Can a Martinez team defend? (A rhetorical question?)

It was startling to hear that, even before the defeat to Arsenal on Saturday, Everton had conceded more goals at home than anyone else in the premier league this season, including the hapless Aston Villa.

There's certainly plenty of goals this season at Goodison: 57 in the league so far (F29 A 28). Nowhere has seen more goals, though the same total at Man City. City's record is F39 A18; strangely enough their fans probably aren't much happier.

The EFC fans website Grand Old Team had an excellent analysis of Everton's defensive problems after the 3-4 game against Stoke at the end of December (https://goo.gl/YKj9DC). Amongst it's conclusions was that the freedom Martinez gives the team to attack causes them to lose shape and be vulnerable after losing the ball. It commended Pep Guardiola's "rule of thirds", explained beautifully by Thierry Henry with video clips on Sky (go to http://streamable.com/u4uj?iframe=true&width=100%"%20rel="wp-video-lightbox%5Biframes%5D). Fascinating to hear Henry talk of his defensive duties as one of a Barca front 3 and of being subbed after scoring the only goal in the first half for ignoring the rule.

The Martinez project to turn Everton into Wigan is now quite well advanced, going from the stats, at least at Goodison:

Goals conceded		Home		Away		Total
		Total	Per game	Total	Per game	Total	Per game
Everton	2013/14	19	1.0	20	1.1	39	1.0
Everton	2014/15	21	1.1	29	1.5	50	1.3
Everton	2015/16*	28	1.8	13	1.0	41	1.4
Wigan	2012/13	39	2.1	34	1.8	73	1.9
*after 29 games; 16 home, 13 away

Strange that the average goals conceded per game away is the lowest under Martinez so far this season, but has rocketed at Goodison.

Still, this all left me very worried about Everton's defence. Especially as, since the Stoke defeat, Jagielka has returned (and played well); Coleman, Baines and McCarthy have also come back, and Martinez has at last given Robles a run in goal, all of which would be expected to improve the team defensively.

And since December he has preferred Lennon to Deulofeu, and now has Cleverley on the left, both changes you would expect to tighten things up.

However, when you look at what has actually happened in 2016 at Goodison, the problem looks a bit different.

Everton at Goodison 2015/16
2015		Pl  10	W 3	D 3	L 4	F 22	A 19
2016		Pl 6	W 1	D 1	L 4	F 7	A 9

So, since the new year, the average number of goals per game has gone down, from 4.1 to 2.7.  Everton are better defensively and are back at the 1 or 1.1 per game goals conceded at home under Martinez in earlier seasons. But the goal scoring has dried up as well. Barkley's form has dropped noticeably, possibly because he is worried about positioning and losing the ball. And they are just as vulnerable. Indeed they are more of a losing team at home than in the goalfest period before new year.

(This analysis is only for league games and so excludes the 2-0 cup tie win against Chelsea, turned single handedly by Lukaku).

So, my question turns out not to have been rhetorical. Martinez's Everton can defend at home, but only if they sacrifice the quality of the attack. And the results are worse. No wonder, just as the club has a new major shareholder, Martinez looks confused and worried.

Everton have now lost 8 out of 16 home games; only Villa and Palace have lost more.

Everton last lost 8 home games in a season (the whole season mind) in the dog days of 1996/97, as Joe Royle's era crumbled and we stayed up in 15th place after staggering to the end of the season.

On MoTD last Saturday, Danny Murphy blamed the crowd. One can understand why they are restless. But at the previous game, the 2-3 defeat to West Ham, the crowd were wholly supportive, until the Hammers (by then expected) 3rd goal went in and many headed for the exits, more sullen and depressed than angry. Sorry, Danny, but in this chicken and egg, it's not the crowd the problem originated from.

Amongst other things, Everton are suffering from the lack of left sided attackers, with only the inconsistent Mirallas comfortable playing there, in the continuing absence of the ever injured and now long in the tooth Pienaar. This naturally makes it difficult to maintain shape and attack freely. It is a deficiency that should have been addressed in January.

Personally, I would now give Funes Mori, who overall has done well but made glaring mistakes against Arsenal, a breather and bring back Stones, who has something to prove. But the source of Everton's problems are in front of the back 4.

The Drifters performed on the pitch at half time last Saturday. And not just at half time, as many wags were quick to point out (see https://www.facebook.com/Everton/videos/10153308661566277/). Worrying times, indeed, even with an F A Cup semi coming up. At least it's not at Goodison.