Peter Schmeichel shares what happened right before Lisandro Martinez’s interview after a ‘little bit clumsy’ comment was made.
Peter Schmeichel has openly said that his interview with Lisandro Martinez after Manchester United’s 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid came across as “a bit clumsy” — and he’s shared why.
Schmeichel spoke to United defender Martinez for CBS Sports right after the Argentine had spoken out about the club’s board and technical director Jason Wilcox, criticizing their lack of summer signings during an Amazon Prime interview with Gabriel Clarke.
Some viewers felt Schmeichel didn’t give Martinez enough space to share his thoughts compared to Clarke’s interview. Now, on a recent episode of The Overlap Daily podcast, Schmeichel explained what really happened at the Wanda Metropolitano.
“It was a bit strange,” he told co-host Joe Hart. “In my job during the Champions League, I’m a reporter. I do a few things on camera from the touchline, then I do interviews afterward. When you’re working with media from different clubs, you can ask to speak to certain players. But UEFA controls who you’re allowed to interview — there’s always someone in charge of each team’s media, and you have to go through them.”
He continued, “At that time, I was actually standing next to Gabriel when all that came out. I knew Martinez was around but he wasn’t on my interview list — I had asked to speak to someone else. When Gabriel finished his interview, Martinez got pushed toward me. So when you watch the interview, I was caught off guard. I didn’t even know what he was saying exactly.”
“Martinez went on from his earlier talk, and I believe he was saying the players need to do better. But I didn’t get that from our chat. I didn’t realize he was being so direct. So my interview ended up a bit messy and confusing.”
It seems like Martinez’s comments didn’t sit well with the club’s management, especially since the football side includes the controversial minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. According to BBC Sport, Martinez has been fined for what he said. He apologized on Instagram, saying his frustration after the defeat made him speak out at the wrong time and place — though he didn’t fully take back his comments.
Before United’s big away game against rivals Leeds, head coach Michael Carrick said Martinez knows he made a mistake.
“The squad today is in a really good place — better than I’ve seen in a while,” Carrick said. “We live and breathe this every day. We’re all emotional and care a lot. Sometimes someone says something they maybe shouldn’t at that moment, but it doesn’t take away from what we’re building here or the spirit in the group. The team isn’t affected by it, I promise you.”