Unai Emery spots change in Emi Martinez ahead of facing PSG cauldron
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has praised goalkeeper's mentality ahead of facing the noise in Paris next week
Unai Emery believes Emi Martinez is more mature and still improving at Aston Villa.
Argentina’s number one has played a key role in the club’s rise since joining from Arsenal in the summer of 2021.
He has been named the Best FIFA Men's Goalkeeper twice in the past three years, having claimed the award in December and also for 2022.
After winning two Copa America titles—either side of lifting the World Cup—Martinez is now eager to win silverware with Villa this season.
Last term, his penalty heroics in Lille helped the club reach a European semi-final, but Olympiacos ultimately triumphed to win the Europa Conference League.
Villa are in the FA Cup semi-finals this season after beating Preston North End last weekend. They will then shift focus to a Champions League quarter-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain following their match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Martinez—whose penalty saves against France helped Argentina win the World Cup in 2022—is expecting a hostile reception at the Parc des Princes, just as he experienced in Lille back in March.
“My team will be under less pressure because the focus will be on me, the fans will be insulting me… I’ve got it completely under control,” Martinez said last month. “Against Lille, they whistled at me for 120 minutes, that's normal.
"It's going to be exciting. I've already received messages and everything. We're strong at home, but away, we struggle more. It's a knockout phase, anything can happen."
Asked about Martinez, and his personality, Emery said: “I like him like he is. Of course, we are playing with a lot of emotion. We are defending, we are Aston Villa. With Argentina, there’s a lot of emotion with the supporters.
“But you have to understand, it’s football. You know Forest supporters are going to defend their team or use words to upset us. That’s football.
“It’s the same when they are playing with the national team. They’re defending their countries in these important competitions. We are mature enough to always be in balance.
“I think Emiliano Martinez is getting better. He’s getting better. I arrived here two and a half years ago and at that moment he was very good.
“Now, at this moment, he’s better. He’s getting better. In everything. As a person, he’s being more mature, more responsible. He’s getting his individual objectives as well.”
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Aston Villa is marking its 150th anniversary with the launch of a new merch collection including shirts, hoodies, books, mugs and scarves.
Top items include the Anniversary Shirt, Anniversary Hoodie and Anniversary Polo Shirt, plus the 150 Years picture books Volume One and Volume Two.