After Manchester United’s 2-0 loss to Chelsea, Arsenal great Freddie Ljungberg slammed Argentine defender Lisandro Martinez, saying Martinez’s actions on the pitch made him sick to his stomach.
Martinez received a second yellow card after raising his arm toward Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana in Saturday’s Premier League match at Stamford Bridge; in the 63rd minute, he was awarded a red card.
Cole Palmer converted the penalty that followed the dismissal to double Chelsea’s lead and further muddied United’s afternoon. Earlier, United took the lead when Morgan Rogers broke through their defence and gently lifted the ball over Senne Lammens, the custodian.
In an interview with Metro published after the game, Ljungberg reportedly voiced his sympathies for Manchester United manager Michael Carrick and claimed that his players were unable to adequately shield him from criticism.
Even though the team hasn’t been doing well on the pitch, the former Arsenal winger thinks Carrick is being unfairly criticised for his managerial skills.
“When I see that, I feel bad for Michael Carrick,” he stated.
The players aren’t doing it, but everyone else is, asking things like, “Is Carrick good enough as a coach?”
Ljungberg expressed his displeasure with Martinez’s dismissal, admitting that the defender’s behaviour made him feel uneasy.
“I felt a little queasy watching how they act, Martinez, acting the way he did.”
The ex-Swede international went on to say that Martinez has been careless with the team’s welfare on multiple occasions.
When he acts foolishly and disregards the team’s needs, I’ve witnessed this happen multiple times. They failed him.