It seems a little ridiculous to suggest that a team's season is just getting started going into the eighth game of the campaign, but in the case of Roberto Martinez's Everton, it's also true. The Toffees sit in a miserable seventeenth place in the league table, but when you look at the incredibly tough start to their fixture list, you realise there is no crisis. Despite this, they need to start picking up points, and when they host Aston Villa at Goodison Park on Saturday afternoon they should fancy their chances of getting all three.
"We respect Villa a lot, they know how to hurt teams"
- Roberto Martinez
Martinez knows, however, that Villa are a tough team to break down, and that The Claret and Blues will hurt them if they are complacent: "We respect Villa a lot and we know Paul Lambert is a manager who knows how to get a team drilled and how to play as a team. He gets teams playing good, brave, exciting football. The way he has gone through the transition at Villa has been very impressive," said the Everton boss. Martinez also noted some of the key threats in a Villa team full of experience: “When you have players like Christian Benteke, Andreas Weimann, Gabby Agbonlahor and Charles N’Zogbia – they are players that have got really good experience in the league and know how to hurt teams.”
With Premier League football coming to a halt for the international break, it seems a long time since Everton were dispatched 2-1 by Manchester United, courtesy of goals from Angel di Maria and Radamel Falcao. It was a result that disappointed the Everton boss, who insists his side must pick up more points. Martinez knows he side will face a tough battle, however, after Villa's impressvive start to the season: "I think we've seen this season that they've got an outstanding away record and I think their start has been impressive.
"They have got two incredible away victories against Liverpool and Stoke and also some impressive performances where they probably didn't get the results they deserved. Last year at Goodison we had a really exciting, close game against them and we know we'll have to be at our best to win."
For Paul Lambert's Aston Villa, the season got off to a fantastic start. However, a tough run of fixtures against Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City - in which they could only manage three points (albeit impressively against Brendan Rodgers' side) - has put the stoppers on an impressive start. Nevertheless, sitting in tenth place with ten points from seven games is nothing to complain about - and Lambert's side will be looking to kick on from here.
"We're under no illusions how hard it'll be"
- Paul Lambert
Nevertheless, the Villa boss knows that they have their work cut out to pick up points from the visit to Goodison Park, suggesting that the Premier League table currently does not reflect how good Martinez's Everton really are: “Everton are a good side. I think they’re in a false position in the table at the moment. They’ve got some really good players there. It may not be the start they wanted but it just goes to show that the league is tough. They’re a really good side so we’re under no illusions how hard it’s going to be," he said. Villa fans are sure to be expecting a real tough battle, but will have faith in their counter-attacking football. Christian Benteke will be champing at the bit once more as he seeks to deliver his side the three points.
Martinez is almost ready to be boosted by the return of youngster Ross Barkley, but is still yet to be certain of whether he is fit enough to return to the fold against Villa. The England midfielder has been out with a knee injury that he picked up just before the start of the season, but return to full training this week. Everton are also hopeful about the return of Seamus Coleman, Steven Pienaar and James McCarthy, but have to accept that both Kevin Mirallas and John Stones will not make the side - the later still recovering from surgery on his knee.
For Lambert and Villa the news is not good, as they are set to be without England international Fabian Delph. Delph fell awkwardly in training on Tuesday, prompting fears that he could be sidelined for a number of weeks. However, Lambert stopped short of confirming whether Delph had dislocated the shoulder. Defender Philippe Senderos is also set to miss out, but captain Ron Vlaar - the subject of ever-increasing rumours of a £12million move to Old Trafford - is fit after ongoing troublesome calf problems.