Emiliano Martinez: Arsenal's defence give me the confidence to impress

Emiliano Martinez says Arsenal's defence have made it "easy"
for him to step into the team and replace injured goalkeeper
Wojciech Szczesny.
Martinez, 22, has kept three clean sheets -- as the Gunners
have picked up three consecutive wins against Borussia
Dortmund, West Bromwich Albion and Southampton --
since covering for Szczesny.
Such performances have led to some calls for the Argentine to
keep his place in the team when Szczesny returns to fitness,
and Martinez says he owes his impressive form to the likes of
Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny.
"When you play with Per, Lolo [Koscielny], Nacho
[Monreal] -- whoever is in the back four -- you feel
confident against any team," Martinez told Arsenal's official
website. "I feel really, really confident behind them and
hopefully I will get more opportunities.
"It really helps me. Lolo and Per are both experienced,
organisationally strong and always talk to you. It is so easy to
play behind them.
"It is amazing [to keep three clean sheets]. I need to enjoy it
and say thank you to my defenders as well. They have been
outstanding in the last three games. It is always good to keep a
clean sheet and do your job.
"I know I am young and I need to wait for opportunities.
When the opportunity comes, you need to be confident and
show the manager that you can play as well. I think I am
doing it, I am breeding confidence in my defenders and I am
really pleased with that."
Martinez says he is confident in his own ability, while he trusts
in his own game to take him far.
"I like to command my area and help the defenders," he said.
"If there are more crosses coming in, I am going to come.
"I have been around English football for a few years, so I
know how to play, I know it is quicker than anywhere. I
need to play how I always play, like I do in the under-21s or
for my national team. That's the keeper I am."