Friday 22 April 2016 11:31, UK
Roberto Martinez would not be drawn into talk about his Everton future as he prepares for Saturday's FA Cup semi-final with Manchester United at Wembley.
Martinez goes into the match with Everton in the midst of an alarming slump in form, with their only wins since the start of March having come against Chelsea at the quarter-final stage and relegated Aston Villa in the Premier League.
His situation worsened on Wednesday when Everton put up an error-plagued performance, and had Ramiro Funes Mori sent off, when they fell to a 4-0 defeat against Liverpool in the Merseyside derby at Anfield.
That defeat led to renewed speculation Martinez could be axed, possibly even before the end of the season, but the Spaniard would not entertain talk of anything that takes his focus away from Saturday's vital encounter.
"I wouldn't be professional if I was using my time to talk about what people think and what their opinions are about the manager," Martinez said at his Friday press conference.
"We've been working very hard since I've been at the football club to challenge for silverware and we have that opportunity with the FA Cup.
"Of course we're going into it hurt but my situation is about us as a football club and how ready we can be.
"In these moments, you need to be very clear and have a strong backing from your own experiences. I've been fortunate in this competition and it's very much about drawing on those experiences.
"Since the quarter-final against Chelsea, our results have not been good enough but at the moment everything is about the semi-final and about taking this football club to Wembley for the FA Cup final with a strong feeling of being together. We've got a big opportunity to get to a final."
Martinez hopes past experience this season, especially from the 2-0 win over Chelsea that secured their Wembley date, will pay off as he plans for the challenge of facing a suddenly in-form United.
Louis van Gaal has coped with plenty of speculation about his own future this season, but United have won their last three games and Martinez knows one victory can soon turn things around.
"We've had real lows this season and we've always reacted in a very good manner and taken responsibility," he added.
"We've made the difference in the next game - against West Ham, we conceded three goals in 12 minutes and then beat Chelsea in the quarter-final in the next game.
"The team has got enough experience and know-how, it's just trying to get everyone regrouped and focused. We are all together. I never think a bad moment is down to one individual, I don't accept that.
"Now, more than ever, we're going to be closer to each other and the reaction has to be there."
