Martinez: “We wont disrespect the Europa League”

Roberto Martinez is welcoming the challenge of the Europa League and has spoke of an ambition to “go all the way”.

Martinez: “We are not a team who wants to moan about the number of games or talk about the Europa League in a disrespectful manner. We worked really hard for 12 months to get in this position. The squad is ready. We’re going to be stretched, pushed to the limit, but I do think that’s the only way we can fulfil our potential and learn a lot about ourselves, facing teams like Wolfsburg and Lille and Krasnodar.

“We really want to go all the way in the Europa League, we’re excited because I do feel that playing against German teams, French teams, and Russian teams will bring a completely different tactical approach and we will benefit from that.”

“Everton has to be in Europe. When I speak to the fans they have great memories of what they’ve done in Europe. It is a priority for us. I do feel maybe we were not ready for Champions League football, even though we fought hard to get into the top four. Realistically, we need to see how well we can do in the Europa League to see if one day we can get into the Champions League. I do believe in process and progress and it’s the perfect next step.”