Martinez praises Lukaku performance

07 January 2015 15:16

Everton manager Roberto Martinez believes striker Romelu Lukaku's return to form will help drag them out of their current hole.

The Belgium international not only scored an added-time equaliser in the FA Cup tie at home to West Ham but looked sharp and engaged throughout after starting the previous two matches on the bench.

Martinez believes the 21-year-old is getting back to his best and is certain that will help a team who have had just one win in nine.

"I love the attitude he showed," said the Toffees manager. " He was penetrating and he worked extremely hard to get that physicality and power back in his body and when he is in that sort of mood he is the best.

"To get that reward at the end will give him the world of confidence. When he shows that attitude it is a big strength of ours.

"I look at his reaction (to being left on the bench). He never accepted he didn't want to improve or get refreshed.

"I think he has taken that really well, shown a good attitude and I thought his game looked back to his very best.

"Now, at the start of the second half of the season, that is massive for us. If we want to be successful we need him at his very best."

Lukaku's performance may have stood out but Martinez was impressed with the way the whole side maintained their resilience in the game even with confidence at a low ebb on the back of four successive defeats.

Martinez, in particular, has come in for criticism during that time as Everton continue to leak soft goals, but the Spaniard insists he will not change his philosophy.

"I will never shy away from expectations. We want to be a winning team so we will never have a problem to keep pushing to achieve that," he said.

"I saw ourselves being ourselves and to get the reward is very significant. It is a huge lift. I feel it is a big turning point in this run we have been involved in.

"It has been an horrendous period for us because of the amount of results we had and the effort we put in, we got no rewards whatsoever - it became very tough.

"But mentality has always been one of the biggest strengths the squad have had.

"It would have been all too easy to accept defeat and not to show personality and character.

"As a football team I thought we were an incredible example of how to face adversity and, for me, it is something which will turn our season around."

One player looking to turn his personal fortunes around is Bryan Oviedo, standing in for the injured Leighton Baines, whose cross set up Lukaku's equaliser.

It is nearly a year since the Costa Rica international sustained an horrific double break of his leg which cost him a place at the World Cup.

But having completed only his second 90 minutes since then, he is looking forward rather than back.

"I take it as though I am starting again," he said. " I think the most important thing is to have the right mentality, never get down and always want to help the team.

"I waited a long time for my opportunity and it is almost 12 months now.

"I am happy to come back and help the team and I hope to continue to play and progress.

"Every day was difficult because you want to come back as quickly as possible but you need to take the time and recover every day.

"For me the most difficult time was the last two months because you feel well but one day you are training well and the next day you feel very bad with too much pain - this happens with an injury like that.

"The most important thing is to be ready and I am very happy."

Source: PA