Martínez lashes out after Atlético beat Manchester United 2-0 in Bigger Cup in Madrid

Lisandro Martínez publicly criticised Manchester United’s hierarchy after Atlético saw out a 2-0 Bigger Cup win in Madrid on Tuesday night. The match opened with a Pablo Barrios effort that eluded Senne Lammens, squeezed beneath Leny Yoro and crossed the line in the opening minute.

United went on to fashion chances they failed to convert while Atlético had a goal chalked off by VAR for handball and both sides struck the woodwork; the contest effectively ended when Yoro received a red card. Ademola Lookman sealed Atlético’s victory with a second goal after Lammens had saved from Jonathan David, and some assessment that United were “not quite as terrible as they were against Spurs” was about the best the club could hope for following the result.

The post-match fallout centred on an interview the club allowed Martínez to give, during which he criticised areas beyond the squad. Amazon Prime’s pitchside reporter Gabriel Clarke was present as Martínez said: “Tonight it is easy to say the coach, easy to say the players but also we have to see other areas,” he harrumphed, pointing in a direction generally accepted to have been ‘upstairs’. “I expect more [investment], 100%. I expect more from our technical director [Jason Wilcox]. Last season we did everything, we created the base to create an amazing team. You can’t keep changing, changing, changing the manager. What about other areas? I can’t say more.”

Martínez carried on in a separate interview with Peter Schmeichel for the CBS Bigger Cup B@nter Show, an exchange in which the former Manchester United goalkeeper, described as a global ambassador for the club, attempted to change the subject but was unable to silence Martínez. Reactions to Martínez’s outburst were mixed, with some arguing his own recent defensive errors undermined his right to criticise teammates and others saying internal disputes should be dealt with privately.

Journalist Jamie Jackson reported that Martínez was voicing a view shared by the majority of his colleagues, according to good authority. The article also outlined possible disciplinary measures, suggesting Martínez could face a hefty fine and an indefinite spell training with the youth team as initial punishments for his public criticisms.

The piece questioned Martínez’s standing at the club, asserting he “hasn’t been delivering much on-pitch bang for the generous buck he’s been paid so far this season” and speculated he might seek a January exit while referencing the club’s technical director, Jason Wilcox. Coverage of other fixtures and commentary was signposted too: Michael Butler will provide Bigger Cup updates on Lask 0-2 Liverpool at 5.45pm BST and Scott Murray will cover Pep Guardiola’s expected cameo at Manchester City 1-2 PSG at 8pm.

The article also quoted the PSG manager on Manchester City: “Man City deserve those trophies. I love the way ⁠they play football, and after that, you have ​to wait [for the] ​last decision and nothing ​else … I think the trophies that you win ​on the ‌pitch remains on ​the pitch, ​and they deserve to win that. I hope they can avoid that sanction”. This is an extract from our daily football email Football Daily; to get the full version, just visit this page and follow the instructions.