Peter Schmeichel has slammed Lisandro Martinez‘s defending during Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat by Brighton at Old Trafford on Sunday, claiming the Argentine was ‘trying to be a hero’.
It was a disappointing second consecutive loss for Erik ten Hag‘s side after a turbulent start to the season that has seen the Red Devils concede three defeats in their opening five matches.
The club has now fallen to 13th in the Premier League standings, after former striker Danny Welbeck put Roberto De Zerbi‘s side a goal up after 20 minutes, with Pascal Gross and Joao Pedro also scoring to secure their fourth win of the season.
Hannibal Mejbri recovered a consolation goal for the home side, but their manager was not impressed after the match claiming that ‘individuals need to step up’ while insisting that the club is not in crisis.
Club legend, Schmeichel, who won five Premier League titles and a Champions League trophy with the side, slammed centre-back Martinez’s defensive performance after the match, claiming he should have been a bigger presence when attempting to shut down Gross for Brighton‘s second.
Peter Schmeichel (pictured) has slammed Lisandro Martinez’s defending during Manchester United’s 3-1 defeat by Brighton
He claimed that Martinez (pictured) was ‘trying to be a hero’ when trying to block Pascal Gross’ goal that gave Brighton a 2-0 lead
Erik ten Hag (pictured) insisted that there ‘was no crisis’ at his club despite his side having lost three of their opening five matches
‘It is kind of what happens at Manchester United at the minute, it is very individual,’ the former goalkeeper said to Premier League Productions.
‘Players, for instance, Martinez here, are trying to be a hero and get in and block,’ he added, as he recalled the side’s defending for the second goal.
‘People know this. If we look at him there, he puts himself in a position directly in line of the goalkeeper.
‘He should be closing down rather of just stood up trying to block. If you want to block, don’t turn your body, stand tall. Clearly things aren’t right for Manchester United.’
With Gross weaving his way into the United penalty area, the Argentine over-committed himself to try and stop a shot, giving the Brighton midfielder enough time to evade the oncoming defender and fire his shot away.
The 25-year-old had also failed to block Simon Adringa’s earlier cross that found Welbeck in the box who the ex-United striker poking home to put the Seagulls ahead.
United fans took to Twitter to also vent their frustrations, with some claiming that their team were ‘in the mud’ while another said ‘3-1 in back to back games. This isn’t Manchester United.’
Gabriel Agbonlahor also delivered a scathing assessment of the Red Devils’ performance, claiming ‘Casemiro looked 45 in midfield‘ and called for Harry Maguire to be brought back into the fold.
While Roberto De Zerbi claimed after the match that he ‘I don’t know the problem of Manchester United’, the home side’s manager insisted that there was no crisis at the club.
‘We must 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 see the way we play,’ he added.
‘It’s about character, we have to see how strong we are and how the team sticks 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 (middle) had over-committed himself to block the shot giving Gross (right) enough time to fire a shot away
Rasmus Hojlund (right) had a goal disallowed just before half-time to further United’s woes, having now lost back-to-back Premier League matches
‘Players standing up and showing character because in all the games, especially the game today [Saturday] and against Arsenal and Forest, we have seen we can play well and create chances.
Speaking more on his side’s defence, the Dutchman said: ‘There are things from the team and individuals who have to step up, definitely.
‘But sometimes you are in bad periods where we are now, and you have to face that. You have to deal with that, and in this moment we don’t deal that well with it. We have to show determination and resilience in defence.
‘We have to keep going, keep positive in these moments and stick together. [We learnt] many things from the game. On the mental side where we can keep strong in such moments, but I have seen some good stuff.’
