‘Jose plan’ can bring Toffees into Champions League
EVERTON are good enough to make the Champions League next season. They are unbeaten in eight and are a transformed team from the one which struggled in the opening weeks of the season to match the standards of Roberto Martinez’ first successful season in charge at Goodison.
But, with the rules changing for the winners of the Europa League this season, and the winners claiming a place in next season’s Champions League, their best chance could be through UEFA’s secondary competition.
Having seen their win over Wolfsburg on Thursday, I can see why Phil Jagielka has said Everton are targeting the Europa League this season.
They have won their group already, unbeaten, and even with Champions League sides dropping into the next phase, they can win it.
Everton took Wolfsburg apart on the break with devastating effect.
Romelu Lukaku was actually quite poor on the night but he scored one and created the other.
When things are going for you, that can happen, and things are certainly going for Martinez and his team after their sluggish start to his second campaign in charge.
The Everton manager has not been afraid to use his bigger names and more established players for the European campaign and there has been little disruption to the side for the Europa League.
As for Jagielka, he currently holds the record for the fastest sprint in the Premier League this season. He is also a very good defender. ‘Jags’ was in the Sheffield United side which went down on the last day of the season when they lost to the Wigan team I was in.
It was his mistake which effectively put them down that day, when he handled my free-kick in the box, leading to David Unsworth’s decisive winning penalty.
He joined Everton shortly afterwards and has become one of the Premier League’s most consistent defenders, as well as a regular England international, over the last seven or eight years.
The Jose Mourinho blueprint to win games is proving the most effective, as Everton have demonstrated.
Having attacking flair players in your side is crucial of course, but Chelsea prove it doesn’t have to be about those players all the time. Solid defences win matches.
Mourinho selling Lukaku for £28million, and buying Diego Costa for an extra £4million is not bad business.
Mourinho knows Lukaku is a work in progress but Chelsea need players who are ready now.
With the lack of consistency in the Premier League, Everton have a good chance of breaching that top four.
And they can bring that Europa League trophy home, too.