Gerardo Martino Quotes

The way we stop Mesut Ozil is as a team. He's a good player but only as a team can we stop him.

The best way to stop Messi is when you play with 11 men and then you can double mark him, one player to stay on him and the other to help out. If it is 11 against 10 then you have almost no chance of stopping him.

I'd never switch to man-to-man unless we were able to play good man-to-man. Ever.

It doesn't matter how many goals you score; one goal is enough if you don't let one in your net.

Power is the main difference; it's more powerful in England. Referees are less strict than in France, teams like to play low and in counter-attack, and defenders in general are stronger than in France.

On a tactical level the defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation is just about the most demanding position there is.

When you are a coach, you are watching how the team is positioning itself on the field - if your team is in possession of the ball, you are already anticipating what could happen if you lose the ball.

In England and Germany, perhaps, there is more of a focus on the physical side of the game, in breaking down the opposition's play, especially against the lower placed sides.

How do you mark Ronaldo? You try not to leave him alone and don't let him shoot on his right foot. As for Messi... you just make the sign of the cross!

Most teams won't really focus on one player because they've got multiple players to defend and that will open up a lot of things for me.

My perfect formation would be 4-3-3 with one holding and then the two going forward. I would be one of the ones going forward.

I think, a lot of teams, when they come to Anfield and they play a draw, they think it is a good result.

In Spain, you get seven clear chances a game to receive the ball and shoot. In Italy, you get very few clear balls, and you have to fight everyone to score; that makes you improve and develop.

In the defensive midfield position, the player needs to give balance to the team and try to control the game. That's exactly what I try to do.

Tactically, Italians are very strong. They are a lot into tactics: how to defend, when you lose the ball, where will you be?

In my day, defenders played you with two hands and an elbow. You're not getting by a guy, especially if he has an elbow and a hand on you and is a strong defensive player.

I love when people try to be physical with me. They think that's the way to try to guard me and to get physical with me. I use that to my advantage.

United are about attacking football, and everything else has to takes its place behind that.

Any time you roll up a corner and you have a safety standing behind him helping out the corner, it's frustrating for any player.

The strikers are the first defenders. And the first defender is the first striker to build from the back.

Harry Kane is a very complicated player to stop.

You know what to expect when you play Championship sides. They're very solid defensively, they're not scared to put their foot or head in, and they defend very well.

It's hard to guard two dynamic players working together rather than guarding them going one-on-one.

Everyone plays the ball over the top and, at the moment, we only concede goals from crosses or balls over the top. I feel we will adapt to that.

Good players win you games, good formations stop you losing them.