Lisandro Martinez is a left footed, 5’9 ball-playing centre-back who Manchester United have recently signed. Many have doubts about his ability to play as a CB in the Premier League due to his height, however, why have Manchester United pursued this deal, and what will he bring to the side?
Ball-Playing
Lisandro Martinez is an excellent ball playing centre-back. His UCL FBref report is elite, he ranks in the top percentiles in all the important passing statistics for him.
Manchester United currently have 3 ball playing defenders in Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane, so why have they decided to add another one? The three current CBs are all right footed, and while Maguire is adept at playing LCB, he does not have the passing angles that a left-footer would have in that position.
Martinez in this position steps up high and can play the pass to either Gravenberch or Blind. In this same position, Maguire would struggle to play the pass to Gravenberch as there’s a higher chance of the Benfica midfielder intercepting a right footed pass. While Martinez ends up playing to Blind, he could easily play it inside to Gravenberch who can turn and play it forward, potentially creating a direct chance.
Again, in the photo above, Ajax win the ball back and lay it off to Martinez who is able to play a quick pass through the lines to Gravenberch. His left foot is vital to this pass as he can open up his body and the angle formed allows for an inside pass to be played. A right footer in that position would have to take a touch and then proceed to play the pass through the lines or play it out to Blind.
Switches from play from the left to the right favour a left footer. The player is able to wrap their foot around the ball, making it easier to play a quick pass from the LCB position to the RB, or to one of the midfielders dropping in. Similarly, Martinez excels at switches of play to the RW (Antony), where he’s able to play the pass while on the front foot.
These switches are key to breaking down a low block. In United’s victory vs Melbourne Victory, Manchester United lacked strong, technical players from deep to play the ball around quickly. Fred is the only left-footer who could collect the ball in a deep position, but his passing isn’t brilliant so he struggled to move it quickly from left to right. Maguire was able to switch it to Shaw on the left, just as Martinez will be able to switch it to Sancho & Dalot on the right.
Martinez’s left foot combined with his elite passing ability allows Ajax to play their direct style of play, similar to the setup that Erik ten Hag is trying to implement at Manchester United. Having Martinez in the LCB role will allow for those angles to open up as well as the ability for the side to build up quickly through the left side.
Aerial Presence
Despite being 5’9, Martinez is very strong aerially. This is due to his aggressiveness in attacking headers, and how he positions himself against the opposition.
Seen in the photos below, Martinez is initially in contact with Nunez, but once the ball gets flicked towards Nunez, Martinez is aggressive with his movement and gets ahead of Nunez, positioning himself well to win the header.
Whilst being far inferior height-wise to Nunez (5’9 compared to 6’2), his positioning and aggression in attacking the ball allows him to win the header. This will be important in the Premier League as he will be up against tall forwards such as Nunez, Haaland and Kane, so his aerial ability needs to be at the top of its game.
What Will He Bring To Manchester United?
Martinez will add bags of quality to the current Manchester United defence. As covered before, his ball playing ability from the left side of the pitch will open up more angles for playing out of the back. He will add quality as the club do not currently have a left footed CB and will most likely be a confirmed starter.
Martinez adds experience as he already knows how ten Hag looks to play. He was a first team regular last season as Ajax won the league, and will come into the side in the same role as last season. He’s also a leader, adding to Manchester United’s current group of players.
Martinez also adds depth to three positions in the squad. The versatile Argentinian can play at CB, LB and DM, making him able to fill in multiple positions if required.
Overall, for a fee of £52m, Manchester United have got a top LCB who will be around for years to come. It’s now ten Hag’s job to help him settle into the side, and give him a defined position and role which the team can build around.
