Roberto Martínez shrugs off pressure to focus on Wembley showdown

Roberto Martínez has said it would be unprofessional to “waste time” thinking about his position as the Everton manager when he must prepare a makeshift team for the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United.

Martínez approaches Saturday’s semi-final at Wembley under intense pressure after the first leg of what he admitted was a defining week ended in a shambolic defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday.

He has major selection problems in defence. Ramiro Funes Mori is suspended, Seamus Coleman is injured and Phil Jagielka faces a late fitness test on a hamstring problem and appears unlikely to play. Everton have not won since the quarter-final victory over Chelsea on March 12th.

Martínez said he could not allow the pre-match focus to be on his future before such a pivotal game. “I wouldn’t be professional if I was wasting my time thinking about what other people think and the position around the manager. We just want to prepare the team for the next game.

“We are very close to challenging for silverware. We are hurt but whatever you carry into a semi-final doesn’t matter when the whistle goes. The position is not about what surrounds my situation but about us as a club. Any winning feeling changes the mood of a club and the confidence of an individual.”

The Jagielka question

Jagielka travelled with the squad to London on Friday but the captain, who scored the winning penalty when Everton beat United in the 2009 FA Cup semi-final, is a major doubt with a hamstring strain that has forced him to miss the past three games.

“Medically I wouldn’t expect Phil to be fit,” Martínez said, “but knowing him he wants to try everything possible and we’re not going to say no. We will treat his feelings rather than the injury.”

The Everton manager has spoken to Funes Mori about the dreadful challenge on Divock Origi that resulted in a three-match ban for the Argentina defender and ankle ligament damage for the Liverpool striker. Funes Mori has received an automatic fine of one week’s wages for the red card.

Water under the bridge

Martínez said: “I have had a conversation with him but, because of the proximity of the semi-final, my time has been more about the preparation for that.

“He knows he should have measured the challenge better but it’s water under the bridge now. As a team it was a really tough moment. It’s not the sort of incident you want to give a referee a decision on. We have dealt with it and moved on.” Guardian service