Soccer News Soccer Match Reports, Football News
After a slow start to life at Barcelona, due to an injury he was carrying from last season, Inigo Martinez is finally getting regular game time and is making the most of it.
The centre-back, arriving on a free transfer from Athletic Club, has been one of Barça’s better performers in recent games, on the back of which he has broken into the Spanish national team again.
Martinez recently sat down for an interview with SPORT, during which he discussed his move to Barcelona as well as the pressure on manager Xavi Hernandez, among several other things.
On Barcelona move and role in the team
Having hardly played for the first month or so, the 32-year-old has been racking up regular minutes in recent weeks. Discussing how it feels to be featuring regularly, Martinez said:
“I’m happy and glad to start the games I’ve been playing, doing a good job. The truth is that the call of the national team is always good, it makes you happy, to be among the best is one of the objectives as a player. I want to make the most of the minutes I play.”
At his previous clubs, Martinez was used to be a regular starter game after game, which is no longer the case at Barcelona. When asked if it was difficult to adapt to this, he replied:
“It’s true that at every club I’ve been at, Real Sociedad and Athletic, I’ve always been an unquestionable starter. When I arrived I knew the club I was coming to, the level of players that were here, and that I would have to sweat it out to start, which has always been what I wanted.
“I had been out of action for a long time, with an injury that was giving me a lot of trouble. It was hard. Now I can say that the coach is giving me the opportunities that any player wants to keep competing and be a starter. I feel at ease. My teammates always help.”
Discussing whether he felt like he was stepping out of his ‘comfort zone’ by leaving Athletic Club for Barcelona, Martinez said: “I’ve always been ambitious. Every now and then…
Source link : https://barcauniversal.com/inigo-martinez-talks-xavi-araujo-yamal-gundogan-barcelona-ive-to-repay-the-coach-for-everything-he-has-done/
Author : Michel Durant
Publish date : 2023-11-18 10:17:25
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
