Lisandro Martinez has called on Manchester United to remain ‘calm and humble’ heading into Sunday’s derby against Manchester City – despite the 4-0 rout of FK Sabah in the Champions League.
Martinez added the cherry on top of a very good night for United when he bundled in a fourth goal in front of the Stretford End on Thursday against Azerbaijani minnows Sabah.
While Martinez accepts that confidence has shot up as a result of the team’s exploits in Europe, hosting Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon is not a task anyone in United red can afford to take lightly.
‘When you win, your confidence is going up, you know, but now we have to be calm, we have to be humble,’ he said.
‘Then tomorrow we have to think about the derby that is really important for us.’
Martinez is a World Cup winner and has bags of experience in a squad bursting with young players.
Lisandro Martinez (right) has warned Man United from getting complacent after a big 4-0 win
Martinez was on the scoresheet against FK Sabah – but he knows tougher tests are ahead
With that in mind, the Argentinian centre back felt compelled to play down talk that United now look capable of challenging for the very biggest prizes.
‘It’s too early to say that,’ Martinez added.
‘We just have to be ready every game, we have to be humble, have to enjoy, have to fight every game, and we know what we want, but I can’t tell you [if we will challenge at the top this season].’
The win over Sabah was as celebrated by United staff for the goals scored but also for the clean sheet, the first of the season after conceding two goals in games against Hull City, Ipswich Town and Everton.
For Martinez, the issues at the back, which were exposed badly at Hull City and late on at Everton, ‘annoy’ United’s stars.
‘It will always be a responsibility for us [to keep clean sheets] but I think against Everton, I think we played to take the clean sheet and then we conceded the goals, that’s what annoys us,’ he said.
‘It’s really bad, for sure, because we want to be there, and if we want to compete, we have to keep the clean sheet because it’s very important. Today we did it and we have to build on that.’
‘Yeah, but that is the past. It’s the past, you know, it’s gone and now we have to, I have to be ready for this game because it’s going to be so different than the last one.’
