Roberto Martinez is like a child on Football Manager sometimes. You see him standing there like he’s been dressed by his mother, trying his best to get his nicely assembled team to play the kind of football he wants them to.

Then come the defeats and the tactics change. A tough season in the league and several Europa League hangovers have taken their toll. Everton fans are now getting restless and fed up, and the toys are being thrown out of the pram. The airplane above the ground at St Mary’s was a big sign - even though the Toffees managed to win that game 3-0. A convincing win, a good defensive performance and an impressive performance from Lukaku, Barkley and Arouna Kone.

Defeat to Manchester City followed and then Martinez and his merry men were taken to extra time by a plucky Barnsley - themselves a great cup team over the last few seasons.

But surely there are positive signs for Everton so far this season. Four points from games against Watford, Southampton and Manchester City is probably all Everton fans could have realistically hoped for before the start of the season. Getting anything against City would have been a bonus, and the win-draw combination against Watford and Southampton was probably reversed, but the points outcome is still the same.

And the win over Southampton was truly the highlight of the season so far. Except, that win shows the problem at Everton.

The banner was one thing. To fly a banner over a stadium calling for the chairman to leave is always bad form - it just creates a bad atmosphere for the team. Luckily it didn’t affect the performance and Everton won 3-0, which makes those flying the banner look a little silly. Fair enough, they weren’t slating the manager or the team, rather the board for their unwillingness to back the team with money. But if the team is performing well there’s no need for such drastic measures.

And then there was the win itself. Let’s start with the obvious positive - a 3-0 win away to Southampton is a great result. Scoring so highly against a mean defence is fantastic, and winning at the home of one of the teams of last season is not to be sniffed at. The defence was also much improved. They soaked up pressure, limited the chances that Southampton could create and forced them to take on chances they were never going to score. It was a very good defensive performance from a team who were always good for a comedy error at the back last season.

But Martinez’s tactical nous is a worry. Two seasons ago it was free-flowing football, the full-backs bombing forward, a diamond in midfield, and a powerful figurehead up front in Romelu Lukaku. It was a joy to watch.

Last season they were poor at the back and never really got going until the final weeks of the season. And that’s when they started to try to defend properly. That’s when Martinez started to look like the kid playing video games. He changed his style of play completely in order to deal with his team’s inability to score goals. His team went defensive and looked to draw the opponent onto them before countering. It seems to be working well, allowing the pace of Lukaku space on the break, and the directness of Barkley and Kone suit a counter-attacking system very well.

But what happens if Everton lose John Stones? What happens if the defence starts to go AWOL again as it did last season? Soaking up the pressure won’t work, and Everton will have to return to a passing, flowing game that hasn’t worked for a while. It could get confusing for players and fans alike.

Martinez is a good manager. He has assembled a good side with lots of options, great full-backs, a solid back two - if they can keep hold of Stones - some holding players, some attacking midfielders, some pacey wingers, some silky number 10s and Romelu Lukaku. My only worry now is whether Martinez has the tactical awareness to make it all work. Come on Bobby, prove me wrong!