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 it’s good to get out of your comfort zone and have other experiences.
“By insisting and fighting these years, I have the opportunity to play in the Champions League, win games, be at the top of the table, and fight to win as many titles as possible. We hope it will be a great year and that the titles I have been chasing for so long will come.”
On Xavi, his tactics and future
Martinez also expressed his gratitude towards Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez for backing him, giving him a chance and helping him through the time when he was still injured.
“Without the coach’s approval, you don’t make it in these teams. From the first minute I spoke to him, he always showed his confidence in me, he wanted me in the team and I’m grateful. I have to repay the coach for everything he has done for me on the pitch, which is where it matters,” Martinez said.
Xavi has also been under fire due to some sections questioning his tactics and style of play at Barcelona. When asked about whether it was difficult to understand the manager’s ideas and tactics, the defender said:
“I don’t think it’s that difficult. There have been situations in which, due to unnecessary mistakes on our part, we conceded a goal in 20 seconds, like against Alaves.
“I repeat, these are small adjustments that we need to improve. Especially in terms of attention. We hope to turn it around quickly, but it’s important to be together, to fight for the same thing and in the same direction. That’s what will win us titles.”
On whether he believes that Xavi should be ‘untouchable’ as Barcelona manager, he said: “Nobody doubts his level of commitment, how good a coach he is. He has been a great player and he will be a great coach too. Last year went well and we’re going for more: that’s the goal.”
When asked if Xavi is a ‘soft’ coach, Martinez spoke out in defence of his manager, saying: “When Xavi has to speak out, he does. No doubt about it. He’s a great coach, nobody doubts that. He needs to be supported at all times and the situation will change.”
On the pressure and criticism
Discussing how the pressure of playing for a club like Barcelona is different from what he has experienced at his previous clubs, the Spaniard remarked:
“The pressure and having to win all the time, the controversies, the comments from people…. The important thing is to be united because the group is the group.
“We all want big games, to win 5-0 but the opposition also play, it may not be your day and it gets complicated. Getting these games out of the way and staying in until the end counts for a lot.”
Martinez also added that Barcelona had set lofty standards in the past but people tend to forget that there is a new, much younger squad in place now and that the group is working towards reaching the pinnacle again.
Xavi was vocal against the criticism and scrutiny coming from the press recently, stating that it affected the players. Giving his thoughts on his manager’s words, Martinez said:
“We have a lot of young players, who have a lot to learn and experience, like Lamine who is only 16 years old. It won’t be easy to isolate themselves from the circle that can affect them.
“You always have to support the youngsters, they are young people with little experience. We have to try to appease them and keep them focused. They are players who contribute a lot and will continue to do so.”
On teammates
With the departure of Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, Barcelona lost two of their most experienced players last summer.
It has meant that veterans like Martinez, Ilkay Gundogan, and Robert Lewandowski have had to take up the leadership mantle in the team even though they have been at the club for a short time.
“I look around me in the locker and I see young players with very little experience. We have experienced so many games, so many difficult moments, that we are obliged to lend a hand, always thinking of the group. The veterans have to step up,” Martinez said.
Martinez also gave his two cents about Gundogan’s comments criticising the team after the defeat to Real Madrid, as he said: “It was in the heat of the moment after the match, we had lost against Real Madrid and one says things one doesn’t mean.
“We all knew what he meant and none of us felt singled out. The next day we talked about it, it was just a hot flash because we lost against Madrid. It’s all sorted out, there’s a good feeling. There is no problem between us and we want to win the games.”
Martinez also showered praise on his centre-back partner Ronald Araujo, claiming that he was not surprised by the Uruguayan’s level.
“Araujo has had some very good seasons. Physically he is superior to many and he brings us a lot of things. He has a great character and is very competitive. We are seeing his great level and we hope that it will be like that in the remaining games.”
