Nevin: Everton are the English Barcelona

Pat Nevin has compared Everton to Barcelona and said the way Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman attack at the same time is very comparable to the Spanish team.

Nevin has also praised his former Motherwell team mate Roberto Martinez who he says is a great student of the game and says that the Spaniard learns from all teams whether that is Barcelona or Motherwell.

“There were a number of things that impressed me last season and the most obvious thing was the way that the full-backs were utilised,” Nevin told evertonfc.com. “David Moyes utilised them really well beforehand – Coleman would go up one side then Baines would go up the other. But under Roberto they both go at the same time.

“That was previously not necessarily thought of as the normal thing to do, because you would need cover. But not with Roberto.

“He wanted both to get into those dangerous positions. He has basically said to them, ‘go for it, get forward’.

“Barcelona is a good way of looking at it, and there are also a number of other teams too. But you will notice the only teams doing it are the very top ones.”

“Roberto is a great student of the game,” continued Nevin. “We were together at Motherwell – not a lot of people know that. I was chief executive up there and he was a player.

“Roberto is an incredibly thoughtful guy, and although I’m not convinced Scottish football absolutely suited him to the ground, he gained a lot from it.

“He learned that there might not have been great technique in the Scottish game but you need high tempo and a real willingness to run and tackle. That side of the game can’t be ignored.

“He will take plenty from Barcelona but he will take things from Motherwell too. That is what has made him such a rounded manager.”

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