Romelu Lukaku believes Roberto Martínez’s philosophy will succeed at Everton but insists Newcastle United cannot be allowed to dictate Sunday’s crucial Premier League game at Goodison Park.
Lukaku became Everton’s leading goalscorer in Europe on Thursday when his seventh Europa League goal secured a 2-1 win over Dynamo Kyiv. Martínez’s team rallied impressively in the last-16 first leg but only after a poor start that exposed the frustrations among the home support.
Everton are six points above the relegation zone having won one league game since 15 December and Lukaku admits the Dynamo levels must continue from the outset against Newcastle to improve that sorry statistic. He said: “You learn a lot when your back’s against the wall. But a relegation battle? Really? I don’t want to take it that far and say that. It’s been the first time in my career I have been looking down but I don’t want to look down, I want to look up. I’ve never been in a situation like this. You know every game your back is against the wall.
“We had a good performance against Dynamo and so I will tell the guys: ’What we did here we have to do on Sunday as well.’ Sunday is Newcastle, a different type of team, a different kind of football, a lot of physical stuff. But we have to do like we have in Europe – play our game, dictate the tempo, because when we have lost it is often because we have let other teams dictate to us. It’s a very big game but I think we’re ready for it.
“I believe in the team and I believe in the manager. I believe in him. I believe his philosophy and the way he’s thinking, although I understand the fans expect us to win all the time and want us to give our maximum, I agree with that. But we have to do it together.”
Lukaku overtook Fred Pickering as Everton’s leading scorer in European competition, a record that had stood since the 1960s, and has 16 goals in total this season.
The club’s £28m record signing added: “Maybe this was the season that I needed – to feel how it is to be the main man and stuff like that. I think I have a respectable amount of goals – the same as last season now – but I want to get better and make the team better. It’s been a good learning experience but I don’t want to learn at this time, I want to win. But I have learned a lot this season, especially mentally.”
