"We’re not just here to take part" - Emi Martinez makes social media post after Aston Villa beat Arsenal in PL
Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez took to social media and shared his club's ambitions for the season after beating Arsenal 1-0 at home on Saturday (December 9).
Martinez and Co. secured a monumental victory at home against the Gunners after convincingly beating Manchester City 1-0 in midweek. Following these triumphs, the Villans are third in the Premier League, having racked up 35 points from 16 games, two points behind leaders Liverpool.
Against Arsenal, Matinez recorded a passing accuracy of 53%, made three saves and one key pass. He also took four high claims and completed two run-outs. Martinez posted a series of pictures from the night and captioned it:
"We’re not just here to take part…"
The goalkeeper's Instagram post seemingly highlights the club's ambitions for the season. Not only are Unai Emery's men performing well in the Premier League, but they are also on top of their UEFA Europa Conference League group, winning four of their five games.
Martinez has made 20 appearances across competitions for Villa this season, keeping six clean sheets. Aston Villa's win against Arsenal marked the club's record 15th straight home success in the top flight.
Up next for the Villans in the Premier League is a trip to Brentford on Sunday (December 17).
When Emiliano Martinez made honest confession about time at Arsenal
Before becoming Aston Villa's first choice between the sticks in the summer of 2020 following a reported €17 million move, Emiliano Martinez spent 10 years at Arsenal. With the Gunners, Martinez was never seen as the number-one choice in goal.
He underwent multiple loan spells at Wolves, Reading and Getafe, among other clubs. The 2022 FIFA World Cup winner made just 38 senior appearances for the north Londoners, keeping 16 clean sheets across competitions.
Talking about his time at the Emirates, Martinez said during an interview in 2021 (via Just Arsenal):
"I don’t think you prepare for not playing. I always thought I had the talent, but at some stage in my career when I was 22, 23 and I wasn’t playing, I went on my first loan to Spain, I played only six games."
"Then I knew I would have to go back to Arsenal, and they wouldn’t give me a chance, so I would have to go on loan, so those years were really difficult; at some point, I stopped loving football."
The most league appearances Martinez managed for the Gunners was nine during the 2019-20 season. He kept three clean sheets in the absence of the injured Bernd Leno and also helped Arsenal win the FA Cup.