Martino Praises Jordi Alba for Record Performance
Gerardo Martino praised his fullback after an outstanding performance in the Leagues Cup.
Inter Miami's 4-3 victory over Toronto to advance to the Leagues Cup Round of 16 featured Jordi Alba, who set a record with four assists in a single game for the first time.
Martino, the Argentine coach of Inter Miami, said that Alba's performance was no surprise.
“He’s a number 10 playing as a left back. We’ve got a great playmaker from that side, but I also think Matías Rojas and Diego Gómez had standout performances and played a great game,” he said.
Martino also praised the adaptability and versatility of his players, specifically Sergio Busquets, whom he had to use as a center-back: "Today, Busquets first played as a central midfielder, then in both center-back positions, on the right and left."
The Argentine coach mentioned that during halftime, he urged his players to "rebel against something that was being unfair," referring to the expulsion of one of his players.
“What I told the players at halftime was to fight back against the adversity because there was nothing more to say about the game,” he said.
Inter Miami will play the next round of the Leagues Cup away from Chase Stadium, with their opponent still to be determined between Columbus Crew and Sporting Kansas City, who play tomorrow.
“Columbus is the top team in the league by far, and we’ll have to go to their place. And Kansas City is very well-known, I have a lot of respect for their coach. He’s been around for many years; we’ve played there and won, but it was very tough. Either team will be very dangerous for us,” Martino analyzed.
