Jurgen Klopp has figuratively shot Roberto Martinez in the face
It wasn’t all that long ago when Everton fans were happy with Roberto Martinez in charge of the Toffees. Even earlier this year, I believed Martinez would eventually bring the side around to a positive state with his attractive, attacking style of football. Then Jurgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool and everything went horribly wrong for the affable Everton manager.
Yesterday’s 4-0 hammering of the Toffees in their derby against hated Liverpool should serve as the ultimate period to Martinez’s time in charge at Goodison Park. No matter what happens in their FA Cup run it’s almost impossible to imagine Martinez being in charge when next year begins. His time at Everton may have been doomed regardless, but Klopp’s arrival at Liverpool certainly will serve as the final nail in his coffin.
Klopp has brought an energetic, gritty style of football to Liverpool that only highlights what Martinez’s Everton squad lacks. Both teams can be prolific in attack, but Martinez’s defense has let him down time and time again this season. They’ve been easier to score on than a cheap hooker in Amsterdam.
One need only look at John Stones as the perfect example of the difference between the two managers. The talented English defender has endured a horrible campaign under Martinez where he’s given the ball away with alarming regularity. Does anyone think for a moment that he’d be suffering like this under Klopp? I dare say if you put Stones onto the Liverpool side right now, Klopp would have him playing his best football in short order. That thought has to literally make Everton fans cringe.
Even Klopp’s charming personality has been a blow to Martinez. Before the German’s arrival, Martinez looked like an absolute prince compared to Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers. He’s quite a pleasant man and he certainly lacks the arrogance that made Rodgers so insufferable. Simply put, Martinez had it good when the local media could only compare him to the media dumpster fire that is Brendan Rodgers.
Then Klopp came and ruined that favorable comparison for Martinez. Now, instead of being judged against an annoying lump of clay, he had to be measured against one of football’s most engaging personalities. Now, not only was Martinez revealed to be thoroughly outclasses as a tactician, but he’s also the more boring of the two Merseyside managers. Losing out on the public’s benefit of the doubt based on his personality may have damaged the Everton boss more than his results on the pitch.
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Roberto Martinez will rue the day that Jurgen Klopp waltzed into Liverpool and changed the entire dynamic between the two clubs. The smiling German effectively shot Roberto Martinez’s Everton career in the face they day he arrived.