{"id":1865,"date":"2026-07-14T13:23:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T05:23:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/?p=1865"},"modified":"2026-07-14T13:23:19","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T05:23:19","slug":"i-never-imagined-playing-as-a-centre-back-gerard-martin-on-his-barcelona-breakthrough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/2026\/07\/14\/i-never-imagined-playing-as-a-centre-back-gerard-martin-on-his-barcelona-breakthrough\/","title":{"rendered":"“I never imagined playing as a centre-back”: Gerard Martin on his Barcelona breakthrough"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Gerard Martin has reflected on his breakthrough season at the heart of the Barcelona defence, insisting there is still more to come as the Catalan giants eye a deep run in next season’s Champions League.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gerard Martin is already back in the grind as FC Barcelona officially launch their pre-season preparations. The defender is determined to retain the faith of Hansi Flick, admitting in an interview with ‘Mundo Deportivo’ that his transition to the heart of the defence was entirely unexpected. A flourishing partnership with Pau Cubarsi proved instrumental in helping him adjust to the demands of his new role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I feel physically strong and I am really looking forward to getting back to competing,” the Catalan defender remarked as his summer break drew to a close. “A few of us have been training already. It has been a bit more relaxed so far, but things get serious on Monday.” As the new campaign looms, Martin\u2019s focus is fixed on proving his worth once more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting on his tactical shift, he added: “It happened during the first match in Korea. Flick told me he wanted to try me at centre-back and I told him to go for it. I started training and playing there, and he just told me to be myself. I have felt very comfortable and I have grown; I have always felt his confidence. Flick is highly approachable. He is direct\u2014he tells you exactly what he thinks, both where you need to improve and what you are doing well. He keeps us on our toes because he knows it is vital that we remain focused and united.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussing Barcelona’s high-risk defensive style: “I haven’t felt exposed. It is a system I feel very comfortable in. It is high-risk compared to other teams, but I like the risk. You have to be fully engaged in every single action, and I enjoy playing that way. Every year, you have to refine those small details.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His understanding with Cubarsi and Joan Garcia has been pivotal to the team’s defensive solidity: “You have to communicate constantly with those around you. The defensive line must be perfectly coordinated at all times. You have to be on the same wavelength. Joan Garcia adapted very quickly from day one and is always alert. He is always prepared and, on top of that, he is a very quick goalkeeper.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I didn’t expect a season like this. I never imagined I would end up being a centre-back. I know what I am capable of, but I still believe I can improve in every aspect of the game. This was my first year in this position,” he admitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Turning his attention to the Champions League, the club’s ultimate goal: “If we treat it as a positive obsession, there is no problem. However, we cannot focus solely on that, or other areas might suffer. We must remain consistent in La Liga. We want the Champions League and we are improving year by year. What is missing? These competitions are decided by the finest of margins. We simply need to be sharper in those moments. We are doing things very well, and we will compete like no one else to make it happen.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Gerard Martin has reflected on his breakthrough season at the heart of the Barcelona defence, insisting there is<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1865"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1867,"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1865\/revisions\/1867"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mktynews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}