After another Everton win on Sunday, Adam Bate
looks at the improvements Roberto Martinez has made from the David
Moyes' reign at Goodison.
Everton produced a
formidable second-half performance at Craven Cottage on Sunday to beat
Fulham 3-1 and extend their winning streak to five.
With Arsenal to play next at Goodison Park, there is a belief
that Roberto Martinez's side could claim an unlikely top-four finish
this season. But how has the Spaniard done it? We take a look at some of
the key facets of their success...
Confidence
Martinez's relentless positivity was elucidated in Tim Howard's
comments back in February. While David Moyes enjoyed an impressive
record at Goodison Park, as has been shown under the increased scrutiny
that comes with the Manchester United job, there was a tendency to focus
on stopping the opposition rather than infusing his own players with
belief.
Martinez's optimism has found a receptive audience on the Everton
training ground and long-serving goalkeeper Howard articulated that
shift in emphasis in clear terms "No matter what game we go into, the
focus has not at any point this season been on the other team - it has
always been about us," he said.
"You have to do this 40 weeks of the year, it is nice not to come
into work every day thinking 'Oh, that's looming ahead'. The manager
keeps us bright and bubbly and focused on ourselves. Not always having
to look over your shoulder at who is coming next is good.
"We work on ourselves and it's a difference. We'll train on
trying to exploit them, as opposed to 'Here is what they are going to do
to hurt us and this is what we are going to do to defend against them'.
That is not in the manager's nature."
Given those words, it's easy to see why Everton remain unfazed
and are playing with such confidence at this critical stage of the
season.
Trust
Martinez's attitude is indicative of a manager who is not afraid to empower his players.
Phil
Jagielka and Sylvain Distin have long been a solid unit at the heart of
the Everton defence and their defensive qualities remain vital to the
team's hopes. But the roles have changed under Martinez. Like Tony Adams
& Co under Arsene Wenger, the manager has shown an awareness that
his experienced defenders were capable of a more expansive game.
"There will be a bit of uncertainty amongst the lads at first,"
admitted Jagielka in the summer. "You never quite know if you're the new
manager's type of player but he mentioned me as his captain when he
spoke to the press so that was nice to hear."
There were teething problems early in a pre-season that Jagielka
described as "drastically different" and the team were guilty of
overplaying at the back in a defeat to Austria Vienna, but Martinez's
trust has since been rewarded.
Jagielka had experience in midfield as a young player at
Sheffield United and has since embraced the change with Martinez
enthusing about the "real swagger" in his play.
Distin has even
raised his game at 36. "I wouldn't say he's just carried on where he
left off last season, he has stepped up and gone to a different level,"
said Martinez. "He has always been paramount in our defensive duties but
now he is very important in our style of play and the distribution that
he brings to the team."
Passing
That Everton style now involves them building their play from the
back with James McCarthy and Gareth Barry always looking to then
receive the ball in midfield.
All the key passing and possession
numbers have increased this season, providing evidence of this process
in action. Everton's total number of passes per game has increased by 15
per cent, while the average number of short passes has risen from 369
last season to 428 this term. It's been easier on the eye.
Wings
Under Moyes, engineering space down the left flank for Leighton
Baines to exploit was a vital tactic, and the vast majority of Everton's
attacks came down that wing.
It was a viable ploy given that Baines created 116 chances in the
Premier League in 2012-13, more than any other player. The effective
partnership between Steven Pienaar and Baines was something opponents
had to be mindful of.
Martinez has continued to place a priority on the Everton left
when attacking. It continues to account for 40 per cent of their attacks
- with 28 per cent through the middle and 32 per cent down the right
wing.
But what's significant is that the opposite flank is now a
potent weapon in its own right. Everton's attacking play has a whole new
dimension thanks to Seamus Coleman.
Moyes had been surprisingly reluctant to trust the Irishman at
right-back. Coleman turned 23 early in the 2011-12 season, but all 14 of
his appearances in that campaign came further forward in midfield
rather than at full-back as the manager preferred the more predictable
talents of Tony Hibbert, Phil Neville and Johnny Heitinga.
Everton's attack zones and assist locations for both last
season (left) and this season (right). They indicate that goals are now
coming from both flanks.
Coleman did appear at right-back in just over 60 per cent of
Everton's Premier League games last term, but it is under Martinez that
he's truly blossomed.
So while the team remain left-side
dominant, there is no longer an assists vacuum down the right in the
final third. Coleman is even Everton's joint-second highest goalscorer
in the Premier League with six strikes this season.
Finally, Everton have a bit of balance to their attacking game -
and it's come without exposing the team defensively as Moyes might have
feared.
"There aren't many clubs that have as good full backs as
Everton," said Martinez. "That's been one of the features of our team so
far this season. It's a special balance which we benefit from hugely."
Youth
Coleman has been flagged up as an example of the previous Everton manager's willingness to embrace youth in his team.
However,
the player's rise was far from quick and at 25 half of his fellow
starters against Fulham were younger than him - four of them
significantly so. Ross Barkley, John Stones, Gerard Deulofeu and Romelu
Lukaku are all under the age of 21.
By comparison, Barkley was the only player under the age of 22 to
start a single Premier League game for Everton last season - and even
he got just two starts.
In other words, there were twice as many
youngsters in the team in one game against Fulham than the fans saw in
the entire of last season. It's injected real enthusiasm into this
squad.
Of course, there are a number of old heads too - the
aforementioned centre-back duo as well as shrewd loan acquisition Gareth
Barry.
But with that environment created, the willingness of the
youngsters to work and to learn has been a factor. Everton are a fit
group and have scored 17 goals in the final quarter of an hour of
Premier League games this season - more than any other team.
Conclusion
If those late goals can be accompanied by a late charge this
season, there is the chance to achieve something really significant.
Having won five in a row for the first time in 11 years, seven more and
Everton will be guaranteed a top-four finish and - barring a Manchester
United miracle - Champions League football at Goodison Park.
With Arsenal, United and Manchester City still to come at home,
that will be tough. But whatever happens from now until the end of the
season, this has felt a lot like progress.
The highest points
tally under Moyes was 65. Even two wins from the remaining seven
fixtures would surpass that figure. Whichever way you look at it, the
Martinez effect has been spectacular.
Pol
Espargaro will have surgery on a suspected broken collarbone after
crashing during the final testing session in Qatar before the new
season.
