Pagliuca says Martínez can recover, but condemns Madrid backheel

Gianluca Pagliuca believes Josep Martínez will recover from his Madrid mistake, but says the Inter goalkeeper’s backheel was an unnecessary show of presumption. The former Italy international also warned that Martínez should not carry the blame for Inter’s second-half drop in intensity.

“Everyone makes mistakes, even Neuer, Courtois or Donnarumma,” Pagliuca told La Gazzetta dello Sport. His objection was specific: “The backheel in Madrid — you must not do that.” Pagliuca said he was sure Martínez would respond, adding that goalkeepers learn to move on through hard work.

He pointed to 19-year-old Massimo Pessina’s error for Lecce as a reminder that one mistake need not define a goalkeeper. Pessina waited for the ball rather than attacking it, Pagliuca said, but then made two strong saves after the score reached 1-1. The example supports his distinction: the error is fair to criticise, but it need not decide what comes next.

Martínez has made one Serie A appearance this season. Pagliuca recalled that Yann Sommer also faced criticism and stayed in goal, and said he expects Cristian Chivu to back his own judgement again. Chivu has two capable goalkeepers and will choose who plays in each competition, Pagliuca said, although he is not a fan of alternating them. He added that he would have signed Emiliano “El Dibu” Martínez.

The wider point matters for an Inter side at the top of Serie A with 16 points from six games. Pagliuca said Inter “didn’t do much” after the break in Madrid and lost their intensity, so the goalkeeper’s mistake cannot explain the whole performance. Bologna, where Pagliuca also played, are 14th with five points.

Inter visit Bologna on Saturday, 17 October, at 18:00 CEST. Martínez’s response is one part of the story; Pagliuca’s verdict is that Inter’s second-half performance needs to be judged on its own, rather than reduced to one error.