Everton are on course to finish the season with their highest ever points total in the Premier League. Roberto Martinez, the Toffees manager is arguably the reason why. The Spaniard has in recent times been linked with taking over the reigns as Arsenal manager. Even more so after his side blew them away with a 3-0 on Sunday. That game was seen as a “job interview” for the summer and boy did he pass with full marks.

First of all, some may be asking, why has Wenger got to go? The answer is simple. He is no longer a competent manager. He has taken this Arsenal team from first in the league to fighting for a champions league place in the space of a couple of months. Yes Arsenal have had unlucky injuries. But with a squad as small as ours, it was inevitable. No matter what point you make, the blame will always fall back to Wenger.

Nobody is really sure what has happened to Wenger. He no longer pays attention to tactics. Of course, when you’re playing the same XI every week, teams are going to figure out their weaknesses and expose them. We went out against Everton with no game plan, no shape, no instructions. Plus the abysmal duo of Flamini and Arteta in midfield. Not only that but the Frenchman is too gutless with his substitutions. On Sunday, he waited until the 66th minute to make any changes. By then it was too late. The game was already over. What was the point in bringing on Oxlade-Chamberlain and a half fit Ramsey with 20 minutes to go when you’re 3-0 down?

Compare that to Martinez. The charismatic Spaniard is the ideal replacement for Wenger. In fact, he seems to be the Wenger from a decade ago! Martinez shares Wenger’s philosophy of emphasising attacking football first. The two managers like to play similar formations in 4-2-3-1. They believe in a powerful, lone striker who is capable of holding the ball up, distributing it well and finishing clinically. Martinez likes to see his sides play counter-attacking football, filled with pace.

As mentioned earlier, Wenger no longer cares about tactics, Martinez in that sense, is the antithesis of the Frenchman. Martinez pays so much attention to little details when developing his game plans. The most recent example of this, was in the Arsenal game. Instead of playing Lukaku in his normal striking position, he moved out onto the right wing to expose the weakness of Monreal. Martinez didn’t suddenly just decide it, though. Lukaku had been working on it all week during training. So he was relatively comfortable in playing that role. It certainly paid off as the young Belgian ran Monreal ragged. That is what Arsenal need. Football is a game of fine margins. It’s the little changes like that, that make a huge difference.

This is how Martinez lined up Everton against Arsenal:

Howard

Coleman, Stones, Distin, Baines

McCarthy, Barry

Lukaku, Osman, Mirallas

Naismith.

Not only is Roberto Martinez an excellent tactician, he also has some great man management skills. The way he handled the Baines and Fellaini situations in the summer was magnificent. He knew that he wouldn’t find a replacement left-back as good as the England international. So he stood his ground and Baines ended up staying. Regarding the Fellaini transfer, he held on until he had the replacement he needed in McCarthy. Too many times recently have Arsenal sold star players without adequately replacing them. Fabregas, Song, Nasri, Van Persie. To name a few. In addition to Martinez being able to persuade players to stay, he’s a good motivator. He signed Gareth Barry, a player who’s career was effectively over, and resurrected him. He’s managed to keep the hopes and beliefs of this Everton squad alive. Even after a heavy defeat against local rivals Liverpool.

On top of all of these qualities, he’s also an excellent transfer dealer in the terms of incomings. He’s made smart signings for Everton. The likes of Lukaku, Barry and Delefeuou brought in on loan. Along with McCarthy, Joel, Kone and Alacaraz on permanent deals. Some argue that he’s built a better side in 9 months than Wenger has managed to build in 9 years.

Finally, Martinez does also have something that most other candidates to take over Arsene Wenger don’t. That is, Premier League experience. He’s been managing in the Premiership for 5 years. That’s so much experience for someone so young (40 years old). 

The one downside with opting for the Spaniard is that it could all be too much, too soon. Let’s not forget, 2 seasons ago he was battling to keep Wigan in the top flight of English football. He was lucky to be given the opportunity to manage Everton from Bill Kenwright. Luckily that gamble paid off for him. But we don’t want to end up going into a Moyes-esque United side, do we? Plus, Martinez has never had the experience of managing in a European competition. Would he be able to cope against Bayern Munich or Barcelona?

In conclusion, if Wenger fails to land either 4th place or the FA Cup then he will walk at the end of this season. Whoever replaces him will have a difficult task, no doubt. Of course, we will have to undergo a transitional period. But getting the right manager in is key to how long that transition lasts. Martinez could be Arsenal's best bet. He’s young, charismatic and full of energy. It would bring a great change to Arsenal who have grown used to an old man who is tired, gutless and at some points even slightly delusional.

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About the author
Jack Benson
Aspiring football journalist. Twitter: @_JackBenson