"Just Lenglet with a beard", "Worst man on the pitch" - Barcelona fans call out star's 'terrible' performance in 2-2 draw against Mallorca
Barcelona fans have lambasted Inigo Martinez for his disappointing showing in their side's frustrating 2-2 draw against Mallorca on Tuesday (September 26).
Xavi's men had to fight back twice to claim a point at the Iberostar Stadium. Vedat Muriqi put the hosts in front in just the eighth minute but Barca responded through Raphinha's 41st minute effort.
Abdon Paris then got his side back in front in the 45+3rd minute but Fermin Lopez grabbed a vital 75th-minute equalizer with his first goal for the club. It meant that the reigning La Liga champions continued their defense of their title unbeaten at the top of the table.
Martinez made his first start for the Blaugrana in their draw with Los Piratas. However, the Spanish defender failed to impress, putting in a lethargic performance that has fans taking aim at him on social media.
The veteran defender joined Barcelona as a free agent in the summer after his contract with Athletic Bilbao expired. He'd been nursing injury at the start of the season and was handed his full debut tonight.
Martinez managed to make five clearances and won four of eight aerial duels. But he didn't make a single tackle and couldn't prevent Mallorca from taking the lead twice.
It was a performance that came in for criticism from fans on X (formerly Twitter). One fan compared the Spaniard to loanee Clement Lenglet:
"He's just Lenglet with a beard."
Another fan labeled him as one of the worst players on the night:
"Worst man on the pitch with (Oriel) Romeo."
Another fan simply reacted with one word:
"Terrible."
Here's how fans on X reacted to Martinez's performance in Barcelona's disappointing 2-2 draw with Mallorca:
Xavi opted to bench Robert Lewandowski in Barcelona's 2-2 draw against Mallorca
Barcelona boss Xavi made the bold decision to drop Robert Lewandowski to the bench against Mallorca. This was more down to the prolific frontman needing a rest ahead of Friday's clash with Sevilla. His manager explained before the game (via Barca Universal):
"Lewandowski benched? He has played many minutes. It makes sense for some players to rest because of our squad depth."
Lewandowski has been on song recently with six goals and four assists in seven games across competitions. He entered the fray in the 58th minute and some may argue that the Blaugrana may have won if he'd have started.
The former Bayern Munich superstar caused problems for Mallorca defenders after being subbed on with his strength and height. He had two shots off target and won two of two aerial duels. However, he was unable to get on the scoresheet and the Catalan giants settled on a point.