Barcelona star could continue in new role vs Atlético Madrid

The coaching staff at La Liga giants Barcelona are giving consideration to continuing with Gerard Martín as a central defender in the club’s crunch upcoming showdown with Atlético Madrid.

This comes after the Spaniard took full advantage of his latest opportunity in the role over the weekend.

Amid the ongoing absence of Ronald Araújo, Martín – traditionally a left-back – was slotted into a central role for Barcelona’s meeting with Deportivo Alavés on Saturday.

And the 23-year-old, en route to a 3-1 victory, barely put a foot wrong all evening.

Looking surprisingly at ease at the heart of defence, Martín impressed on both sides of the ball, stout in his efforts out of possession, and neat and tidy with the ball at his feet.

He even played a key role in Barca levelling the score at 1-1 early on.

And such exploits evidently did not go unappreciated on the part of Hansi Flick and his staff.

As per a report from Blaugrana insider Carlos Monfort of Diario Sport:

‘Hansi Flick was pleasantly surprised by Gerard Martín’s performance as a center-back and does not rule out lining him up as a center-back against Atlético de Madrid tomorrow. He’ll decide tomorrow and nothing is confirmed yet, but it’s an option on the table.’

Conor Laird – GSFN