Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has provided some brilliant insight and thoughts on the early influence of Unai Emery.
Villa recorded back-to-back Premier League wins following Emery’s arrival, and although there was disappointment in the Carabao Cup sandwiched in between, we’ve seen an upturn in form and the level of performance.
READ MORE: What we’ve learned so far under Unai Emery after Villa upturn
Martinez will feature for Argentina at the World Cup and will be a pivotal figure in their quest for success, and there was talk at the weekend that he may not play against Brighton with his international commitments in mind.
However, he reaffirmed his commitment to the Villa cause by playing, and helping us secure a battling 2-1 win.
Further, the Argentine international revealed his delight at what we’ve shown in the past two games, both in terms of some impressive attacking and technical quality in our win over Man Utd, and the gritty side where we dug in and held on for three points last time out.
The 30-year-old also offered some insight into the difference that Emery has made since his arrival, specifically how he’s helped the squad get their confidence back and how he’s been able to pinpoint and explain both the positives and negatives in our performances.
Martinez is just the latest Villa player to praise Emery’s early influence after Matty Cash did likewise before travelling to join up with the Poland squad, and aside from the six points put on the board under his stewardship, there’s no doubt that we’ve seen early positive signs of his influence which will only grow the longer he has to work with his players.
Martinez on decision for Brighton game
“People were asking me not to play, which is normal,” he told The Athletic. “Got the World Cup next weekend. But in my mind, I’m thinking: ‘What is best for my career?’
“I love this club, man. I’m all in. I showed on Sunday I am all in.
Martinez on Villa’s last two performances
“We had probably the best technical performance against United at home. Beautiful football. The best I’ve seen since I joined the club! Then coming away (at Brighton) and ending up defending with six defenders and four in front, it shows that we can do both. Also, when you play in the Premier League away from home you go to war. That last 20 minutes at Brighton, we went to war.”
Martinez on Unai Emery
“He’s demanding. He’s one of the coaches that encourages a lot during the game. He watches a lot of videos and shows us what we have done right and wrong.
“If we make a mistake, he wants us to try it again, and do it our way. That gives confidence to everybody. We lost confidence earlier in the season.”