If Everton’s 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final win over Chelsea enabled supporters to dream, 2-0 defeat to Arsenal reacquainted them with brutally unpleasant reality. A week on from the huge cup win, Everton put in one of the worst displays of the Roberto Martinez era, an anti-performance constructed almost entirely of errors which saw confidence transformed into ineptitude. Even for Martinez’s Everton, this was atrocious.
Arsenal arrived at Goodison in terrible form. One win in eight (against Hull) with two thirds of their trophy hopes dashed earlier in the week. 62 hours on from their schooling at the Nou Camp, the Gunners were vulnerable and yet Everton couldn’t have made it easier for them. Danny Welbeck’s convincing focal role in Arsenal’s attack continued impressively and man-of-the-match Alex Iwobi was excellent on his full Premier League debut, both took their goals well, but the Toffees’ awfulness should not be glossed over. For the first half, Everton’s players stood still or ran wildly out of position, passed with the measured dexterity of a wrecking ball and failed to understand that running directly at Arsenal players was not a good thing to do.
The extent to which suspended Gareth Barry was missed was as embarrassing as the failure to test David Ospina even after he got injured. Individually, it was dreadful. Joel Robles reacted slowly, Aaron Lennon could have tripled his speed, Ross Barkley and Lukaku created nothing, James McCarthy and Seamus Colem- actually, it’s too soon. But again, Martinez bodged his opportunity to influence proceedings. 2-0 up with 10 men against West Ham, he brought on a striker. 2-0 down to Arsenal, he brought on a centre-back. John Stones replaced the dire Muhamed Bešić and Everton and switched to what genuinely seemed a 3-6-1 formation: distant centre-backs, a mess, Lukaku. At one point, as Stones ran to support Lennon who was furthest forward, Lukaku collected the ball in centre-midfield before passing to Coleman alongside him. It was one of the most horrible bits of football I’ve seen.
Shambles
That shouldn’t happen in the Premier League. To put it bluntly, Newcastle don’t even do that. The very least you can expect is that a manager knows what formation his team is playing. I can’t say I was convinced of that on Saturday. And it got worse. Martinez used only one of his remaining changes: Gerard Deulofeu for Barkley. Despite their combined £20m transfer fees, neither Oumar Niasse nor Arouna Kone was deemed worthy of a single minute. An expensive, unsuitable duo, badly prepared, used at the wrong time and overlooked when required, while Lukaku is overplayed. It’s a wretched collection of shortcomings.
There are exceptions of course, but for every Lukaku, there’s an Alcaraz. And more to the point, it’s now clear that Martinez’s successes at Everton are indeed all exceptions. The brilliant development of Lukaku and Barkley is completely at odds with the detrimental influence on Stones, Coleman, Funes Mori, Mirallas, Howard, Jagielka and many others. The solid, sensible win against Chelsea was a deviation from the norm. Blunt, self-critical words after Saturday’s defeat were notable for their rarity and even then undermined by the suggestion the loss was “a one-off” which surely must be considered dark humour at this stage.
Under Martinez, Everton cannot be trusted at home, anywhere with a two-goal lead, on the back of a good result, or even when in-form. It’s become a farce. The team has degenerated beyond the status of laughing stock into the realm of pity. And whilst the potential for thrilling, quality-conquering wins will always remain part of Martinez’s repertoire, like Lukaku’s development, or the 3-0 hammering of a very similar Arsenal two years ago, or an honest post-match reflection, they will only ever be exceptions to the rule.
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By Chris Smith
Follow me on Twitter @cdsmith789
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