3 Thoughts- Everton Succumb To Swansea Under Roberto Martinez Cloud

Just how bad was it? Well, it was one of if not the worst performances Everton has had under Roberto Martinez. It caused the fans to hit their very limits of patience and understanding toward Roberto Martinez and the way he sends the team out to play.

Overly regimented in attack

I can't count on my hands the amount of times this season we have spoken about how very predictable our attack has become, Sunday was no different. Not only that, it was more obvious than ever that Martinez had sent them out with a specific script of how to go at Swansea. It was a script that the likes of Lukaku, Barkley, Deulofeu and Pienaar all feared to go to far away from. It came to a point that even the players looked as though they knew the way they were asked to play wasn't working.

it was simply very worrying to watch. A team as unstable as Swansea are came to the once formidable Goodison Park and out played us, out thought us and out performed us tactically. It would be frowned upon if any Evertonian said they weren't worried or concerned by the way in which we continue to play the same football and get the wrong results.

Martinez said during the week that he wants Barkley to take more risks within a game. How can he do that if he is playing to a script or only allowed to pass the ball to the right hand side of our midfield when going forward? I feel for Ross, he has been over complicated with the way in which he is pulled from one Martinez idea to the next. Early season it was playing him on the wing, then it was playing right off Lukaku and now he is asked to drop into the midfield and pick the ball up and take it forward. The best side of Ross Barkley we have seen is when he is given a free role and chance to just go and play his game. No script, nothing to over think as he currently does. Take the reigns off him and let him play.

The disregard for defence

Yet another problem that is now crippling us all over the pitch. The defence is so stretched constantly that it's rarely possible that we will concede less than 2 goals a game. Martinez only believes that One natural winger is necessary on the pitch at anyone time, That means our left back has to join the attack in order create something, if possible, down the left. The ball will then be cleared with either a long ball out by the opposition and straight away a back four becomes a back three. John Stones and Funes Mori have to take the ball forward into midfield positions as we play with two defensive midfielders who are part of that script and won't join the attack or just hover in the same place most of the match when we're in defensive or attacking plays. By Stones and Mori taking the ball forward it leaves our defence with just two defenders when attacking, baring in mind our left back is already forward and part of the attack. Leaving Two defenders leaves you open to anything coming in your direction.

People wonder why a long ball and counter attacks always seem to be a downfall of ours, its simply because there is nobody there to defend it. As we saw at Chelsea, a long ball forward from Fabregas, Jagielka now part of a 3 man defence as John Stones is still part of the previous attack. The ball comes towards Jagielka who has his attention on Diego Costa who is running around in the space around him. The ball drops and sure enough they score.

The point is we leave ourselves on the back foot constantly because of the way in which our midfield is set up. If one of the defensive midfielders played further forward then Stones and Mori wouldn't have to carry the ball forward, Barkley wouldn't have to drop so deep to pick the ball up and we'd consistently have our defence in formation to prevent attacks coming in the other direction.

Stop pointing fingers

Roberto Martinez must stop pointing fingers at outside sources in order for him to realize his tactics and his way of playing football is what needs to change. We are under a very dark cloud as fans at the moment. Sunday hurt us all massively, the last thing the fans wanted was to be blamed by our own manager for the defeat. Roberto went about explaining in his post match press conference how he feels the fans are the reason the players are scared to play at Goodison park.

As a fan I felt massively offended and very angry that our managers stubbornness to see the real downfall of our team has now come down to 'who to blame next'. It's unprofessional and massively embarrassing that the fans sit and watch the team week in week out and we can all see the issues, but the man that matters can't.

The time is now well and truly ticking for Roberto Martinez before fans take their upset and concern to the next level. He has begun to dig his ditch with his blaming of the fans after Sunday's defeat. Change or be changed.