Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez is embracing new diet to fuel World Cup dreams
Aston Villa No.1 Emi Martinez has suggested the fear of injury has propelled him into taking on a new diet ahead of the World Cup, where he will star for Argentina.
The World Cup kicks off in host nation Qatar on November 20 and players taking part in the tournament will be extremely cautious to ensure their chance to play in the competition.
The Villa shot-stopper will play a total of nine games before the World Cup starts in a jam-packed fixture schedule that promises to challenge every Premier League team.
Speaking to the Express and Star, Martinez admitted there is “no time for anything” between now and the World Cup and he is taking extra care to be the best possible version of himself for it.
“There is no time for anything now,” said Martinez.
“If someone gets injured for four to six weeks they are already half a foot out of the World Cup.
“It is normal for the player to be afraid. I am taking care of myself more than ever. I try not to touch bread. I win a game and I want to have a cola and don’t. These are the things I am changing to have the lowest possible risk of injury.
“I said this year I was going to prepare like I never prepared in my life, when you play so many games it’s more about recovery and the fear of not getting injured.”
Pile-up.
The brutal congestion of Premier League fixtures has only been made worse by the postponements in recent weeks and it will be a struggle for Villa and other clubs to manage.
Every week now before the Qatar World Cup will be taken up by Premier League, Uefa Champions League or League Cup matches.
Many will argue that there are bigger issues at play, but the pile-up of fixtures has made the already tough Premier League schedule even more grueling.
It’s putting teams with ambitions and players under extreme strain and questions need to be raised over the logistics of winter World Cups.
Hopefully, it won’t make much difference to the campaign, however, it’s hard to see past a big tournament in the middle of the season causing no damage.
Fortunately, Villa have a big enough squad to cope with the sudden changes, nevertheless, you’ve got to feel for clubs further down the pyramid who are already struggling to compete.
In other Aston Villa news, John McGinn admits to the Villa v Southampton Premier League clash being a boring affair.