Manchester United have got off to a poor start to the season.
Poor start
As the season’s first international break begins, the Red Devils find themselves on five points from five matches.
This situation is even worse when you consider that these games have been against Hull City, Ipswich Town, Everton, Fulham, and a 10-man Manchester City.
Lisandro Martinez came back late from the World Cup after his Argentina side reached the final but lost 0-1 to Spain.
It has not been a great start for the defender, as United have been poor defensively all season and have only kept one clean sheet, against Sabah in the Champions League.
Performance vs Fulham
Martinez scored a horror own goal as Fulham took the lead in the second half.
A Calvin Bassey shot was parried out by Senne Lammens, and Martinez inexplicably guided the ball back towards goal. The Belgian keeper thought it was a back pass, so tried to stop the ball with his feet rather than his hands, and it ended up in the back of the net after a horror moment of confusion.
He also failed to make any tackles in the match and competed in just two duels, winning one.
Martinez did make three clearances and one interception, though, in the match.
Despite a poor defensive showing, he was good on the ball, completing one key pass, and 91% of his attempts found their intended target.
He also dribbled the ball forward successfully once. The defender also had four shots on goal, with one being saved wonderfully by Bernd Leno.
He had another effort blocked in the dying embers by Shea Charles.
Martinez will now depart on international duty for upcoming Argentina matches.
Lisandro Martinez stats vs Fulham
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Goals | 0 |
| Expected goals (xG) | 0.15 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Expected assists (xA) | 0.02 |
| Distance covered | 9.6 km |
| Top speed | 29.6 km/h |
| Number of sprints | 6 |
| Running | 1.07 km (11.2%) |
| High-speed running | 0.31 km (3.2%) |
| Sprinting | 0.11 km (1.1%) |
| Defensive contributions | 4 |
| Tackles (won) | 0 (0) |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Clearances | 3 |
| Blocked shots | 0 |
| Recoveries | 1 |
| Ground duels (won) | 1 (1) |
| Aerial duels (won) | 2 (1) |
| Dribbled past | 0 |
| Own goals | 1 |
| Key passes | 1 |
| Crosses (accurate) | 0 (0) |
| Accurate passes | 79/87 (91%) |
| Passes in opposition half (acc.) | 42/46 (91%) |
| Passes in own half (acc.) | 37/41 (90%) |
| Long balls (accurate) | 8/9 (89%) |
| Touches | 97 |
| Dribbles (successful) | 1 (1) |
| Possession lost | 8 |
| Total carrying distance | 264.7 m |
| Carries | 37 |
| Progressive carries | 2 |
| Total progression | 144.3 m |
| Progressive carrying distance | 45.6 m |
| Longest progressive carry | 20.9 m |
| Total shots | 4 |
| Expected goals on target (xGOT) | 0.18 |
| Shots on target | 1 |
| Shots blocked | 2 |
Featured image by Julian Finney via Getty Images
