While Barcelona’s campaign has indeed taken a small hit in recent weeks, the general impression is that the team is much improved from last season.
One of the key pillars on that front, needless to say, is Inigo Martinez who has stepped up at a time of need in the team’s defence.
The Catalans’ situation could well have been different had the Basque superstar not come through and shown the level he has, for the team is currently without two first-choice centre-backs in Ronald Araujo and Andreas Christensen.
A leader on and off the field
As revealed in a recent report by Mundo Deportivo, Martinez is a key piece for Flick because of his leadership in defence and also the experience he brings to the table.
For a squad that is relatively young and boasts an average age of 24, the 33-year-old brings stability and maturity to the table to maintain the required balance.
A leader. (Photo by Srdjan Stevanovic/Getty Images)
The former Athletic Club defender has played the full 90 minutes in Barcelona’s last 11 games and started the team’s last 13 games across all competitions. In that duration, he has even racked up two goals and as many assists.
In fact, Martinez is the Barcelona player with the most minutes this season ahead of any midfielder or forward and has accumulated 1866 minutes so far.
In comparison, the next highest-placed names are Raphinha at 1813 and Jules Kounde at 1795 minutes respectively.
Martinez’s partnership with Pau Cubarsi, a player almost half his age, has become one of the biggest talking points in Europe and he continues to make up for his lack of pace with intelligent positioning and measured tackles.
It remains to be seen if Ronald Araujo’s return plays any role on his prominence.
Martinez’s contract with Barcelona runs out in June and it remains to be seen if a renewal is negotiated. As it stands, all signs point to the deal going through.