Although they’ll be featured among the final four in this year’s FA Cup, Everton has had a disappointing 2015-16 season.
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Manager Roberto Martinez has come out and accepted the blame surrounding the team’s performances, including a recent 4-0 thrashing from Merseyside rival Liverpool.
[ MORE: Leicester’s Fuchs has excelled thanks to his family’s support ]“When you lose games the criticism is justified,” Martinez said. “As a manager, the same way you get idolized, 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 taking over at Goodison Park in the summer of 2013, Martinez has racked up an underwhelming 60 wins in 139 matches played. The Spaniard was applauded for his job at Wigan, where he previously managed prior to coming to Everton, but he hasn’t brought that same tenacity to the Toffees. In almost three full seasons with the club, Martinez doesn’t have a trophy to show for his duties.
Martinez was brought into the club to help crack into the top four, after being on the verge of doing so for several seasons prior under David Moyes. The team currently sits 11th in the PL standings, posting just nine wins on the season.
Everton boasts a talent lineup, featuring Belgian duo Romelu Lukaku and Kevin Mirralas, as well as Ross Barkley and John Stones, who could figure into England’s national team picture moving forward.
It’s needless to say that Martinez needs an FA Cup title to make a case for his survival as manager at Goodison Park, however, his time could already be up.
