Neil Cutler: Emiliano Martinez sometimes needs bringing down from the ceiling at Aston Villa
Neil Cutler has opened up on his relationship with Emiliano Martinez during his time at Aston Villa and explained how to get the best out of him.
Cutler was initially brought to Villa Park by Dean Smith and was retained by Steven Gerrard when the former Rangers manager came to the club.
He worked with a number of goalkeepers at Villa but admits he “pushed hard” to get the club to sign Martinez from Arsenal in 2020. The duo thrived together, and Cutler revealed how he’d deal with Martinez’s emotional behaviour behind the scenes.
Speaking to The Athletic, Cutler said: “I pushed hard to sign him. There were so many phone calls, meetings with his agent, conversations directly with Emi because we wanted him to feel comfortable with our vision and where we wanted to take him.
“He’s so emotional, he’s driven, he’s typical South American. Having that relationship with Emi is key, so you know where he is at in his cycle; knowing when to bring him down, when to lift him up, because he’s always so full on.
“Sometimes you have to bring him down from the ceiling.
“He’s so driven to win and improve every day. In debrief meetings, Emi would sometimes watch back his clips and say, ‘Ah, what a save that is’. That’s brilliant because that’s when he’s at his best. The point you need to get Emi to is when his confidence is verging on arrogance. I don’t like to see Emi play dull.”
The making of a star
Cutler took a player many deemed to be an Arsenal flop and made him one of the most dominant goalkeepers in the Premier League.
Martinez turned out to be a fantastic signing for Villa and he’s been a key part of Smith’s, Gerrard’s and now Unai Emery’s side.
His form for Villa has also seen him usurp Sergio Romero as Argentina’s No.1 in recent years – a goal he and Cutler discussed upon his move to Birmingham.
Martinez and Cutler clearly shared a strong understanding of each other at Villa and the 30-year-old goalkeeper even went as far as to call him the “best English coach by miles” after his departure was confirmed. [Birmingham Mail]
It’s now down to Emery and his staff to make sure they “bring him down from the ceiling”, and the Spaniard has made a fantastic start to his life as Aston Villa manager with back-to-back Premier League wins.
As Villa continue to climb the table under Emery, Martinez will undoubtedly have a big role to play.
In other Aston Villa news, Stuttering summer signings can still play a crucial role under Unai Emery