Roberto Martinez Plays Down Kevin Mirallas Penalty Row but Everton Hurt by Draw

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has played down suggestions of a row within his dressing room during the 0-0 draw with West Bromwich Albion.

The Toffees, who are now on a run of one win in 13 matches in all competitions, struggled to break down a resilient Albion at Goodison Park on Monday.

However, they were gifted an opportunity to break the deadlock in the 43rd minute after a handball by former Everton defender Joleon Lescott inside the area.

Referee Michael Oliver pointed to the spot, and the stage seemed set for Leighton Baines, who has scored 15 times from 16 penalties in the Premier League.

Instead of the England international, however, Kevin Mirallas collected the ball and placed it on the spot.

That decision appeared to prompt Romelu Lukaku and Steven Naismith to question Mirallas as the penalty taker with Baines also on the field.

The Belgium international duly missed from the spot, hitting Ben Foster's right-hand post, and was subsequently withdrawn from the action at half-time when he was replaced by Bryan Oviedo.

Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville described Mirallas as having indulged in an "unforgiveable act" by appearing to ignore team orders, as the Daily Telegraph reported, while former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was also scathing in the same article.

However, Martinez played down the penalty issue in an interview with Sky Sports after the match.

But the Everton manager is too smart to criticise his player in full view of the media spotlight, and the issue is likely to rumble on.

It is a situation the Merseyside club could do without, especially considering the plight they now find themselves in.

Everton have won just once in their last 13 matches in all competitions, and the draw with West Brom leaves them four points above the drop zone.

If Mirallas is criticised for seeming to go against the hierarchy of the team, at least he can say he put his head above the parapet when the Blues needed it.

The FA Cup third-round replay defeat at West Ham last week means Martinez now has a two-week break before returning to Premier League action with a trip to Crystal Palace on Jan. 31.

By then, he must rediscover the creativity of his team. A more direct approach looked to have ended their woeful form in the FA Cup match at Upton Park, and it is something Martinez needs to address.

The Spaniard won deserved plaudits last season for his style of play where possession represented more than nine-tenths of the law.

Everton were a sight to behold at times, with the 3-0 demolition of Arsenal in April looking to put them on course for Champions League play.

However, an inability to break down a resolute Crystal Palace at Goodison Park in the following match precipitated a dip in form at exactly the wrong time.

The Palace manager at the time was Tony Pulis, the same man who masterminded West Brom's resilient tactics at Goodison on Monday.

The fear for Everton supporters now is that opposing teams have discovered a way to deny their team, and Martinez has no alternative to the possession game to counter that.

The Goodison boss has two weeks to turn things around. With or without Mirallas, it is not going to be easy, but it desperately needs doing.