Emi Martinez shows true Aston Villa feelings in draw vs Everton, Tim Sherwood is spot on
Aston Villa’s wait for their first win of the new Premier League campaign continues after they drew 0-0 against Everton.
Despite Emi Martinez attempting to force a move through to leave Villa, the Argentinian shot stopper was reintegrated into the side by Unai Emery on Saturday.
The 33-year-old managed to keep a clean sheet in the Villans’ first trip to the Hill Dickinson Stadium, meaning Marco Bizot will likely be on the bench for the foreseeable future.
Although Tim Sherwood’s Morgan Rogers snub would have frustrated the fanbase, the former Villa manager got it spot on when it came to evaluating one element of Martinez’s game against Everton.
Emi Martinez commitment cannot be questioned after display vs Everton
Villa were the favourites to win against Everton, but in the end, Emery’s side were lucky to get a point.
The agonising wait for their first goal of the season goes on, as the Villa supporters’ concerns with their side will only grow after yet another lacklustre performance.
Tyrone Mings especially stood out with his performance as the Villa backline had to weather a storm in Merseyside.
- Everton created 2.17 xG against Villa but failed to score
- Emery’s side did not record a single big chance throughout the entire game
- Everton had 20 shots as opposed to Villa’s seven
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, Sherwood praised Martinez for how he dealt with one of Everton’s attacks in particular when he showed true bravery.
“[Kiernan] Dewsbury-Hall whips a cross in, Martinez fumbles it but is then as brave as a lion.
“There are boots everywhere, and Lucas Digne has a big egg on his forehead now. Martinez is so important to any team – he’s worth 12 or 15 points to any team.”
For anyone who questioned Martinez’s commitment to the cause – rightly so – this one moment showed he will continue to put his body on the line for the Villans.
Forward line will now be Unai Emery’s concern
With Martinez back in between the sticks, there will now be a feeling of business as usual for the Villa backline moving forward.
The attack, on the other hand, looks like a shell of its former self despite prominent players like Ollie Watkins and Rogers still prominently featuring this season.
However, with Martinez back in goal, this affords Villa the luxury of staying in games longer, even if they’re not at their best, with the Argentinian being able to bail out the forward line when they are not doing the business.
If Emery’s men want to win the Europa League this season, as they have been predicted, they will need to have a dramatic upturn in form as the start to their season has been extremely concerning.
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