It wasn't meant to be like this?
So close to Champions League qualification last season, capable of securing the club record signature of Romelu Lukaku and managed by one of the most progressive coaches in the modern game, Everton were primed to build on a positive 2013/14.
Granted, the Premier League season is only five rounds old. But a worrying goals conceded tally of 13 (not including the three shipped against Swansea in the League Cup last night) and just one league win from five already makes their outside chance of a Top Four place in some doubt.
But what are the reasons for the poor start?
The Daily Mail's Merseyside reporter Dominic King, who interviewed out-of-form captain and centre-back Phil Jagielka last week, believes individual errors have cost the club this season.
Jagielka and goalkeeper Tim Howard, who became a cult hero at the World Cup have all been culpable for errors this season and King mused whether their summer exertions have hurt their current form.
"I think the players who have been to the World Cup are suffering a hangover and the players that [Martinez] has brought in haven't yet gelled," said King, who said that some of the supporters may be bewildered by Martinez's regular positive assessments of situations.
Listen to the full analysis via the Football Show podcast.
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