Former Arsenal winger Freddie Ljungberg has criticised Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez following the club’s 2 to 0 defeat to Chelsea, saying the Argentine’s conduct on the pitch made him feel sick.
Martinez was sent off in the 63rd minute of Saturday’s Premier League clash at Stamford Bridge after receiving a second yellow card for raising his arm against Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana.
His dismissal further weakened United, with Cole Palmer converting the resulting penalty to extend Chelsea’s lead to 2 to 0. Morgan Rogers had earlier opened the scoring after breaking through United’s defence and lifting the ball over goalkeeper Senne Lammens.
Speaking after the encounter, Ljungberg expressed sympathy for Manchester United manager Michael Carrick, arguing that the players were not doing enough to protect him from criticism over the team’s poor performances.
The former Arsenal star said, “I feel, when I look at that, I feel sorry for Michael Carrick.”
He added, “Everybody is slaughtering Carrick in the media and stuff, ‘Is he good enough as a coach, this and that’, the players are not doing it.”
Ljungberg was particularly disappointed with Martinez’s dismissal, describing the defender’s behaviour as unacceptable.
“How they behave, Martinez, doing what he did, I was there, and I felt a bit sick.”
The former Sweden international further accused Martinez of repeatedly making avoidable mistakes without considering the consequences for his teammates.
“I’ve seen this quite a few times when he does stupid things, doesn’t think about the team first. They let him down.”
Meanwhile, Carrick refused to blame Martinez when asked by TNT Sports whether the defender had let him down, responding simply, “No”.
However, the United manager also addressed the red card during his post match comments.
The defeat leaves Manchester United 17th in the Premier League table, with seven points from nine matches. The club is above the relegation zone only on goal difference.
The result also extended United’s winless run in all competitions to nine matches, further highlighting their difficult start to the campaign.
The Red Devils have recorded just two victories in 13 matches across all competitions this season, beating Ipswich in the Premier League and Sabah in the Champions League.
