Lisandro Martinez releases statement after ripping into Man Utd board following Atletico Madrid loss
Martinez issues statement after Manchester United's loss to Atletico Madrid as Paper Talk debates timing and fallout
The video discusses Lisandro Martinez's statement after his criticism of Manchester United following the Atletico Madrid defeat. The panel says the statement moves in the right direction but comes too late, and that Martinez may be right in substance but wrong in platform, creating unnecessary pressure while risking the impression that he is blaming his teammates.
- The squad must raise its standards together, the players must take responsibility first, and he believes his teammates and manager can take Manchester United back to the top — In his statement he says wanting more means the ambition and standards the whole club must have, starting with himself, and that he believes in his teammates, the manager and everyone helping the club move forward.
- Martinez's updated statement is a step in the right direction, but it is 24 hours too late — His earlier public comments had already brought unwanted coverage to Manchester United; he may be right in substance but wrong in platform, and a true dressing-room leader should speak privately with teammates and the club.
- Journalists and probably supporters want to see that passion, and the interview was excellent, but the extra scrutiny and pressure it puts on Manchester United, Martinez, his teammates and the manager is unwanted — Journalists want that passion and supporters likely do too; however, the impact carries into the next game and is not helpful for the team.
- There is a fine line between criticising summer recruitment and respecting the current players, and Martinez's words can easily slide into saying his teammates are not good enough — Manchester United spent a lot under the club leadership, so those players must be respected; his earlier claim that more investment was needed and that the players may not be good enough to compete in the Champions League contrasts with his current statement of belief in his teammates.
- The dressing room broadly backs Martinez — According to Jamie Jackson in the Guardian and Chris Wheeler in the Daily Mail, players support him; they also understand that the team needs more signings.
- Martinez is a proven World Cup star, but he is not playing at his best right now — He says Martinez would be the first to admit it.
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Transcript
Welcome back to Paper Talk and welcome back to John Cross, chief football writer for the [music] Mirror and the Daily Mails chief football reporter Craig Hope. Okay, let's get back [music] to Landro Martinez who's released a statement on Instagram. Let's just remind you of some of it. He said, uh, when I talk about wanting more, I'm talking about the ambition we must all have as part of this club to keep growing, to become stronger, and to have everything we need to compete at the highest level. These are standards we must all hold ourselves to. starting with me. I know that first and foremost, it's us, the players, who have to deliver, and I put myself at the front of that responsibility. We need to demand even more of ourselves and work together to take Manchester United back to the top. I believe in my teammates, our manager, and everyone working to help this club move forward. I'm convinced that the way forward is to keep working together with ambition and commitment. Uh, look, Craig, let me come to you on this. We've already got John's views and he he alluded to the fact that this was perhaps an opportunity for Martinez to diffuse the situation. None of that raw passion we saw in the immediate aftermath of that Atletico Madrid loss. What was your take on what Martinez has had to say in his update? >> Well, when you read that out the first time around there, Jess, my first reaction was it was extremely well written and you know, if Martinez is shown the door by Manchester United, he come and join John and I in the press box and I think he's got a future as a journalist there. But >> are you saying he didn't write it, Craig? [laughter] >> Well, yeah. Uh, perhaps not. But no, it's a step in the right direction. But also, it's 24 hours too late in in many ways. You know, what he did has already brought a whole load of unwanted coverage and, you know, unnecessary coverage to to Manchester United's door. But, but both things can be true. You know, Landro Martinez can be absolutely right in terms of what he said, but wrong in terms of the domain in which he said it. You know, if you're a leader, a true leader in the dressing room, I think you you you get together with your teammates if you really do feel this and you knock on on Jason Will Cox, don't present your opinions in that manner. Now, I don't want him not to say this. I don't think John does either. I thought the interview was fantastic. Us journalists, you know, we're not he's voting for Christmas. We want we want to see that this passion. I think supporters probably will do too. But in terms of the impact it has on Manchester United and that scrutiny and the pressure going on him and his teammates and the manager into the next game, it is unwanted. This is a step in the right direction, but it's probably come too late. >> Yeah, a lot of the back pages picking it up, but obviously haven't got this the the updated statement um from Martinez. John, how would the players be feeling? In his updated statement, he does say, "I believe in my teammates." But that's not the impression he gave in the immediate aftermath where he said, "We need more investment because the players possibly aren't up to the job to compete at the highest level in the Champions League." How might the dressing room be feeling? >> Yeah, it's a great shout, Jess. Honestly, that that fine line between being critical of the recruitment in the summer and let's let's not forget here that they did spend a hell of a lot under under Jason Wilcox's watch there. 55 million Andre Santos, you you know, Believer um uh and um who else was it? U Tielemans and you know, you you've got to be respectful to those players and yet actually sort of say we still needed more, which I I think they they absolutely did. I think it's interesting that I think some of the most interesting takes in the page on the back pages really um were sort of kind of how it goes forward from here. You know, I think Jamie Jackson the front of the Guardian pull out basically um sort of saying other players really back him strongly. I think the back of Craig Paper the male s kind of Chris Wheeler who's really well connected at United as well. Um basically making the point you know they're backing Will Cox from this point onwards but you know they understand that they do need more and you you know a lot of the players are on board there. So I do think they that they are on board with their teammate, but I do think it's it's one that they've he's got to be aware of that you easily kind of get into the territory of saying actually my teammates aren't good enough. And this obviously comes from a you know a proven World Cup star of the highest caliber, but at the moment even he's not playing at his best. I'm sure we'd be the first to admit.