Everton manager Roberto Martinez has called on Premier League chiefs to introduce a winter break in order to give English sides a better chance of succeeding in Europe.
Manchester City joined fellow top-flight clubs Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in exiting the Champions League prematurely following their defeat at Barcelona last night, leaving the Toffees as England's sole representatives on the continent.
Calls have been made for the gruelling schedule to be altered somewhat to allow players to recover, much like in other top leagues across Europe, with Martinez the latest to voice his concerns.
"Our British competition demands every game to be 100%," ESPN quotes the Spaniard as saying. "Teams that play in other leagues in Europe, they cruise through games and get through at 50%. It is unfair on British teams.
"A break in the winter would enable the players to regenerate and refresh. A key period in the season is February and March, so I think the biggest teams are a little bit unfairly treated.
"The answer is clear - you need to have a bigger squad at this level where you can make five or six changes to keep the team performing at the same level. I find playing Thursday and Sunday is tough. We should protect our teams a bit more, otherwise we shoot ourselves in the foot."
Everton head into their Europa League last-16 tie against Dynamo Kiev this evening protecting a 2-1 lead from last week's first leg at Goodison Park.
Daniel Lewis
