[amolbhatia50k]

And also actually moving when we need to win the ball back.

His contribution is nil when we don't have the ball.

Didn't Martial make a sliding tackle towards the end of the game at the right side edge of our box? Pretty sure this happened. I think his defensive contribution is underrated. He can do much more but he's hardly a non entity off the ball like a Berbatov while obviously not having the intensity of a Tevez.

I also think this 'non factor for 89 minutes' is incorrect. His game is now more understated but he does many good things during most games in terms of keeping the ball, and contributing to the buildup. He won a good header which allowed Fred put a great cross on Greenwoods plate for example. But these things seem to go unnoticed for some reason.

For me, Martial is one of our better players and I'd focus on other areas to improve in first. Now whether he can be a top forward is another matter and that's for him to prove. But in a struggling team I think he's doing well for now. Where I feel he's got to improve to take that step up, is his intensite. At times he's too content to just pass it short and keep the move going. And that's fine if you're 30 but he's at the age where he has the physicality and the technical brilliance to stand out more. That, and obviously attacking crosses/movement in the box is where he needs to focus his attention. Like I said I don't think it changes the fact that he's one our most important and effective players. Both views can coexist.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Berbatov is a different level to Martial. Berbatov creates a lot of chances to other players. He is also very good in the air when we need to defend in our own box. I think Odion and Martial would be a good match. Let Martial drop deep and hang outside the box while Odion plays the CF role.

Berbatov was useless off the ball. But yeah he was much more creative (than most forwards to be fair) without a shadow of doubt.

 

[Kappa123]

Berbatov was one of the most interesting and exciting players to ever play. Absolutely criminal to compare him with Martial.

He could walk around as much as he pleased because he was a genius player.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Berbatov was one of the most interesting and exciting players to ever play. Absolutely criminal to compare him with Martial.

He could walk around as much as he pleased because he was a genius player.

Well he couldn't, given he was derided by fans and didn't quite live up to expectations. He was good for us but he had many flaws for which he got cricism.

 

[meamth]

Didn't Martial make a sliding tackle towards the end of the game at the right side edge of our box? Pretty sure this happened. I think his defensive contribution is underrated. He can do much more but he's hardly a non entity off the ball like a Berbatov while obviously not having the intensity of a Tevez.

I also think this 'non factor for 89 minutes' is incorrect. His game is now more understated but he does many good things during most games in terms of keeping the ball, and contributing to the buildup. He won a good header which allowed Fred put a great cross on Greenwoods plate for example. But these things seem to go unnoticed for some reason.

For me, Martial is one of our better players and I'd focus on other areas to improve in first. Now whether he can be a top forward is another matter and that's for him to prove. But in a struggling team I think he's doing well for now. Where I feel he's got to improve to take that step up, is his intensite. At times he's too content to just pass it short and keep the move going. And that's fine if you're 30 but he's at the age where he has the physicality and the technical brilliance to stand out more. That, and obviously attacking crosses/movement in the box is where he needs to focus his attention. Like I said I don't think it changes the fact that he's one our most important and effective players. Both views can coexist.

Spot on. People are expecting him to be an explosive player. He is mildly languid, but he does the right things most of the times.

Don't you dare say Berba is useless!!

 

[Bobcat]

Mate this is why I find comments weird. It was bloody obvious the tactics was for him and Greenwood to split and play as some wierd inverted forwards similar to how we played against Spurs. Ole difference we didn’t have Pogba. Do you think he’s so dumb he’s just going to stick out wide when he’s supposed to be the leading marks man. Did he do that the other day when he played? No.

Honestly i dont know. By the looks of it we lined up in a 442 diamond, which normally means strikers stay somewhat narrow and try to get in between CB's and fullbacks. We were clearly the better team in the first half, so it would be bizarre if any of the coaches told Martial to play LW in the second half. Everyone (including our coaches i think) know Martial is not as good on the wings as he is down the middle, hence the reason he has played centrally for most of the season. Its possible he was given license to roam, who knows

To be fair i overreacted right after the game, emotions running high and all that, but i do think his positioning and movement is a huge problem at times. Basically, when Martial has a poor game he does not get on the ball enough, and its not a case of other players ignoring him or not finding him, because when Martial has one of his good games hes involved in pretty much everything we do

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Spot on. People are expecting him to be an explosive player. He is mildly languid, but he does the right things most of the times.

Don't you dare say Berba is useless!!

I do think he can be more explosive though. Just up his intensity a bit and show case his excellent technical and physical qualities. He's clearly a very good footballer though and is adapting well to again play as a striker.

 

[Tony247]

Didn't Martial make a sliding tackle towards the end of the game at the right side edge of our box? Pretty sure this happened.

Yes I think everyone remembers because something he does rarely, not a norm. Rashford does it all the time (so are james, bruno, mata...even periera) , so just difficult to remember one defensive duty rashford does out of so many. That's a thing with Martial isn't it, one good thing of redemption and he is off the hook.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

Berbatov was one of the most interesting and exciting players to ever play. Absolutely criminal to compare him with Martial.

He could walk around as much as he pleased because he was a genius player.

The point what I can see from the poster mentioning Berba is because of the lack desire or aggression or willingness. I don't see anything wrong with the comparison because that's the aspect where people are moaning about the two players. Let's be honest, when Martial at his best, he can be one of the most exciting players.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Yes I think everyone remembers because something he does rarely, not a norm. Rashford does it all the time (so are james, bruno, mata...even periera) , so just difficult to remember one defensive duty rashford does out of so many. That's a thing with Martial isn't it, one good thing of redemption and he is off the hook.

For most strikers sliding tackles around their own penalty box is rare. Don't know why you're using midfielders like James, Bruno etc to make this point. For them it's actually supposed to be the norm.

Martial doesn't need redemption per say. He's one of our better players. It's more a question of whether he's good enough to be a top (or thereabouts) player, as eventually to challenge we'll need those.

 

[ghaliboy]

Re: The game on the weekend, a wise man in the early 2000's once said to me "When the opposition takes away a players talent, the only thing left to assess is how hard you worked to get it back" Really poignant in Martial's case.

 

[Alabaster Codify7]

Berbatov was good at bringing his team-mates into play - he wasn't your typical target man despite being tall, but he was more than capable of holding the ball up. Martial shies away from that type of play.

 

[Raven]

Didn't Martial make a sliding tackle towards the end of the game at the right side edge of our box? Pretty sure this happened. I think his defensive contribution is underrated. He can do much more but he's hardly a non entity off the ball like a Berbatov while obviously not having the intensity of a Tevez.

I also think this 'non factor for 89 minutes' is incorrect. His game is now more understated but he does many good things during most games in terms of keeping the ball, and contributing to the buildup. He won a good header which allowed Fred put a great cross on Greenwoods plate for example. But these things seem to go unnoticed for some reason.

For me, Martial is one of our better players and I'd focus on other areas to improve in first. Now whether he can be a top forward is another matter and that's for him to prove. But in a struggling team I think he's doing well for now. Where I feel he's got to improve to take that step up, is his intensite. At times he's too content to just pass it short and keep the move going. And that's fine if you're 30 but he's at the age where he has the physicality and the technical brilliance to stand out more. That, and obviously attacking crosses/movement in the box is where he needs to focus his attention. Like I said I don't think it changes the fact that he's one our most important and effective players. Both views can coexist.

Feck, this is miles too reasonable a post for this thread.

 

[OldTrevil]

He had a stellar February, stepping up when effectively the rest of our creativity and attack was out, and scoring some crucial and high calibre goals that firmly put us in a position to get CL football next season. Player of the month type contribution. Hearing the commentary about him though, you would think it's for a striker that hasn't scored or created a chance in year. The nonsensical narrative and soundbite era. Meanwhile Anto has kept his head down and focused on his football, and produced some otherworldly stuff along the way. It's been a refreshing season so far seeing him getting back to top form and improving aspects of his game at the same time.

 

[Tony247]

For most strikers sliding tackles around their own penalty box is rare. Don't know why you're using midfielders like James, Bruno etc to make this point. For them it's actually supposed to be the norm.

Martial doesn't need redemption per say. He's one of our better players. It's more a question of whether he's good enough to be a top (or thereabouts) player, as eventually to challenge we'll need those.

I mainly compared him with Rashford in my post who fulfils his defensive duties far more often than Martial. Sliding tackle makes good optics. What I expect from him is normal defensive duties as Rashford does. Is Martial consistent in anything he does?

Point is his overall lack of involvement in major part of the time he plays. That hampers the whole team. What adds to it is he is not 50k per week player whose performance one can brush aside, give benefit of favouritism. He is earning 250k per week. That is huge. And huge salary also brings huge responsibility towards the team.

Sadly in last few years this club is feeding mercenaries like martial, sanchez.

 

[Tony247]

Let's be honest, when Martial at his best, he can be one of the most exciting players.

Its actually other way round. A player playing for man utd (and earning 250k per week) needs to be at his best all the time or at least most of the time. What acceptable is occasional drop of form due to various reasons. Martial is exactly opposite.

 

[Art Vandelay]

Didn't Martial make a sliding tackle towards the end of the game at the right side edge of our box? Pretty sure this happened. I think his defensive contribution is underrated. He can do much more but he's hardly a non entity off the ball like a Berbatov while obviously not having the intensity of a Tevez.

I also think this 'non factor for 89 minutes' is incorrect. His game is now more understated but he does many good things during most games in terms of keeping the ball, and contributing to the buildup. He won a good header which allowed Fred put a great cross on Greenwoods plate for example. But these things seem to go unnoticed for some reason.

For me, Martial is one of our better players and I'd focus on other areas to improve in first. Now whether he can be a top forward is another matter and that's for him to prove. But in a struggling team I think he's doing well for now. Where I feel he's got to improve to take that step up, is his intensite. At times he's too content to just pass it short and keep the move going. And that's fine if you're 30 but he's at the age where he has the physicality and the technical brilliance to stand out more. That, and obviously attacking crosses/movement in the box is where he needs to focus his attention. Like I said I don't think it changes the fact that he's one our most important and effective players. Both views can coexist.

He did make that tackle and I don't think his tracking back when played on the left has ever been much of an issue. He does it as much as can be expected in his position. However he often does it with no intensity at all, just jogs back the same as when he loses the ball and makes no real effort to get it back. His pressing falls into that category too. Which would all be fair enough if he was world class and producing the goods all the time, but he's not. The other side of it is his movement when we have the ball, it's usually either non-existant or not helpful. He goes through spells where it seems like things might be finally clicking for him before he reverts to type. He's inconsistent and can't be relied upon.

I don't agree that he's one of our better players. I think he is a poor team player capable of moments of brilliance that had massive potential he did nothing to fulfil. It's a position we desparetly need to upgrade in as it blunts the rest of the team when he's having one of his Anthony days, which happen all too frequently. Part of why we were so good against Gent and the movement/link up was so good was because Ighalo actually occupied defenders and attacked space in the box, thus creating space behind him for Mata and Bruno. Martial doesn't do that, he stands either at the edge of the box or the left wing causing no disruption to the defence.

 

[Foxbatt]

I really do not think he is a CF. I think if we put Odion as a CF and let Martial play along side as a two man strike force you see the best of Martial. He drops deep and drives forward with the ball while Odion goes for those balls crossed in the 6 yard box. I am fed up with playing three forwards so far away from each other.

 

[reddevil80]

3 goals in 4 games and yet suddenly, he is back being shit.

You guys just waiting for this moment.

I don't think he's shit but he is insanely irritating by virtue of not actually moving to receive the ball.

Yeah, he has some lovely touches and sometimes sublime shots but he could get more if he moved. He could also create more openings by running around the pitch.

His charging at the defence is wonderful to see when he's at full pelt but it is far, far too irregular for our main striker. What irritates most of us is, that if the ball isn't at his feet, he mopes around sulking, then he sulks for being subbed.

A quality midfielder would get 8-12 goals a season, your striker should be at least 20 in a season, Martial would get that if he moved.

 

[Icemav]

Feck, this is miles too reasonable a post for this thread.

You know what its good to hear the other side of the coin. I am one of his big fans for his delightful play at times and then frustrated when he gives the ball away cheaply then doesnt bust a gut. But that doesnt take away from what he offer.

 

[Raven]

I mainly compared him with Rashford in my post who fulfils his defensive duties far more often than Martial. Sliding tackle makes good optics. What I expect from him is normal defensive duties as Rashford does. Is Martial consistent in anything he does?

Point is his overall lack of involvement in major part of the time he plays. That hampers the whole team. What adds to it is he is not 50k per week player whose performance one can brush aside, give benefit of favouritism. He is earning 250k per week. That is huge. And huge salary also brings huge responsibility towards the team.

Sadly in last few years this club is feeding mercenaries like martial, sanchez.

He is far from a mercenary, whatever you think about his performances.

 

[Raven]

You know what its good to hear the other side of the coin. I am one of his big fans for his delightful play at times and then frustrated when he gives the ball away cheaply then doesnt bust a gut. But that doesnt take away from what he offer.

I agree, I'm frustrated with some of his play as well, especially in January where his touch was totally off. At the moment he is being asked to fill Rashford's position and unfortunately he's not as good as Rashford at it. He is more of a focal point than a main threat because his touch, hold up play, dribbling and vision are all excellent but his decision making when playing direct isn't as good.

 

[Yagami]

Won us the game both home and away to City this season

 

[Volumiza]

If he could give us this every week ... great all round game today.

 

[spiriticon]

My man of the match today. Defensive rock

 

[podurban2]

Looks happier than ever!

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Big fecking game player.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Can tell he and Bruno really are getting along.

 

[Stadjer]

Fantastic player who is disliked for all the wrong reasons

 

[JinnerJamie]

Possibly knee jerk but I think that was his best ever performance for us.

 

[Amar__]

Thought he was great apart from that one selfish decision.

 

[crossy1686]

I owe Martial and apology. He’s been class lately, please let his goal scoring form continu

 

[Jev]

The hate he's getting is so ridiculous.

He was our best and most dangerous player today and despite his reputation he always works hard for the team.

Yes, he can be infuriating at times but he also creates danger like no other player in our squad (except maybe Rashford).

If we replaced him with Ighalo, like some clueless people have been suggesting, we'd likely get a higher conversion-rate from our striker, but we'd create fewer chances and score fewer goals.

He's class, a top player, and some of our fans don't deserve him.

 

[P-Nut]

Neville commented on it, but he's definitely been working on his aerial game. Did so well to win headers and keep us on the attavk

 

[InfiniteBoredom]

Really should have more than the sole goal today, but you can’t fault both his game and effort.

Won’t shut people up about wanting him replaced though, until he scores 30 goals a season for a couple of years.

 

[Kevin]

Amazing performance as noted by the commentators and pundits on the channel I watched it on.
Creates two chances out of nothing (admittedly could have done better with one of them by failing to pass to fernandes), scores, held up play well with a few sexy touches, outmuscled his marker and put fernandes through only for ref to call it back for a non foul, made very good runs.

all this while playing on an island for a side that’s committing most players at the back.
But you could make out some of his pure haters of him in the matchday thread who have already made their minds up on him. Feels like if he isn’t perfect some on here are like flies to shit to every mistake he makes and forget the good work he’s done.

 

[Adisa]

He's so deceptively strong.
Look at how he shrugged Fernandinho off. It was not a foul.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Neville commented on it, but he's definitely been working on his aerial game. Did so well to win headers and keep us on the attavk

His all around game has evolved so much since bursting onto the scene. This has been a crucial season for his development with his hold-up, aerial play, type of goals. He's showing great signs in his first real season as a #9.

 

[acnumber9]

I thought he was very good today. Probably edges man of the match because he gave their defence no rest.

 

[Bobcat]

When hes good, hes FECKING GOOD. That goal was pure, pure class