Do these three Everton stars need to step up for them to make it into Europe?

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Joel Robles

In all fairness, this is less of a ‘player that must improve’ and more of a ‘player Martinez should look at’. After deputising for the injured Tim Howard earlier in the season—and more than pulling his weight—Joel Robles was dropped and left back on the substitutes’ bench in favour of Howard. Some would consider this unlucky, and in recent weeks Robles has lined up once again.

The 25-year-old is obviously an able deputy, but being still young—and clearly having a lot of potential—perhaps Martinez should have a think for next season about who he wants to be Everton’s number one. Howard is certainly on a downward curve with his ever-increasing age, and is seemingly becoming increasingly prone to errors. Would it be such a bad thing for the Toffees’ boss to start planning for the near future?

With some more experience behind his gloves, Robles could comfortably become Everton’s first-choice goalkeeper over the coming years. If we take the example of David de Gea at Manchester United, at first he struggled with his bulk and sometimes with commanding his area. Now, having acclimatised to the Premier League, the Spaniard is rapidly showing that he is one of the best goalkeepers in the English top flight—and indeed Europe. Now, I am not saying Robles will reach the same level, but could it hurt to give him the chance to shine?