World Cup-winning goalkeeper Emiliano "Dibu" Martinez, who plays for Aston Villa in the English Premier League, is "working to calm his bad reactions on the pitch," his coach, Unai Emery, said today.
"Emiliano is a winner and he's very important for us. Their commitment here is incredible. There are little things he knows he can improve and he's working to do it," said Emery, who is doing a big job at the second-placed Villans club, which will be at home to Sheffield United this afternoon.
Last Sunday in the win over Brentford, Martinez received a yellow card after abruptly lifting Frenchman Neal Maupay off the ground, after having grabbed his head and arguing with three opponents.
"Last weekend I was thinking about winning the game and maybe some of the reactions weren't what we would like. But he's working to improve that, react with respect and as we want," said the coach.
HE PICKED IT UP OFF THE FLOOR WITH THE T-SHIRT! Everything was bitten between Dibu Martínez and Maupay in the Aston Villa vs. Brentford victory... What did you think? pic.twitter.com/Fa9vnJpmh0
— SportsCenter (@SC_ESPN) December 17, 2023
Dibu was harshly criticised by the English press and even in the Daily Mail they pointed out "Emi is a very good goalkeeper, but he is an idiot".
"Of course we talked about how we can all handle certain moments when we play under pressure. But Emiliano is totally committed to what we're building here. He's one of our captains and he follows the messages I send," Emery finally clarified.
Source: Télam