Can Everton compete on two fronts this season?

Leighton Baines is a very important player for Everton

Everton don't have the biggest squad around but do they have enough depth to challenge both domestically and in the Europa League?

The 3-0 win over Aston Villa at Goodison on Saturday should be the result that sparks Everton's season into life after a slow start.

Roberto Martinez and his Toffees squad face a challenging spell however with four Europa League games to add to seven Premier League games up to early December.

Are they built to cope with the dual demands?

'In it to win it'

Earlier in the season, Martinez declared the club would embrace the Europa League and insisted the Toffees were setting their sights on winning Europe's secondary club competition.

After four years on the outside looking in, it would be refreshing to see Martinez maintaining this approach throughout the campaign.

Chelsea's megastar squad won the competition after dropping down from the Champions League in 2013 but aside from that only Fulham's run to the final in 2010 has witnessed an English club really pushing towards Europa League success in the last eight seasons.

Having scrapped for an entire season to ensure qualification, it does seem somewhat contradictory to treat the competition as a distraction - ala Tottenham in recent times.

Suffering Domestically

Of course, any attempt at Europe League success must be balanced against maintaining the standards set domestically.

Everton's poor start to the Premier League campaign cannot be attributed solely to their European involvement but the bare facts show they have lost both games on the back of Europa League nights this season.

That is something Martinez will want to arrest before it comes an issue. The home defeat to Palace was a shocker whilst a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford is not out of the ordinary.

This weekend's trip to Turf Moor represents something of a crossroads - Everton need a result.

Trips to Sunderland and Tottenham are their next post-Europa League assignments.

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Strength in Numbers

The only solution to this juggling act for Martinez is depth in his squad. The Spaniard will have to be able to call upon and trust the players that are beyond his strongest eleven.

Unlike when David Moyes was in charge at Goodison, Martinez does appear to have room to manoeuvre in that respect.

The likes of Samuel Eto'o, Darron Gibson, Leon Osman, Bryan Oviedo and Arouna Kone are all capable of contributing to the push on both fronts.

Steven Naismith and Aiden McGeady can also summon the European experiences gained on both sides of Glasgow's Old Firm as a useful tool for Martinez in his maiden European campaign as a manager.

Positive Signs

There are plenty of reasons for Evertonians to look forward to fighting on two fronts this season.

Their shaky start has included visits from Arsenal and Chelsea as well as trips to Anfield and Old Trafford.

Home games against Swansea, Hull, QPR and Stoke are on the horizon between now and Boxing Day, offering Everton a chance to achieve some momentum in the league.

The four points gained in their two Europa League ties are also a significant plus.

A similar return from the impending double-header with Lille would have Everton all but assured of a place in the Last 32 with two games to spare.

That would permit Martinez to shuffle his pack a little for the remaining Group G games.

In Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman, the Toffees possess the best attacking full-back combination in the Premier League.

The duo are licensed to attack almost at will and although they have been operating like this for a couple of seasons, Premier League opponents remain bamboozled when they are in full flow.

It is a partnership that would threaten any Europa League opponent and to that end, Everton should be eyeing next May's final in Warsaw.

It is a balancing act for the club as a whole. What will be more fondly remembered in 25 years - that second successive fifth place Premier League finish or the glorious Europa League triumph against, let's say for arguments sake, Inter Milan?