Everton midfielder Gareth Barry has conceded that his side failed to cope with the dual demands of the Premier League and the Europa League last season.
The Toffees finished in 11th place in the top flight, five places below their finish in the 2013-14 season, as Roberto Martinez's men struggled to balance their league and European commitments.
Barry told the club's official website: "The season will be without excuses. There were murmurs that Europe was affecting our league form and maybe that was the case.
"But, at the same time, Europe is somewhere the club wants to be. We want European football and ideally you need to manage it better than we did this season."
Everton were knocked out of the Europa League by Dynamo Kiev in the round of 16.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
