Another international week, another spat between Roberto Martinez and Ireland.
Previously it was Roy Keane who had a pop at the Everton manager over the availability (or lack of) of Everton’s Irish contingent, namely Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy.
This time it’s Eamon Dunphy who has got on Martinez’s wick over his criticism of McCarthy following Ireland’s 1-1 draw against Poland on Sunday.
Dunphy used phrases like “terrible flop”, “doesn’t do anything” and “overrated” to describe McCarthy’s performance against the Poles.
Martinez has now hit back saying the comments from Dunphy are over the top and are designed to merely distract from Ireland’s disappointing result against Poland – a game that most, including Martin O’Neill, said was ‘must-win’ beforehand.
“That’s quite a harsh comment if you ask me,” Martinez said. “I think sometimes those comments are a distraction from the reality of having bad results with their team.
“It’s a shame that, if there is any criticism, that it comes down to individuals. It is disappointing when you look at those comments because you are not going to get anyone in world football more committed and a better character than James McCarthy.”
Martinez may well have a point that the criticism of McCarthy is OTT – much like the rest of the team the midfielder grew into the game the longer it went on – it’s hard to understand his point about Dunphy trying to distract from a bad result. Normally Eamon loves that kind of thing.
Hat tip to Goal.com
