View: Emi Martinez must look to former Aston Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel for leadership inspiration
Throughout the history of Aston Villa, the club have had many great goalkeepers.
Current No.1 Emi Martinez has quickly established himself as a key cog in Unai Emery’s new Aston Villa era, with the keeper donning the armband and saving his side on numerous occasions recently with flying save after save.
The Argentinian scooped up the Golden Glove award after claiming World Cup glory against France, and he has quickly confirmed himself as one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers with a string of brilliant performances since then.
However, to become one of the Aston Villa greats, he should look up to the achievements of Brad Friedel – a keeper who could well be regarded as the greatest in the club’s Premier League history.
The “Human Wall” – as he was otherwise known for his heroics for the United States at the 2002 World Cup – was a consistent rock for Villa during his four-year spell at the club under Martin O’Neill.
Although it felt like he featured more than his 114 appearances for Villa, the keeper proved time after time why he was regarded as one of the best shot-stoppers in the Premier League at the time.
His job was made a little easier by the fact he was playing in behind a defence of the likes of Martin Laursen and Olof Melberg, but the American was a revelation after he was snapped up from Blackburn Rovers in a bargain £2.5m deal.
His record before joining Villa spoke for itself, as he made over 350 appearances before joining Villa in 2008, scooping up a League Cup win at Blackburn Rovers and a Turkish Cup while at Galatasaray.
In his first year in claret and blue, Friedel almost got Villa a spot in the UEFA Champions League before eventually finishing sixth – a position that the club would hold for three consecutive years with the American in between the sticks.
The strength of Friedel’s game lay in his consistency and his decision-making within his own box. His ability to dictate his own box was second-to-none and something that Martinez definitely has in common.
Alongside Friedel’s on-field strengths lay his leadership off it. Having joined Villa at the age of 37 years old, the keeper was recognised as a leader in the dressing room and a figure that the Villa supporters clamoured behind.
With Martinez recently taking the captains armband from the injured John McGinn, he must learn how best to lead his side from possibly the hardest position on the pitch.
Taking a look back at the way Friedel operated could be a brilliant way to do so.
In other Aston Villa news, the club face competition from Barcelona to secure the signing of a striker at the end of the season.