Premier League: Have Everton bitten off more than they can chew?

Has Roberto Martinez bitten off more than he can chew?

Roberto Martinez's commitment to all competitions is admirable, says Andy Brassell, but could it come back to haunt them come May?

Roberto Martinez is a hero. There's no doubt about it. In an age when managers regularly sell out the hopes and dreams of supporters, here is someone committed to hard work and effort in every competition, and chasing glory rather than just the safe option. 

While Everton's place on the cusp of the top four is surely ripe to be converted into more in this of all seasons, with everyone bar Chelsea looking fairly unreliable, Martinez remains determined to spread his efforts evenly, and to give Europe a good crack. The adjusted status of the Europa League must play a part in it, of course - with a Champions League place on offer for the winners of this season's edition - but the sense remains of somebody to whom trophies, and shared experiences, mean something. 

Having lauded Martinez's attitude, there is a mounting stack of evidence for those who believe it to be idealistic and outdated. Sunday's defeat at Tottenham left Everton in 10th place in the Premier League with a fairly underwhelming 17 points from 13 matches, above neighbours Liverpool on goal difference. 

It's not just the table that provides ammunition for the Eurosceptics. For the third time in five matches, the blue half of Merseyside have followed a Europa League Thursday with a Premier League defeat. The other two have been a win at relegation favourites Burnley and a draw at Sunderland.

The performance at Spurs definitely suggested a bit of weariness, mentally and physically. It was, to be frank, a match that Everton really should have won against a side drained of confidence at home, especially after Kevin Mirallas' cracker gave them the lead. They dominated possession throughout but lacked either penetration or inspiration for a large part of the game, and let in two goals in which Tottenham's greater vim was apparent on both occasions. 

It is hardly surprising that Martnez's men were feeling the pace. They withstood quite a battering at Wolfsburg, with the home side having 39 efforts at goal despite Everton keeping a clean sheet and winning 2-0. The resolve necessary to absorb blows and counter-attack came at an inevitable price.

Even given the poor recent results of Wednesday's visitors to Goodison Park, Hull City (four successive defeats), they should not be totally written off. They have taken points at Arsenal (a match which they narrowly avoided winning) and Liverpool in the past six weeks, and Everton's patchy home record offers encouragement to Steve Bruce's men.

The Toffees have won two, drawn two and lost two to date at home in the Premier League, leaking an alarming 12 goals in the process (even if the loss to Chelsea does account for half of those) - they have conceded 21 in 13 matches overall. After Saturday's limp display at Manchester United, something that will have deeply hurt Bruce, we must expect a reaction of sorts from the Humbersiders. Nikica Jelavic will certainly be keen to make an impression against his former club.  

Expecting a Hull win at 7.613/2 is a bit much, but The Draw at 4.3100/30 is interesting, especially when one considers the amount of pressure on the Toffees to turn things around (an Everton win is priced at 1.564/7, reflecting that expectation). Everton and Martnez's daring is to be applauded, but one can already sense a creaking.