Peter Schmeichel has criticized Lisandro Martinez’s defense during Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday, claiming the Argentine was ‘trying to be a hero’.
It was a disappointing second consecutive defeat for Erik ten Hag’s side after a turbulent start to the season in which the Red Devils suffered three defeats in the first five games.
The club have now dropped to 13th in the Premier League standings after former striker Danny Welbeck put Roberto De Zerbi’s side a goal ahead after 20 minutes, with Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro also scoring for their fourth win of the season secured.
Hannibal Mejbri scored a consolation goal for the home side, but their manager was unimpressed after the match, claiming that ‘individuals need to step up’ while insisting the club is not in crisis.
Club legend Schmeichel, who won five Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy with the side, criticized centre-back Martinez’s defensive performance after the match, claiming he should have had a bigger presence when trying to close down Gross for Brighton’s second place.
Peter Schmeichel (pictured) has criticized Lisandro Martinez’s defense during Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton
He claimed Martinez (pictured) ‘tried to be a hero’ as he tried to block Pascal Gross’ goal which put Brighton 2-0 ahead
Erik ten Hag (photo) emphasized that there was ‘no crisis’ at his club, despite his team having lost three of the first five games
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“It’s a bit of what’s happening at Manchester United at the moment, it’s very individual,” the former goalkeeper told Premier League Productions.
“Players, for example Martinez here, try to be a hero and come in and block,” he added, recalling the team’s defense for the second goal.
‘People know this. When we look at him there, he puts himself in a position directly in line with the goalkeeper.
“He should be closing instead of just standing up and trying to block. If you want to block, do not twist your body, but stand up straight. It is clear that things are not going well for Manchester United.’
As Gross made his way into the United States penalty area, the Argentine overdid himself to try and block a shot, giving the Brighton midfielder enough time to avoid the oncoming defenders and fire his shot away.
The 25-year-old had also failed to block Simon Adringa’s earlier cross, which found Welbeck in the penalty area and allowed the ex-United striker to take the lead.
Some United fans also criticized the performance on Twitter, with some claiming their team was ‘in the mud’.
Gabriel Agbonlahor also gave a scathing assessment of the Red Devils’ performance, claiming that ‘Casemiro looked 45 in midfield’ and calling for Harry Maguire to be brought back into the squad.
While Roberto De Zerbi claimed after the match that he ‘doesn’t know Manchester United’s problem’, the home side’s manager insisted there was no crisis at the club.
“We have to stick together and stick to the plan and the rules and we will turn this around,” Ten Hag said.
“It bothers me (their form), but I have to look at the way we are playing,” he added.
‘It’s about character, we have to see how strong we are and how the team stays together.
Gross fired in after half-time to give the away side a 2-0 lead after Danny Welbeck got the opener against his old club after just 20 minutes
Martinez (center) over-committed to blocking the shot, giving Gross (right) enough time to fire a shot away
Just before half-time, Rasmus Hojlund (right) had a goal disallowed due to United’s problems, having now lost several Premier League games
‘Players are standing up and showing character because in all matches, especially today’s match (Saturday) and against Arsenal and Forest, we have seen that we can play well and create chances.
The Dutchman said more about his side’s defence: ‘There are things from the team and individuals that definitely need to go a step further.
‘But sometimes you go through bad periods like we are now, and you have to deal with that. You have to deal with that, and at the moment we are not dealing with it very well. We must show determination and resilience in defence.
‘We have to keep going, stay positive in these moments and stick together. (We learned) a lot of things from the game. Mentally we can stay strong in such moments, but I have seen good things.’