Roberto Martínez believes the return of the FA Cup final to the end of the domestic season will ensure Aston Villa avoid the fate that befell his Wigan Athletic team in 2013.
Villa host Everton on Saturday with Tim Sherwood facing the dual challenge that confronted the then Wigan manager two years ago – seeking Premier League survival plus an unexpected FA Cup triumph. Martínez accomplished the latter with a shock win over Manchester City at Wembley but was unable to prevent relegationwhen Wigan lost 4-1 at Arsenal three days later.
The Catalonian remains aggrieved to this day at the fixture scheduling but with the Cup final restored to its traditional place as the season’s finale, he insists the incentive will spur Villa towards safety long before they meet Arsène Wenger’s team on 30 May.
“I think it is a completely different situation because the FA Cup final should be played after the last game of the Premier League season and that is what Aston Villa has this season,” said Martínez when asked to compare Villa’s predicament with his Wigan experience. “In that respect, playing the FA Cup final is a big advantage in helping you achieve what you want to achieve in the league.
“What I experienced personally with Wigan was that to play the FA Cup final on the Saturday and then away at Arsenal on the Tuesday, when they had rested for 10 days, we just couldn’t cope with that physically and mentally. We carried a fatigue that is impossible to carry through two competitions so close together.”
Martínez remains convinced that Wigan, whose decline continued with relegation to League One this week, would have stayed up had the 2013 FA Cup final been played after the Premier League season.
He added: “It was unfair [to play Arsenal three days later] but in football you have to adapt to whatever comes your way. It’s like losing seven internationals who come back on a Friday and you have to prepare them for a game on a Saturday. You can’t moan about it but the truth is playing that FA Cup final on that day cost us points.
“Wigan finished with 36 points, which would have been enough for safety this season. I feel it is a very different situation playing the FA Cup final after the league season, and a positive. Villa’s performance against Liverpool at Wembley has given them safety, I think, because I’ve seen that team play with an incredible swagger and I’ve no doubt they will pick up enough points before the end of the season.”
Everton take a six-game unbeaten run into the game at Villa Park and their manager has demanded a repeat of Sunday’s impressive display in the 3-0 win over Manchester United. “The biggest element of the United performance was our intensity – the intensity of our counterattacking football and the intensity of our defending,” added Martínez. “It was a performance that sets the bar between now and the end of the season.”
