Why Roberto Martinez Will Need Time to Adjust to Life at Everton

The Premier League's frantic, unrelenting pace rarely affords a manager sufficient time to bed in at a new club. After the increasingly maligned Arsene Wenger, there is a dearth of long-term appointments in England's top flight, with Alan Pardew somehow the second longest serving manager.

As a result, new appointments need to hit the ground running. Those that don't rarely survive long enough to demonstrate their pedigree and prematurely find themselves thrust onto the managerial scrapheap.

At Everton, three draws from three friendly-looking fixtures have already added pressure onto Roberto Martinez. Given the hefty task he's faced with, it's important the Spaniard's given a prolonged period to settle in with the Toffees.

He is, of course, following on from the fine work of David Moyes, and in doing so, will be inverting Everton's style, making them a more attractive side to watch and generally altering methods applied a certain way for the past decade.

Fortunately for him, the Toffees have a reputation for being one of the few clubs still likely to provide him extended backing. It actually took Moyes over two years to fully showcase his managerial prowess, an apprenticeship many clubs would not have accepted.

After a commendable first full season, where his side finished seventh, the Toffees' form plummeted during a truly dismal second year. After numerous hapless displays they finished 17th, and countless Premier League managers have been sacked for considerably less.

Moyes began the 2004-05 season as one of the favourites to lose his job, but he eventually rewarded his club's patience by guiding them to a stunning fourth-placed finish. After two years, Everton were finally playing in his way. His squad had more of an identity, and they only dropped out of the top eight once over the following nine seasons.

If the Toffees are to benefit from their new manager's ability, then the same kind of time and patience must be afforded to Roberto Martinez. 

As mentioned, the meticulous nature of David Moyes—who recruited almost all of the current roster—has had Everton drilled in his methods, routines and principles for the past decade. With Martinez's idealistic views a far cry from his pragmatic predecessor, this is exactly why he needs time. 

His style is such a sharp shift away from Moyes that his squad will need longer to adapt. It's already clear to see the contrast in the Toffees' passing game during this season's games. However, while different, it currently appears slow and a little lethargic in these early stages, with players clearly unfamiliar with this approach.

Martinez has inherited another manager's squad, and it will take at least a year to establish which players can perform in his system and which simply cannot. For example, Everton have looked solid enough at the back thus far, but neither Phil Jagielka or Sylvain Distin are overly comfortable bringing the ball out of defence—something that has added to the Toffees' laboured transition.

Martinez will be perfectly happy using them this season, but as he builds his project, he's likely to seek a more natural ball-playing defender to improve his side's fluidity.

Attack is another area where he will be looking for his ideal pick. Romelu Lukaku is a quality addition, albeit temporarily, and Martinez will want to identify his main striker going forward over the next 12 months.

He wants this player to be as involved in the build-up play as possible, something the ailing Nikica Jelavic isn't overly familiar with. Arouna Kone meets this requirement far better but isn't likely to be the eventual long-term solution.

At a club where funds are limited, Martinez will only be able to add his targets gradually, meaning it will take him extra time to construct a squad with his own identity. James McCarthy is an excellent start, but Martinez's new style will only be as good as the players used in it. If he's not given time to add new faces, then Everton's decision to appoint him will look foolish.

The fact Moyes eventually found such consistent success at Everton, continually seeing them finish well above their financial station, only makes Martinez's job ever harder. However, the fact that he did so after a couple of inconsistent, turbulent years can hopefully remain the modus operandi for his replacement.

Follow @Matt_Cheetham