Everton must avoid pressure, remain focussed in FA Cup - Stones
(Reuters) - Everton need to avoid putting too much pressure on themselves in Saturday's FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United at Wembley and remain focussed, defender John Stones has said amid calls for manager Roberto Martinez to step down.
With Everton failing to win any of their last six games, including Wednesday's 4-0 loss to Merseyside rivals Liverpool, Martinez has lost the trust of supporters.
He will, however, hope to win them back by ending the club's 20-year wait for a trophy with victory in the FA Cup.
Stones said the FA Cup offers Everton a chance at redemption while admitting that the team have struggled in the Premier League this season, as they sit 11th with four games left.
"We need to go there, not put too much pressure on ourselves and play our football... It's been a tough season for everyone at Everton," Stones told British media.
"We've been trying to progress and improve as a team and the FA Cup has seen us produce some of the best form of our season. We've turned up in big games and Saturday's game will be another big one.
"As a team, we'll be up for it and we know we will have to be focussed, not looking past it. We've got to look to the game and play the kind of football we know we can."
Crystal Palace play Watford in the second semi-final at Wembley on Sunday with the final taking place at the same venue on May 21.
(Reporting by Shravanth Vijayakumar in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)