Emiliano Martínez hailed after what he has done as goalkeeper admits to Aston Villa frustration
Bryan King has praised Aston Villa star Emiliano Martínez for working hard behind the scenes amid recent frustration.
The ex-Villa scout believes the 32-year-old is one of the Premier League’s best goalkeepers.
Martínez recently opened up about frustration over his performances for Villa this season and what he is doing to improve. The shot-stopper told ESPN (via TLS Diario, 14 October), “They are scoring a lot of goals against me in the Premier and it is something that affects me a lot.
“I am a fan of zero goals, so I work a lot for it. With Javier García (goalkeeper coach) we worked a lot, specifically yesterday, 40 or 50 minutes reacting to the ball, concentrating only on the ball and today the truth was that it was very good for me.
And King – speaking exclusively to Villa News – is happy the goalkeeper is continuing to try and improve.
“He is a professional,” King said.
“Therefore, if he is a good professional he should be saying those things and doing those things. I certainly regard him as one of the better goalkeepers in the Premier League.
“It seems as though the best goalkeepers in the league are all foreign, be it Argentinian or Brazillian. These goalkeepers are making an impact on the Premier League.
“Martínez, through all his antics, is a very good goalkeeper. It is nice to know that he has been working hard. He is a professional, and he wants to improve, which is great for Villa, great for him and great for Argentina. Well done him.”
Emiliano Martínez opens up on frustrations at Aston Villa
It is good to see that Martínez can recognise when he isn’t at his best. That kind of self-awareness and drive to improve can only be a good thing for Villa.
The World Cup winner was unable to compete with Argentina over the October international break after he was handed a two-match ban by FIFA for “offensive behaviour”(via BBC Sport, 28 September).
However, this has likely been to the benefit of Unai Emery.
It seems as though the goalkeeper has been working hard behind the scenes at Villa without any Argentina-related distractions. Therefore, when the Premier League returns, supporters could see an improved version of the Martínez they have seen so far this season.
In other Aston Villa news, Thomas Tuchel has been backed to name one player at the club in his England squad after a recent development.
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