Roberto Martinez has set Everton a target of 71 points to qualify for the Champions League and claimed their long-term prospects would be ultimately enhanced by a good display and defeat at Manchester United tonight rather than a scrappy win.
Everton head to Old Trafford fifth in the Premier League table having lost only once in the Premier League since Martinez replaced David Moyes and the Everton manager has challenged his team to break out of the mentality behind their 46 winless visits to United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea during Moyes' 11 years in charge at Goodison Park.
Credentials
However, he insists the quality of the team's performance will provide a clearer indication of their Champions League credentials rather than a first Old Trafford win since 1992.
Asked whether he would prefer an impressive performance and a defeat or to scrape a 1-0 win, Martinez was emphatic:
“Play well and lose, 100 per cent, because this game is about us being able to perform at Old Trafford and being able to show to ourselves that we can compete with teams away from home eye-to-eye.
“Sometimes the result in is the lap of the gods; it can be a bad decision from a referee or a piece of magic from a player.
"We need to have a substance to our performance so we can take ourselves to the next level.
The long-term
"I want to play well, be the better side and win. But I would settle for playing well, being the better side and losing. It's about the long-term."
Everton have collected 24 points from 13 league games so far – an average of 1.84 points per game – but Martinez denied his preference for a quality performance over a win could result in his team missing out on Champions League qualification.
“No it won’t,” he insisted. “To get into the Champions League, you need to get an average of 1.94 points from the last 11 games.
“That is what we are working towards. Winning at Old Trafford is not going to affect being in that position. You need to get around 70 points. If we get 71 points we will be in the Champions League. It doesn’t matter if we are 10th or 15th now.”
"We have a very good mixture of experienced players who know the game and what to expect, and we have young, brave, arrogant footballers who are facing the unknown. And when you have that mixture, that pushes you to compete against anyone.
Combination
"It is about making sure the combination is right."
The on-loan Barcelona forward Gerard Deulofeu shone on his full league debut against Stoke City on Saturday, while fellow 19-year-old Ross Barkley has blossomed into an England international this season.
But Martinez insists Old Trafford tonight is not a critical test of the youngsters’ development.
“You want to see how a player can perform in such an environment, but all Ross, Gerard and the young players have to do is show they are ready to play in this team,” the Everton manager said.
“If I don’t see them doing the right things then it doesn’t matter who we are playing against. They will never participate in the side.
“They haven’t got a point to prove, they don’t have to do anything extraordinary. They just have to be themselves. That will allow them to continue developing as footballers.
“Gerard, John Stones and Ross Barkley have talent, otherwise they wouldn’t be in with this group of footballers at that age.
" I don't think Wednesday will determine whether they are going to have a great career or not." –
Guardian Service
