Comments on the part of former Bayern Munich and Spain star Javi Martínez are no doubt set to pique the attentions of the Barcelona faithful on Tuesday evening.
This comes after the midfielder provided his take on both the managerial hotseat in Catalunya, and the frustrations being endured by frontman Robert Lewandowski.
First, regarding the former, Martínez provided his backing to an alleged leading candidate to replace the outgoing Xavi at Barca in the summer.
The tactician in question? Hansi Flick.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta is understood to be a huge admirer of Flick’s managerial talents, ready to push the Blaugrana brass towards his appointment with a view to next season.
And Martínez, for his part, is of the opinion that as much would mark a wise move.
Speaking during an appearances on the Jijantes Twitch channel (as cited by Sport) this evening, the 35-year-old, now of Qatar SC, backed his former boss to take up the reins at the Camp Nou:
“Flick’s way of playing is total Barça. We played with him in the Pep style, with the centre-backs at the back and the ball coming out from there.”
From here, Martínez was also drawn on the struggles being endured by Robert Lewandowski of late.
Frontman Lewandowski has of course been singled out for regular criticism across the season to date, owing to a concerning dip in performance.
Having lined out alongside the Pole during their shared time together at Bayern, though, Martínez moved to defend Lewa, adamant that his ex-teammate requires the ball to thrive:
“Robert is frustrated that he doesn’t get balls. At Bayern he had had some discussion about this. He asks for balls near the area, which is where he becomes strong and, if they don’t reach him, he can’t be at their level.
Conor Laird | GSFN
