Roberto Martinez Must Solve Defensive Issues for Everton to Improve

To describe Everton's start to this season as inconsistent would be something of an understatement.

Roberto Martinez's second season in charge at Goodison Park had its lowest point thus far on Tuesday night with a humbling exit from the League Cup at Liberty Stadium.  That defeat in Wales followed a sobering home loss to Crystal Palace last Sunday in the Premier League.  

Despite an emphatic return to the European stage, defeat to Palace leaves the Toffees sitting a disappointing 14th in the Premier League with only one league win.  Trips to Anfield, Krasnodar in the Europa League and Old Trafford all loom for Martinez's men in the space of just eight days, leaving little time to address some serious deficiencies. 

Scoring goals hasn't been the issue. They have found the net on 11 occasions in their opening five league games while they knocked four past Bundesliga's Wolfsburg in their Europa League opener last Thursday.  It is therefore some serious defensive frailties which look to require the most attention if Everton are to put a stop to their ropey early season form. 

David Maddock of the Daily Mirror reported that Martinez branded his team's defending last weekend as "spooky," and it’s easy to see why.  Fifteen clean sheets last season formed the foundation of a successful maiden campaign, but they have already conceded an alarming 13 goals in those five league games, keeping just one clean sheet in the process. 

It is the very heart of the Everton defense which has caused the most problems.  Phil Jagielka and Sylvain Distin’s form has been nothing short of shambolic.  Jagielka has committed three individual errors already this season according to Squawka, one of which led directly to a goal conceded. Distin’s one individual error was also a costly one. 

Others have also been individually culpable for a shocking amount of goals against at such an early stage of the season. Martinez must put a stop to such expensive individual errors to arrest the current slide.

England youngster John Stones could provide a solution at the back.  Deployed at right-back by Roy Hodgson for England, he has also deputised for Seamus Coleman in the same position for Everton, but many see his future at centre back on both stages.  There may be no better time for Martinez to show further faith in one of England’s best prospects by playing him at the heart of his defence.   

A further concern for Everton is the distressing form of American goalkeeper Tim Howard.  His heroic performances for the USA at the World Cup in Brazil seem a distant memory.  Howard faced three shots from Crystal Palace at Goodison last Sunday.  Everton conceded three goals.   

There may be little Martinez can do in regards to Howard’s form. Handing the gloves to understudy Joel Robles seems an unlikely course of action, and Martinez must simply hope his No. 1 rediscovers his best in the coming weeks. 

The three impending away matches provide a huge test of Martinez’s ability to address these problems. They also represent one of the biggest examinations of his time in the Goodison hot seat.

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