Man Utd's Lisandro Martinez shows defending isn't always about feet and inches
Karan Tejwani
- 23 Aug 2022 11:00 BST
- 6 min read
Manchester United picked up their first win of the season with an impressive 2-1 success over rivals Liverpool, and it has help raise the mood around the club after a difficult fortnight before.
Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford got the goals, but beyond that, there were several performances that caught the eye, including that of Lisandro Martinez, who was named Man of the Match by the club.
The Argentine singed for the club in the summer, and until the deal for Casemiro, was Erik ten Hag’s most expensive transfer, having been one of his top targets.
Previously, Martinez built up a good reputation for himself at Ajax, and was named the club’s Player of the Season in 2021-22, but his arrival in England was met with doubt over his qualities.
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Martinez is adored for his qualities, not physical stature
Much of the doubt arose because of Martinez’s height, despite Ajax clearly seeing – and developing – his best qualities: his ball-playing skill, composure, timing and correct use of his aggression.
That he was written off even before kicking a ball due to his stature was bizarre – so rarely has a player been doubted in that manner purely because he didn’t meet the typical physical standards set by the Premier League.
In all of his Premier League matches so far, he has made use of his aerial ability having won every duel, making up for his lack of height and giving forwards a problem in that regard.
In addition to that, against Liverpool, he had control when faced by challenges set by Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah, making it the game to let everyone know just how good he truly is.
Indeed, he was taking off at half-time against Brentford and harshly rated by many in the media, but Ten Hag has always retained full faith in him, as he did in his days at Ajax as well.
Lisandro Martinez’s game by numbers vs. Liverpool:
100% successful dribbles
82% pass accuracy
41 touches
5 final third passes
5 long balls
3 ball recoveries
7 clearances
1 block
Phenomenal game. 🇦🇷 pic.twitter.com/yHcJOItUp9— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) August 22, 2022
“I think that aggression is what he brings into the squad. I call it 'grinta'. South American, he is. That is one of his attributes and he can bring it into the squad, into the team,” Ten Hag said after the Liverpool win.
Not every match will be as rosy as the one against Liverpool on Monday evening, but maybe it’s worth giving Martinez – a perfectly good and capable defender – a chance instead of writing him off because of his height.
When Ajax scouted Martinez during his days in Argentina, they identified qualities that would suit their team, and when they brought him over to Amsterdam in 2019, those qualities shown through.
“Great passing technique, versatile, leads and plays with grit,” one extract of the scout report said. “Good in 1 vs 1s. Wins a lot of balls. Can play with space behind him,” it continued.
“Sharp, winner, fierce, no-nonsense, tough when necessary. Useful fouls when necessary. Remains calm, but can turn up the heat if he needs to be brighter and sharper. Everything at 100%,” the report concluded.
In his time in Amsterdam, he was admired by the club and fans for those exact observations, and that got him a big career move as well as a chance with the Argentine national team, with Martinez set for the World Cup this winter.
Football’s seen many shorter players succeed, and while Martinez may not hit the heights of the likes of Fabio Cannavaro or Carles Puyol, it’s ignorant to not consider that there may actually be a good footballer in him.
Martinez himself has never seen his height as a disadvantage, and that’s earned him plenty of admiration – his Liverpool display could be the start of a great relationship with Manchester United and their supporters.
