In the semi-final second leg of the UEFA Champions League between FC Barcelona and Inter Milan, the Catalan team was unable to overcome the opponent from Italy, thereby accepting the defeat and was eliminated from the semi-finals with a total score of 6-7.
However, one of the bright spots in this failure is the outstanding maturity of Gerard Martin, the young player replaced Alejandro Balde, the key wing defender of Blaugrana could not play due to injury.
Although Barcelona lacks important pillars, the performance of Martin or Eric Garcia on the two wings has helped the team play very well, especially in the second half.
Before the match, the absence of Balde and Kounte made many people doubt about the abilities of Eric Garcia and Gerard Martin when asked to play as a full -back.
Both have a lot of potential but still immature, making fans worried about the capabilities of this duo in matches with important nature. However, not only Garcia but Martin also showed excellent.
Although Gerard Martin was not known for its strong attack ability, there was an impressive match, playing an important role in creating opportunities and defensive support for the team. He had an exquisite assist for Eric Garcia to score, opening the chase of Barcelona’s scoring.
After that, in just a short time, Martin had a beautiful cross, helping Dani Olmo to score the equalizer for Barcelona. These two assists have demonstrated the outstanding maturity of a player who is only 23 years old.
In addition to the ability to support attacks, Martin also showed certainty in defense. He made 5 rescue phases, 3 balls and 1 important ball cut.
Not only that, the talent born in 2002 also won both aerial phase and only let the opponent go the ball twice during the match. This is an impressive performance of a young player who is quite young and does not have many opportunities to play in the top matches.
However, it is undeniable that Martin still made some mistakes in this match.
In the last minutes of the official play, Martin could not successfully relieve a ball situation, resulting in Francesco Acerbi’s goal, helping Inter Milan balance the score 3-3.
However, the positive contribution of Gerard Martin throughout the match, especially in the assists, should be recognized by it because it has helped Barcelona to fight until the last minute.
With such performances, the future of Gerard Martin in Barcelona will definitely be very promising.
Under the guidance of coach Hansi Flick, he proved that he could replace the teams that were sure in the squad without having too many difficulties.
Martin’s maturity is not only shown in the ball phase but also through the ability to respond quickly and adapt to difficult situations on the field.
With a positive performance against Inter Milan, Gerard Martin has proven her value, worthy of being a replacement and a chosen rotation with a backpack, while contributing to the voice ready to compete, confirming the position in Barcelona in the future.
Gerard Martin’s ahead is promising. Before the prospect of El Clasico approaching and the ability to play Alejandro Balde was left open, the opportunity for Martin to prove himself once again coming very close.
