Everton v Swansea City: 5 Thoughts

1. Steven Naismith is officially an impact player

We now know that it wasn't just luck that brought his recent spell of good form. He is legitimately a goal scoring threat for us. It comes at an important time where we lack depth in the striker position. The most important thing that Naismith does that no other Everton player seems to do is make the opposition pay for their mistakes. He takes advantage of any mistake or missed passes from the opposition and makes the best of it. Maybe he still isn't talented enough to be a starter, but he is definitely worthy of a substitute position. He knows how to find the back of the net and needs to see time on the field, even when the squad is fully fit. What a turnaround.

2. Lacina Traoré scores but does little else

A lot of fans were unhappy with Traore's start. Give him a few more matches. He still needs to get comfortable with the team and is still not fully fit. I think Traore will be an important player for the push to the top four. We need more firepower and he certainly was one of the best options for Martinez to bring in. Just remember, he had a goal and at least a couple more close chances and he was not even playing well today. Imagine if he is in form.

3. There are too many holes in our defense

There seemed to be too much open area for Swansea's attacking players to work with. The beginning of the tie was pretty sloppy and there just seemed like Swansea could have easily scored a couple with our mistakes. Luckily, Swansea just wasn't talented enough or opportunistic enough to convert them into goals. But be sure that one of the top teams will. The sloppiness can not continue.

4. Ross Barkley is still off

I'm beginning to get worried about Barkley. He looks a shell of his former self and I can't help thinking that he won't be the same this year. It might be better for Martinez to just rest him for a couple of weeks instead of playing him and getting so little out of him.

5. Arsenal is the easiest challenge of the big clubs

I hope this doesn't jinx us but Arsenal is the easiest team to defeat of the big clubs. Playing at Emirates is a tough draw, but speed seems to be Everton's Kryptonite and this Arsenal squad seems to be quite slow. But don't get too excited. If we do manage to defeat Arsenal, we will probably lose to someone like Sheffield United in the semi-finals.