Northern Touch Soccer

Roberto Martinez remains defiant that he is in a stronger position at the club than when he arrived.

The 42-year-old took over at Everton in 2013 having to build on an impressive job done by David Moyes. Even though the Scot did not get Everton playing in a beautiful and attractive manner, he was imperious at getting the results even on a tight budget. Martinez had little experience at the top level after having previously been in charge of lower league clubs like Swansea City and Wigan, which only later turned out to be Premier League teams.

Roberto Martinez says that he would not consider resting the likes of Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku unless absolutely necessary or if the players are suffering from injury.

He was presented with the option of resting these important players for the game against Southampton this weekend. It would help Martinez field a fresh starting line-up for the back-to-back important clashes coming up next week. Everton are up against Liverpool in Merseyside derby followed by the FA Cup semi-final clash with Manchester United at the new Wembley. Both these games are extremely important for the club in the context of the disappointing league season.

Roberto Martinez says that he expects midfielder Gareth Barry to break the record of most number of starts in the Premier League.

The 34-year-old is only three games away from equalling the record set by goalkeeper David James. The former Portsmouth goalkeeper made 571 starts in his long career. However, Barry will have to go an extra length in order to match the figure set by Ryan Giggs. In his two decade long career with Manchester United, Giggs made a remarkable 610 starts in the league. He also remained as the only player to have scored in more than 20 campaigns of the Premier League.

Everton boss Roberto Martinez is not prepared to give his players an easy way into the first-team. After a spell on the sidelines due to injuries, defender Leighton Baines has returned back to contention for a starting spot.

The England international would normally be expected to walk straight back into the starting line-up. However, this has not been the case since Baines has been put on the dugout as he waits for his turn. Bryan Oviedo was his replacement and the 25-year-old has been able to grasp this opportunity with both hands.

Barnsley managed to get a positive result in the sectional finals against Fleetwood Town in the first leg.

The 1-1 draw in the away match gives only hope that they can finally win the title with a victory in the second leg, which will be at home. Victory against Fleetwood Town in the second leg will provide Barnsley with a date at the new Wembley for the first time since 2008. The club has had a good run in cup competitions like the FA Cup, but they have not been successful in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in recent times.

Chelsea are reportedly contemplating an approach for defender John Stones in January.

The Everton defender was subjected to several offers from the Premier League champions in the summer. However, the Everton manager Roberto Martinez was steadfast in his decision that the young defender would not be sold under any circumstance. This proved to be the case since it is believed that Everton rejected a whopping £ 35 million offer from Chelsea. This would have made Stones as the most expensive defender in English football history.

Former Manchester United and City midfielder Owen Hargreaves believes that new Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will look towards taking advantage of Chelsea’s poor run of form right now. It has been a poor defence to the league title by the reigning English champions.

They have already suffered more defeats than they did through the entire last season. Chelsea had been good at home under Jose Mourinho but even this form has been looking shaky with defeats against the likes of Southampton. The run appears to get tougher with a game against Liverpool coming up, and with Mourinho now pushed to one side.

After a few wobbles in the early part of the season, it looks like Everton manager Roberto Martinez has steadied the ship.

The team are only a couple of points away from European qualification. He has been able to once again get the best out of Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian striker is in his second permanent season with Everton. The last campaign did not go well for the youngster as he appeared to struggle with the £ 28 million transfer fee on his head. Now, though, performances have improved a lot from the youngster and he is one of the top scorers in the Premier league with seven league goals.

Everton’s defensive duo – Phil Jagielka and John Stones – once again showed why why their team were bookmaker favourites after putting in an extraordinary display in the recent game against Swansea.

Everton failed to secure a victory and could only manage a 0-0 draw, but it was the third clean sheet for the team in the opening six matches. Roberto Martinez went to great lengths in order to keep Stones at the club amidst interest from Chelsea during the summer. He is now rewarded with some excellent performances by the former Barnsley defender.

Roberto Martinez put foot down and sent a clear message across that no matter how high an amount gets offered, Everton is not going to sell John Stones this summer.

It’s been a very interesting situation at Everton regarding Stones. Chelsea, the England top tier champions made as many as three bids for the young defender, and Stones himself let his current employers know that he wanted to move to Stamford Bridge, but still the move didn't happen.