Barcelona new arrival unfazed by competition for places: “Everyone wants to play”

Barcelona boasted one of the best defensive records in Europe last season. A large part of the credit does go to the goalkeeper, but a fair share must also go to the defenders who held their ground even through adversity.

The Catalans have only strengthened that core this summer. The arrival of Inigo Martinez adds experience to the flair of the young combination and puts up a formidable defensive lineup at the manager’s disposal.

The newly-signed Basque defender recently sat down with the club’s media channels to give an elaborate interview on his move to Barcelona and his expectations from the season, amongst other topics. He started off with an account of why he decided to change clubs after a lifetime in the Basque country.

“There comes a point when you need a change of scene and since I received Barça’s call, I was interested. The confidence they showed in me helped me take that leap which was difficult because at home I felt valued and loved,” he said.

“The truth is that I come here happy with a real desire to get to know new people, a new city, and a different style of life.”

The Spanish international was then asked about his thoughts about signing for a club of Barcelona’s stature, to which he said: “It’s a privilege to come to Barça and not everyone can experience it and I hope to make the most of this opportunity.”

Further elaborating on the stature of his new club, he admitted that the crest came with a lot of responsibility. Martinez, however, was confident that he possesses the skill set needed to keep the Catalan flag flying high.

“Responsibility. Giving everything for the badge. Team spirit. Everything that the badge means, everything it has achieved over the years, is a motivating factor that you like to have in this kind of situation. I have no doubt that things will go well. There is a lot of confidence in the squad and in the coaching staff.”

The veteran will be behind Ronald Araujo, Jules Kounde, and Andreas Christensen in the pecking order. Questioned about his role in the team, he expressed maturity and understanding of the limited role he might have under Xavi Hernandez.

“In any team we come to fight for our place as everyone wants to play. Now, there is no doubt there will be moments when you will have to sit out, but Barça is a team and what is important is winning as a team, and above all you must have team spirit.”

Martinez even went on to praise his colleagues who held La Liga’s best defensive record last season. Speaking about what he brings to the table to complement the young core, he added that his experience would be invaluable.

“There are some great centre-backs, some who have not been Culers long, but you can see how they have they work together. They have worked hard on all aspects of the game. I can bring experience and the competitive character that I have.”

On Xavi, the centre-back revealed that he had not got a chance to talk in-depth with the manager. Nevertheless, he hoped for more interaction in the days to come.

“He congratulated me on my arrival. He has shown confidence in me and that is very important for a player. The truth is I have not had much time to talk because the last few days I have been training apart from the squad as part of my recovery – in the days to come we will talk more.”

The former Athletic Club defender also recalled the numerous time he had faced Barcelona before and called the team’s playing style to be the factor that appealed to him the most.

“The way of playing, that’s something that Barça have defined clearly and every time I used to come to Camp Nou it was tough, and the games seemed to last forever. The truth is that it is a pleasure to watch Barça play.”

Barcelona are known to deploy an extremely high defensive line, putting more pressure on the defenders to hold-off counter attacks. The veteran was confident that he would be able to adapt with ease, saying that his days at Athletic Club would come in handy.

“Yes, I have been playing like that for years. I think last season we were the team, after Barça, who played with the highest line. I don’t think I am going to have a problem.”

Martinez was also asked to name his role model from Barcelona to which he surprisingly did not name a defender. “I have taken a lot of notice of an international teammate of mine, Sergio Busquets. In many ways, he represents what Barça is,” he said.

Finally, the new signing gave his commitment to fans across the globe that the team would give its all during the upcoming season, saying:

“The team is going to give 200%. We are hoping for an exciting year with a young squad and a lot of ambition. We want to follow on from last season when the team was in good form.”