Martinez: I don't need to win back Everton players

Everton manager Roberto Martinez believes he still has control over his players and that they are fully committed to finishing the season on a high.

After their loss to champions Leicester City at the weekend, the club extended their winless run to five games, and further added the pressure onto the under-fire manager.

However the 42-year-old believes that tthe club is still motivated, and that they showed what they are caable of in the closing stages of the game with Leicester ahead of their clash with relegation threatened Sunderland on Wednesday.

"There's no such thing as winning the players back," he said on Tuesday. "Two weeks ago we had a good, determined performance against Bournemouth and then we got caught up in the atmosphere of a unique achievement against Leicester.

"But we never lost the fight, we scored late in the game and we always wanted to get something. 

"That's why our focus goes to tomorrow. The intensity needs to be matched. We know exactly what we'll face and we need to be at our very best. 

"The only thing that matters is [avoiding] any distraction, to focus on Sunderland. We're not going to make the mistake of losing our attention from the only thing that matters.

"We have a strong desire to get back to this level and we have to show that. As a team, we have to react from the disappointment of the weekend."