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FA Cup Unlikely To ‘Liberate Struggling Everton’

By Trevor Murray

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Aug 6, 2013; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Everton midfielder Ross Barkley (20) dribbles the ball against Valencia during the second half at Sun Life Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Teetering on the brink, almost ready to keel over, Everton are a vulnerable team right now. Huffing and puffing long before they were expected to, they’ve struggled to acclimatise to a rough and tumble campaign.

Suspect, out-of-sorts and below par, The Toffees have been a shadow of their usual selves this season. Questioned for their degree of commitment as well as their belief in the cause, they’ve been bulldozed into a truly awkward position without too much cause for hope.

That is, it seems, unless your name is Roberto Martinez.

As reported by Reuters, the Catalan-born boss has claimed that England’s most prestigious cup competition could turn out to be the much-needed important platform they can use to their advantage.

"“The FA Cup can liberate us. It can give you real freedom, you have nothing to lose and that’s refreshing”"

Almost in awe of the competition’s reputation, the Spaniard was keen to stress just how much he was looking forward to the game.

"“We are playing a side who are a consistent team I think it will be a very open game, a proper cup tie and a really good game of football. It could be a pivotal moment in our season.”"

Some might call it a blind defence of his team and an as-per-usual rallying call in the middle of hard times, but cynicism aside it might well turn out to be exactly what they need right about now.

But do they really have nothing to lose? And is it plausible for him to claim that it is refreshing?

Looking at it in the cold light of day, this is a must-win match for The Blues, at least in terms of their immediate pride.

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Because while the expectancy on them to go and grab a win has diminished immensely in recent times with the defeats piling up, the repercussions of yet another loss would be tantamount to an irreversible disaster.

No doubt there will also be some who’ll take issue with Martinez’s labelling of the tie. He views it as a chance for them to kick-start their season; it’s a very rose-coloured view of an already fiercely romanticised competition – and they need to be careful they don’t get sucked into that view too much.

However, while it is an opportunity to reignite their spark, it is not the solution to all of their problems and a loss could well turn out to be the best possible outcome. Sure, a win at Goodison in the glow of the cup’s romance would not only buy the manager time as well as more support, but it could also further entrench the problems of inaction and lethargy they currently face.

Most importantly of all, with such a hectic calendar at the best of times – and with injuries cropping up left, right and centre – the absence of yet another match-day commitment could enable them to free up time to concentrate on boosting their league performances as well as allowing them to focus on the Europa League.

Not to take away from how special the FA Cup is, but for a club like Everton, who now possess more lofty ambitions than ever before, it’s realistic to view it as more of a hindrance than a help.

At the end of the day, it’s a clash between what the club want now and what they’ll need in the future.

Knowing just how honest and traditional the club are, they should be expecting to go in search of the win, but a loss, though undeniably tough to bear, could well turn out to be the best result in the long run.

Do you think Everton would be better off without the FA Cup distraction?

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