Season › 2013-14 › News Mirallas's versatility gives Martinez more options Lyndon Lloyd , 19 September, 0comments | Jump to most recent Roberto Martinez was encouraged by Kevin Mirallas's impact against Chelsea after he moved into the central striking role in the second half and that versatility provides the Blues with yet another option up front. Mirallas came into his own in the second half of last season once he had recovered from a recurrent hamstring strain that deprived the team of his talents for much of the winter programme. He finished the season with nine goals in all competitions but, despite a promising pre-season campaign, the Belgian has made a quiet start to 2013-14 under new boss, Martinez. The Spaniard removed Nikica Jelavic midway through the second half of last Saturday's win over Jose Mourinho's men and pushed Mirallas up front, with the result being that Everton looked threatening and more capable of scoring a second goal which would have put the result to bed. "Kevin Mirallas is now in a stage of his career where he can play in many positions and understand a different way of playing," Martinez said on evertonfc.com. "He played in that position at his previous club Olympiakos, so we are all very aware of that option. "At that time [in the Chelsea game], we were defending really well and were comfortable, but it is important to have pace and mobility up front. Kevin always gave us that outlet and that real threat going forward. "We need to be able to adjust and adapt and Kevin as an individual showed what he can do." With Romelu Lukaku now eligible to make his debut and Aoruna Kone fit again, Mirallas's chances of starting in the lone attacking role are slim but his abilities up front provide an additional weapon during games that Martinez is able to use when necessary. About these ads © ToffeeWeb