'Maybe we need boxing gloves' - Unai Emery explains what Aston Villa are doing to combat set piece chaos

Set pieces have increasingly been an issue for the keeper all season and Emery believes referees are now being “soft” in their decision-making and not offering as much protection as before.

Martinez has been working with the club’s goalkeeping coach Javi Garcia to try and best deal with opponent's "blocking" tactics.

Emery said: “They (opposition players) are touching the keepers, they are pushing the keepers and it is not a foul.

“In the future, we will need keepers at two metres, 20 centimetres (7ft 2ins).

“We need to adapt, we need to work and get better at defending situations like that. Maybe we need to get boxing (gloves)!”

Villa went behind in last weekend’s 2-1 win at Chelsea when Reece James’ corner flicked off Joao Pedro, moments after the striker had been involved in a pushing match with Martinez.

The latter has also been scrutinised for set piece goals conceded against Leeds and Burnley, while Brighton opened the scoring against Villa from a corner last month when Marco Bizot was the keeper.

Emery continued: “He (Martinez) is working with the goalkeeper coach about how football is changing. It’s changing in the referees’ way.

“Usually, he’s showing us his power in those situations, corners, or throws.

“When the opponents are pushing or blocking, we are seeing this in every match, even ourselves, because the referees in this way, they are more or less being soft in their decision about how they want to manage it.

“Now we need to improve and need to adapt. We are doing it, but even more for a situation like that.

“It’s becoming more difficult, they are not only blocking with two and three players blocking the keeper.

“The goalkeeper coach is working with Martinez, Bizot and James.

“They are blocking completely - we can also use tactics like that, this is a problem for the keepers, all keepers.”