Everton FC boss Roberto Martinez is delighted at his side’s recent upturn in league results but insists there was always plenty to be encouraged by in the way they were playing this season.
The Toffees won just one and lost three of their opening seven Barclays Premier League but have registered convincing victories in their last two top-flight fixtures, a 3-0 home defeat of Aston Villa and then a 3-1 triumph at Burnley.
Martinez admits his team, who conceded 13 goals in their first five matches of the campaign, were “a little bit soft defensively” initially.
But he has also pointed to the attacking threat they were posing at the same time – they scored 11 goals during that sequence – and is in no doubt, particularly now the defending has improved, that Everton have made a decent start this term.
Asked if he felt his team’s league campaign was now picking up momentum, the Spaniard said: “It is from a results point of view. But I always felt this season that we started really well in our attacking play.
“When you look at it, as a team we have been able to score in every single game in the Premier League.
“I felt the three goals we scored against Chelsea (in a 6-3 defeat) showed that we are ready to hurt anyone.
“The only disappointment early on in the season was that we were a little bit soft defensively, and we were conceding goals that affected results.
“When that happens, the table will show that and then there is a little bit of negative talk around the team, and that is understandable.
“But I think now we are a lot tighter, a lot stronger defensively as a side and we are carrying on with our attacking threat.
“To get back-to-back wins in the league has been good and I think it has created a really good platform for our campaign. It has been a good start to the season, and now I think that is starting to show from a results point of view – but the signs were there all the way through from the beginning.”
Martinez’s men host his old club Swansea today, having been beaten 3-0 by the Welsh club in the Capital One Cup at the Liberty Stadium earlier this season.
The Toffees boss has been quick to stress that, while some lessons will be taken from that game, the starting XI he selects this weekend is set to be very different from that cup tie, where he made eight changes.
“I think every game you play against opposition not too long ago can help you prepare a game,” said Martinez, who was Swansea boss Garry Monk’s team-mate and then manager at the Welsh outfit. But our team is probably going to be quite different to what it was that night.
“I think we know everything about Swansea, and I think they know everything about us – I don’t think there are any secrets there between the two sides.
“That game, if you had played it 10 times, I think the scoreline would be very, very different.”
Everton remain with the same quartet of players unavailable ahead of today’s match.
Kevin Mirallas and John Stones have been sidelined by hamstring and ankle problems respectively, while Bryan Oviedo and Arouna Kone are set to play in a practice game next week as they continue to work their way towards first-team action.
Martinez has said the knocks Romelu Lukaku sustained in the Burnley win and that Darron Gibson suffered in training should not prevent them from being selected.
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