Barcelona defender Inigo Martinez has claimed that little can prepare a player for the media attention that focuses on players at the Clasico duo in Spain. The veteran Basque defender has spent his senior career at the two biggest clubs in the Basque Country, Real Sociedad and Athletic Club, but believes the criticism at Barcelona and Real Madrid is unparalleled.
Now 32, Martinez was asked by MD whether media criticism really did influence things as much as Xavi Hernandez claimed on Sunday after a narrow victory over Alaves.
“We are already kind of used to it. Not only in Barcelona, eh. There will always be criticism and we have to know how to handle it and become strong within. We have no doubt that the fans are going to be with us, so we have to do our job, forgetting the rest. We know the potential we have within the team and what we are capable of doing. From there, we will go to enjoy football and play our game in the best possible way to win games. That is what is required of us, winning to get titles.”
He admits that it is something of shock arriving at Barcelona in terms of the coverage the Blaugrana receive.
“You always imagine it a little bit. There is always talk of Barcelona or Real Madrid. It seems as if there are no other teams in La Liga. Whenever I have been in Bilbao or San Sebastian, you know that the focus is directed there, but when a player arrives and sees all this, at first it is normal for him to be shocked and it may seem exaggerated. I’m doing well. I have handled the criticism well and now what we have to do is turn the situation around, making things better. We know better than anyone what we have to do and that is the group’s objective.”
Meanwhile the finger of blame has swung firmly in the direction of Xavi in recent weeks, but Martinez claims the squad have total faith in him.
“The team will always be with him. He is a great coach, he has been showing it for years. He has given a lot as a player and now as a coach to Barcelona. Just because of two bad games, that doesn’t mean he is the worst. Xavi has more than demonstrated that he has talent for it and much more. We will always support him and he will always support us. This is a team and it’s about winning together. To be together, united and more so in these moments when the team’s game is not all that good.”
Xavi certainly did an excellent job to drag Barcelona to a La Liga title last season, but as their play continues to disappoint, two years into his tenure, doubts are growing that he can overhaul the style of play and produce strong performances on a consistent basis. With Rayo Vallecano away, Girona and Atletico Madrid all around the corner, Cules would likely settle for just results in the coming weeks, but it will probably give them a good idea of where they are.
