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2017-18 Performances


View full 2017-18 profile

6.1 Season Average Rating
Appearances
45
Goals
11
Assists
11
Yellow cards
1
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Our situation is different to them. Lukaku gets isolated in attack and nullified eaisily if there is no one to feed or share the goal scoring burdrn with him. Its not the time tomake martial defend. we need him to attack create assist and score and should have no hesitation in putting him up front without defensive duties.

We havealready lost a title on goal difference we need more goals as simple as that. Leave the defensive duties on wingbacks in the epl and just make martial and rashford go inside opposition boxes with the ball.

Why do you think Lukaku is starved of balls? It has nothing to do with Martial doing or not doing defensive duties. You only need to look at our midfield to find the answer. At the moment, we are playing with a very weak midfield and that automatically does two things: one it starves our frontline of balls and two, it piles enormous pressure on our defence. People need to think this through. Do we really believe that Martial's problem (if he has any) is due to Mourinho sitting him down and saying, "Don't attack or attack just a bit. I want you to focus on defending." Highly unlikely. This same team has been praised for its attack this same season. Before the international break, many of us were praising the improved form of Martial and Rashford. So what suddenly happened? Jose told them to stop focusing on attacking? Come on. Let's leave the emotions aside and look at the raw facts. Pogba, Fellaini and Carrick have been crocked while Miki, Herrera and Mata have been in poor form. That is an entire midfield department out. Even Barcelona will drop form if that happens.

Martial has not had poor games because he was asked to defend. We have to find the real reasons for it.
 
I'd hope to find a way to bring him so much more into the game. We just dont manage to play through him enough or help him to play at his strength
 
I'd hope to find a way to bring him so much more into the game. We just dont manage to play through him enough or help him to play at his strength

We shouldn't build a team to play through such a 1 dimensional player. We tried that under van gaal already. If he is Messi or Ronaldo, it's different.

Shhhh. Don't bring up starts were he was great. He's apparently not good when starting based on just his last 2 starts.

Lets ignore the fact that there was a system change for that game. Even Mourinho mentions why Martial excelled in that game in his post match interview. Why does no one ever consider the context of games when discussing Martial?
 
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We shouldn't build a team to play through such a 1 dimensional player. We tried that under van gaal already. If he is Messi or Ronaldo, it's different.

Its not just about play style its about end product. Martial does not score enough goals to warrant a team being built around him. He will always have to play second fiddle to players like Aguero, Kane, Lukaku because they score goals so consistently.

Martial has had games where he receives the ball many times and loses it within a few seconds almost every time. That is the problem.

Martial can be unplayable in one game and catastrophic in the next. He's a bit like Nani in that respect.
 
Its not just about play style its about end product. Martial does not score enough goals to warrant a team being built around him. He will always have to play second fiddle to players like Aguero, Kane, Lukaku because they score goals so consistently.

Martial has had games where he receives the ball many times and loses it within a few seconds almost every time. That is the problem.

Martial can be unplayable in one game and catastrophic in the next. He's a bit like Nani in that respect.

I agree that he is inconsistent. If he could develop other parts of his game the arguement for him to become a bigger part of the team becomes more compelling though.
 
Some of you guys would have written off Robben and Bale etc as well if we had them at 21. Look how they turned out. If he turns in one world class performance it doesn't make him world class, in the same way that after one shite performance versus Huddersfield, he's not suddenly inept.

Martial will come good, I'm sure of it. He had a shocker against Huddersfield, yes, but we know what he is capable of at his best. It's all about honing that talent, hopefully Jose is the man to do it.
 
For me there's not much between him and Rashford but going by the last two games I'd have to say Rashford is edging it currently and deserves to start.
 
Some of you guys would have written off Robben and Bale etc as well if we had them at 21. Look how they turned out. If he turns in one world class performance it doesn't make him world class, in the same way that after one shite performance versus Huddersfield, he's not suddenly inept.

Martial will come good, I'm sure of it. He had a shocker against Huddersfield, yes, but we know what he is capable of at his best. It's all about honing that talent, hopefully Jose is the man to do it.
Don't think anyone is writing him off just pointing out that he needs to improve. And as you said, he's only 21 so who knows, maybe it will all klick into place for him.
 
Would love to see him have a run in a 352 alongside Lukaku. He does struggle at times in the current set-up.
 
Love him more this season than any other. I've seen a better work rate and I've seen him tackle and given away fouls. This is the other side of his game that will improve him as a player. Same with Rashford tracking back, taking free kicks and corners. We might see the immediate benefits but with some patience in a couple of years we might have 200m of talent between them.
 
Starts with Rashford. Should please some of you.
Yep, wasn't planning to watch the match on telly, but will stay up late and watch it. Martial and Rashford are two young talented players. Would love to see both of them play together more often. Hope Mourinho gives them more chances together
 
With Rashford ahead of him I really feel that he's going to terrorise that Swansea defence today.

2 goals for Martial today.
 
Starts with Rashford. Should please some of you.
Why only some? It's great to see our two most talented prospects playing together. It was one of the highlights of the 15/16 season. Even if we don't end up playing good stuff as nothing is a certainty, it's still good to see.
 
Why only some? It's great to see our two most talented prospects playing together. It was one of the highlights of the 15/16 season. Even if we don't end up playing good stuff as nothing is a certainty, it's still good to see.
Because not everyone has been demanding that they play together.
 
Because not everyone has been demanding that they play together.
Of course but you can still be pleased to see them both getting game time together. Especially as, in the past, they've done some nice stuff together. I can't imagine anyone not being pleased.
 
Of course but you can still be pleased to see them both getting game time together. Especially as, in the past, they've done some nice stuff together. I can't imagine anyone not being pleased.
When I said 'some of you' I was referring to the posters in this thread who have been hugely in favour of it. I can't imagine anyone is displeased.
 
Think he needs to develop his movement off the ball. A good example were the cross from Rashford where he was a bit to slow to react. To become a great goal scorer he needs to be at the end of those types of crosses.
 
Lingard had a really good performance - Martial & rashford helped by keeping the right positions and movement for lingered to utilise.

First goal is perfect example - Martial kept 2 defenders with him, rashford drew in one and played the ball off whilst lingard went past against one defender only.

It's the benefit of playing two strikers; defenders are more occupied.
 
Jose must be loving his performance now, he looks more motivated and his all round game has improved significantly.
 
He has really good awareness of the options around him when he has possession, he rarely wastes it, solid outing.
 
Didn't do bad or particularly good imo. Tonight was the kind of game he could make a mark on.
 
Needs to learn how to beat his man on the outside too. If he could improve his movement and add the ability to run past his man from out wide, along with his current threat from cutting in, he'd be deadly.
 
I didn't think he was particularly impressive performance wise. We know what he is capable of and he didn't really display it today, What I will say though is that he committed for every chance and I think that's very much what Mourinho wants from him.
 
What happened to the guy talking about how Martial was going to be poached by Barcelona and he couldn’t sleep over it?

Losers that disappear. PR astroturfers more likely.
 
Out of our forwards he is clearly the best and most creative on the ball. I really just which he would make more movements towards the box. Way too often he’ll be involved in play, set a move in motion and then instead of getting himself in to an area of threat he is covering the guys defensively who just went forward. Screw that Martial, go forth and get yourself a goal lad.

He also needs to run in to space more than always wanting it to feet. On the flips side of that today there were multiple times he was in space, made the run and the pass never went to him twice Lingard ignored easy balls that had him clean through.

Still needs to improve his overall goal output but he is the most creative. Should maybe cut back on trying to nutmeg people every couple of minutes as well.
 
I think that Martial will go on to become a good player but not a world class one.

He really hasn’t kicked on this last year at all.
 
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