Lisandro Martinez – Ajax’ midfield technician
Lisandro Martinez’ convictions have allowed him to elevate himself above concerns of his size as he has spent the majority of his career moonlighting in a number of positions. He began his career as a left winger before moving to centre-back as he is now deployed at the base of Ajax’ midfield. His nicknames in Argentina were ‘La Temita’ which loosely translates to the ‘little problem’ as Ajax have now blessed him with the sobriquet of the ‘Little butcher’. He meshes intensity and technique as he controls Ajax’ build-up and attacking play from deep.
"It gave me a bit of grace, but that's what the fans think. It's very crazy to be called ‘The Butcher’. I saw the sticker and it has a lot of blood on my face," said Tagliafico to Ajax’ Ziggo channel.
Marc Overmars has struck gold with a few acquisitions from South America after the purchase of Davinson Sanchez preceded David Neres as the Brazilian was followed by Nicolas Tagliafico and now Martinez. Ajax have a well-coordinated scouting network that has consistently unearthed gems in Holland and Scandinavia but with Ajax investing larger sums in South and Central America, the club have seen a sharp growth. Ajax had to prepare for the losses of Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs De Ligt as Overmars’ intelligent recruitment strategy and clever coaching from Erik ten Hag have done that.
Ten Hag used Lisandro Martinez in a centre-back role as Daley Blind played at the base of midfield at home to PAOK. Without a grasp of the language and an established relationship with his new teammates, Martinez rolled exquisitely weighted passes through the line to his teammate’s stronger foot allowing the receiver of the ball to swivel quicker. He also showed a penchant for playing accurate switch balls as PAOK sat deep and the Ajax centre-backs pushed into the opposition half. The 21-year-old had a moment when he received the ball, hemmed into his own box, calmly spun past his marker and worked a pass to Daley Blind to evade pressure.
Ajax did not just lose de Jong in the summer, but they also lost Lasse Schone as they had to implement a complete midfield rebuild. Against APOEL, Martinez and another centre-back-midfield hybrid, Edson Alvarez moved into midfield while Blind deputised at centre-back. Martinez proved his ball-playing ability when he pinged an accurate long ball into the opposition box. Martinez’ height has always been seen as a shortcoming with his tigerish nature covering for his lack of height, but his low centre of gravity allows him to swiftly change direction and shield the ball from his opponent.
The Argentine is a commanding midfield presence but executes little displays of flair and artistry in tight spaces to retain possession and create space for teammates to receive passes. He began the Eredivisie season at centre-back as his move into midfield resulted in the increased stability of Ajax as a unit. At home to Heerenveen, he stepped up to intercept a loose pass to play a ball to Alvarez who worked the ball back to him before an opponent closed in on the Argentine for Martinez to elegantly rabona to Alvarez for the Mexican to drive the ball forward. He pulled off another piece of artistry when he received a pass as he prodded the ball back to his own goal before spinning past his marker to spread the ball to Hakim Ziyech in space.
Lisandro Martinez is skilled at using his low centre of gravity to shield the ball in tight spaces as he received the ball in the area of three Heerenveen midfielders and continued to roll the ball past each of his markers before driving into space. In the away match against PSV Eindhoven, he latched onto a clearance from an Ajax cross to drive into the wide areas and flick through the legs of Bruma and onto a teammate. Earlier in the game, he received the ball on the turn at the top of the box and span past Mohamed Ihatteren to have the shot deflected. He received a pass from Tagliafico, to then skip past Donyell Malen and drive into the opposition half to play a pass through the lines to Dusan Tadic on the edge of the box. Martinez then spun out of a 3v1 situation on the opposite flank to play a switch ball to Tagliafico.
His mastery of the deep-lying midfield role continued away to Valencia in the UEFA Champions League, as he received the ball from his centre-backs to look up and play an accurately pinged switched lob to Ziyech. In the opposition half, he received the ball from the right flank to fake like he was going to play a ball to his centre-backs before deftly turning past Dani Parejo and playing a delicate chip to Tagliafico in space on the left flank. Ajax may not have been looking for Martinez to take up an important mantle in midfield, but he executes his roles and responsibilities with diligence and vigour.
Lisandro Martinez dribbling and driving at the PSV defence.
He normally positions himself in the six space, demanding possession from his centre-backs and using subtle shifts of feet and body to evade markers and distribute the ball. He is well-schooled at opening his body to receive passes and using the perfect dribble and feint to quickly set his feet and distribute possession. At times he will drop next to centre-backs and form a three-chain in possession like de Jong used to last season while Alvarez will drop into the six space. He also pushes into the opposition half to use his fleet of foot and mind to recycle possession in the opposition half while he possesses a knack of striking unerringly accurate shots from range.
"Álvarez and Martínez are the connection players between the defence and the attack. They must think and act quickly. Both must add something in the construction and the offensive. At the same time, as midfielders, they must also control the balance in case of loss of the ball, steal balls and play between spaces," said Ten Hag to the media in September.
The authority with which Lisandro Martinez plays makes it remarkable that he is only 21-years-old. The chiselled face, steely nerves under pressure, assurance in possession and defensive resolve ensures that his play is far beyond his years. Ajax have a growing Latin fraternity within the dressing room led by Andre Onana who uses his experience at Ajax and proficiency in the Spanish language to communicate with his teammates and ensure they are properly positioned at all times. Martinez has already established himself as technical leader despite only being in Amsterdam for a few months.
