Roberto Martinez Discussion - Including Live Poll (Poll Reset 1st May)
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Whistlin' Dixie
Player Valuation: £50m
Amy knows nothing mate
Chris O'Connor
Player Valuation: £35m
Roberto Martinez reprimanded Leighton Baines but the chemistry at Everton is an issue, writes Adam Bate.
By his own admission, it was a game at Goodison Park that accelerated Gary Neville's thoughts of retirement. In particular, it was the partnership between Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar that did for him.
Overlaps and underlaps; the timing of the Everton pair's passes. Neville was left dizzy. "They have a brilliant understanding," he said. "They know exactly what the other is going to do."
"You get special partnerships in football," said Martinez. "I can imagine when Stevie is on the pitch, Leighton knows when to go and that extra second makes all the difference to defences. Leighton and Steven have as good a chemistry as you're going to find in football."
Chemistry. There's that word. The one that was the cause of such controversy for Baines, Martinez and the Everton supporters last week. It stemmed from an interview with theLiverpool Echo in which Baines spoke so honestly after a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United.
"I just don't feel as though the chemistry is quite there with the team on the pitch at the moment, and it hasn't been for a while," said Baines. "We are maybe leaning too heavily on individuals to come up with something.
"Look at the teams who are having success this year and you'd say they have chemistry. If I had to say one thing, I just don't know if it's there with us at the moment, for whatever reason." In truth, he was articulating what many Evertonians have been thinking for a while.
But Martinez was quick to respond. "Obviously he used the wrong words," he said. "They've been given the opportunity to attract a meaning that is not right and for that he apologised.
"What he intended to say is that when you're not getting the results, you lose confidence so a ball that could go in hits the crossbar and it goes out. At the other end, a half chance ends up in the back of the net."
The Baines and Pienaar partnership is a thing of the past. The selfless play of Leon Osman much missed. Instead, while the likes of Gerard Deulofeu, Ross Barkley, Kevin Mirallas and Aaron Lennon seek to entertain, defensively Everton have become far easier to play against.
It's the problems with the team's defensive shape. It's the lack of pressure on the ball. Disrupting the opposition feels like an afterthought. Only Norwich have made fewer interceptions. Leaders Leicester top the Premier League for this particular metric.
Instead, Martinez prefers to focus on what happens when Everton have the ball. But given that his side spend 47.8 per cent of their time without it, that's a problem. And, once again in stark contrast to Leicester, it's left him with a defence that does everything but defend.
For instance, they have the best passing accuracy in their own half of any Premier League team, but they cannot keep the ball out of the net. They've already conceded more goals than in six of the previous nine seasons - and there are still seven games remaining
But it's the team's entire approach that's under scrutiny and has left Martinez having to explain the club's worst ever Premier League home record. That'd be a concern for any coach, but the real frustration for fans is that this is an all too familiar story for the Spaniard.
The fear is that the problems are not merely misfortune, but an inevitable by-product of his approach. The fear is that the balance is wrong and the trend is downwards. The fear, as an astute judge who knows Everton better than most has said, is that the chemistry is lacking.
http://www.skysports.com/share/10239046
Calling a player out for stating the absolute obvious to the local press is a new low in the stewardship of an increasingly desperate manager. His tactical acumen isn't suffice to overcome average opposition at Goodison, where sides are often happy to concede possession knowing that slow sideways build-up and no penetration isn't particularly dangerous.
I want us to win the FA Cup but what a cost if it keeps this clown in place.
By his own admission, it was a game at Goodison Park that accelerated Gary Neville's thoughts of retirement. In particular, it was the partnership between Leighton Baines and Steven Pienaar that did for him.
Overlaps and underlaps; the timing of the Everton pair's passes. Neville was left dizzy. "They have a brilliant understanding," he said. "They know exactly what the other is going to do."
"You get special partnerships in football," said Martinez. "I can imagine when Stevie is on the pitch, Leighton knows when to go and that extra second makes all the difference to defences. Leighton and Steven have as good a chemistry as you're going to find in football."
Chemistry. There's that word. The one that was the cause of such controversy for Baines, Martinez and the Everton supporters last week. It stemmed from an interview with theLiverpool Echo in which Baines spoke so honestly after a 1-0 defeat to Manchester United.
"I just don't feel as though the chemistry is quite there with the team on the pitch at the moment, and it hasn't been for a while," said Baines. "We are maybe leaning too heavily on individuals to come up with something.
"Look at the teams who are having success this year and you'd say they have chemistry. If I had to say one thing, I just don't know if it's there with us at the moment, for whatever reason." In truth, he was articulating what many Evertonians have been thinking for a while.
But Martinez was quick to respond. "Obviously he used the wrong words," he said. "They've been given the opportunity to attract a meaning that is not right and for that he apologised.
"What he intended to say is that when you're not getting the results, you lose confidence so a ball that could go in hits the crossbar and it goes out. At the other end, a half chance ends up in the back of the net."
The Baines and Pienaar partnership is a thing of the past. The selfless play of Leon Osman much missed. Instead, while the likes of Gerard Deulofeu, Ross Barkley, Kevin Mirallas and Aaron Lennon seek to entertain, defensively Everton have become far easier to play against.
It's the problems with the team's defensive shape. It's the lack of pressure on the ball. Disrupting the opposition feels like an afterthought. Only Norwich have made fewer interceptions. Leaders Leicester top the Premier League for this particular metric.
Instead, Martinez prefers to focus on what happens when Everton have the ball. But given that his side spend 47.8 per cent of their time without it, that's a problem. And, once again in stark contrast to Leicester, it's left him with a defence that does everything but defend.
For instance, they have the best passing accuracy in their own half of any Premier League team, but they cannot keep the ball out of the net. They've already conceded more goals than in six of the previous nine seasons - and there are still seven games remaining
But it's the team's entire approach that's under scrutiny and has left Martinez having to explain the club's worst ever Premier League home record. That'd be a concern for any coach, but the real frustration for fans is that this is an all too familiar story for the Spaniard.
The fear is that the problems are not merely misfortune, but an inevitable by-product of his approach. The fear is that the balance is wrong and the trend is downwards. The fear, as an astute judge who knows Everton better than most has said, is that the chemistry is lacking.
http://www.skysports.com/share/10239046
Calling a player out for stating the absolute obvious to the local press is a new low in the stewardship of an increasingly desperate manager. His tactical acumen isn't suffice to overcome average opposition at Goodison, where sides are often happy to concede possession knowing that slow sideways build-up and no penetration isn't particularly dangerous.
I want us to win the FA Cup but what a cost if it keeps this clown in place.
roydo
in memoriam - 1965-2024
No idea. A few have said that this afternoon. One in particular I would say doesnt generally post such stuff without hearing it from a pretty reliable mate of his.
But doesnt make sense to me.
For all the positive sentiment about Royle, I'd be worried that he's been out of a competitive managerial position for almost ten years.
Well apart from his unsuccessful stint at Oldham for the second time, but let's not talk about that.
Don't know why people saying royle the premier league has changed a lot since
ianefc
Player Valuation: £70m
I just think with him working in and around the club on a daily/weekly basis, the players will know him, his status and hopefully what he would want from them. He'd have the respect needed and importantly he can't do any worse than Martinez. He'd of got a better performance out of that squad at Watford than what we viewed, that's a cert.
ianefc
Player Valuation: £70m
It's a interim job for 5-6 games, assuming Martinez goes who would you suggest to guide us to the end of the season.
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