Lisandro Martinez Responds to Criticism Following Manchester Derby Victory
Lisandro Martinez, defender for Manchester United, has responded to critics who discuss the club on television but fail to address players directly.
The 28-year-old played a pivotal role in United's impressive 2-0 victory over rivals Manchester City on Saturday, successfully containing striker Erling Haaland and helping the team secure only their third Premier League clean sheet of the season, which has been largely disappointing.
Following the dismissal of Ruben Amorim, interim head coach Michael Carrick enjoyed a successful debut, leading the team to this crucial win after Under-18s boss Darren Fletcher took charge for two matches.
Prior to the derby, Martinez faced criticism from former United midfielders Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes. Butt, on the podcast The Good, The Bad & The Football, claimed that Haaland would “pick Martinez up and run with him,” while Scholes suggested that the Norwegian forward would “throw him in the net” after scoring.
In response to Scholes' remarks, Martinez stated, “Honestly, he can say whatever he wants. I told him already, if he wants to say something to me, he can come to wherever he wants—my house, wherever. I don’t care.”
Martinez emphasized his focus on performance, saying, “I respect the relations when they want to help the club, but everyone can talk on television. When you see [them] face to face, no one says anything to your face. So for me, I don’t really care what they say. I just focus on my performance, the team's performance, and I give everything to this club until my last day.”
United’s season has been challenging, with the team missing out on European football and being eliminated early from both domestic cup competitions. This results in a 40-game campaign, the lowest since the 1914-15 season.
Heading into the derby, United had only one win in their last seven games, but their strong performance against City was a much-needed boost. Pep Guardiola’s side struggled to cope with the electric atmosphere created by the home crowd and the intensity displayed by United players, recording their second-lowest expected goals (xG) figure in a league match under Guardiola.
“It is about the connection,” Martinez added. “It’s about how we represent them on the pitch. If they see us fighting like that, they will be with us. If sometimes our performance isn’t the best, it’s because they expect a good attitude from us—tackles, the DNA, the blood of Manchester United. I can really understand because sometimes it’s like ‘what are we doing here?’”