Aston Villa boss Unai Emery has revealed why Emiliano Martinez was forced to come off at half-time in our 1-1 draw with Brentford on Saturday.
The 30-year-old had produced a string of key saves in the first half as he played a crucial role in keeping the game goalless, and subsequently us in it, as we came under a lot of pressure from the home side.
READ MORE: What Unai Emery said in assessment of Villa’s draw with Brentford
Coupled with his overall influence and leadership between the posts, it was a blow to see him fail to come out for the second half, with Robin Olsen replacing him during the break.
Emery was asked about Martinez in his post-match interview, and he revealed that the Argentine shot-stopper was dealing with a stomach bug and had to be replaced for the second half.
“Before the match, the last meal, he was feeling bad with his stomach,” Emery told BBC Sport. “He started the match and played the first half. He wasn’t feeling good [at half-time]. Hopefully he’ll recover for the next match.”
Villa face Fulham at home on Tuesday night, and it’s hoped that that will be sufficient time for Martinez to recover and start the game as we look to get back to winning ways in our pursuit of European qualification.
While Olsen has experience and is a solid back-up option, he has had his troubles in the past when deputising, and ultimately there is no replacing Martinez given what he brings to the side both with his goalkeeping ability and how he has adapted to us building out from the back and playing a high line.
In turn, it’s imperative that he recovers in time, but it’s a relief in many ways that it is a stomach issue rather than an injury that he picked up in the first half, which could have sidelined him for longer.