Aston Villa: Inside Emi Martinez’s bid to be world’s best goalkeeper

1 year ago 61

A montage of photos of Emi Martinez successful action

When Emi Martinez joined Aston Villa from Arsenal successful September 2020 helium attached a laminated database of targets to his locker, and 1 of them was to go the champion goalkeeper successful the world.

At the time, that mightiness person seemed similar an admirably lofty but somewhat improbable ambition for idiosyncratic who had ne'er adjacent been the fig 1 keeper astatine his club, fto unsocial connected the full planet.

Martinez's determination to Dean Smith's newly-promoted squad came a fewer days aft helium turned 28. The erstwhile decennary had seen him marque conscionable 13 Premier League starts for the Gunners - who loaned him retired six times to the little leagues oregon abroad.

Just two-and-a-half years on, however, the charismatic Argentina planetary mightiness soon request a caller vocation nonsubjective arsenic helium prepares to look his erstwhile nine this weekend.

That aforesaid locker astatine Villa's Bodymoor Heath grooming crushed is present bulging with winners' medals from the World Cup and Copa America and, aft being awarded the Golden Glove trophy for being the champion keeper successful Qatar, helium has conscionable been named connected a shortlist of three for the idiosyncratic accolade helium craves astatine the 2022 Fifa Best Awards.

It has been rather a journey, 1 that helium shared with his long-time goalkeeping manager astatine Villa, Neil Cutler, who persuaded him to determination to the Midlands and became his adjacent person and unofficial psychologist.

"To spell from being a fig 2 keeper successful the Premier League to winning a World Cup successful specified a abbreviated clip is simply a unsocial path, but determination are galore reasons Emi has made specified a accelerated rise, starting with his tendency and enactment ethic," Cutler told BBC Sport.

"His volition to bash immoderate it takes to get wherever helium wanted to beryllium was conscionable massive, and his passionateness was truthful evident, which is wherefore I tried truthful hard to get him to Villa successful the archetypal place.

"This is simply a feline whose biggest occupation was that helium sometimes did excessively much, partially due to the fact that of his deficiency of experience. He erstwhile picked up an wounded due to the fact that helium practised redeeming excessively galore penalties, but that had to hap for him to larn helium could over-train."

'He's driven, but he's down to world too'

Cutler near Villa astatine the extremity of October erstwhile caller brag Unai Emery was appointed and brought with him his ain coaching staff, including goalkeeper specializer Javi Garcia - who besides worked with Martinez astatine Arsenal.

But the brace stay close, with Martinez reacting to Cutler's exit with an emotive connection connected societal media, wherever helium described him arsenic "the champion English manager by miles" and phoning Cutler from Lusail Stadium successful the contiguous aftermath of his World Cup triumph.

"The archetypal happening I felt for Emi aft the last was relief," Cutler added. "I was unbelievably arrogant due to the fact that I knew helium had dedicated his full beingness to that moment.

"To bash my occupation I had to find retired what makes Emi thrive, truthful that meant knowing everything astir his manner distant from shot arsenic good arsenic the level of item of the enactment helium did with maine connected the grooming pitch, and beyond.

"People criticised him for his antics during the punishment shoot-out against France, and past said 'what an idiot' erstwhile helium celebrated with the Golden Glove trophy, but I cognize him differently.

"He's truly empathetic; idiosyncratic who would bash thing to assistance radical astir him, and who wants everyone to beryllium happy. At Villa he's ever arranging barbecues and trying to bring the squad and their families together, due to the fact that that's what is important to him.

"He's driven, to an bonzer level, but helium is down to world too."

Maximising Martinez's imaginable meant making his mentality arsenic overmuch a portion of his crippled arsenic his imposing carnal frame.

"Emi gave everything to scope that World Cup, and besides to triumph it," Cutler said. "He has got his ain nutritionist, yoga and Pilates teacher and I've cognize him to spell swimming successful the mediate of the nighttime conscionable to retrieve for the adjacent game.

"When you realise precisely what it took for him to get here, past you conscionable deliberation fto him observe the mode helium wants to, due to the fact that helium has earned it each measurement of the way.

"I deliberation erstwhile helium came to Villa, helium possibly had a constituent to beryllium to Arsenal - but not immoderate more. When helium spoke astir his clip there, his vexation was astir not getting games, alternatively than immoderate excavation astatine the nine - and successful immoderate lawsuit things person worked retired precise good for him and for them since helium left."

Emi Martinez saves Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's punishment during Arsenal's 3-1 triumph astatine Emirates Stadium successful October 2021

Bringing Martinez to Villa

Martinez's champion tally successful the Gunners' archetypal squad came astatine the extremity of his last play astatine Emirates Stadium, the Covid-affected 2019-20 campaign, erstwhile first-choice Bernd Leno was injured.

He started 11 consecutive games successful each competitions, including the FA Cup last triumph implicit Chelsea, but decided to question regular first-team shot elsewhere. Cutler was watching him.

"We had a database of keepers and myself, [Villa sporting director] Johan Lange and the scouting section had tons of meetings," Cutler said.

"Johan and the scouts would chiefly spell disconnected stats similar cleanable sheets and prevention percentages but Emi was determination little down that database due to the fact that helium hadn't played galore games, compared to the different keepers crossed Europe we were looking at.

"Luckily they were unfastened to my ideas and however I enactment - I look astatine a keeper's benignant and shape, and Emi's bio-mechanics were excellent, helium ticked each box.

"Trying to person radical to walk £18m connected a goalkeeper who has not played overmuch first-team shot was not easy, but I did it. I enactment connected a PowerPoint presentation, showing what helium would bring, including his character.

"Then it was a lawsuit of maine selling the nine to Emi, and I had truthful galore conversations with him implicit the telephone telling him what I bash and how, and what we would execute together. He knew I would spell supra and beyond to marque him better, which was the aforesaid attack helium had.

"He felt that transportation straightaway and helium was similar 'that's it, I americium coming to Villa'. In the extremity helium was chased by rather a fewer different clubs but helium was a antheral of his word."

The roadworthy to the World Cup final

Aston Villa and Argentina goalkeeper Emi Martinez during the World Cup

Martinez made an instant interaction astatine Villa, with 4 cleanable sheets successful his archetypal 7 Premier League games, and ended his archetypal run with 15 shutouts successful total.

That signifier alerted Argentina - helium had made a mates of their squads during his clip astatine Arsenal, without getting disconnected the bench, but playing planetary shot was inactive connected his wishlist.

"He had tons of targets, arsenic soon arsenic helium arrived astatine Villa," Cutler said. "Every time erstwhile helium opened his locker, we would tick immoderate off.

"In the archetypal year, 1 of them was him becoming fig 1 for Argentina, truthful it was immense for him erstwhile helium made his debut successful June 2021.

"He is truthful stats-driven, helium ever needs to scope this number, oregon that for saves, transverse postulation oregon his walk completion. He had the astir cleanable sheets astatine that Copa America - 4 successful six games - but past it was consecutive connected to the adjacent thing.

"Sometimes my occupation was conscionable to beryllium the psychologist, and recognize him emotionally and what helium was thinking. He was truthful anxious to support cleanable sheets, helium wanted to prevention everything, adjacent the impossible, truthful helium has had to larn however to woody with not achieving definite things.

"But ne'er erstwhile did I accidental 'come on, Emi, you are ne'er going to beryllium the champion successful the world'. I'd ever accidental 'there is nary crushed wherefore you can't execute that', and present helium is getting very, precise close."

'We wanted him to person confidence, bordering connected arrogance'

Emi Martinez does a creation of delight aft France's Aurelien Tchouameni sens his punishment wide during the World Cup last shootout

Playing astatine the 2022 World Cup was besides connected Martinez's list, and helium has evidently ticked that 1 disconnected too.

He played an integral portion successful Argentina's triumph successful the final, with a superb prevention from Randal Kolo Muani astatine the extremity of extra-time, and past by successfully unnerving France's punishment takers with his antics successful the shootout.

That was viewed by immoderate arsenic unsporting behaviour, but Cutler admits helium played a portion successful that gameplan, and sees it arsenic much grounds of however Martinez has developed a much robust and winning mentality.

"It was my responsibility really, due to the fact that we worked for a agelong clip connected him bringing his property and beingness to ain situations similar that," Cutler said.

"Instead of him showing vexation and going into his shell, we wanted him to amusement his passionateness by having confidence, bordering connected arrogance, which could impact things successful a affirmative way.

"The statistic are stacked against keepers with penalties - it's precise apt that the idiosyncratic taking 1 volition people - truthful it is simply a lawsuit of reasoning however tin I enactment him disconnected slightly.

"The archetypal clip we focused connected trying to psych a subordinate retired was erstwhile Villa played Manchester United successful September 2021, and Bruno Fernandes missed from the spot aft Emi spoke to him and told him Cristiano Ronaldo should beryllium taking it.

"It is astir knowing the subordinate and, if it is idiosyncratic similar Fernandes who you deliberation you tin upwind up, past you cognize it mightiness not instrumentality a batch to get wrong his head."

So what is the adjacent target? There cannot beryllium overmuch of that archetypal database near unchecked connected his locker, but that does not mean Martinez has mislaid immoderate of his thrust to succeed.

"First it was playing, present helium wants to triumph things," Cutler added. "The large happening with Emi is his hunger, and helium won't suffer that nary substance however bully helium becomes.

"He's played truthful fewer games that helium is similar a 30-year-old successful a 22-year-old's body, truthful helium has truthful overmuch much to springiness - helium is going to beryllium astatine the apical for years to come."

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