Jagielka to miss Crystal Palace trip following hamstring scare

As time went on it became obvious that our organisation at attacking and defensive corners and free kicks were woeful. Regardless of the flow of the game or whether it was at home or away he used of two defensive midfielders.

Nearing the end of his third season he has not fixed any of the faults outlined above. My main worry is that he does not believe they are faults that urgently require attention. As for those who would allow him more time words fail me. Perhaps it will come home to them when after the next round of fixtures we drop below Palace and Watford.

Thank you Martinez. I have never approached such a big game with so much pessimism. I hope the banners find their way to Wembley too. Well done to those souls who expressed their opposition to our incompetent hierarchy.

We now have two men there who don't communicate at all and are basically an accident waiting to happen.

People want to see Stones and Funes Mori together??

Stoke and Leicester at home in December, guys??????

Disaster zone.

They have a few games before the semi in which to try and gel together but I doubt they'll get much coaching from Martinez and his team, and here lies the crux of our defensive frailties I think. Without proper defensive coaching, the players are effectively being left to try and sort things out between them. No matter how good they might be, they are not paid to be master tacticians, that being the manager's job of course, though he doesn't appear to know it.

Anyone who saw the Argentina/Chile game in full the other week will have seen Funes Mori have a superb game, playing in a well coached and drilled defensive set up. He looked head and shoulders a better player than Stones and bearing in mind Argentina's coaches only had their squad together for a few days prior to the game, it showed what real professional coaching can achieve. In fact, the whole Argentina and Chile teams were superb and served up a great, exciting World Cup qualifier.

To see Funes Mori play with such calm maturity in what was effectively must win game for Argentina after some poor results in their early qualifiers was an indictment on the negative effect Martinez has had on our entire defence.

Phil Jagielka was a fairly regular England member, now reduced to a bit part, and John Stones form has suffered so much he I not even guaranteed a place on the plane, and if he does go, a starting role appears unlikely.

I wish Jags a speedy recovery, because with only two fit CBs, we are on the verge of being very exposed at the back and who do we blame for that?

Why didn't we strengthen the defence in the transfer window instead of wasting £13.5m on a striker who still hasn't played a full or even half a game for us?

Do you actually watch Everton? It is a genuine question.

They played together consistently from the end of October up until the start of January and were awful together.

Both are talented, both have so much to learn and will not learn from the third rate management and coaching staff we currently have.

Are we capable of wining any games at the moment? I really can't see the players showing up for the semi-final. Football is a mental as well as a physical game, and we are unfit in both departments.

Jags has not become a bad defender overnight but he never seems to be marking his player tight enough nowadays. How often does the player he should be marking scores a goal or assists, nearly every match.

He never had this problem under Moyes. Or is it that he is passed his best, too old. He always seems vulnerable defending a corner or set piece.

It hasn't helped that he's been asked to cover more ground with Barry out but why Mirallas hasn't been played more to give him a rest is beyond me.

As for Barkley, he should've been dropped anyway; he's been shite for weeks. But no, Martinez still gives him license to stroll round like he's some sort of superstar.

It doesn't matter who plays between now and the end of the season, I can't see us winning another game.

I do not know why Barkley is playing as he never scores and is certainly not a box to box player. He has always lacked stamina IMO and is only good for one hour.

Barkley is patently not fit. He's blowing for tugs any time he makes a run and in one post-match interview (I can't remember which game) he was so out of puff he could hardly speak. Part of the reason we have conceded so many goals late on is due to poor fitness and failing concentration levels which can also be partly explained by poor physical conditioning.

As for Jags – a big miss. One of the few players who consistently gives a hundred percent. Feeling so negative about the next fortnight and I can't see anything other than a drubbing in the Derby.

Question, can any qualify why Funes Mori has been dropped in place for Stones for the past few games!? He's done nothing wrong nor is he injured.