Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez ‘feels really safe’ behind ‘top players’ David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi

David Luiz in action against Norwich City
AP
Richard Parry7 July 2020

Arsenal goalkeeper Emi Martinez says he ‘feels really safe’ playing behind David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi.

The 27-year-old Argentine is deputising in goal with first choice Bernd Leno sidelined with the knee injury sustained in Arsenal’s defeat at Brighton last month.

Since that loss, Arsenal have won four matches in succession with three clean sheets in the Premier League. The goal scored by Sheffield United’s David McGoldrick in the FA Cup is the only one they’ve conceded in that time.

Three of those wins have come with Mustafi and Luiz in defence – two of Arsenal’s most heavily-criticised players in recent seasons. Luiz in particular came under fire following his performance against Manchester City, in which he was at fault for two goals and was also sent off.

But Martinez says he couldn’t feel safer behind the pair.

"Now, we have structure, we have a gameplan, we have game management and the defence looks stronger and stronger," Martinez told Sky Sports.

"Believe me, David and Musti are top players. David has been at the top for so many years and it's the same with Musti.

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"Sometimes when you make mistakes at big clubs you get punished. With Arsenal, people always seem to blame the defence for defeats. But I feel really safe behind them.

"They have experience and they are constantly talking through the whole game. When you play behind them, it's not like what people say. It's not, 'Oh, they make mistakes, they don't know how to play football'.

"I feel really safe, and now that we've kept three clean sheets on the bounce in the Premier League, people are starting to say that the defence is actually solid."

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