The reigning World Cup champions were back in action on Tuesday night for their second game in Copa America this summer.
While Euro 2024 on Tuesday night saw two drab, goalless games to round out Group C, the Copa America was also in action and this saw Lisandro Martinez perform.
The Manchester United No.6 was once again their starting centre-back alongside Spurs’ Cristian Romero, whom he has built a strong partnership with, something Erik ten Hag should be watching to rebuild his defence.
Argentina won the game against Chile by 1-0 which guarantees their progression after beating Canada 2-0 in the opener.
More international silverware could be on the cards for Martinez, but here’s how the Argentine media have reacted to his performance, following on from United fans’ impressed reviews.
How Argentine media reacted to Lisandro Martinez v Chile
As Argentina won their second group game, media in the country have been reacting to Martinez’s outing for the world champions.
Martinez was handed a match rating of 7 by Pagina 12, with the outlet also writing a review: “Firm in the [defence], safe in the starts from the bottom and fast to cover the back of a teammate.”
Ole also praised Martinez, awarding him a 6.5 match rating and writing: “Safe in the [defence] and with the ball. He tried to take advantage of his good passing to put some long passes, mainly to Nico González’s pique.”
According to El Sol, Martinez’s performances are making it impossible for Otamendi to play, as they scored his performance 7/10: “His level makes Nicolás Otamendi not surprised [to not be starting]. Safe on the mark, precise on the start with the ball. Good game from the Manchester United centre.”
TYC Sports praised the relationship Martinez is building with Romero, while scoring him a 7/10 also: “Convincing presentation by Lisandro. He anticipated the ball went well, long shipments of great precision. It is well understood with Cuti.”
Finally La Nacion saw Martinez with a 7/10 both from the outlet and via a fan vote: “Second consecutive starting match, on the way to staying with Otamendi’s position. Speed for the advance and the relays. With personality in the hottest moments. Without a central defender physique, he meets the requirements of the position and plays as if he were a steering wheel”.
Martinez’s height has often been discussed as a negative in his placing as a central defender, but it’s clear that the Argentine view is similar to the view of United supporters that he makes up for it in so many ways and almost negates his height through tenacity and aggression.
How Lisandro Martinez fared for Argentina v Chile
After an impressive opening game against Canada for Martinez, game two was perhaps even better with Seleccion winning 1-0 against Chile.
The Old Trafford-based defender was so strong in defence, winning three duels, making seven defensive actions, four recoveries and two clearances in the game.
He was also immense on the ball, with 91 touches and 73 completed passes out of 82 attempts, including one created chance and nine passes into the final third according to FotMob.
This kind of performance is what United were sorely lacking last season, and now he’s been fit for a good period of time, hopefully those injury problems are now behind him and we can see the return of the butcher next season for United.