The analysis: Adrián Martínez | OneFootball

Second episode of the series where we analyze the most outstanding, interesting and promising young talents of La Academia. We started the first chapter with a defender, and this time it won't be an exception: it's time to talk about Adrián Martínez.

The current right-back of Juvenil A is one of those players who has spent his entire career defending the rojiblanca. With just 8 years old, he joined the Atlético youth academy to be part of Benjamín B. At these ages, in terms of football, the kids don't have a natural position defined, and if we look at the club's website, he appears as a forward. The twists and turns of life. Like many other children, he was promoted to higher categories over the years, gaining notoriety in La Academia for his performances that even led him to be an international with Spain in both Sub-15 and Sub-16 categories, facing teams like Italy and Mexico, among others. Already back then, his "natural" position was that of a right-back.

Adrián is one of the many players who have had the luck of training under Diego Pablo Simeone in the first team. A unique experience to enjoy and learn from the best, unlike what some fans think. There are not a few players who tell me how much it helps in their training and daily life to train with players like Griezmann, Oblak, and Koke, to name a few.

Last season, playing for Juvenil B under Javi Alonso (now coach of Crystal Palace Sub-18), he played 29 games, starting 20 and scoring 2 goals. If with Alonso he was almost indispensable, we expect a similar role with Ángel Donato in División de Honor and that he can surpass that goal tally, which, looking at his record, is not high per season.

Let's go to his profile. What kind of right-back is he? He's very offensive. Although he's a player with a lot of running and going up and down, he usually positions himself relatively close to the right center-back to receive and, once the opponent presses him, he starts from a standstill and enters the central lane thanks to his acceleration, stride, and intelligence to measure the times when accelerating, slowing down, driving, or passing the ball. In a way, he can remind us of the function that Javi Galán performed on the opposite side, a well-known right-back with good footwork and a low center of gravity that helps gain speed. That is, we are not facing a right-back who is used to receiving in space, but rather he can be the one who initiates the play from his own field.

An aspect that I highlight, in addition to his acceleration, is the ability to almost always make the best decision. Once he has left one or several opponents behind, he is able to reach areas close to the last third of the field and either put in a cross, pass the ball to the attacking midfielder or forward who comes down to play with his back to the goal, or continue to the small area.

There is a play that defines him perfectly, related to what we were discussing recently: he enjoys himself. What does this mean? Well, it's common to see how, before receiving or already in possession, he throws himself into self-passes taking advantage of the opponent's inertia and the space he leaves behind to attack and enter the opponent's area or reach the end line.

That said, we make one thing clear, and that is that he is not a right-back who only knows how to run. He has a lot of technical quality in his feet and is not intimidated by the pressure of several opponents, regardless of the area of the field he is in. He likes to combine in a few passes to generate advantages and attack the spaces behind the opponents, as he possesses the speed and acceleration to get ahead of the others. In short, offensively he has everything.

And on defense? Because I imagine that whoever reads this will be delighted with the attacking part, but in football and especially in Atlético, whoever doesn't make an effort defensively won't have much of a career. I would say that he defends, never better said. If his opponent is a winger with a lot of overflow and speed, he may struggle, but he takes advantage of his physique as much as possible to not lose his position in case he is dribbled past. He is not a bad defender in 1v1 defensive situations, and when necessary, he goes to help, trying to intercept the ball. But it's an aspect to improve in his game.

Comparison with other players? Yes, it's true that with Óscar Parejo we draw comparisons or similarities with other players who have reached, at least, the first division. If we look at the last right-backs of the first team, the reality is that he can be "something" similar to Nahuel Molina. Eye, in all this analysis, we talk about profile, not performance.

Both are players with a good stride into space and a clear offensive vocation, taking advantage of good technique to increase performance when assisting teammates. However, I see Adrián as faster than Nahuel (each in their respective contexts) and makes better decisions in the last third, not to mention the crosses of each one. But I don't think it's positive to compare or look for a player who resembles him more than trying to bring the kid closer to the people, so they can get an idea.

With this, we close the second chapter of El Análisis. We leave defensive profiles aside and move on to the opposite pole. Stay tuned…

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.