The Sunday Mail - 01.09.2019

112 SPORT FOOTBALL^ The Mail on Sunday September 1, 2019

­Division­ club.­ The­ m a i t r e­ d ’­

would­prove­invaluable­to ­Spaniards­

negotiating­ British­ culture.­ ‘He­

would­ get­ us­ food­ because­ we­

arrived­ here­ to ­ eat­ lunch­ at ­ 2pm­

and­last­orders­were­at ­1.30pm­and­

for­dinner­8pm­was­the­latest!’

Martinez­ and­ Co­ would­ come­

down­ at ­ half­ past­ nine­ shocked­ to­

see­the­dining­room­about­to ­shut.

Martinez­and­his­wife,­Beth,­have­

just­ had­ their­ second­ daughter,­

Safianna,­who­is ­four­weeks­old,­a­

sister­for­five-year-old­Louella.­The­

maitre­ d’ ­ is ­ demanding­ to ­ see­

­photos.­ He­ has­ seen­ Martinez­

grow­up­from­a­callow­youth­

with­ broken­ English­into­

the­ international­ coach­

he­is ­today.­It ­has­been­

quite­a­journey.

Martinez­was­born­in­­

Balaguer.­His­mum­was­a­

Catalan,­ who­ ran­ the­ town’s­

shoe­ shop,­ his­ dad,­ from­

Zaragoza,­ an­ outsider,­ a­

lower-league­ footballer­ who­

had­ended­his­career­in ­the­

town,­ playing­ in ­ Spain’s­­

t h i r d­ t i e r­ a n d­ t h e n­

coached­the­team.

So,­ though­ Catalan,­

Martinez­grew­up­with­

multiple­ influences.­

‘When­I­was­16,­I­signed­

for­ Real­ Zaragoza.­ So­

you’re­ almost­ an­ in-between,’­ he­

says.­ ‘My­ dad­ always­ was­ a­ big­

Zaragoza­ fan.­ My­ mum­ always­ a­

Barcelona­ fan.’­ He­ even­ cites­

Emilio­Butragueno’s­Eighties­Real­

Madrid­ as ­ a­ touchstone­ growing­

up,­ which­ shows­ a­ commendable­

independent­streak­in ­a­town­full­of­

Barcelona­fans.

Something­changed,­though,­in ­the­

summer­of ­’88­when­Johan­Cruyff­

was­ appointed­ Barcelona­ coach.­

‘It’s­ almost­ as­ though­ you­ get­

­captivated,’­ he­ says.­ ‘In­ Spain­we­

had­ a­ period­ where­ John­

To s h a c k­ w a s­ a n­

­incredible­ influence­ for­ anyone­

that­ liked­ football.­And­ then­ you­

get­ Pacho­ Maturana,­ when­ he­

arrived­ from­ Colombia,­ brought­

different­ ideas.­I’ve­ always­been­

intrigued­ by­ different­ grains­ in­

football.­I­never­followed­a­team.

‘You­ need­ to ­ have­ that­ initial­

engagement­ with­ football­ and­ for­

me­that­was­through­Johan­Cruyff.­

He­brought­something­completely­

different­to ­Barcelona.

‘It ­ wasn’t­ about­ systems,­ it ­ was­

numerical­ advantages,­ it ­ was­

defending­with­the­ball,­it’s­looking­

at ­what­you­can­do­when­you’re­in­

possession.­He­ brought­ a­ way­ of­

thinking­that­affected­everyone­in­

football­—­ the­ ones­ who­ enjoyed­

that­ way­ of ­ playing­ and­ the­ ones­

who­ had­ to ­ counter­ that­ way­ of­

playing.­ He’s­ a­ unique­ figure­ in­

world­football.

‘I ­ remember­ a­ game­ that­ Barca­

played­ in ­ the­ European­ Cup­ and­

they­ had­ almost­ 80­ per­ cent­

­possession.­ All­ they­ needed­ that­

day­was­just­to ­keep­a­clean­sheet.­

And­ they­ kept­ a­ clean­ sheet­ by­

­looking­after­the­ball.’

At­the­time,­if ­you­needed­a­draw,­

classically­ teams­ would­ sit­ deep­

and­soak­up­pressure,­the­primary­

influence­being­Italian­‘catenaccio’,­

defensive­ football.­ ‘It ­ makes­ you­

think,’­says­Martinez.­‘That’s­what­

Johan­did.­He­was­a­genius.’

Martinez,­ 46,­ recalls­ the­ early­

C r u y f f­ y e a r s­ w e r e­ n o t­ a n­

­unmitigated­ success.­ ‘The­ initial­

change­ with­ a­ back­ three­ with­ no­

real­centre-halves,­it ­wasn’t­that­it­

was­an­easy­introduction.­You­learn­

there­when­you­want­to ­achieve­big­

results,­ it’s­ not­ going­ to ­ happen­

­overnight­ and­ that­resilience­ has­

helped­me­a­lot.

‘Johan­ could­ have­ easily­ have­

changed­it ­straight­away­for­two­or­

three­ games­ but­ he­ would­ never­

achieve­ what­ he­ has­ achieved­

which­is ­changing­the­philosophy.’­­

By­ the­ time­ Cruyff­ had­ won­ the­

THE­ best­ coaches­ are­ always­
learning,­sometimes­even­from­
their­players.
Vi n c e n t­ K o m p a n y­ h a d­
­overslept­ and­ missed­ the­
team­meeting,­which­in ­itself­
was­ an­ aberration.­‘It ­ had­
never­ happened­ before,’­
says­ Belgium­ manager­
Roberto­ Martinez.­ There­
was­some­mitigation.
It ­was­the­night­before­last­year’s­
World­ Cup­ quarter-final­ between­
Belgium­ and­ Brazil.­ To­ ensure­ a­
good­ night’s­ sleep,­ Kompany­ had­
taken­ a­ sleeping­ pill,­ meaning­ he­
missed­ the­ meeting­ at ­ which­­
Martinez­ and­ his­ assistant,­­
Thierry­ Henry,­ had­ run­ through­
Belgium’s­set-pieces.
‘He­ couldn’t­ sleep­ the­ night­
before,’­says­Martinez.­‘At­ some­
point­ he­ came­ down­ [from­ his­
room]­ and­ then­ obviously­ he­
wanted­ to ­ get­ the­ information­­
one-to-one.’
And­ that­ is ­ the­ moment­ when­
Kompany,­ Martinez­ and­ Henry­
plotted­the­downfall­of ­Brazil.
Kompany­ listened­ to ­ Henry’s­­
set-piece­plans­and­then­made­some­
suggestions­regarding­corners.
‘Brazil­ were­ defending­ in ­ a­ way­
with­ which­ he­ was­ very­ familiar­
and­he­just­wanted­to ­make­sure­
that­ [we­ exposed]­ the­ weakness­
of ­that­system,­which­would­be­
a­ run­ that­ he­ could­ make­ in­
front­ of ­ the­ near-post­ man,’­
says­Martinez.
Brazil’s­ coach­ Tite­ had­
visited­ Pep­ Guardiola­ at­
Manchester­ City­ shortly­
before­the­World­Cup­and­
Kompany­ was­ aware­ that­
Brazil­ were­ using­ City’s­
­defensive­ strategy­ for­ corners.­
History­records­that­Belgium­beat­
Brazil­2-1­ and­ that­their­opening­
goal­ came­ from­ a­ Nacer­ Chadli­
­corner­ with­ Kompany­ making­ the­
run­ to ­ the­ near­ post­ and­ heading­
the­ball­in ­off­Fernandinho.­It ­was­a­
defining­ moment­ in ­ the­ match­
between­ probably­ the­ two­ best­
teams­at ­last­year’s­World­Cup.
And­despite­the­fact­that ­Belgium­
would­ fall­ in ­ the­ semi-final­ to­
France,­it ­is ­hard­not­to ­be­satisfied­
with­ the­ way­ Martinez’s­ side­­
dismantled­Brazil.
‘You­ want­ the­ players­ to ­ be­
empowered,’­ says­ Martinez.­ ‘And­
you’ve­got­someone­that­is ­seeing­a­
defensive­ system­ that­ he­ knows­
inside­out,­that­has­a­real­weakness.
But­the­game­against­Brazil,­this­is­
the­most­satisfying­game­for­me­as­
a­ coach­ because­ you­ do­ it ­ against­
the­best­team­in ­the­world.’

­

WE­ are­ back­ where­ it ­ all­ started­­
for­ Martinez­ in ­ England,­ the­
Wrightington­ Hotel­ in ­ Wigan.­ The­
Italian­ maitre­ d’ ­ greets­ him­ like­
family,­which,­in ­a­way,­he­is.
This­is ­the­same­maitre­d’ ­who­was­
here­ in ­ 1995­ when­ Martinez­ and­
compatriots,­Jesus­Seba­and­Isidro­
Diaz,­were­installed­at ­this­hotel­by­
Wigan­ owner­ Dave­ Whelan­ when­
the­ Spaniards,­dubbed­the­ Three­
Amigos,­ joined­ the­ then­ Third­

EXCLUSIVE

INTERVIEW

By Rob Draper

CHIEF FOOTBALL WRITER

You want

players to be

empowered...

Vincent told me

how to expose

Brazil at the

World Cup

Why do you always

look at what

players like

Lukaku can’t do?

Roberto Martinez on criticism of

his stars, Cruyff’s influence and his

journey from Wigan to World Cup