Onana s struggle and Martinez s temptation: Realistic test questions about Manchester United goalkeeper s position

When Manchester United signs Andre Onana in 2023, the deal is more than just changing the goalkeeper. This is an attempt to reshape the team's DNA - David De Gea's traditional style of relying on reaction and saves was completely abandoned, and replaced by a Cameroonian who is regarded as a "live specimen of modern football". Onana is not only skilled in his feet, but also actively demands to be the starting point of the offensive. The club hopes that he can use precise passes to crack high pressure and convert the pressure on the backcourt into advancement in the frontcourt. However, two seasons have passed, and the coach has changed from Tenhah to Amorin, and this theory has not yet been implemented. At the age of 29, he showed his strength in the chaotic team system, but more often he seemed to be exposed in the wilderness. Those traits that were highly anticipated gradually became the focus of controversy.

Onana's Manchester United career has laid the groundwork since a preseason game. In August 2023, Diogo Dalot's slack pass was intercepted by Florian Sotoka. The Cameroonian was standing on the edge of the penalty area at that time and could only watch his opponent shoot a lob. Tenhach believed at the time that Onana's adventure style was insignificant compared to the rewards of his offensive passes, but now it seems that this balance has long been unbalanced in teams lacking structure. Mistakes began to accumulate and confidence gradually shook. From bold innovation to constant controversy, Onana's situation reflected Manchester United's deeper dilemma: do they need a goalkeeper who leads the tactical revolution, or a guardian who can stabilize his position in the storm?

This question brought the name of Emiliano Martinez to the surface. Since the beginning of 2024, Manchester United has had some contact with the Villa goalkeeper's representative. Although there has not yet been a formal offer to the club, the Argentinian's traits are in sharp contrast to Onana - the former is a high-risk and high-reward gambler, the latter is a pragmatic and reliable stable player; Onana tries to control the rhythm with the ball, while Martinez is good at cleaning up the mess in chaos. This difference is becoming increasingly critical for Manchester United, which has a swaying tactic and fragile mentality.

Onana's technical characteristics were originally tailored for ball-controlled teams. Under Ajaxtenhach, his calmness, adventure passes and high-level positions are perfectly integrated into the system; when he switched to Inter Milan, his stable defensive structure allowed him to hold the ball frequently, and even if he made mistakes, he would have teammates to protect him. But Manchester United cannot provide such support: the defensive staff is in turmoil, Lisandro Martinez's long-term injury has caused him to lose the best pass target, the midfield personnel are frequent, and the pressing system is effective at the same time. Onana's game is based on technical freedom, but in a turbulent environment, these skills have become icing on the cake rather than a timely help. It is not that the traits disappear, but that practicality has been greatly reduced.

Martinez is another existence. The 32-year-old goalkeeper can shine without a complex system, and is closer to the traditional "goal line" guardian: strong dominance in the penalty area, stable decision-making, and pragmatic passing. He will not play Cruyff turn around on the edge of the penalty area, nor will he try to penetrate the low draw in the midfield, but his control in the small penalty area is a model. Since joining Villa in the 2020-2021 season, he has received passes (237 times) and has the same top-notch ball handling as Arsenal's David Raya. The World Cup and the Copa America wins the championship more confirms his mentality of the competition, but he still has a gap with the national team version at the club level - Villa fans know that he occasionally makes low-level mistakes in non-focus games. When he faces Manchester United at the end of the 2024-2025 season, he was sent off for a foul outside the penalty area, which indirectly caused the team to miss the Champions League qualification.

The two are in a similar position in the data level. Since the 2023-2024 season, Martinez has faced fewer shots and has expected better goal conceded (xGOT) performance; Onana slightly beaten with 9 zero-blocks in the 2024-2025 season (Martinez 8 times). The real difference is hidden in the details: Martinez is good at saving one-on-one, and he strikes decisively when facing high balls and dead corners, forcing his opponent to only choose a low shot before he stands firm; although Onana is not good at single shots, he is more stable in protecting the goal in the middle, but he often blocks the powerful shot back into the small penalty area, giving the opponent a second offensive opportunity - this requires a defensive system to fill up, but Manchester United's central defenders often find it difficult to retreat in time.

pass selection better reflects the fitness of the two people with the team. Martinez's goal goal is mostly found in the middle midfield, which is in line with the balanced lineup created by Emery; the passes in sports battles accurately start the offensive routines that Vera rehearsed. Onana prefers long passes to the left, trying to feed the team a more threatening side, but the passes in sports battles are sometimes stunning and sometimes scattered, the unbalanced lineup and inadequate tactical execution make both Tenhah and Amorin unable to activate his greatest advantage. To some extent, Onana has become a non-urgent solution to Manchester United's many problems.

Choosing Onana or Martinez is essentially choosing the direction of Manchester United. This team has neither a sophisticated pressing system nor a stable tactical identity, and structural mistakes and unforced mistakes occur frequently. In this case, Martinez, who has lower system requirements and stronger reliability, is obviously more attractive - he may not be able to improve the quality of ball control, but he can avoid the risk of making an already nervous team worse. Of course, Onana is not hopeless. After adjustments during the offseason, if they can play in a simpler way, they will still have a chance to regain their form.

Onana may be the better answer in a Manchester United with coherent pressing, stable defense and controlled midfield. But the reality is that Manchester United now needs people to calm the storm. For goalkeepers, there is no absolute guarantee, only the trust won with time and the resilience when facing setbacks. Whether it is Martinez's stability or Onana who returns to the basics, what Manchester United really needs may be a guardian who can let the team learn to walk first and then consider running.