Season › 2013-14 › News The mind of Martinez Lyndon Lloyd , 25 January, 0comments | Jump to most recent "Elsewhere on the Web" Special The Daily Mail feature a fascinating, in-depth interview with Roberto Martinez in which he describes his philosophy as it relates to sleep, diet and focus; his insistence on steeping his players and staff in Everton's illustrious history; and his thoughts on the deficiencies of the English system with regard to the development of young players. Sleep, structure. These are things that matter to Martinez. They are central to how he manages an Everton side very much in the race for the Champions League places and going into Tuesday's Merseyside derby at Anfield — after Saturday night's FA Cup encounter at Stevenage — having lost just twice in 22 Barclays Premier League matches. "There are certain things I won't accept," he says. "A player must sleep for eight hours and if I can prove that he has not slept for eight hours he will get a fine." "Respect is important, but I don't tell the players they cannot drink. "I decided I didn't want to do anything that works against my body. The day after drinking you are not the same person. You are not thinking the same, you can't reach the same level. You are not going to be at your best. "But I don't impose a ban. I just explain effect on performance, the increased risk of injury. "I also recognise, though, that in life you need to be happy. If you want to have a drink and someone stops you from doing it, that will only have a negative effect. So I leave it up to them. It is about education. "It makes no sense not to understand the history of the football club. When I got this job in the summer I read up on Everton. But I soon realised that not all the players knew their history. Not everyone knew who Dixie Dean was, for example. I think it's important to know the history and appreciate what a privilege it is to play for a club like Everton. When you climb those stairs you see big moments in the history of the club. "And they realise that as a player they can become part of that. Everton have won the title nine times. Not many football clubs have done that, and not many players here would have realised that. "I hope it inspires everyone here to want to win it again. How realistic that is right now remains to be seen but we should all have that aspiration. If you don't have that vision and direction you will never get there." » Read the full article Quotes or other material sourced from Daily Mail About these ads © ToffeeWeb