EMI MARTINEZ INJURY UPDATE: CAN ASTON VILLA STAR RECOVER IN TIME FOR MAN UTD
Emi Martinez vs Man Utd: From failed summer transfers to a race for fitness, get the full story on Villa’s No. 1 right here.
This weekend, Aston Villa is playing Manchester United at Villa Park, but there's a question mark over whether their goalie, Emi Martinez, will be well enough to play.
He had to leave the Brighton game early this month during warm-ups. He did play against Arsenal a few days later, but then he was out for the West Ham game and the Europa League game against Basel. So, people are wondering if he’s ready to start again.
Apparently, Martinez wanted to move to Manchester United over the summer, so he might want to play well if he gets the chance.
Also, he got a red card the last time these teams played because of a foul on Rasmus Hojlund, which kind of hurt Villa's chances of getting into the Champions League.
It turns out Martinez has been dealing with a back injury for a few weeks now, which is why he hasn't been playing.
On December 14, the Villa coach, Unai Emery, said that he was hoping Martinez could start training the following week before the Manchester United game.
We'll have to wait and see if that happened and if Emery thinks he’s ready to go.
Emery seems to trust the backup goalie, Marco Bizot, but he has allowed six goals in the last three games he’s played.
Even though Villa has won all three of those games, they can still win even if Martinez isn't playing.
StadiumNest thinks Villa would prefer to have Martinez back for this game, but they've been playing well lately, so they might be okay either way.
Emery’s team has won nine games in a row and has been dealing with other injuries, too, not just Martinez. So, they're looking strong.
Since Manchester United just had a 4-4 tie with Bournemouth, and Bizot hasn't been playing great, Martinez being out could mean there will be a lot of goals scored.
Transfermarkt says Martinez is worth about €15 million.
VAR REVIEW: CHELSEA 2-2 BOURNEMOUTH, ESTêVãO PENALTY DRAMA EXPLAINED! WAS IT A FOUL OR A DIVE
Explaining the VAR: How an 11th-minute penalty check at Stamford Bridge saved a point for Chelsea against a resilient Bournemouth.
Every week, the Video Assistant Referee stirs up drama in the Premier League. Let's break down how these calls are made and if they're actually right.
This season, we're digging into the big moments to explain the VAR process and the rules of the game.
What went down: Chelsea's Estêvão was moving into the Bournemouth box, with Antoine Semenyo on his tail. Estêvão went down after some contact with Semenyo. The ref, Barrott, waved off Chelsea's penalty shouts, saying there wasn't a foul. He thought both players made contact naturally as they were running, and Estêvão basically tripped himself.
VAR said, "After looking at it, VAR Pawson suggested Barrott take another look at the monitor for a possible penalty because Semenyo might have tripped Estêvão."
VAR's take: Pawson had to figure out if the contact was just part of the play, like the ref thought, or if Semenyo fouled Estêvão. It was clear Estêvão tripped, but the question was how the contact started.
At first glance, it would be hard for Pawson to disagree with the ref because the main TV angle wasn't clear. But after checking out the sideline and behind views, Pawson saw that Semenyo stepped into Estêvão's path, making enough contact with his leg to cause him to trip.
Pawson told Barrott to check the monitor for a possible penalty. Barrott watched the replays, agreed, and gave Chelsea the penalty.
The call: It was a reasonable VAR call based on today's standards. But it's a borderline case.
Barrott seemed unsure of the monitor and needed some convincing from different angles.
A lot of the time, this kind of contact is just from players running normally, and someone goes down. To give a penalty, there really needs to be a clear foul by the defender. You could say that happened here, but it's a pretty low standard for VAR to get involved.
Chelsea 2-2 AFC Bournemouth
Referee: Sam Barrott
VAR: Craig Pawson
What: VAR check for a foul in the box
When: 11th minute
BREAKING: UNAI EMERY REVEALS THE REAL REASON BEHIND HIS COLD ARTETA HANDSHAKE SNUB NOW
Unai Emery explains why he skipped the post-match handshake as Arsenal’s 4-1 win ends Aston Villa’s 11-game streak at the Emirates.
Unai Emery said he didn't shake Mikel Arteta's hand right after Aston Villa lost at the Emirates Stadium since the Arsenal manager kept him waiting.
This loss stopped Villa's winning streak at 11 games, their first in almost two months.
Villa held their own in the first half, but Arsenal scored early in the second when Gabriel got to the ball before Emi Martinez on a corner.
Martin Zubimendi quickly made it 2-0, and Leandro Trossard scored a third goal a little after an hour had passed.
Soon after entering the pitch, Gabriel Jesus scored, making it 4-0. Ollie Watkins was able to respond by tapping in a goal late in the game after Donyell Malen's nice play.
After the game, Emery waited to shake Arteta's hand, but he went to the locker room since Arteta was still celebrating with his team.
It’s easy to see. I like to do things fast,” Emery said when asked about why he didn’t shake Arteta’s hand.
“I shake hands, then I go to the dressing room with my players and coaches. I was waiting.
“Arteta was busy with his coaches, so I went inside. It’s not a big deal for me.”
About the match, Emery commented, “We played great in the first half, and things were going our way. We had corners and defended well. We didn’t let them get a corner in the first half.
“We felt good, but we let in the first goal in the second half. Onana getting hurt didn’t help since he’s important for set pieces and in the midfield.
“We didn’t quit, and we kept playing hard. We scored one goal and almost scored more. Arsenal is the best team in the league and should win the title.
“I’m not sure which day it is since we’ve played Arsenal twice already, and we still have to play Nottingham. But I’m happy with our goals and how we're trying to attain them.