Martinez

My main concern with him is his 1 on 1 defending which isn’t that good. He could really struggle against a tricky winger.

My initial thought is it's not a case of would it work or not, but Yoro is only 18, so we don't know how he is going to turn out.
So even when Yoro is fit, I would be surprised if he is first choice this season, even if he shows some great ability when he does play. It's almost like Mainoo, who is young and we need to let him develop, rather than ruin him, I feel the same about Yoro.

I think what we are finding is that Martinez is a solid player, but we used him as an excuse last season when injured for many of our defensive problems, and I think this season has shown that there is way more to it than that.

In the same way, because Ugarte hasn't hit the ground running, he is being questioned also.

Sorry, I've not really answered your question - but ultimately, Martinez is not a LB, and I feel we should simply be playing our best players in their best positions

First and foremost, he's a centre back with excellent passing abilities, great timing, good reading of the game, and decent heading skills despite his shorter stature. He brings the aggression and attitude often associated with smaller Argentine players. However, my main concern is his occasional lapses, almost every game, where he oversteps the mark. His form has also been inconsistent, and he’s struggled when paired with De Ligt. Licha has been our top performing CB when fit in the past, so I hope this is just a dip in form, though it’s worrying that it has coincided with his latest return from injury.

Addressing the original point, should he play as an inverted LB or CDM? Are we now conceding that he won’t form a long-term partnership with De Ligt, Yoro, or Evans? (Well, maybe not Evans!). Evans and De Ligt were excellent yesterday, showing a solid understanding of their positions and responsibilities, something we don’t see as much when De Ligt and Licha are paired, which often leads to chaos rather than the calm and control we need. From what little we’ve seen of Yoro, he has impressed, even if it was just pre-season, and I can already envision a strong partnership with De Ligt (on paper, so let's wait and see). Given this, I think Licha could do a job at LB, though I’m not sure about CDM as a starter. However, I wouldn’t be opposed to trying him there against teams we expect to dominate..

I like Martinez, good attitude, good player.

My suggestion is for the short term as we don't currently have a reliable left back. I could see it moving into a back three at times too.

Ideally we'd get a durable classy left back of course.

comment by Diafol Coch 77 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 JA606 Class Act (U2462)
posted 54 minutes ago
My suggestion is for the short term as we don't currently have a reliable left back. I could see it moving into a back three at times too.

Ideally we'd get a durable classy left back of course.
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Hopefully Amass is the future but it would be good to bring in a top LB in their mid twenties. That’s how a top club would operate anyway.

I think CDM would suit him better than LB (although he could cover there). My biggest concern with him being up against a tricky winger is the possibility of 2 yellows, he does dive in and bookings would be very easy to pick up if the winger knocks it passed him