Hidden in this article about hooliganism in The Guardian is a telling section about Martinez: Some sobering stats about our defence and, although some of this is down to injuries and advanced age in some players there's no sign, lately, of it improving..
http://www.theguardian.com/football...sm-prime-minister-archives-margaret-thatcher-
Martínez’s case for the defence is weakening
Name the club with the lowest number of clean sheets in the Premier League, the second lowest number of tackles, the highest number of individual errors leading to goals (11), the lowest save percentage (56%) and some of the worst numbers in the top division when it comes to making blocks and interceptions and all the other statistics that can demonstrate how good a team is at keeping out the opposition.
It happens to be the Everton side that have lost four on the spin and conceded 33 league goals, six fewer than the number throughout last season and second only to Queens Park Rangers, with 35, as the worst defensive figures in the top division. Have the Toffees turned into Soft Centres? The evidence is hard to dispute and, for all the praise that was heaped on Roberto Martínez last season, there have to be questions about whether his managerial skills might be lopsided.
Yes, he has brought in a more expansive style of play and there was a point in his first season after replacing David Moyes that Everton could match any team in the country. Yet Danny Higginbotham, one of the sport’s more astute pundits, said something interesting the other day about Martínez being “lucky” on the basis that he used to finish the season well at Wigan Athletic and that meant there was a slanted view of his work come the end of the campaign. A touch harsh? Maybe, but Martínez was certainly lucky, I would say, to inherit a highly capable back four from Moyes and, again, that there has not been more scrutiny about the way it has now gone to pot (a lack of publicity that may be directly linked to the focus on Liverpool’s difficulties).
Everton have gone a bit Wigan, you might say. Their manager has plainly not seen in advance the deterioration that has set in and the awkward truth for Martínez is that we have been waiting a long time to see evidence of his expertise as an organiser of defences.
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Clearly having Robles, Alcaraz and McCarthy (and even former Latic Baines) in the back 7 suggests we've definitely gone a bit Wigan not just in the style!
http://www.theguardian.com/football...sm-prime-minister-archives-margaret-thatcher-
Martínez’s case for the defence is weakening
Name the club with the lowest number of clean sheets in the Premier League, the second lowest number of tackles, the highest number of individual errors leading to goals (11), the lowest save percentage (56%) and some of the worst numbers in the top division when it comes to making blocks and interceptions and all the other statistics that can demonstrate how good a team is at keeping out the opposition.
It happens to be the Everton side that have lost four on the spin and conceded 33 league goals, six fewer than the number throughout last season and second only to Queens Park Rangers, with 35, as the worst defensive figures in the top division. Have the Toffees turned into Soft Centres? The evidence is hard to dispute and, for all the praise that was heaped on Roberto Martínez last season, there have to be questions about whether his managerial skills might be lopsided.
Yes, he has brought in a more expansive style of play and there was a point in his first season after replacing David Moyes that Everton could match any team in the country. Yet Danny Higginbotham, one of the sport’s more astute pundits, said something interesting the other day about Martínez being “lucky” on the basis that he used to finish the season well at Wigan Athletic and that meant there was a slanted view of his work come the end of the campaign. A touch harsh? Maybe, but Martínez was certainly lucky, I would say, to inherit a highly capable back four from Moyes and, again, that there has not been more scrutiny about the way it has now gone to pot (a lack of publicity that may be directly linked to the focus on Liverpool’s difficulties).
Everton have gone a bit Wigan, you might say. Their manager has plainly not seen in advance the deterioration that has set in and the awkward truth for Martínez is that we have been waiting a long time to see evidence of his expertise as an organiser of defences.
-----------------------
Clearly having Robles, Alcaraz and McCarthy (and even former Latic Baines) in the back 7 suggests we've definitely gone a bit Wigan not just in the style!
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