Emiliano Martinez is frustrated with his performances in the Premier League this season.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper, who is not playing for Argentina during the international break due to suspension, admitted he has been impacted by the volume of goals he has conceded this term. Though, that has not stopped the Villans getting off to a promising start in 2024-25.
Since leaving Arsenal, Martinez has enjoyed a remarkable rise. In addition to securing Champions League qualification with Villa, the shotstopper has starred en route to World Cup and Copa America glory with Argentina and his reputation has continued to grow.
It did not take long for pundits to suggest Mikel Arteta had made an error in allowing Martinez to leave, with the Gunners cycling through Bernd Leno and Aaron Ramsdale before landing on David Raya, in recent seasons. David James suggested Martinez would be 'perfect' for the north London side.
It appears that Martinez is among his own harshest critics however. The 32-year-old has kept three clean sheets this season but just one in the Premier League. Martinez shut out Young Boys and Bayern Munich in the Champions League but has allowed nine goals in seven games in the top flight.
The former Arsenal youngster remains focused on continuing to improve, despite winning the Yashin Trophy in 2023. Martinez hopes to quickly bounce back following the international break.
“They are scoring a lot of goals against me in the Premier and it is something that affects me a lot,” he explained, per Sport Witness.
“I am a fan of zero goals, so I work a lot for it. With Javier García (goalkeeper coach) we worked a lot, specifically yesterday, 40 or 50 minutes reacting to the ball, concentrating only on the ball and today the truth was that it was very good for me.
“I am a sucker for continuing to grow, for being the best, for winning everything with Aston Villa; I set out to play in the Champions League with Villa and I was able to achieve it. With the same selection. I have no ceiling; I want to continue growing and I try to show it every weekend."
Reflecting on Villa's win over Bayern Munich earlier this month, Martinez made it clear that is not the end of his side's ambitions in the competition. Asked to describe the victory, he said: “A statement.
"There's still a lot to play [for]. We want to qualify in the first eight, in the top eight, it's one step at a time, we've got Bologna at home now in our second game, we are probably more relaxed but we want to win every game."
He added: “It's unreal to be fair. This is the loudest Villa Park that I've heard since I joined the club, that's for sure, it was hurting my ears at some point. It's a club that is moving forward. It's the main reason why I stay in this football club. I love playing here, I love the fans, this is a win for them.”