Roberto Martínez: Everton can overcome Merseyside derby hoodoo
• Everton haven’t won at Anfield for exactly 15 years
• ‘With the psychology of this group, we can go anywhere’
• Martínez brushes off Ross Barkley link with Manchester City
Roberto Martínez is hoping Everton can bring their 15-year wait for a win at Anfield to an end on Saturday. Photograph: David Howarth/PA
Roberto Martínez believes there has been a psychological factor behind Everton’s sorry record at Liverpool since 1999 but that his team are mentally equipped to end that sequence on Saturday.
The Everton manager has urged his players not to “become a team that concedes goals and games cheaply”, having shipped 17 goals in seven matches so far,
lost at home to Crystal Palace on Sunday and exited the Capital One Cup
in the third round at Swansea City on Tuesday. He admits, however, that winning the Merseyside derby is a matter of mentality as well as repairing the team’s defensive vulnerability.
It will be 15 years to the day since Everton last won at Anfield when the Merseyside rivals meet on Saturday. Everton have lost seven and drawn seven of the subsequent 14 Premier League meetings, have drawn once in the FA Cup and not beaten Liverpool home or away for almost four years.
Martínez accepts that record has weighed on Everton in the past. “I think the psychology is a very important point because if you look at the stats, 15 years without a win at Anfield, then it needs to be about a bit more than football. It can’t always be a football reason why you haven’t won a game over that period.
“I’ll accept that but I think, with the psychology of this group, we are ready to go anywhere. I’m not highlighting Anfield as a place we don’t look forward to. I think the mentality of the group is to go anywhere and focus on our performance. Will be it be a difficult game? Of course. They are in a position where they need to perform well at home and get points, but I don’t see that psychologically we are not ready to go to Anfield and be ourselves. But, if you look back over the last 15 years, there could be a question mark.”
Martinez said the 15-year drought should be a motivation to his players on Saturday but admits that serious work is required on Everton’s defending after a bad start to the season. “It is an area where we have been quite poor and need time to improve,” he said.
But the Everton manager denied that his emphasis on attacking football has been responsible for the poor defending this term. “We always work on all aspects of the game,” he added. “We want to be fantastic going forward but we want to be pristine in defence – it’s not one or the other.
“What has been the focus more than anything this week has been not to blame defenders but our defensive record. We want to defend as a team and we attack as a team. The defenders and goalkeeper have a big influence in the way we play. It’s something we can all help as a team and we do not look to pass the responsibility just on to the defenders.”
