Martinez aims for equal measure of style and substance as Crystal Palace return to happy hunting ground
Everton boss Roberto Martinez has demanded that his side strike the right balance between style and substance as they bid to close the gap on the top six when they host Crystal Palace at Goodison Park tonight.
Martinez has married the attacking talents of in-form striker Romelu Lukaku, enterprising Spaniard Gerard Deulofeu and England playmaker Ross Barkley this season, which is exemplified by Everton scoring 14 goals in their last four Premier League matches.
The Toffees, however, have only won two of their previous seven top-flight matches and twice threw away leads against Bournemouth in their last outing, a run which has seen them slip into the lower half of the table.
“We want to aim for perfection and perfection is to play well, play exciting football that our fans enjoy and love and then to get a win at the end of it,” said Martinez. “We want to be an exciting team to watch but, at the end of it, we want to be a team who can win consistently.”
Eighth-place Palace, meanwhile, have won their last four matches on Merseyside, including successive 3-2 victories at Goodison Park, while they have only lost twice in six visits to Everton.
Palace are without the suspended Wilfried Zaha after the winger picked up a booking for diving against Newcastle last week, while Bakary Sako is sidelined with a hamstring injury.