Asmir Begovic has given his verdict on how Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has done since leaving Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
The Queens Park Rangers goalkeeper has been hugely impressed with Martinez.
So, what has Asmir Begovic said about former Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez? Let’s take a look.
What’s the story?
Well, Asmir Begovic has been raving about Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
The former Chelsea goalkeeper was hugely impressed by how well Martinez played for Villa against Tottenham Hotspur this past weekend. The Villans won 2-1.
Begovic has noted that Martinez has taken his game to a whole new level after leaving Arsenal for Villa in the summer of 2020 for £20 million (The Guardian).
The QPR goalkeeper told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Football Daily about Martinez: “He can rub people the wrong way but his performances speak for themselves.
”He’s been really solid and taken his game to a new level. He really kept his team in the game and made some big saves [against Tottenham] at crucial times, which is what top goalkeepers do.
“From a purely technical point he is a little bit unorthodox. He’s not a traditional goalkeeper where he is technically and unbelievably sound. One thing he does really well is in a tactical sense.
“He knows when to attack the ball and when to close down the angle, get on top of the attack and then goes straight back on his line and makes the save from long range.
“He is really smart in his positioning and gets himself in the way of the ball. He has such a big frame that he doesn’t have to do a lot sometimes when he gets in the right position.”
Emiliano Martinez needed to leave Arsenal
In my view, Emiliano Martinez needed to leave Arsenal to flourish. The transfer to Aston Villa has been really beneficial for the Argentina international goalkeeper.
The 31-year-old needed the confidence he has now got at Villa to kick on. Staying at Arsenal would have meant playing second fiddle and just warming the bench.
Bernd Leno was the first-choice goalkeeper at Arsenal at the time. The German is now at Fulham.
Martinez won the 2022 Qatar World Cup with Argentina. The goalkeeper is at the top of his game now and is still only 31. He could play at the highest level for the next five or six years.
The goalkeeper has made 137 appearances in the Premier League so far in his career. Martinez has made 45 clean sheets in those games.
Villa are fourth in the Premier League table with 28 points from 13 matches, two points behind leaders Arsenal.