Aston Villa lucky to have Martinez after ‘phenomenal’ moment v Crystal Palace
Aston Villa are lucky to have Emi Martinez after his save against Crystal Palace which Dave Watson described as “phenomenal”.
The Villans came away with a close-fought draw at Villa Park on Saturday (23 November) where the Eagles took the lead twice.
Oliver Glasner’s side would have gone in front for a third time after Ross Barkley’s equaliser if not for a top save from the Argentina international.
This was picked out by former England coach Watson on the Football Fill-In (26 November) who said: “I would probably say this guy is the best on the planet.
“It’s phenomenal the save he has to his left-hand side.”
Aston Villa lucky to have Emi Martinez after top save v Crystal Palace
The two-time Yashin Trophy winner has only gotten better since completing a move to B6 from Arsenal in 2020.
This was certainly proved with his performance against Palace where he ultimately kept his side in the game and helped to earn a point.
This saw the shot-stopper face 1.87 expected goals and despite conceding two, the 32-year-old was able to keep out more strikes as he made four saves [FotMob].
The Argentine is superb when making saves and his presence is certainly felt as he made nine recoveries while also taking 41 touches on the ball, nine more than his opposite number Dean Henderson.
Martinez fulfilled Unai Emery’s plan with his passing, maintaining a 91 per cent accuracy across his 33 attempted passes.
The World Cup champion’s ability on the ball helps his side to have control of the ball and this was certainly the case against the Eagles as Villa maintained 70 per cent possession.
Although his save was certainly “phenomenal” it is the combination of his ability to do the simple things combined with the spectacular that make him the player he is.
In other Aston Villa news, a transfer for Romano Schmid is being eyed as concrete enquiries have been made.
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