Everton manager Roberto Martinez calls for strong finish to the season
Friday 3 April 2015 14:56, UK
Everton manager Roberto Martinez has warned his players their top-flight place for next season has yet to be secured.
Back-to-back Premier League wins have eased relegation worries and the club now boast a nine-point cushion over 18th-placed Burnley.
European qualification is effectively out of reach for Everton has called on his players to finish the season strongly.
"I think it would be a big mistake to start thinking about next season," he said. "There are no distractions; the league position is everything that matters.
"It is quite straightforward, you need to get 40 points and that is the first target as a team and from that point you try to get as high in the table as you can.
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"We are still in a position where we need to fight for those 40 points and nothing will change until we achieve that. We know the amount of points is not what we wanted but the truth is you have to face it.
"We had a good reaction in the league with back-to-back wins and now we have 24 points to fight for which will be very significant.
"We can get that momentum from the last campaign when we ended up with a run of seven straight wins and we need exactly the same.
We are still in a position where we need to fight for those 40 points and nothing will change until we achieve that.
"The way you finish the season affects what you do in the season after and the way you can assess internally what we have done."
Everton face sixth-placed Southampton on Saturday and Martinez knows they cannot afford to rest on their laurels following their recent revival.
"Two wins has given us real confidence and sense of belief but it is important we get ready to face Southampton," he added.
"It is very important to use home advantage, with five home games and three away, to show what we can do and try to get some enjoyment and momentum which we unfortunately haven't had this season.
"Southampton are the revelation team of the season and it is a great opportunity for us coming back from the international break to focus on difficult opposition.
"I would be very surprised if they don't qualify for Europe and they deserve to finish in the top five."
