Roberto Martínez has described the criticism he has received during Everton’s slump as justified, and the last month without a win as painful, but insists there can be no distractions from the FA Cup semi-final that may determine his fate as manager.
Everton face Manchester United on Saturday having not won since the FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea on 12 March. A shambolic defeat in the Merseyside derby on Wednesday, the first part of what Martínez labelled as a defining week for Everton, intensified pressure on the 42-year-old and he approaches the game at Wembley with serious selection problems.
The captain Phil Jagielka and midfielder Gareth Barry will have late fitness tests before the semi-final but their manager expects to be without the experienced pair when naming his lineup. With Séamus Coleman hamstrung, the Argentinian Ramiro Funes Mori beginning a three-match suspension and John Stones ill, but expected to recover, Martínez has drafted Tony Hibbert and Matthew Pennington, 21, into the travelling squad. If selected, it will be Hibbert’s first inclusion in an Everton matchday squad for 16 months.
Despite a bleak backdrop to Everton’s 26th FA Cup semi-final appearance, Martínez insists his only focus is on beating United and that it would be unprofessional to “waste my time thinking about what other people think and the position around the manager”. But he accepts the criticism that has come his way is valid given the team’s results and has taken responsibility for the predicament.
“When you lose games the criticism is justified,” Martínez said. “As a manager, the same way you get idolised, there are extreme emotions. I have to accept it and I need to be responsible. My position as a manager is always questioned. As a manager you are always three defeats from being questioned. I don’t think that has changed. Sometimes it’s in a public manner and more highlighted and there are different circumstances, but the position of the manager is never guaranteed. I don’t think any manager expects that.
“Since the quarter-final of the FA Cup the results have not been good enough so any manager should be under scrutiny. That is part of our position – down to the results. But, believe me, it is not in my mind because now is not the time. At the moment the focus is all on the FA Cup and seizing the opportunity. It is 10 months of hard work to get into this position. I am not wasting time on things I cannot control. Everything is about the semi-final and how we can get players ready for a big sporting occasion. Everything else is for the end of the season.”
Martínez added that, in football terms, “maybe I’m a dreamer” and has firm belief that an injury-plagued, struggling Everton side can record the club’s third semi-final victory over United. On Saturday it is 50 years to the day of their first, a 1-0 win at Burnden Park courtesy of a Colin Harvey goal.
Asked what mistakes he has made, the Everton manager replied: “I am very aware the success in the quarter-final affected our results. That is clear, but now is not the time to look into it. For us there is only the semi-final and going to Wembley. Everyone connected to Everton is hurting right now, from the fans to every employee working at Finch Farm. We are seizing the opportunity of being in the FA Cup. It is just the third time in 20 years. That means we can’t take this chance lightly. It means blocking everything else out. I understand your questions and your angle but I can’t distract myself. Since day one all I wanted was to be in positions to go to Wembley and fight for silverware and we have one of those opportunities.”
The Spaniard admitted he was left with “a feeling of embarrassment” after the 4-0 defeat at Liverpool, when Funes Mori added to his selection problems by collecting a red card for a dreadful foul on Divock Origi. But he is adamant the misery of midweek will be forgotten at Wembley.
“I find it easy to reset constantly,” he explained. “The only thing you can do when you carry pain is to see how to change it. In football, that is winning the next game.
“It is about constantly finding solutions – like bringing Matthew Pennington back from his loan spell at Walsall. He will be involved. Maybe I’ve been through too much pain over the last 10 years to lose focus from one defeat to the next.
“The last month has been difficult and tough and I would be lying if I said it was not painful but, in the same way, I need to be responsible. As a manager you can’t waste too much time on your feelings as a human being. You need to concentrate on your role and there are too many things you need to do to get it right.”
For Martínez on Saturday that is likely to involve selecting a defence without his influential Jagielka. The captain has missed the past three matches with a hamstring strain but is determined to play, although his manager concedes the prospect of switching midfielder Muhamed Besic into defence is more likely.
“Any medical reason will say he shouldn’t be fit, that he’s a big question mark, but I consider mental fitness more and he just wants to try,” said Martínez. “Mentally he wants to be fit and be with the team. That’s better than having a clean leg and a mashed-up head. If the mentality is right it will take you further. Mentally he is so powerful and driving everyone mad in the treatment room so we need to give him that opportunity with a fitness test. Deep down though, I don’t expect to have him.
“Besic played there for Ferencvaros a lot. Tony Hibbert played 45 minutes for the under-21s on Monday and has said he wants to be pushed, to be in the first team and help. We will have 11, don’t worry.”
