Gary Neville has shared his doubt over Emiliano Martinez and suggested that Argentina can’t win the Qatar World Cup with the Aston Villa goalkeeper in between the sticks, in comparison to Brazil and Liverpool star, Alisson Becker.
The former England defender admitted Villa’s number one ‘delivered’ as Argentina beat Australia 2-1 to reach the quarter-finals on Saturday, including a point-blank save in stoppage time to deny Newcastle United’s, Garang Kuol.
But, before the game, Neville was sharing his doubts over Martinez, then when the South American giants progressed, and Martinez played his part, he was pushed as to what he doesn’t like about the 30-year-old.
The TV pundit made it clear ‘I don’t have a problem’ with the former Arsenal man and his comments might have been ‘misinterpreted’.
But that didn’t stop him from saying that when it comes to the semi-finals, he thinks Liverpool and Brazil number one Alisson Becker has ‘the edge’, as he told beINSPORTS (03/12/22 at 9:35 pm).
“I don’t have a problem with the goalkeeper,” said Neville. “I look at goalkeepers. I am watching Spain, the other day, probably the best team performance I have seen against Japan in the first half.
“But then you think the goalkeeper (Simon). It will soon come down to a goalkeeper (winning the World Cup).
“To be fair, Martinez has delivered. He has delivered. That last-minute save, then Lisandro Martinez’s tackle was even better than that. I mean that was a goal. It was unbelievable that.
“It was maybe misinterpreted before the game, I wasn’t saying ‘I don’t like him’. I didn’t say that. Coming to the semi-final. You have Alisson at one end and you have him at the other. And you come to what’s going to be the differentiator if there’s a one v one.
“Yes, tonight he has done it. I just think Alisson could have the edge.”
EMI MARTINEZ HAS ALREADY PROVEN HIS WORTH
Perhaps Neville should cast his mind back to Copa America 2021 and when a certain Argentina secured glory.
It was the first time Lionel Messi lifted that trophy in his career and the world superstar even proceeded to single out Villa’s number one because, without him, they wouldn’t have got to the final.
It was heroics in the semi-final shootout against Colombia that allowed the South American giants to progress. That was ‘Dibu’s’ best-ever performance as a player.
Other than the World Cup, for those South American players, there isn’t bigger pressure than Copa America and Martinez has already answered Neville’s doubts, which he probably can’t even answer why he has those doubts in the first place.
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