When Roberto Martinez was dismissed from Goodison Park in 2016, it felt like the death rattle of a failed project.
After an initial wave of excitement, attacking football and ill-advised comparisons to Pep Guardiola, consecutive eleventh-placed finishes had seen much of the stability implemented over the previous decade undone.
Despite his ignominious exit from Goodison Park, the Catalonian coach was appointed manager of the Belgian national team shortly thereafter, placing the European nation’s supposed golden generation in his hands. Talk about failing upwards.
However, a third-place finish at the 2018 World Cup, Belgium’s best ever finish at the tournament, was indeed a promising start to Martinez’s international coaching career. Eliminated by eventual winners France in a tense 1-0 victory for Les Blues, the disappointment at not lifting the Jules Rimet will no doubt have been overshadowed by a sense that there was still more to come from this squad.
Indeed, the Red Devils rose to number one in the FIFA World Rankings, despite not winning a trophy, and went into the European Championships last summer as one of the favourites. By now there was a real expectation that Belgium could lift their first ever international trophy, with world class talent throughout the squad. A quarter-final elimination felt somewhat anti-climactic as Belgium bowed out once more to the tournament’s eventual winners, Italy.
The 2022 World Cup was seen by many as this generation’s last opportunity to capitalise on their obvious quality, with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Eden Hazard now the wrong side of 30. Once again, Martinez’s side travelled to Qatar as one of the favourites, but failure to progress beyond the group stages saw the ex-Everton boss resign immediately after a 0-0 draw with Croatia.
Romelu Lukaku’s embarrassing cameo at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium saw the former Everton striker punch the Perspex screen on the dugout in frustration after missing three clear cut chances to score. Indeed, a team with amplified expectations struggling to live up to them with an apparent inability to defend and an over-reliance on Romelu Lukaku; there is little doubt that there are shades of Roberto Martinez’s Everton side in 2015/16.
But what next for Roberto Martinez? Often linked with a return to Goodison Park, Everton should resist the urge to reinstate Bobby Brown Shoes, should the position become vacant once again.