Roberto Martinez: FA Cup hype is hurting Everton
Thursday 7 April 2016 11:46, UK
Roberto Martinez has admitted the "hype" surrounding Everton's FA Cup run has had an impact on their Premier League performances.
Everton have lost three league games in a row, against West Ham and Arsenal at home, and at Manchester United last weekend.
Following the loss at Old Trafford, left-back Leighton Baines spoke out about what he perceives to be a "lack of chemistry" in the current squad.
We are not a team that's going to give in. We've got a game in hand and a lot of points to fight for. We have to be concentrating.
Between those losses, Martinez guided his team to an FA Cup semi-final with a 2-0 win over Chelsea at Goodison Park, but while that could lead to a glorious conclusion to the Toffees' campaign, the manager is fully aware the team's league form must be an immediate priority.
"We need to be obsessed with our remaining league games," said Martinez, whose team are 12th in the table and 11 points ahead of the relegation zone going into Saturday's match at Watford.
"We are not a team that's going to give in. We've got a game in hand and a lot of points to fight for. We have to be concentrating.
"The last three defeats have been different. But the hype we've had with the semi-final of the FA Cup has affected the results in the league. We need to take responsibility.
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"The pressure is one we welcome. We want to be perfect. We just lost to United because they took their chance and we won the crossbar. We were not happy with that.
"For our standards it wasn't good enough. We've gone past looking at who we are playing against. We have standards. It's a new era and we have to be demanding of performing well in every game."
