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Hello! Welcome to newsletter No 101. For some, Emi Martinez belongs in a room with that number on it. But, as you’ll see, he’s pretty darn good.
Game recognises game, as the saying goes. So The Athletic’s Jacob Tanswell asked a past Aston Villa goalkeeping legend to analyse their current star. The breakdown was fascinating. Here’s what I took from it…
Punchy personality
What comes to mind when you think of Emiliano Martinez?
Brazenness. Boldness. Bravado. But if he’s on your team, you love him — and Villa have him until 2029.
Some say he is arrogant, too, but could it be a mask for insecurity? Former Villa goalkeeper Mark Bosnich (above, with Martinez) believes so, and I can see the logic.
Before winning the World Cup with Argentina (and infamously thrusting with the Golden Glove trophy afterwards), Martinez was grafting in England’s lower leagues, with five of his six loans from Arsenal in the EFL.
For Villa and Argentina, Martinez has been superb, so even if he is misunderstood, he won’t care. As Bosnich says, “the negativity motivates him”.
Shootout sensation
This is when his personality really comes to the fore. Neither Villa nor Argentina have lost a shootout with Martinez in goal. He is one of the best penalty weapons around.
Martinez is the king of mind games and his previous successes saving penalties mean he often wins the battle before the ball is kicked. As if that’s not enough, his technique is exceptional, too.
His first save in the shootout against Lille in April’s Europa Conference League clash (below) is a great example. Open a penalty textbook and it’ll say a shot low and hard into the corner always wins.
But not with Martinez. Look at the athleticism to dive low and laterally, with distance. Bosnic purred at the technique — and how Martinez does not “fall like a harbour bridge”. It comes with an injury risk, but the outcome is emphatic.
… and starfish
One of the 31-year-old’s signature stops derives from the playbook of another Premier League legend, Peter Schmeichel.
‘The starfish’, a combination of timing and athleticism, is designed to smother an opponent at close range. A 6ft 5in (195cm), 88kg (194lb) specimen is not something you want charging out at you, and it’s effective in thwarting forwards.
Bosnich highlights his save against Wolves’ Rayan Ait-Nouri last season, but his effort to stop Randal Kolo Muani in stoppage time of the 2022 World Cup final (top picture on this article) will always stick with me.
As Bosnich says, Martinez seemingly has it all in his locker. Reflexes. Anticipation. Commanding the penalty box. It’s why he won last year’s Yashin Trophy, awarded to the world’s best goalkeeper.
News Round-Up
📲 Live transfers blog
Serie A Targets U.S: Can Pulisic and co cut through on TV?
Parma host AC Milan this weekend and the USMNT’s Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah will be the star attractions for the latter in the first-ever Serie A game to be shown on network TV in the United States.
But, as James Horncastle asks, can that league really crack America?
The theory behind it makes sense: draw the 15million Italian-Americans into Serie A when the league is becoming increasingly transatlantic (nine of Serie A’s 20 teams are American-owned and the Italian top flight has an office in New York City, too).
Serie A executives hope this exposure in the build-up to 2026, when the U.S. co-hosts the men’s World Cup with Canada and Mexico, will put their league front of the queue when the TV rights open again in two years.
The fight for eyeballs will be fascinating. The Premier League dominates, MLS continues to grow and, as The Athletic’s Adam Crafton mentioned recently, Spain’s La Liga is battling for a slice of the pie, too.
📺 (Times ET/UK) Parma vs AC Milan (Saturday 12.30pm/5.30pm) — CBS/OneFootball
Around The Athletic FC
(Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
- Tim Spiers’ new column launched today. It’s called Row Z and will shine a light on the bonkers nature of the game. It starts with Chelsea, obviously. They beat Servette last night in a Europa Conference League play-off and Simon Johnson has looked at whether any of their misfits have a strong case to stay.
- I grew up watching Mario Gomez get on the end of crosses and dominating centre-backs. Nowadays, he is the technical director of Red Bull Soccer. He sat down with The Athletic for a fascinating conversation.
- At 28, Dele Alli’s career is at a crossroads. Could we see him back on the pitch soon? Hopefully. He is a big talent. Our Everton correspondent Patrick Boyland looks at what comes next for the former England midfielder.
- On the red side of Merseyside, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s future is uncertain. Like Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk, whose situations we have also examined this week, he is in the final year of his contract.
- Steph Yang has done a deep dive into the NWSL’s new collective bargaining agreement. It’s hoped the guidelines, which come after 10 months of negotiations, will improve the conditions for players.
- Most clicked in TAFC yesterday: How the best Premier League managers stay one step ahead: New ideas, adaptation, evolution.
Quiz question
Time for our weekly brain teaser…
Which five pairs of team-mates have played the most games together in Premier League history?
The answer will be revealed on our website, here, at 3pm ET/8pm UK today and in Monday’s TAFC.
Good luck!
Catch a match
(Selected games)
Today: Championship: Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United, 3pm/8pm — Paramount+/Sky Sports.
Saturday: Premier League: Brighton and Hove Albion vs Manchester United, 7.30am/12.30pm — Peacock Premium/TNT Sports; Aston Villa vs Arsenal, 12.30pm/5.30pm — USA Network, Fubo/Sky Sports.
La Liga: Barcelona vs Athletic Bilbao, 1pm/6pm, ESPN+, Fubo/Premier Sports.
MLS: Inter Miami CF vs FC Cincinnati, Charlotte FC vs New York Red Bulls, both 7.30pm/12.30am (Sunday) — Apple TV.
Sunday: Premier League: Bournemouth vs Newcastle United, 9am/2pm — Peacock Premium/Sky Sports; Liverpool vs Brentford, 11.30am/4.30pm, Peacock Premium, Fubo/Sky Sports.
La Liga: Real Madrid vs Real Valladolid, 11am/4pm — ESPN+, Fubo/Premier Sports; Atletico Madrid vs Girona, 3.30pm/8.30pm — ESPN, Fubo/Premier Sports.
