Think he will end up as a centre forward with freedom to roam and drop deep as he sees fit. His hold up play and the way he turns defenders with his back to the goal are great qualities, which imo, would be better utilised up front. I can see the merits of having him on the left and cutting in but he can do just that, dropping into the left channels/flank from a central role ala peak Henry for Arsenal. Some facets of his game, esp his movement off the ball in addition to those highlighted above, would probably be better suited to a roaming centre forward-esque role.
9
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Yup. Would hate to see him pushed out left even if I think he'd learn that role faster. His skill set is just too unique to not let him take more time to develop a more complex game as a centre forward. He has showed his ability to drift out wide and provide dribbling from both wings, his hold up play has been magnificent and a real surprise as well and he also has a fantastic technique and link up game.
It is obviously a lot harder to make the right decision when you are played centrally with so much freedom and versatility but he's never going to be a better winger than someone like Robben or Hazard as he isn't specialized enough. As a centre forward I can't mention three top strikers who has better dribbling than him and he's already very complete and just has to develop his game.
What is it with people wanting to change positions of players who are doing very well? Happened with Jones who was shafter out to the right and then somehow into midfield before getting his first serious run of games at center half after about 2 years. Likewise with Di Maria who was thrown all around the pitch instead of being utilized in the only position he ever excelled in.
He has only played a dozen of his 80 games as a striker though. I do think that he is a striker but it's not where he played at professional level.
If we brought someone like Griezmann in, we could play at totally fluid front four. I'd love to see that, but I'm not sure Van Gaal would agree.
I'd prefer for us to change to a front three, moving to three centre midfielders, but it doesn't look like happening anytime soon, unfortunately.
Why do they chop off the top and bottom of the screen? Annoying YT vids!
so that youtube wont delete them due to copyright - no channel id
We should buy Griezman (and Mane) regardless. Van Gaal is only going to be here for about another year and half.
He's such an efficient and elegant player but he combines that so well with his physique and pace. Such a joy to watch.
Saying that though, it takes a lot of physical endurance to do what's he doing and I hope we don't burn him out.
Right now, he's doing the stuff that uses a lot of strength and stamina like hold up play, running the channels and generally being up top alone. It's not whether he has the body or stamina for it, you will eventually wear down during the season, especially for a 19 year old playing in the premier league and having more than 1 game a week.
Saying that though, it takes a lot of physical endurance to do what's he doing and I hope we don't burn him out.
Right now, he's doing the stuff that uses a lot of strength and stamina like hold up play, running the channels and generally being up top alone. It's not whether he has the body or stamina for it, you will eventually wear down during the season, especially for a 19 year old playing in the premier league and having more than 1 game a week.
Not seen much of Griezman but Mane should be bought. He's exactly the type of player we should be buying in January.
His strength to hold the ball and ability to turn the defender is scarily good for a 19yr old. And that's what now, 2 caps and 2 assists? Do we have to pay Monaco for that?
I have often seen that lately, Southampton aren't going to sell Mané in January.
Why the hell did Arsene baulk at the price? He hooks up so well with Giroud!
I'm so happy we got him!
I'm so happy we got him!
As I've said to Arsene on many occasions over Sunday dinner in Totteridge:Maybe Arsene loves to do this with money than spend it.
However, as I have pointed out to Arsene over many a drunken game of Boules after rôti du dimanche … he needn't worry about Scrooge McDuck comparisons as that canny little feathered fella was born penniless in Glasgow, and if that description fits anyone … well you all see where this is going don't you!
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Absolutely that's so fecking horrible. They want to make the video look more cinematic but than don't put in the effort to pan to the right segment of the video to keep the important stuff visible. Just like the shitty effects some of these people put over all their videos, it's fecking horrible and don't get me started on the god awful music.
The Youtube video makers have to crop the videos because of copyright.
So it's fair use if they just take parts focus on one player and add something (black bars, effects, music) themselves? Or just because they can't show anything from the TV-Station that broadcasted the game? I just wished they would do something else that was less annoying but hell I also get that they need to be quick with the videos to get them out and still take up a lot of their free time to do these videos. So in the end I'm glad someone even makes to effort to do these videos at all.
It's bloody hard to find a quality number 9 these days and there's an abundance of wide forwards/ wingers out there. If we find a player who has potential to be one of the best number 9's in the world, we'd be bloody well wise to keep him there if you ask me.
Only way I could see moving him to wing as worthwhile is if we somehow bought Lewandowski and I don't see that happening unfortunately.
Only way I could see moving him to wing as worthwhile is if we somehow bought Lewandowski and I don't see that happening unfortunately.
We'll need him at his best vs Everton, that's for sure. Kind of unfair that he's this amount of burden, so soon. Mostly down to Rooney offering us muck.
I say bring back Khalid Boulahrouz
Correct. Second we find a quality centre forward everyone wants to put him on the wing. Bizarre
There is nothing bizarre about it, we bought a player who excelled on the wing in the last 14 months, it's true that he is projected as a striker and that he has done very well for us but there is absolutely no reason to ignore his past year and not allow ourselves to think about all the possible adjustments that we could make regarding our attack.
Now because we have Memphis and because Memphis is a talented prospect we should consider that Martial will be a striker for us in the future, but if we have the opportunity to sign a better striker than Memphis is a winger or if Wilson breaks out, we know that Martial is potentially as good on the left than he is in the middle.
We seem to be hell bent on getting Muller but even then we lose a bit of pace up top with him leading the line and shifting Martial wide.
Having Martial allows us the potential to have a fluid attacking formation, players that can drift and interchange along the front 3. Signing a Reus /Bale would accommodate that even more. Just because Martial would find himself drifting in from the left wouldn't necessarily mean he's being played from there. He would still be a striker.
Kind of how we played Rooney / Ronaldo /Tevez
He clearly would make an excellent winger but he is going to be one of the best centre forwards in the game. He can drift wide to find space but his main value will be as a striker.
He has the same potential in both positions, like you I see him becoming a great Lewandowski-Suarez hybrid (I suppose that it is what you see in him) but he could also be a sort of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The problem with Martial is that he exploits two different part of his skillset in those positions, you can't really say that he wastes something on the wing and you can't really say that he wastes something upfront. What I do see though is that he plays more naturally on the wing at the moment, he has to decide where he wants to be a top player because in term of skills he has the potential for both positions.
Can't they just cover the logo with a black square or something? Not sexy enough, better to cover some of the actual highlights?
IIRC, Youtube compare the video and audio charateristics, so if you don't want to see your video deleted you have to modify the audio and the images.
I tend to feel a great centre forward is a more valuable commodity. I wouldn't for example convert a good number 9 to a winger. His strenght with his back to goal makes him different from almost any winger IMO. He has the full package to be a striker so I say play him there. Closest to the goal where he can do the most damage and doesn't need to track back. Suarez could easily be a winger with his skill set. Would you play him there? Of course not as it would be a waste
I think that you didn't understand my point there is no conversion here, we are basically in the "Alaba case" we have a player who has been formed as a striker and know the position but who has been developed and played as a winger in his short professional career there is no conversion for us, we and he just have to chose the position. It's like Alaba.
Not so much a conversion but a choice. Where to play him. Surely it has to be as a striker based on the above. Henry could have been a winger. It would have been a mistake. We seem to be in a discussion about perhaps getting another striker and playing him wide. It would be a waste
He is a lot better than Henry on the wing, it's not even close. Henry was excellent at striking the ball and Martial isn't, if he has one flaw(not a big one) it will be his striking technique which could prevent him from being a great striker. And once again the waste would be to not think about all the options, players like Desailly, Makelele, Messi Iniesta, Alaba, Griezmann changed their positions, extended their options and had/have great careers at a world class level. Martial is neither a striker nor a winger, he is a fast, technical, powerful, creative player, as long as he has teammates playing on the same wavelength, he will shine.
A little bit of tinkering might show us something new, for example if I was LVG I would think about Memphis upfront and Martial on the left in a 4-3-3, I would try that in training.
Let's agree to disagree. I cant see him ending up anywhere but centre forward
Same tbh, he is good out wide, but his hold up play and strength along with ability to beat a man, make him the perfect 9
Just watched the highlights of the Denmark game and ....wow. I'm really struggling to think of many other young players who can play in two completely different positions so naturally. He completely tore the full back apart. Even when Rooney was younger and played wide it always seemed unnatural.
I've yet to see martial play badly yet. I have no idea how he managed to fly relatively under the radar so long
I've yet to see martial play badly yet. I have no idea how he managed to fly relatively under the radar so long
He's such a great player, he makes Giroud score. Sign him up!
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Imagine if we got Griezmann? Just the thought of it makes me 38,7% hard. A French Connection to make Wenger cry.
I would usually say that we shouldn't dream, that United don't go for muppet fantasies like this. But Woody is such a man, that I doubt nothing.
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