Unai Emery gives Emi Martinez brutal wake-up call after errors at Chelsea and Arsenal – as Aston Villa boss warns he may need ‘boxing gloves’
Emi Martinez has been told to wake up to the harsh reality of the modern goalkeeper after his high-profile errors against Chelsea and Arsenal.
The Aston Villa goalkeeper has done extra work with the club’s coaches to improve under the high ball, after his uncertainty in corners saw Villa concede the opening goal in each of their last two matches.
Although Villa fought back to win at Chelsea, Arsenal won 4-1 to move six points clear of Unai Emery’s men. Villa boss Emery believes goalkeepers no longer get the same protection from referees as before and joked they may soon have to be taller than 7ft to cope.
Emery said: “In the future we will need goalkeepers at 2m 20cm (7ft 2in). Maybe we need to buy some boxing (gloves).
“He works with the goalkeeping coach on how the football evolves. It changes in how the referees interpret these situations. Usually Emiliano Martinez shows us his power in these situations – corners or long throws.
“When opponents push or block, the referees are more or less gentle in their decision on how they want to handle the situation. We see it in every game, even when we are on offense.
Unai Emery needs to improve his defense on set pieces as attackers are not penalized for touching them, says Unai Emery.
Aston Villa boss warns goalkeepers will have to be seven feet tall and wear boxing gloves
“On set pieces, players touch the goalkeepers, they push them and it’s not a foul. It’s getting more and more difficult. There are two or three players blocking the goalkeeper. This has been the case for all goalkeepers lately.
“We can also use tactics like that, but we have to adapt and defend those situations better.”
Martinez’s struggles in the last two matches have certainly been noticed by Sean Dyche, who will take his Nottingham Forest side to Villa Park on Saturday. Simon Hooper is expected to referee the match.