Ajax is world-renowned for finding and producing some of the best talents in world football. Their famous academy, partnered with shrewd recruitment, allows them to have a never-ending conveyor belt of talent. This current Ajax side is no different, with the likes of Jurrien Timber, Ryan Gravenberch, and Antony all poised to become some of the worlds best in the near future. Another name to add to that list is the Argentinian centre-back Lisandro Martínez, who is having an excellent season for both club and country. At 24, he is slightly older but still has plenty of time to develop, and he doesn’t get the plaudits he deserves.
Ajax bought Martínez in 2019 for a small fee from Defensa, since then he has gone from strength to strength and is becoming one of the most sought-after centre-backs in the world with both Barcelona and Real Madrid reportedly keen on the defender.
This scout report and tactical analysis aim to unpick what it is about Martínez’s game that has these sides interested and led to an excellent season in the Eredivisie.
Lisandro Martínez Stats
Usually, I start by looking at a player’s heat map to help explain what type of player he is; however, with a centre-back, its less important and more straightforward. However, addressing the data is essential no matter where the player plays. Using data to evaluate defenders isn’t as easy as evaluating more attacking players, because many of a defenders qualities are hard to quantify; however, there are still metrics that help us understand a players strengths. Firstly, we will look at defensive duels per 90 and successful defensive actions per 90. Martínez is above average in both these metrics amongst Eredivisie central defenders. He records 6.6 defensive duels per 90 and 10.5 successful defensive actions per 90.
It is also worth contextualizing that these metrics can favour defenders on lower possession teams as they have more opportunity to engage in duels and defensive actions. Another set of metrics that can be used is PAdj interceptions and PAdj sliding tackles. PAdj means possession adjusted and measures a player’s performance in tackles and interceptions with the game possession at 50/50. This is to remove the bias these metrics would have towards defenders who play in low possession teams. Again, as you can see Martínez is above average in both these metrics.
The final defensive
