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‘Top players’, ‘believe me’: Martinez hails Arsenal duo who’ve ‘been at the top for so many years’
Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has spoken highly of Gunners teammates David Luiz and Shkodran Mustafi, in conversation with .
Luiz and Mustafi have both come under heavy criticism at times this season for a number of high-profile mistakes.
However, Arsenal have kept three clean sheets in a row in the Premier League and also overcame Sheffield United in the FA Cup to reach the semi-finals.
Mikel Arteta’s defence has looked a lot more solid playing as part of a back three recently and Martinez responded to the criticism aimed his teammates’ way.
“David has been at the top for so many years and it’s the same with Musti,” the 27-year-old told . “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… now, we have structure, we have a gameplan, we have game management and the defence looks stronger and stronger. Believe me, David and Musti are top players.”
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Luiz and Mustafi have certainly flattered to deceive on several occasions this season but, credit where credit’s due, they have improved massively as part of a three-man defence.
It just goes to show how quickly things can change in football and sometimes it could be as simple as a tactical tweak, with Arsenal’s early post-restart issues now a thing of the past.
Martinez also deserves huge credit for having stepped up in wake of Bernd Leno’s injury and hopefully the Gunners can end the season on a high.