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Roberto Martinez has blamed referees this season, he has blamed bad luck and he has blamed his players – now it appears to be our turn.

Leighton Baines delivered a typically honest assessment of Everton's insipid defeat at Old Trafford on Sunday .

“I just don't feel as though the chemistry is quite there with the team on the pitch at the moment, and it hasn't been for a while,” he said.

The Echo's headline was hardly misleading: “Chemistry not there – and hasn't been for a while.”

Baines added: “We are maybe leaning too heavily on individuals to come up with something.

“We're in games, we were in the game on Sunday and had a couple of chances, but we're not performing as a team to the level we know we can or we should be. Results have an impact on that because chemistry and confidence go hand in hand.

“Look at the teams who are having success this year and you'd say they have chemistry.

“If I had to say one thing, I just don't know if it's there with us at the moment, for whatever reasons.”

The comments weren't analysed. They weren't “interpreted” by us. They were delivered as an accurate representation of an honest footballer's thoughts following another disappointing defeat.

Yet Roberto Martinez declared today that Leighton Baines has been “misinterpreted” – and has “apologised”.

How Everton fans reacted after last home defeat to Arsenal

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These are Martinez's words – produced verbatim to avoid confusion

“I think there are two aspects of that. First it's very disappointing when you see a misinterpretation of certain words that a player says and really this has been taken out of context in the way that it's come out.

“And the other aspect is that someone of the experience of Leighton Baines knows he has to take responsibility for those words – I have had a chat with him – those words have given the opportunity to be maybe attracting a meaning that is not right, not correct and obviously for that he has apologised and taken responsibility for that for leaving those words open.

“But that's what we expect from a senior figure at Everton, we expect him to take responsibility, to make sure that we speak on the pitch and the way to do that is against Watford.

“I wouldn't say we rely on one or two individuals, I think the way we are as a team we rely on the technical ability of the whole team, the way that we can get high up the pitch and create chances.

"The place to talk is on the pitch" - Martinez

"I don't think we are a team that relies on one or two individuals. Of course we rely on individuals because the team is made of individuals and we have 15 or 16 individuals who have had impressive campaigns, probably the best campaigns of their young careers in some cases.

“But those quotes have been taken out of context and that's disappointing on one side but on the other side obviously Leighton takes responsibility for putting himself in a position which has given the wrong words and allowed the wrong interpretation and for that, as I said, he has apologised and is ready to move forward. And as any senior player the place to talk is on the pitch.”

So what was the “misinterpretation?”

Clearly a lack of “chemistry” amongst a group of players reflects badly on a manager.

"Is there chemistry? If so it's not being reflected on the pitch" - Prentice

Did Baines choose the wrong word? If so, he did so three times.

Did we “misinterpret” Baines? Have our readers “misinterpreted” Baines' meaning?

Or is Roberto Martinez seeking another avenue to apportion blame?

Is there chemistry on the pitch? If so it is not being reflected in Premier League results.

So many questions, but we can safely assume that Leighton Baines will probably not be made available for interview to answer them on Saturday at Vicarage Road, although Martinez did speak to Phil Kirkbride as usual this morning despite earlier insinuations about the ECHO's reporting.

Martinez added: “We have a very close group. We know each other. We have been through many many situations over the years now. We are developing a really strong mentality and I don't think that's going to be tested by comments in the outside.

“We are always quite open and always very clear but it's important for our fans more than anything to understand that certain words can be taken out of context.

"In the same way that Leighton has apologized for leaving that open and the fans know that an outstanding group of top ambassadors for our football club are not performing well or getting the results for this football club and that's something we want to change quickly.”

So what was the actual “context” Baines' words were taken out of?

Everton correspondent Phil spoke to Baines in a tunnel at Old Trafford.

He asked: “Is it difficult not just to look at the semi-final as the season now and is it difficult to, I don't want to say is it difficult to motivate yourselves for league games, but the season is effectively the semi now isn't it?

Baines replied: “It is yeah, but the motivation should be in trying to get your name there for it, shouldn't it? It's like (pause of several seconds), I just think, you know, I don't know, I just don't feel like the chemistry is quite there on the pitch within the team at the moment and it hasn't been for a while. We are sort of leaning maybe a bit too heavily on individuals to come up with something.

“We're in games. We were in the game all the time today and had a couple of chances but we're not performing as a team to the level we know we can or we should be.”

Phil then added: “Talking about chemistry do you sense that around in the week or is it just when you get on the pitch recently it's just not clicking?”

Baines added: “I think it's the start and obviously results have an impact on that because chemistry and confidence can go hand in hand in a way. You start winning games. I mean look at the teams who are having success this year. You would say they've got chemistry, you know?

“If I had to say one thing it would be, I don't know if it's there at the moment for whatever reason.”

All commendably honest and candid. All accurately reported.

Yet Baines, we are told, has apologised.

That's disappointing. Baines has been “misinterpreted” before. A typically honest interview he gave cost him his place at a World Cup in South Africa.

But we don't believe he has been on this occasion.

Perhaps there should have been other apologies forthcoming.

From Romelu Lukaku for undermining his team-mates by saying “it would be nice to play in the Champions League from next season.” Clearly that won't be with Everton.

From Roberto Martinez for the worst run of home results in living memory.

Or is it, as often seems to be the case from managers under pressure, someone else's fault?