Gabby Agbonlahor blown away by Emi Martinez for Aston Villa, now best keeper in world
Aston Villa bounced back from a dreadful defeat to Newcastle United with one of their best displays of the season to claim all three points against Sheffield United.
Unai Emery’s side’s attacking threat cut apart the Blades in a ruthless display that saw the goals shared around the team as Villa’s hopes of a Champions League place increased once again.
While the performance in possession earned plenty of plaudits, Gabby Agbonlahor was equally impressed by the defensive display, heaping praise on Emi Martinez, labelling him “the best goalkeeper in the world”.
Speaking on talkSPORT (5 February, 17:38) he said: “He’s the best goalkeeper in the world, it’s not rocket science, he won the World Cup and his performances for Aston Villa have shown that.
“Some of the saves he makes mate. Not this game but the one before, he was pinging balls with his left foot straight to Matty Cash at right-back, he’s a presence as well, I think he’s the best goalkeeper in the world.”
While Aston Villa were dominant at Bramall Lane, the Argentine stopper still had a fair bit of work to do, making four saves in the match and managing to maintain a clean sheet despite facing an xG of 1.19 (stats via Fotmob).
Martinez’s ability to overperform his xG is what makes him one of the best keepers not only in the Premier League but the entirety of world football. This season he has conceded an average of 0.22 goals less than he should have done in a match, according to the xG he has faced [Fbref].
While that may seem like a marginal amount per 90 minutes, over the course of a season, that sort of record can make a huge difference. If Martinez plays every minute of every game for Aston Villa, he would save them more than eight goals a season.
With the ball at his feet, Villa’s number one has been just as impressive. Against Sheffield United he completed 93 per cent of his 27 attempted passes, only failing to find a teammate twice in the game, both of which were long-range efforts.
Emery’s stopper doesn’t tend to kick the ball long, launching less of his efforts than 71 per cent of the Premier League’s keepers. However, he has a much better completion rate than most keepers, placing in the 75th percentile of his positional peers.
Martinez perfect for Emery’s style at Aston Villa
Aston Villa have received plenty of credit for their high defensive line and their effective offside trap this season, but Martinez is a large part of why it has been so effective this term.
The Argentine has made an average of 2.32 defensive actions outside of his penalty area per game this term, more than 97 per cent of keepers. His proactiveness gets Emery’s side ticking.
While the excellent performances of Ollie Watkins or the wonderful records of Leon Bailey will tend to steal the majority of the plaudits, without the best keeper in the world, Aston Villa would not be challenging for the Champions League places this season.
In other Aston Villa news, Alan Hutton has shared his verdict on links between Emery and the Liverpool job
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