Mail Online

No wonder Martinez is being targeted... size DOES matter!

CHRIS SUTTON

SIZE matters (sometimes). When I was facing a team, I’d choose a centre back to target, maybe after looking down at him in the tunnel. Wimbledon’s Chris Perry, although he had a good spring, was 5ft 9in. I was 6ft 4in and scored against them in October 1997. There was a long ball, I beat Perry in the air, leaving him on his backside, and scored to secure a 1-0 win for Blackburn. Job done. It’s natural, and that’s why opponents have been targeting Manchester United’s 5ft 9in centre back Lisandro Martinez. Brighton did it last weekend, abandoning their usual plan of playing out from the back to send long balls towards Martinez. Brentford saw that and targeted him, too, feeling it was a weak link they could expose. It’s smart. It’s streetwise. You’ll take advantage of your opponents any way you can. Like how Brentford striker Ivan Toney targeted Ben White at the start of last season on his Arsenal debut. Toney beat up White in that 2-0 win. If you feel you can get the better of someone, why wouldn’t you use that? Martinez was one of three men hooked at half-time by Erik ten Hag on Saturday — the ultimate humiliation for a footballer — and it’s been a rough welcome to the Premier League for him. After seeing Martinez dominated individually, other strikers will be targeting him now. I know I would. Although we have to say, it would be unfair to lay the blame entirely on Martinez. Not a single player in Ten Hag’s team has come out of the last two defeats with any credit. There was only one shower across the country on Saturday and that was Manchester United.

The Verdict: Premier League

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2022-08-15T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-15T07:00:00.0000000Z

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