate for lack of transfer funds.
For all the home frustration, West Brom still had their goalkeeper and the woodwork to thank for the point.
Ben Foster must be pushing Joe Hart ever closer for a starting place in the England team, his consistency levels rising. Sadly for him, he needs a scan on an ankle problem sustained 12 minutes before time.
Both sides looked badly in need of more firepower in attack, but with Nicolas Anelka considering his future and Manchester United still prowling Goodison, the priority for Steve Clarke and Martinez is retaining everyone in their squad as much as reinforcing it.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...t-Goodison-Park-to-change-Evertons-style.html
