Martínez blasts Manchester United board after Champions League defeat to Atlético

Manchester United defender Lisandro Martínez has strongly criticized the club's board following the team's 2-0 defeat to Atlético Madrid in the Champions League last night. United, once a dominant force, have endured a miserable start to the season. In the Premier League, it is the club's worst start in the last 40 years, and counting both the league and the Champions League, the team has failed to win any of its last five matches. "It looked very poor," Martínez said when asked about the team's play. The Argentine defender said he had believed that after finishing third last season and qualifying for the Champions League, the club would invest in players. "There were very big expectations from the team's technical director (Jason Wilcox). I want to speak the truth. In terms of the players, we have to work better than this. Equally important is that the board builds a squad capable of competing in matches like these," he said. He said that last season the club laid a strong foundation to build a good team, but that work has not progressed any further. With pressure growing on coach Michael Carrick, Martínez said that sacking him is not a solution. "You cannot keep changing the coach. Where are the team's other solutions? There is nothing else to say." Former United forward Wayne Rooney said that Martínez criticized too much and that these were matters that should be discussed inside the team. United spent $185 million in this transfer window, buying Carlos Baleba, Youri Tielemans and André Santos. But because some other departments were not strengthened, supporters' complaints grew. In the match played at Atlético's stadium, their Pablo Barrios scored a goal in the first minute. After United's Leny Yoro had been shown a red card in the 74th minute, Ademola Lookman scored Atlético's second goal in the 79th minute.