Emi Martinez lets Aston Villa down yet again as Crystal Palace reveal emerges
Emi Martinez has questions to answer after coming off at half time in Aston Villa’s 4-1 defeat against Crystal Palace on Tuesday.
The Villans went into a clash at Selhurst Park on 25 February on a high after securing a comeback victory against Chelsea last time out.
It is safe to say that this came crashing down to earth against the Eagles with a heavy loss and plenty of controversial moments.
The performance was poor from the away side which comes down to Unai Emery but he wasn’t helped by the showing of his Argentine shot stopper.
Martinez struggles for Aston Villa v Crystal Palace
The B6 club sit 10th in the table after their most recent defeat, a far cry from the top-four place they will want to maintain from last season.
It is safe to say that the Villans have been terrible defensively and that has contributed to their struggles in the Premier League.
A big part of that has been Martinez who has been far from his best for the most part, making it easier for opposition sides to get the best of Villa.
This is showcased by the damming stat that Emery’s side have conceded from their opponent’s first shot on target in 17 fixtures this year, as well as from the rebound in three games when the first attempt was saved.
| Stat | Emi Martinez |
| Games played | 28 |
| Goals conceded | 41 |
| Clean sheets | 3 |
Frustratingly for the Argentina international, this was the case once again against Palace as his initial save was pounced on and converted by Ismaila Sarr.
This was the first of the 32-year-old’s two saves on the night where he was only able to prevent 0.7 expected goals [FotMob].
It wasn’t as if this was made up by his ability with the ball at his feet as his long ball success rate only reached 43 per cent in Croydon.
This performance was ended after 45 minutes when the ex-Arsenal man was taken off and replaced by Robin Olsen who went on to concede three.
Given that this is the second time that Martinez has come off during the interval to be replaced by the Swede, it is safe to say he let the Villans down.
Emery has a defensive problem on his hands at Aston Villa
The Spanish head coach at Villa Park isn’t completely blameless for the issues at Selhurst Park with his tactical change going against his side.
Lamare Bogarde came in to form a back five in what was a bizarre switch to match up against a side who were winless at home this calendar year.
Regardless of a frustrating VAR call against Ollie Watkins, there was no doubt that Crystal Palace were the better side and deserved the victory.
Looking ahead to clashes against Cardiff City, Club Brugge and Brentford, Emery needs to get it right and get a tune out of his defence before it tears his season’s work apart.