Argentine press make the same point about Lisandro Martinez performance vs Bolivia

Lisandro Martinez started at centre-back for Argentina as they began their post-Lionel Messi era with a 4-0 win over Bolivia, in a very one-sided contest.

In the decisive win, Lisandro Martinez started and played 81 minutes before being replaced, with the game effectively already over. While it was one of the quieter outings that Martinez will have this season, the Manchester United defender had a pretty flawless showing.

Martinez locked down his side of the pitch with very little trouble in his 86 touch showing. He completed 72 of 80 passes, but it was without the ball that the most impressive moments came.

• 2/2 tackles won (100%)
• 2/3 ground duels won
• 3/3 aerial duels won (100%)

After the big win for Argentina, plenty has been said about how Martinez performed back in his home country.

Argentine press react to Lisandro Martinez performance

The local press in Argentina were positive about Martinez’s performance despite acknowledging he had quite a quiet outing.

Bolivia offered very little in the way of attacking quality during the 4-0 Argentina win, but as TYC Sport recognised, he handled everything that did come his way with expertise, “a match without too much work. Lisandro, well stepped on his own and someone else’s field.”

La Pagina Millonaria seconded this statement with their review, “little demanded in defence. Good contribution, starting the game from the back with precise passes”. The outlet added one criticism that he was almost directly responsible for a goal, giving the ball away in a dangerous area.

Martinez impressed Bola VIP with his performance on and off the ball, despite only getting a 6/10 match rating, “very attentive in advances and coverage. Steal in the exits and dominated the ball.”

The passing quality of Martinez was also recognised and hailed by Clarin, “without defensive work, he had some typical involvements with the in-depth passes.”

From the reactions of the local press, the general consensus of Martinez’s performance would appear to be that he was pretty brilliant, in the limited moments he was required to be called into action.