Team Focus: Ongoing Defensive Concerns Limiting Everton Progress Under Martinez

A chorus of boos greeted the Everton team upon the culmination of their 2-1 defeat to Swansea on Sunday. Against a team that had won just one of their 10 league games away from home in the Premier League this season, the Toffees were overwhelming favourites coming into the encounter, so the defeat will have hurt them in their increasingly unlikely quest to secure a European finish. 

“We have become fearful and expect the worst,” Toffees boss Roberto Martinez said of playing at home following the weekend’s loss to the Swans. Everton haven’t won a home league game since November, while only the Premier League’s bottom two teams Sunderland (12) and Aston Villa (7) have gained fewer points on home turf than the Merseysiders (13) this season. 

Everton, meanwhile, have conceded more goals at home (22) than any other team in England’s top tier this term. The Toffees’ defence has come under staunch criticism in recent weeks, with Martinez taking responsibility for the underwhelming backline. However, while the Spaniard admits to the club’s defensive frailties, it’s his responsibility to iron out these kinks, which he is clearly failing to do. 

Since the beginning of last season, Everton have committed more errors that have led to an opposition goal (21) than any other Premier League team. John Stones' lazy back pass to Tim Howard that resulted in Swansea’s first goal on Sunday was the latest in a long line of defensive mishaps that Martinez appears unable to rectify. 

He aimed to ease the burden on Phil Jagielka and Stones with the signing of Ramiro Funes Mori in the summer, but the Argentine has so far struggled to improve the side’s quality at the back. Granted, he may be the ball-playing centre-back Martinez favours, but his performances have at times flattered to deceive considering the fee - believed to be £9.5m - Everton paid to secure his services. 

Stones, meanwhile, has come under fire for his continued approach to try to play the ball out from the back. However, while his error resulted in Gylfi Sigurdsson putting the Swans ahead from the penalty spot, encouraging him not to pass the ball out from the back would be a waste of his immense potential. The young England international’s raw talent means he is prone to the odd mistake at the back, especially until these errors can be nurtured out of his game.

Martinez, though, appears to be ill-equipped in the task of doing so. His teams are excellent to watch when pressing forward - only three of the Premier League’s top four have scored more goals than Everton (40) this season - with the likes of Romelu Lukaku, Ross Barkley and Gerard Deulofeu all rightly earning the plaudits. However, this merely negates the defensive failings of his team, which are capitalised on time and time again. 

One only has to take a quick glance at the club’s statistically calculated strengths and weaknesses, the former of which are all attacking, with the latter all defending, to understand their problems. While this makes for exciting games every time Everton play, it’s a detriment to Everton in their bid to secure a European finish. This stems from the instructions handed out by Martinez. 

With Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman tasked with supporting the attack in Martinez’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation, and a lack of protection afforded to the centre-backs, Everton are left top heavy, meaning they can be caught out by teams who are happy to soak up pressure and hit them on the break. With opponents also well aware of the defence’s inclination to play the ball out from the back, attackers are quick to pile on the pressure in order to force the backline into errors, Wayne Routledge’s closing down of Stones on Sunday a prime example. 

It’s this aggressive nature that Everton often lack, with the team in the past accused of being 'too nice' at times under Martinez. The Toffees have developed a WhoScored style of play of being ‘non-aggressive’, with the team averaging fewer fouls per game (8.3) than any other in Europe’s top 5 leagues. Furthermore, only a handful of teams have averaged fewer tackles per game (18.7), while only Norwich (11.9) are making fewer interceptions than Everton (13.1) in the Premier League this season. 

A soft underbelly is being exploited at any given opportunity by Premier League teams, especially at Goodison Park where they are struggling to make home advantage count, consequently irking the supporters to create a toxic atmosphere at times. That they have scored the second-most home goals (24) yet conceded the most (22) is synonymous with the Toffees’ ongoing defensive problems. Indeed, it his increased the pressure on Martinez, though injuries and a lack of funds to properly invest have left the Spaniard’s hands tied with regards to bolstering the backline. 

As such, he has to work with the players at his disposal to improve his side’s fortunes, but that is evidently easier said than done. As a result, Martinez’s questionable approach to defensive management is hindering Everton’s progression as a team and, until this is rectified, the Toffees will continue to struggle.

BUABOOK TRADE TIP

While Everton are at home to a relegation-threatened Newcastle side next week, the Toffees' defensive struggles at Goodison Park means I'd be reluctant to sign any defenders for the Merseysiders. Furthermore, if I had shares in John Stones ahead of this fixture, I'd be eager to sell him at anything above £0.30 per share in the Buabook match market.

You can trade the values of any player with Buabook, the first player trading exchange based on detailed statistics