The importance of keeping training intense is characterised by a points system Martinez has in place.
Whenever his players do shooting drills or play training games, the best individual performer of the day gets awarded a point. The highest scorer at the end of the season will receive a prize.
Sceptics will wonder how someone who hands out praise so freely can keep a group of more than 20 male athletes incentivised. Kind words from Moyes, for instance, were not just thrown around, so when Everton’s old manager was complimentary, it genuinely meant something.
But Martinez’s constant encouragement is working and the camaraderie he has with the group was shown when Lukaku hurtled towards him after scoring the second goal against Arsenal, almost knocking him off his feet with an embrace.
That is not a new occurrence. When Kevin Mirallas bent in a magnificent free-kick in a game against Aston Villa — clinching a 2-1 victory four days after they had been thrashed by Liverpool — he, too, charged to the touchline to share the moment with Martinez.
‘I’d never celebrated with a manager at any point in my career,’ Mirallas explained. ‘The reason I did that day was because in the weeks leading up to it we had long discussions about how I could contribute more and improve.
‘He showed a lot of confidence in me, kept me in the side and I wanted to dedicate the goal to him.’