MADRID — Fifty seconds in, Manchester United were already behind. By the end of the night the most damaging thing said about them came not from Atlético Madrid but from their own defender, Lisandro Martínez, who went on television and said he expects more from “upstairs.”
Atlético won 2-0 at the Metropolitano on Tuesday, stretching United’s winless run to five games in all competitions. Pablo Barrios scored after 50 seconds, finishing a move that started with Julián Álvarez’s ball over the top and Álex Baena’s cut-back, according to NBC Sports. Ademola Lookman made it 2-0 in the 79th minute, tapping in after Senne Lammens saved Jonathan David’s effort.
Between the goals came the call United will argue about longest. Leny Yoro was sent off in the 74th minute for bringing down David as the last defender, and NBC Sports’ own match report allowed that it was “not exactly clear and obvious, but that’s the call.” The same report’s halftime numbers had United behind on the scoreboard but ahead on expected goals, 0.68 to 0.33, despite 34 percent of the ball.
Then Martínez spoke. “We expect more from the top, from upstairs, to bring in more players to compete,” he told Amazon Prime, Sky Sports reported. Asked whether he had expected more investment in the summer, he said “Yes, 100 per cent,” and added: “I expect more from our technical director.” On manager Michael Carrick he said “He does his best,” then asked: “You start changing, changing, changing managers. But what about other areas?”
On the post-match show, CBS Sports quoted him saying “You can see the disconnection” and “We need more ambition.” Sky noted that United spent £155 million on four major signings last summer but added neither a left-back nor a striker, and that Martínez is in the final year of his contract.
The reaction split. Wayne Rooney said Martínez had “maybe gone a bit too far” and that the criticism should stay internal; Jamie Carragher called the comments “awful.” Youri Tielemans declined to comment, saying he had not seen the interview. It is a long way from the mood of September, when Carrick’s side won the 199th Manchester derby 2-0.
NBC Sports’ match report summed up the night as “a real uphill climb” for United, “down two goals and a player.” None of the reports EH could read includes a statement from the club, or a word from the technical director Martínez named. For now the loudest voice at United is the one that was meant to be defending.
