Honesty, integrity, positivity, knowledge. Four ingredients to success. A man who has these features in abundance? Roberto Martinez. The Everton manager has been a roaring success on Merseyside since his switch from Wigan Athletic in the summer and has incorporated his style into the club without hesitation.
Martinez has instilled confidence and belief into a club who for the past number of years has suffered some sort of inferiority complex when facing teams in the higher etalons of the Premier League. The way he believes and entrusts in his players to carry out his values on the football pitch takes real bravery, and can only be admired.
When looking at Martinez's time in English (and Welsh) football as a manager, it is in no way surprising that he has lifted Everton to a new level.
It would be easy to look at the heights Swansea City have reached over the last couple of seasons and think that this was something that has only come to fruition in recent years. Wrong. Martinez was the man who brought stability to the Welsh club and gave them a platform to build on. When Martinez took the reigns at the Swans in 2007 they were a mid table League One side. Swansea missed out on the play offs the season the Spaniard took over but the following year they would be crowned champions. Martinez took Swansea on an eighteen game unbeaten run which led them to the Championship.
Brendan Rodgers gets a lot of credit for the fluid, possession based football that Swansea played on their return to the Premier League. However, Martinez was the man who set this in motion and left a fantastic platform for Rodgers and more recently, Michael Laudrup, to build on.
Martinez was appointed manager of Wigan Athletic in 2009, a club where he had spent six years of his playing career. In his time with Wigan, Martinez kept the club in the Premier League for three consecutive seasons before being relegated at the end of last season. Not only did Wigan somewhat over-achieve in terms of their durability in the top flight, they also managed to win the 2013 FA Cup for the first time in their history defeating overwhelming favourites Manchester City.
Martinez has undoubtedly put a predominantly 'Rugby League' loving town on the footballing map once again. Over his four years spent at the Greater Manchester club he built up a bubbling relationship with owner Dave Whelan and they hold each other in the highest regard. Whelan referred to Martinez as "the best manager around" in a recent interview with Sky Sports and was shocked that Manchester United didn't enquire about his services when Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the end of last season.
David Moyes was the man who got the call to replace Sir Alex, and this has given Martinez a chance to put his ever growing credentials to the test again. His start to the season has been nothing short of spectacular and it see's his new club lying in fifth place, one point off a Champions League position.
Everton have improved significantly since Martinez took over and he has given them the freedom to express themselves on the pitch, whereas Manchester United have dis-improved under Moyes. This isn't a sly dig at David Moyes by any means and he was left with a poison chalice to some degree at United. The point being made is that, Martinez's side has been released from the shackles somewhat and the defensive style of Moyes' former team has been embraced as well as nurtured into an expansive attacking force.
At the start of this campaign, Martinez identified specific areas in which he needed to strengthen and he has delivered with his signings. He has taken full advantage of the loan system with signings such as Gareth Barry from Manchester City, Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea and Gerard Deulofeu from Barcelona. Ross Barkley has been given a vital No10 role in the side and James McCarthy (brought in from Wigan) has brought a touch of class as well as steal t a strong midfield. All the players mentioned above have flourished in Everton's 4-4-1-1 formation this season and have got their rewards with results against Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
It is no shock to the system that Everton have excelled under Roberto Martinez . The Toffee's have only conceded defeat once this season and can most certainly be considered top four contenders.
With Martinez at the helm of such a big and historic club, it would be foolish to rule out what is possible for Everton this season, and for many years to come.
One thing is for certain, they're in safe hands.
