Roberto Martinez claims fear of being axed is driving his Everton stars to new heights

Roberto Martinez admits he possesses huge strength in depth at Everton

ROBERTO MARTINEZ believes his Everton players are being driven to new heights by the fear of being axed.

The Everton manager said the strength in depth he now possesses means that no one can judge what his first choice starting line-up is.
Everton face Crystal Palace on Monday looking to avenge successive 3-2 defeats at Goodison Park against the London club, but Martinez is confident of prevailing and leapfrogging Alan Pardew’s side in the Premier League.
Brendan Galloway and Ramiro Funes Mori have stepped up this season, while Gerard Deulofeu has barged the likes of Kevin Mirallas, Aaron Lennon and Steven Naismith out of the way to impress.
“This season we have found a very interesting moment of form for certain players,” said Martinez. “No-one can drop standards or take it easy because someone else is waiting to take the opportunity.

“We have real attacking options. At one point, we had up to five defenders out of the squad but coped really well and that excites me. One or two grab headlines, but it’s about squad.
“As a manager you want a squad where pundits can’t pick the line-up. It has been a target to create a pool of players of fantastic talent, with different ways of playing.
“We can pick a line up based on certain form, opponents, and as a manager that’s what you want. You can use that to your advantage very well. We’ve been pushing the team as much as we can.”
Leighton Baines will be assessed in the coming days after launching his comeback as a substitute in the Capital One Cup victory over Middlesbrough in midweek.