Javi Martínez: The Unsung Lion

On top of the World (left to right Navas, Martínez, Ramos)

Club Athletic de Bilbao has filled plenty of column inches in the Spanish press this season since the arrival of new coach, Marcelino Bielsa. The argentine has revolutionised the way the Basque outfit plays, moving away from its very British style of long ball physicality to a more creative and thoughtful strategic approach.

That’s not to say that los leones have forsaken their domineering presence on the pitch in order to adopt this more aesthetically pleasing style. The intensity is still there, only now it has been coupled with fast, intricate passing, a combination which makes playing against them quite a suffocating experience, as Barcelona can testify to after they just about managed to take a point away on their travels at the beginning of November.

Much of the club’s success is down to the players, among whom whippersnappers Iker Muniain and Ander Herrera have received oodles of praise for making this transition to free flowing football so seamless. Obviously both of these youngsters are tremendously important for the club, however, as devastating as their attack minded approach might be for opposition defences, it wouldn’t exist if not for the irrepressible Javi Martínez doing the less glamorous work in behind them.

Martínez, only 23 years old himself, has been a stable in the Athletic midfield since joining from Osasuna in 2006 at the tender age of 17, for a reported €6 million. Such a high value was placed on the relatively inexperienced teenager because of the clear potential and maturity he consistently showed throughout his time in the Rojillo cantera, with more than a few comparisons between him and Patrick Viera being made.

Tangled up in (Claret and) Blue

His professional development hasn’t slipped under Vicente Del Bosque’s radar, getting the call up to the Spanish team on a number of occasions, including last year’s World Cup finals in South Africa, for which he was the youngest player included in the triumphant 23 man squad.

Due to the unrivalled abundance of world-class talent within La Roja midfield, Martínez only featured very briefly during the tournament, coming on for Xabi Alonso against Chile in the group stages. However, not perturbed by the competitive nature within the national team, he decided to represent his country again this year during the European Under-21 Championship in Denmark, where yet again he tasted victory alongside fellow “lion”, Ander Herrera when Spain beat Switzerland 2-0 in the final.

Prior to Bielsa taking charge in Bilbao, Joaquín Caparrós was Martínez’s mentor at club level. Under his tutelage, the Navarra born tower block carved out a regular place for himself as one of two pivots, remaining a fixture in the position while others had to scrap it out for the second defensive midfield spot, like Pablo Orbaiz, Ustaritz Aldekoaotalora, and Ander Murillo, all of whom went on to leave the club, while Andoni Iraola was pushed back into defence.

Now, under the more adventurous and tactically astute Bielsa, Martínez has found himself playing centre half more and more, probably due to his massive presence on the field, aerial dominance, his ability to read the game and his penchant for no-nonsense passing.

So far he has adapted well to the change of position and the Athletic defence looks the stronger for it. Previous comparisons to Viera now seem redundant, his current style, of playing the ball out from the back and starting the build up play, is more akin to that of Gerard Piqué, his team mate in the national side. Something Del Bosque is no doubt taking note of as he starts to draw up his squad for the impending Euros next summer. Martínez has a greater chance of starting for La Roja in defence, where the competition for places is not nearly as fierce as it is in the middle of the park. Puyol and Piqué’s partnership is beginning to wane as a result of injuries and age, especially for the former.

Such reliability and consistency at the highest level has understandably caught the eye of a fair few prestigious admirers, including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Inter Milan and both sides of the Manchester blue and red divide. What prevents most of these clubs from signing him is a contract that expires in June 2016. The only way around this for any potential suitors is by coughing up a whopping €40 million to exercise the get out clause.

Quite a hefty sum by anyone’s standards with the possible of exception of Manchester City who, under the stewardship of club owner Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have shown a willingness and ability to meet almost any price asked of them, as the €910 million already spent by the oil Sheik demonstrates. As far as the Sky Blues are concerned this €40 million would be pocket change as Manchini’s war chest appears to know no limits, at least until the FFP rules come into effect.

The Spaniard would be a welcome addition to the City line-up, where he could act as an alternative to Gareth Barry in the midfield. Stronger in the air, tougher in the tackle, equal in terms of aggression and definitely more spritely than the lead footed Englishman, Martínez’s one drawback would probably be his pass completion rate compared to Barry’s. His versatility could also see him play across the back four, in place of Joleon Lescott or Vicente Kompany.

Despite City’s wealth, Athletic are not worried about having their player poached away any time soon. The noises from within San Mamés signal that he is happy and settled where he is. Saying that, every player has his price and the lure of the Premier League might eventually become impossible to say no to.

Fact: Martínez made his debut as a centre half in a preseason friendly against Tottenham this year, which ended in a 1-1 draw.