Friday 20 March 2015 17:19, UK
Roberto Martinez feels the demands of the Premier League will make it tough for English clubs to succeed in Europe.
Everton were the last domestic side with any chances of continental success, but their hopes were extinguished by a 5-2 defeat against Dynamo Kiev on Thursday.
That meant no Premier League involvement at all in the quarter-final draws for the Champions League and Europa League, which took place on Friday, and a re-opening of the debate about the state of the English game.
And Martinez believes it is the competitive nature of the Premier League, coupled with a lack of a winter break, which is hampering clubs when they face fresher, less-tested teams in European competitions.
"I think there are aspects there that make it very, very difficult for an English club to have success in Europe," said Martinez, whose side is back in action on Sunday at struggling QPR.
"If you look at the top leagues in Europe most of those have got a little break in the winter. I'm not saying that's the difference but it can make a big difference in a squad that is playing domestically two cup competitions, when others are playing one cup competition.
"We need to understand that our league is the best in world football. And when I say the best it's because if you are at 70 per cent in a game, you're going to lose it. That's how competitive it is. It doesn't matter about position in the table and I don't think the other leagues have that.
We need to understand that our league is the best in world football.
"The top teams that are normally involved in Europe can cruise through games and that makes it a lot easier to plan a group of fixtures in a two-to-three-week period. That is a big difference and that affects English clubs.
"It's not by coincidence. Some of the clubs in the Champions League have been unfortunate, there have been small margins but those small margins could easily be the demands that you face domestically. It's something that clearly hasn't been working in our favour."
Martinez was disappointed with the way his side's campaign ended in Ukraine, with defensive lapses and some superb Kiev goals combining to see them exit 6-3 on aggregate.
But the competition has left him keen for a quick European return, although it would appear very unlikely to come next season with Everton struggling badly in the Premier League.
"It's started a real thirst to be in that environment again," Martinez added.
"For our younger players, it is the first time they've been in Europe and the way we succeeded in many of those games, going away into different countries and being able to perform has been very important.
"I do feel that the players in the squad, myself, my staff and the football club as a whole will want more of it. It gives you a real desire to push ourselves to become a winning team and have that more often.
"We're all disappointed from the result last night but to reach the quarter-finals of this competition is something we last did 30 years ago, that shows you the size of the achievement."
