Emiliano Martinez is one of the best keepers in Europe

After Arsenal won the FA Cup last summer Emiliano Martinez was interviewed by the BBC. Standing next to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Emi was asked what the cup win meant to him and he broke down. Ten years, he played for Arsenal, ten years he went on loan, struggled to get first team football, and when his chance finally came, due to an unfortunate injury to Bernd Leno, Emi Martinez took the chance with both hands, plucking it out of the sky like a dangerous cross in a crowded box. He couldn’t speak to the cameras that day but the club and he managed to put together a statement which sums up what Arsenal, and football, has meant to him and his family:

“It was a bit emotional [when the final whistle went in the semi-final]. Not because we beat City, who for me are one of the best teams in Europe right now, but more because of how much I have been fighting to play in a final with the club I love.

“It has been 10 years since I joined the club and at the final whistle, everything goes through your head. I wish the fans and my family would be here for the final, obviously with 90,000 or 80,000 people in Wembley, something you don’t play every day.

“I wish my whole family was there. Like I said, we came from a poor, poor family and for them to see me there winning a trophy in front of 90,000 people and getting a medal would be something.

“I remember for my Champions League debut against Anderlecht, my Dad flew 27 hours to reach that game and he was crying all 95 minutes. I remember the day that I and my brother ate and not my mum and dad. So I know exactly what they’ve been through.

“I was living in Buenos Aires and I would only see them twice a month, when I travelled, because they couldn’t afford the petrol to go and see me. So I know what they did for me to reach the top where I am now.”  

— via Arsenal / Twitter

This summer Arsenal and Martinez had an agonizing decision: would they try to keep him, knowing that he might not be the number one keeper at Arsenal, or would Emi leave the team he loved and the club which had given him so much for a chance to play first team football elsewhere?

The club and the player choose to part ways. It was an emotional decision for all but it looks like it was just about the right one as well. At least for Emi Martinez and Aston Villa, the transfer has been a massive success.

In 2019-20 Aston Villa’s keepers struggled to make saves. Dean Smith used three main keepers that season: Tom Heaton, Pepe Reina, and Orjan Nyland. Heaton and Reina weren’t terrible, they underperformed post-shot xG by 1.4 each but as a unit all three keepers pulled together to have the 2nd worst post-shot xG saves numbers in the Premier League, just behind Chelsea and their massive flop Kepa Arrizabalaga.

The need for a good keeper at Villa was evident and the turnaround at Villa under Emi Martinez has been remarkable.

Let’s look at last season:

  • In 2019-20, Villa had the 3rd worst save percentage 64.6% (Arsenal were best 78.3%)
  • In 2019-20, Villa had the 2nd worst PSxG with -6.2 (Arsenal were best with +10)
  • In 2019-20, Villa had the 2nd fewest clean sheets with 7 (Arsenal mid-table with 10)
  • In 2019-20, Villa conceded 11 goals on 50 shots outside the box, a league worst 78% (average is 86%)

Now compared to this season:

  • Villa has the best saves percentage in the League (78.6%)
  • Emi Martinez is 4th in the top five leagues in saves % (behind notable keepers Navas, Courtoise, and Oblak and he’s made almost twice as many saves as them.)
  • Emi Martinez has a PSxG of +7.2 (he’s saved 7 more goals than expected) which is the best in the top five Leagues
  • Martinez has 13 clean sheets, tied for 3rd in the top five Leagues and only behind huge names like Ederson, Maignan, and Navas
  • Martinez has conceded 7 goals from outside the box but he’s faced the most shots from distance than any keeper in the League (51). His saves percent from these chances is a very respectable 86%.

The next question I would ask is whether he’s actually saving Villa any points: is he producing saves in tight games or matches which have a high xG against, which Villa then go on to win or draw? The answer is yes, I count seven matches which ended 1-0 or 0-0 in which he kept a clean sheet and there were at least 1 good shot(s) (0.2 xG).

That’s 19 points which he’s had quite a hand in helping Villa win this season (obviously it’s not all just him). And he’s only conceded one goal from a personal error.

It’s somewhat understandable that Emi Martinez playing well will have some fans questioning whether the club made a mistake in selling Emi and not Leno but it would be completely unfair to all involved. First, it forgets that Leno had the best saves percentage of any keeper in 2019-20, that he was 4th in PSxG +/- per90 (0.21), that he was 5th in saves percent from outside the 18 yard box (92%), and that the role of keeper at Arsenal requires a player who isn’t just good with his feet but excellent.

In terms of short passing this season, Emi has completed 100% of 2.36 short passes per game and Bernd has completed 100% of 7.74 per game. Similarly medium passes: Emi has completed 99.6% of almost 10 medium passes per game while Bernd is 99.7% of 14.2 per game. Just to put this in perspective, Emi is 59/59 short and 248/249 medium while Bernd is 192/192 short and 351/352 medium. Bernd Leno has misplaced 1 of 544 passes short or medium this season. Martinez has just one misplaced pass as well and when he was at Arsenal he did similar stats to Leno but it’s fair to suggest that Leno might have been just slightly more reliable with ball at feet.

Moreover, Leno hasn’t been poor this season in front of goal (with the exception of his red card). His PSxG +/- is 0.15, which is top 20 in the top 5 Leagues but he’s clearly not 100% recovered from the knee injury from last season. His overall saves percentage is a poor 70%, which is low because his saves on shots in prime are just 51% this season. That’s something I’ve noticed happens to keepers when they lose a step. Something hopefully he recovers fully by the start of next season.

Regardless of the comparisons between the two keepers it’s fantastic to see Emi Martinez get off to such a solid start at Villa and living his dream. I wish him nothing but the best.

Qq

13 comments

  1. I’m happy he’s doing well. On the balance of things I’d slightly rather we had kept him instead of Leno, but it certainly wasn’t a clear cut/obvious choice. And aside from the bone-headed red card, not as if Leno has had a terrible season.

  2. Leno’s been good. We got a good fee for Emi, who helped win us a cup. He’s been a great buy for Villa, while we may have managed spend the money reasonably (Party).

    It’s been good to great all around.

  3. Emi was a keeper (see what I did there?) but he was far too good to stay as a back up. Better than Cech in his time with us, IMO. I couldn’t agree more with this post. I’m also happy that the days of Almunia are now a fading nightmare.

    1. Yeah for me the biggest regret in hindsight is that he didn’t get his chance before Leno came along. But Leno is an excellent keeper too so it’s worked out ok.

  4. i think everyone is happy that emi is doing well. we all knew that arsenal had two fabulous keepers last season and, like 1nil said, he was too good to be on anybody’s bench. with that, i believe arsenal made the right decision in keeping leno and selling martinez. while leno is only slightly better than martinez, he is better. likewise, arsenal did collect a hefty transfer fee for him (worth every cent) and he has truly helped make aston villa a much better team.

    i noticed you mentioned the short and medium passes but not the longer passes. this is where i think martinez clearly outshines leno. not only do i believe martinez has a longer pass than leno is capable of, his accuracy (including punts) is significantly better. stats won’t tell the whole story because while a keeper can play a great long ball, his target still has to win said long ball.

    the human component of his story is compelling. coming from extreme poverty in argentina, martinez taken his god given talents and persevered 10 years of not getting an opportunity to be able to take care of his entire family. he’ll get everything he deserves.

    i think the biggest problem is arsenal aren’t supposed to see players leave the club and do better. lately, it’s become a regular thing…certainly not the traditional expectation of a big team. most will agree that if arsenal had martinez and not leno, they would have still had the same struggles that they’ve endured this season. we’ll see if arsenal can turn it around.

    1. Joshua, you mentioned being a coach. What level are you coaching? Did you notice that Devlin, I think, also is (or was) a coach? Interesting to have two coaches commenting on the blog these days. I wish I was better at insightful tactical commentary but alas I tend to be pretty basic.

  5. Bern Leno is a better shot stopper than Emi. But Leno does not command his area like Martinez does. Leno takes a long time to decide whom to pass plus with a less powerful kick has limitations in a counter. Leno and Martinez are quite close. The conundrum arose because of “ of all the animals in the zoo….” Runnarson coming as No 2

  6. Great article, Boss. Thoughtful, balanced, and sincere. I am thankful we have Leno, but I love Emi.

    He really looks the part at Villa, and I wish him the absolute best…except when we face him.

  7. I just hope we have a cheeky buyback clause for when Bayern inevitably comes for Leno.

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