Inter Sticking with Under Fire New Top Goalie Martinez

Josep Martinez made a grave error early in the Real Madrid clash, turning the ball over while trying to take Federico Valverde on in the box, leading to a very avoidable goal. However, he also denied Real Madrid's stars multiple times with monster saves afterward.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport , Inter and Christian Chivu's trust in the goalie hasn't waned. He has been anointed as the starter in the summer after Yann Sommer 's contract wasn't re-upped. Ivan Provedel was brought in to serve as a reliable deputy, not necessarily to challenge the other option.

The backup will get some chances in a standard rotation, but Martinez will remain the no.1 for the foreseeable future. The coach praised his reaction, and the Spaniard has been impeccable so far, albeit with limited opportunities, during his two years at the club.

The ex- Genoa goalie is heavily relied upon for his ability with his feet, but that's where he's had some trouble, as he had a few close calls before the gaffe in the recent UEFA Champions League fixture.

They decided a few years back, since moving on from Samir Handanovic , that they didn't necessarily need a world-class shot-stopper to be successful, never truly investing in the role, and that comes with some consequences.

Conversely, they had overpaid to get him from Genoa, so they kind of had to eventually give him the starting job to justify that outlay. He's perfectly serviceable but has limited upside. It'd be a poor look if they lost faith at the first blunder. Still, he'll be under scrutiny for the whole campaign to decide whether he could be the top choice for a few years.