Roberto Martinez has admitted European football affected Everton’s Premier League campaign last season.
“Does playing in the Europa League have an impact on the league? The answer is clearly yes, but it is still our aim and one of our targets
“It’s different when you are playing in Europe season after season. You get that mentality and habits and into a position where you can cope with it a lot better.
“Psychologically it’s very tough… like having to go to Russia on a Thursday and arriving back on a Friday afternoon to face Manchester United at Old Trafford for an early Sunday kickoff is a physical aspect that will affect you.
“We want to be in those situations, to be playing in Europe year after year but that is something that is becoming harder in our league as you can imagine.”