Martinez comments on Everton’s placement

Everton manager Roberto Martinez managed to guide the club back to the Europa League in his first season at the club. This was after the fifth place finish in which there were several positives like Romelu Lukaku, who has since moved to the club on a permanent basis for £ 28 million. Even though they have made a tough start to the campaign with only one win so far, Everton still remain as one of the favourites to reach Europa League qualification once again. This will be difficult this time around due to the presence of Manchester United as a force in the Premier League.

Last season, Everton did not had to contend the Manchester outfit, who were going through a troubled spell under David Moyes. Everton qualified for the Europa League at the expense of United. After securing the first win of the season in the form of 2-0 victory over West Brom during the weekend, Martinez said that Everton are a big club who should be regularly be taking part in the Europa League as a building stone for the future. The Europa League is often viewed as a distraction by Premier League clubs due to the sheer number of matches required to win the competition.

“If we change the mentality and we are desperate to play in Europe consistently then that is when we move forward. With the experienced players we have in the squad I think we are ready to embrace that. It is a challenge not to let our league position drop due to new competition and the demands of European football but it is our goal to be in Europe season after season. The mentality is key. When you are a team that has to cope with European demands all of a sudden, it becomes a chore and you can’t really cope,” said Martinez.