Everton-Manchester United FA Cup semi-final shouldn’t save either Roberto Martinez or Louis van Gaal’s job
Neither manager should earn a reprieve based on FA Cup performance
There’s a growing sentiment among both Everton and Manchester United fans that their upcoming FA Cup semi-final will have a significant impact on the managerial futures at both clubs. That kind of short-sighted could keep both clubs floundering well below their normal standards.
It’s almost a foregone conclusion that Roberto Martinez has to win the FA Cup if he wants to keep his job with Everton. Even Martinez himself has begun to reluctantly admit that he understands his job is in serious jeopardy if he doesn’t come up with a win against United. The idea that a manager’s entire job evaluation could come down to a relatively random competition is just stupid.
Everton should be prepared to part ways with Martinez no matter what happens in the FA Cup. If he wins, that would be a pleasant surprise for a fan base that’s in need of some cheering up, but it doesn’t change anything about the club’s long-term trajectory. It’s amazingly obvious that Martinez isn’t the right man to take them to the top of the Premier League. A lucky two game streak that results in an FA Cup trophy doesn’t change that fact.
Martinez deserves the sack because of his utter inability to sort out the Toffee defense. He’s got a world-class attack led by Romelu Lukaku and Ross Barkley, but his defense has conceded easier than a cheap lady of the night. He’s made John Stones turn from a world-class defender to someone who’d look more at home in Sunday league play.
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Perhaps even more remarkably, the prevailing wisdom is starting to allege that Louis van Gaal needs further progress in the Cup if he wants to retain his job at Manchester United. This notion might be even more idiotic than Everton’s presumed stance on Martinez. It’s unbelievable to think that Manchester United has fallen so far as to base its managerial decisions on an FA Cup run against weak competition.
If van Gaal manages to grind out a couple of conservative 1-0 wins against Everton and whomever else they face, does that really change your perception of United moving forward? Of course it doesn’t. You’ll still regard van Gaal as a stuffy manager who’s turned one of England’s classic attacking clubs into a group of 11 that appears to be running (and passing) in mud. Forgive me if a harrowing win against a Roberto Martinez managed squad doesn’t drastically change my impressions of van Gaal’s tenure at Old Trafford.
The futures of both Louis van Gaal and Roberto Martinez should be determined based on the whole of their contributions at Manchester United and Everton respectively. Neither has done enough to justify continued employment and a hollow FA Cup win shouldn’t be enough to earn them more time. It’s time for two of England’s most disappointing managers to get the sack.