Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch dubs World Cup winner 'infuriating' after penalty shootout antics

Writing in his latest column for The Athletic, the American admits Martinez’s ‘mind games’ were effective against Leeds earlier this season. The Argentine’s Villa side were determined to frustrate United at Elland Road, delaying goal kicks, throw-ins and prolonging breaks in play, which riled up the home crowd as well as Marsch on the touchline.

Martinez replicated his disruptive tactics on the biggest stage of all, as Argentina lifted the World Cup following a penalty shootout victory over France. Amidst the tension of the spot-kicks, Martinez was cautioned by the referee for his overt attempts to distract French penalty taker Randal Kolo Muani. While the Eintracht Frankfurt forward scored his penalty emphatically, Martinez’s psychological techniques did pay off as Aurelien Tchouameni struck wide of the mark, after which he performed an impromptu dance towards the Argentine supporters, likely also designed to taunt Les Bleus’ fans and players.

"In talking about doing what you have to to get a result, we should probably chat about Emi Martinez,” Marsch wrote. “I’m talking from experience here because not so long ago, he played for Aston Villa against my Leeds team and used a few antics to work the clock and subdue the crowd. I mean, it was infuriating, but that’s the point, right?

"His mind games in penalty shootouts seem to give him an edge and he knows they give him an edge. The gains he gets from those add to the fact that fundamentally he’s a big goalkeeper.”

Last summer as Argentina triumphed in the Copa America, Martinez played his part en route to their 1-0 victory over Brazil in the final. During their semi-final tie against Colombia, the game went to penalties, prompting Martinez to employ his shootout machinations.

"Hey, look. I know where you’ll shoot and then save it. I’m eating you up, brother,” the Villa ‘keeper told Colombia and Everton defender Yerry Mina, who subsequently stepped up and missed his spot-kick. In all, Colombia were inaccurate with three of their five penalties, handing Argentina their spot in the final.

“In reality, the football goal is massive and you should score just about every penalty you take,” Marsch added. “But he has this way of making it look and feel very small.”