Spurs 1-0 Everton - e-Football Review

Article by e-Everton Correspondent Kenneth Jarvis

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Martinez out, Ross Barkley is over-rated, our season is over, Naismith shouldn't be anywhere near the team and other such exaggerations. The weekend couldn't have got much worse for Everton and such comments are always likely after a defeat. A loss to rivals Tottenham meant they leapfrogged us in the table. Liverpool moved further away and even Man Utd managed to gain points on Everton. Added to that, the teams we are due to play next won which meant it really was a weekend to forget.

If Everton had a recognised striker then it may have all been different, but we didn't. More possession and more shots doesn't count for anything if you don't put the ball in the back of the net. In fact, Liverpool had a lot less possession than Everton and Arsenal in recent games but ended up 4-0 and 5-1 winners respectively.

Everton did have Lacina Traore on the bench but by Martinez' own admission, this games was too soon to risk him. Which does beg the question why he was on the bench in the first place. Martinez does have to be held accountable for our lack of striking options at it was his decision to let Anichebe and Jelavic go this season. Whilst both were not prolific strikers in their time at Everton, surely both would have done a better job than Naismith in this match.

Everton were dominant in the first half with Mirallas looking dangerous and our best chances falling to Leon Osman. Whilst Osman had a good game when he was employed in the centre of the park, you were never confident when the ball left his feet that it would end up in the back of the net. The decision to move Osman from this position was a strange one by Martinez. Up to that point Everton had looked balanced and were playing well without looking too dangerous. The move to bring Barkley seemed to unbalance the team as we ended up with multiple players out of position. Against Aston Villa, Martinez' substitutions worked perfectly and this season they have worked more often than not so just because they didn't work in one game it shouldn't be used as a stick to beat him with.

Deulofeu and Barkley didn't look dangerous and the same can be said for McGeady. All three are still trying to find fitness but such is the depth of Everton's squad, the gamble needed to be made to play them but it didn't pay off.

Everton's season reverts back to post-Liverpool status. We just need to win games. You never know, after Wednesday, all the other teams may drop points and let us back in it, but the games left in the season will start running out fast. Crystal Palace on Wednesday looks like a big game now, if Everton fail to win that then the race for 4th really will start looking dire from an Everton point of view.

In the end here, Everton conceded a soft goal. After giving away needless free-kick, Tottenham were a lot sharper as Adebayor capitalised after Jagielka and Distin had both switched off. Martinez said that it was a bad way to lose a match and felt akin to Fifa when you're keeper passes it straight to one of their forwards and scores. It is immensely annoying, but in the end, you know it was your fault.

Everton are desperately crying out for a striker. Our best period of the season came when Lukaku was in form but results started to waver when his form dipped but it was always dangerous to rely on an on-loan 20 year old. When Traore and Lukaku are both fit, then we have have more cause for optimism but by that time it may be too late.

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