Martinez: “Top 10 would be an achievement”

Roberto Martinez reckons he and his team feel a top 10 finish would be an achievement given Everton’s disastrous first two-thirds of the season.

The desire to finish inside the top 10 means he will not  experiment with his squad selection.

Martinez: “In terms of experimenting, I think that we are in a moment where there is not much room for it.

“The reality is that the game against Sunderland is a vital game for us to bounce back after what happened against Aston Villa. We know that Sunderland will be fighting for their season and to achieve their aim too.

“After that we face West Ham, who are fighting to achieve the same place in the table as ourselves so it is a direct confrontation, and to face a team like Spurs in the last game of the season, I think you can understand the meaning of these three games.

“We want to get as high as we can in the table. We were disappointed with the result against Aston Villa, but you saw a real desire to get a positive reaction in the second half, and we have to carry that into the Sunderland game.

“We are looking at the points tally as a target, to increase that as much as we can.

“We have internal competition as well; the players realise that you can easily lose your position, as other players are working hard on a daily basis.

“And you want to finish strong, so you can start the next season in a good frame of mind and a strong position. So I wouldn’t say we have nothing to play for.

“We feel that finishing top 10 would be an achievement considering what happened in the first two-thirds of the league season.”