Anthony Martial image 9

Anthony Martial France flag

2016-17 Performances

View full 2016-17 profile

5.9 Season Average Rating
Appearances
42
Goals
8
Assists
8
Yellow cards
3
Status
Not open for further replies.
Thought he was doing alright, but it's hard to make a big impact because they were taking extra care to shut down his side. Always had 2-3 players around him and while he went past a few players, there were always more there. Reason he got subbed was because Mou felt he had to change something, but you can't take off Ibra or Pogba, while Miki was having a bit more of an impact and is more versatile, so he had to come off with Mata needing to come on.
 
He wants the ball at his feet too much and doesn't make runs behind the defense enough or sometimes at all.
 
He certainly has skills and is only young but i think too many make excuses for him because he's got that bit of flair. He needs to start influencing games more.
 
The question that must be asked is: If that is true, why he tries to dribble 4 players? He has a tunnel vision and almost always makes the same play. When he manages to be successful, it looks amazing, but then, sometimes it happens the contrary and he still tries. His football IQ doesn't allow him to interpret the game in a different way. It's about how his strengths adapt to the circumstances and not otherwise. If you keep hitting your head against the wall something has to change. You can not break a wall with that.
 
Smores said:
He certainly has skills and is only young but i think too many make excuses for him because he's got that bit of flair. He needs to start influencing games more.
Click to expand...

Agree. I love our Tony but we're getting to a Rooney-ish point with him as some posters here will make each and every excuse for him. Fact is, bar 4-5 games, he just hasn't been that good this year.
 
MThomas said:
It's not really half his own problem. It's the way Liverpool press. As soon as a player gets the ball you have 3 players crowding him in hope of breaking on the counter. If there's no good passing options, well, good luck. It happened to most of our players, Rooney, Martial, Pogba, Mikhi, Herrera. One touch too many and you're crowded.

In terms of coming in and interchanging better, i don't really think you understand the way Mourinho is setting up the team.

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/statszon...6/team-stats/1/OVERALL_01#tabs-wrapper-anchor

Martial and Mhiki have to very different roles
Click to expand...

I was going to write out a reply but below pretty much sums it up. Role or not, he lacks variation/off the ball movement that can make his and the team's game 'easier' (as in give another option for more interchanges, angles of passes etc). I thought he did well but half of it, is his problem for sure.

It's out of context but compare Miki's game where he got the ball out of his feet very often and quickly, then released to it a team mate (i.e Herrera). When one or two pressed him, his quick passes and off the ball movement actually 'creates' more than simply hugging the touchline and wanting ball to feet.

Fraud said:
The question that must be asked is: If that is true, why he tries to dribble 4 players? He has a tunnel vision and almost always makes the same play. When he manages to be successful, it looks amazing, but then, sometimes it happens the contrary and he still tries. His football IQ doesn't allow him to interpret the game in a different way. It's about how his strengths adapt to the circumstances and not otherwise. If you keep hitting your head against the wall something has to change. You can not break a wall with that.
Click to expand...
 
Crowded out after a great start. He was pulling two or three players out but wasnt really helped. It should have freed up somebody and if we had an in form Shaw, might have been able to take advantage of it.
 
We are not using him the right way. He was too busy with Defending as well. Unlike the right flank where we have Valencia who always dominate the right flank which gives Mata or Mkhytaryan more freedom everytime they play there and less time to defend.

But I still think Martial should have done better in his end product and decision making and without Clyne I was expecting him to rip apart the Liverpool young inexperienced right back. But yes he didn't get much support today.
 
Mike09 said:
We are not using him the right way. He was too busy with Defending as well. Unlike the right flank where we have Valencia who always dominate the right flank which gives Mata or Mkhytaryan more freedom everytime they play there and less time to defend.

But I still think Martial should have done better in his end product and decision making and without Clyne I was expecting him to rip apart the Liverpool young inexperienced right back. But yes he didn't get much support today.
Click to expand...
I disagree. He has similar problem with France despite Evra was very good supporting attacking and in games France has little defending on the flank to do. I meant even Payet thrived.

Problem as pointing out again & again is his movement. Even in comfortable games, he's found at times slacking running in behind defender. Too often he wants the ball to his feet. Difference in style has exposed his inexperience. Under LVG he gets into position with team slow build up the keep possession and find way to supply the ball to his feet. Without the possession based football, he needs to learn to make movement, get involved more in build up. Not to forget under LVG he is one of the main man in attacking plan. For France and for us, he's just part of the attacking unit. He's not productive enough for main man status now. Not the time to build the team around him. Of course better support from full back would help but, the coin lies with him to up his game.
 
He wasn't great but he can't be blamed. He had 3 people around him at times - Darmian and Pogba offering him no/very little support. That said, there was a through ball to Pogba in which he should have done a lot better.
 
I thought he actually did very well considering he was up against three players for most of the game and got no help whatsoever from Darmian.
 
This 3 people marking him excuse only goes so far. Fact is, he never once looked to play on the shoulder of his man, and kept recieving the ball either with his back to him (so their RB could hold him up and others could get across to him) or with his RB a few yards in front of him - at which point he was a bit too static and people would surround him.

He found no space just sitting where he was, so it made no sense that he didn't try get beyond his man and into the corners where he could face him up.
 
When was the last time he truly imposed himself against a top team? Genuinely cannot remember. I was all for him starting yesterday but he is so inconsistent, You can see why Jose is trying to teach him the 'tough love' type approach.
 
I'd say Martial had a "good" game, certainly not great but good.
He started pretty well. He & Darmian looked like they were going to tear the young FB apart over the first 10 to 15 minutes. But credit 'Pool for having a very well organised defense. They (the back four) successfully slid left & right to support both the young kid AND their old man playing at RB. Their diamond shape in the middle played its part by being deliberate in their tight, aggressive defensive formation. They got under everybodys skin & effectively closed down just about everything we brought down the middle. At the same time, for lack of a better description, they pshyched-out our most expensive player. We still had a couple of massive chances, splitting that tight defense in two ... but failing to finish.

As for Mr. Martial after he tried the over-elaborate back-heel flick & squandered a great chance created by Mhiki, he came off shortly there after. I think that was when Jose believed he couldn't trust young Rashford to come on under the tense circumstances and do the job any better than Martial, so he brought on Felly to great effect!
 
He still doesnt run off the ball enough but we also dont work the ball to him well enough.

He has that RB on toast for the first 30 mins and we never really gave him the chance to run at him more.
 
Started superbly but for me as said there's no partnerships or relationship between RB and him. TBH it is the same issue all over the pitch and I think this is partially down to constant changes on the team. For me the other top teams appear to be clearer about how they set up and want to play, but I guess Jose still needs more time to achieve this....
 
I thought he was bright but often had 2 or 3 Liverpool players on him because they were desperate to protect Alexander-Arnold. He also needed more support but the LB position is a major issue for us this season.
 
He really needs more support from the LB, I can't remember Darmian overlapping him once.

Would really like to see Young play LB, it will help Martial.
 
Mourinho is far too harsh on him, he didn't even play that bad and was taken off too early while sending on Rooney. Mkhitaryan was worse than him too, yet he was kept on.

People expect magic from Martial, anything less than extraordinary he does, he gets taken off.
 
Everytime he had the ball, he had two or three players to beat. He did not play well but our LB situation will not help anybody in that position.
 
We need a left back who can help him. He'd beat that young boy at right back, and have 2/3 others surround him.

If you could only put Luke Shaws engine on Daley Blind.
 
Looked very sharp against Liverpool but we couldn't get the ball to him enough. Hard to be critical of him
 
Darmian offered him no support and didn't make any overlapping runs. Martial faced 2/3 players on several occasions.

We need Shaw back urgently. His pace and overlapping runs will free up more space for Martial.
 
He was more than fine, he made lot of dribbles and hardly ever lost the ball, but he can't dribble past three players when he has no support whatsoever. Darmian was literally staying behind halfway line all any time Martial got the ball. We did nothing on that left side once he was brought off, which says a lot.
 
His off the ball movement is non-existent and will hold him back as a player. He would much rather get the ball to feet on the touchline and then run at the RB, rather than make an off the ball movement in behind or a curved run.

There is normally a few reasons as to why this is, firstly he loves dribbling and is always looking to beat his man, it's the first thought on his mind, and he knows he will get the ball by occupying this position to than attack the full-back. Secondly, he doesn't feel he will get the ball as much making them runs which is understandable, you have to sacrifice and gamble alot which Mkhi does really well, you won't get the ball every time, it may not be played, may get cut out or the full-back may stop your run but you have to do it for the one time it works because then you are in behind and it's a great chance at goal.

Probably at the moment is Martial is getting the ball to deep and can't really square the full-back up one-on-one, he is getting doubled marked or the wingers are backtracking which basically means he's running into blind alleys.
 
dal said:
He seems to be rushing his play too much and not letting his natural play come through.

As he gets more mature it will help him.

IF he gets COUTINHOS level I will be please and somewhat surprised however I don't think he has that level of technique, hope I am wrong because Coutinho is an absolute joy to watch.
Click to expand...

You have to be joking, Martial has potential to become far better player than Coutinho. To say that you would be surprised if he reaches his level is ridiculous...
 
SambaBoy said:
His off the ball movement is non-existent and will hold him back as a player. He would much rather get the ball to feet on the touchline and then run at the RB, rather than make an off the ball movement in behind or a curved run.

There is normally a few reasons as to why this is, firstly he loves dribbling and is always looking to beat his man, it's the first thought on his mind, and he knows he will get the ball by occupying this position to than attack the full-back. Secondly, he doesn't feel he will get the ball as much making them runs which is understandable, you have to sacrifice and gamble alot which Mkhi does really well, you won't get the ball every time, it may not be played, may get cut out or the full-back may stop your run but you have to do it for the one time it works because then you are in behind and it's a great chance at goal.

Probably at the moment is Martial is getting the ball to deep and can't really square the full-back up one-on-one, he is getting doubled marked or the wingers are backtracking which basically means he's running into blind alleys.
Click to expand...

I think that's a fair criticism. Rashford can only dream of having Martial's touch and dribbling skills but is so much smarter than him when it comes to making runs without the ball. If we could combine the two of them we'd have a hell of a player.
 
IrishRedDevil said:
Darmian offered him no support and didn't make any overlapping runs. Martial faced 2/3 players on several occasions.

We need Shaw back urgently. His pace and overlapping runs will free up more space for Martial.
Click to expand...

Just about to come in and say this.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
I think that's a fair criticism. Rashford can only dream of having Martial's touch and dribbling skills but is so much smarter than him when it comes to making runs without the ball. If we could combine the two of them we'd have a hell of a player.
Click to expand...

You just need to play them together & they will cover each other's weaknesses like Cole & Yorke. Martial should be playing just behind Rashford dribbling to make space for the latter to move in to.

Martial as a LW is easily replaceable considering we actually play him as a LM.

IM0 best thing to do is find a LM to the same mold as mkhitareayn - let Rashford martial compete with Ibrahimovic. When the latter retires tweak the formation to a 442.
 
He was quite decent against LIverpool, he was the only one capable of running at them with pace. Baffling decision to take him off imo.
 
SambaBoy said:
His off the ball movement is non-existent and will hold him back as a player. He would much rather get the ball to feet on the touchline and then run at the RB, rather than make an off the ball movement in behind or a curved run.

There is normally a few reasons as to why this is, firstly he loves dribbling and is always looking to beat his man, it's the first thought on his mind, and he knows he will get the ball by occupying this position to than attack the full-back. Secondly, he doesn't feel he will get the ball as much making them runs which is understandable, you have to sacrifice and gamble alot which Mkhi does really well, you won't get the ball every time, it may not be played, may get cut out or the full-back may stop your run but you have to do it for the one time it works because then you are in behind and it's a great chance at goal.

Probably at the moment is Martial is getting the ball to deep and can't really square the full-back up one-on-one, he is getting doubled marked or the wingers are backtracking which basically means he's running into blind alleys.
Click to expand...

This is accurate. Against Liverpool I thought part of the problem was also that Darmian offering no threat hurt him as well, so a lot of are his own shortcomings in his off ball movement and quick decision making and some of it is on getting no support from the LB allowing teams to dedicate multiple markers to him. For example Rashford has had this problem at times when played on the left also and his off ball movement and willingness to make runs in behind are much stronger than Martial, so to me that shows our LB not attacking at all is an issue to a degree.

Another thing is that I think Martial does make runs in behind, but it's often through the middle. This wasn't an issue last year as him and Rashford often interchanged, but Zlatan is a very different type of striker who plays much more within the width of the box and occupies that space. I do think Martial is slowly getting a better understanding of where the space is though with Zlatan as he found space a few times against Middlesbrough and his goal came off a run he made in anticipation of where Zlatan would lay the ball off the long ball from Pogba.
 
Jose has tasked Martial with more defensive duties, so he isn't always as high up the pitch as he needs to be to be making penetrating runs in behind.

If we compare our left to our right side, Valencia is much better than our LB options (bar a fit Shaw), and he gets up and down the RW for the entire game giving Mkhitaryan more flexibility. Mkhiratyan tracks back also but I feel that Martial is always deeper on the opposite flank, which I think stems from our LB needing additional over.
 
Golden Nugget said:
He wasn't great but he can't be blamed. He had 3 people around him at times - Darmian and Pogba offering him no/very little support. That said, there was a through ball to Pogba in which he should have done a lot better.
Click to expand...
That's not really an excuse. If you have 3 people on you, that means 2 other players don't have anyone on them, so he only needs to give a decent pass then...
 
Looked our most dangerous attacker and had 3 players surrounding him every time he got the ball. Not sure why he is being criticised for his performance. He did well and it does him no favours having Darmian as awful assistance for him in an attacking sense down the left wing.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.