Lisandro Martinez is not coming back to Carrington anytime soon, after Argentina beat Switzerland 3-1 in the World Cup quarter-finals.
It needed a red card for the Swiss and extra time, but Argentina’s winning run continued, and Lisandro Martinez was again a starter.
The Man Utd defender continued his good run of form as well, growing into the game when Argentina were a man up.
Here’s how the Argentine press reacted to Martinez’s display.
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Argentine press reaction to Lisandro Martinez
The Argentine press revelled in the glory and there was also schadenfreude in their coverage, as England are up next.
However, Martinez, as always, remains a fierce favourite back in his nation, and that was reflected in the coverage again.
La Pagina Millonaria rated him 7.5/10, saying he was very “precise” with the ball at his feet, and was equally as attentive to defensive actions off the ball.
El Sol claimed with a 7/10 rating that Martinez showed again “why he’s the starter”, summing him up in one word, which is simply “masterful”.
La Voz credited Martinez with showing “the usual grit”, while also noting a couple of nervy moments.
Pagina12 was critical of his game, saying he found it hard to deal with Embolo, and his distribution from the back was also “poor”. He got 6/10.
El Destape noted his improvement once Switzerland went down to ten men, but wanted to see more from him 11v11, earning him another 6/10.
TyC Sports commended Martinez for his immense “grit”, saying that his confidence kept increasing as minutes ticked by, coming out on top despite a fierce opponent.
Analysing Argentine press’ reaction to Martinez
Clearly, there’s euphoria in Argentina after coming through another difficult game on the winning side, and Martinez’s passion resonates in his nation.
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However, beyond the intangibles like passion, desire, and determination, there is concern over his duel-winning abilities.
Martinez has lost a yard of pace, and although he makes up for it most times due to his intelligence, it makes him a target for opposition strikers.
He can also make a difference with the ball when he’s given time on it, but the opponents regularly press him as a priority.
He is not the same player as he was before his injury, and Man Utd will have to manage that, because it’s easier to get through a knockout tournament with grit and desire than it is to play through a gruelling club season.
For now, he’ll ride the hype and hope to get to another final with his country in a golden run of which he’s a key part.
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