Everton manager Roberto Martinez has targeted European glory in the Europa League this season, despite the majority of managers in the Premier League regarding it as nothing more than a nuisance in the footballing calendar, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Martinez, however, is excited about the idea of taking Everton into European football, and feels as though his squad is now strong enough to allow them to compete across the competitions his side will take part in this season.
Thursday night’s clash with Wolfsburg at Goodison Park is the first time that Everton have played in Europe since December 2009, and Martinez sees this as the first step to the club firmly establishing themselves as a fixture in Europe going forward.
He also feels as though the club should be targeting victory in the competition, and hopes that his side will emerge from the tournament with the trophy at the end of the campaign.
Martinez said: “It is an exciting game for us. Coming back to European competition is what we want and what we worked extremely hard for last season. Everyone is excited at Goodison.
“It is 52 years the first time we were involved in European competition so that shows you the history and how important it is for Everton be in European competitions again, and we are looking forward to it.
“We have seven games in three weeks but the squad is big enough. The academy and the younger players we produce at the club are ready to help the team. It is something that we embrace.
“It’s not an excuse to have seven games in such a short period of time. What we want is to be as good as we can, every time we’re on the pitch and the more competitions we can be involved in, the better.”