Many of Greenwoods goals were from off the bench so it would always be the case. Doesn't necessarily make you more prolific. Ole had a better minutes to goal than Cole and Yorke but they were regarded better and started most games
9
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 48
- Goals
- 23
- Assists
- 8
- Yellow cards
- 1
- Status
Do you guys like to start him every match? I think it should be ok if our target is just top-4 but if we want winning the league then I feel we need a better quality with more consistency, not sure if he can accept a part time role considering his sulking nature. Right now he looks like a very valuable player but people tend to forget how much time we gave him since he joined and he always goes hot and cold.
I prefer a player with more consistency.
I prefer a player with more consistency.
Our trio have played less games and far less minutes than Liverpool's trio. We have a better goal to minute ratio in the PL. Both Rashford and Martial have missed about 2 months of football each while Greenwood has only started 5 or so games in the PL.
Our front 3 is simply deadlier whether people want to believe it or not.
Liverpool advantage came from the fact that their goals were coming from other areas than just their front players while we couldn't get goals from midfield. Though that issue seems to be fixed with the aquisition of Bruno and return of Pogba.
What striker doesn't go cold in a season?
He has never got a run of games as a striker since he joined.
He has never had consistent game time since he joined.
Name me players who are in and out of teams and are consistent?
Strikers need run of games to get goals.
Well, the point was saying that our front three had outscored Liverpool's front three, which isn't true in the Premier League.
You could also argue that Liverpool played far more conservative this year. With no real replacements for their front three, I don't think they were really going all out in every game. I still think their front three are deadlier than ours; it is just that they hold back a lot more than they used to.
They are very capable of scoring a lot more than they do at the moment if they were more attacking-minded. When they were far less conservative in 2017/18, these were their goal-scoring stats (all competitions):
Salah - 44
Firmino - 27
Mane - 20
Last season in the PL:
Salah - 22 (Total: 27)
Mane - 22 (Total: 26)
Firmino - 12 (Total: 16)
We do have a good attack, but they do have things to work on e.g. Rashford's finishing in front of goal can still be dodgy.
When he can pop up with a hatrick as he did against Sheffield, well then yes I'd say he needs to start every match, especially now that he can and will have quiet games but Fernandes, Rashford, Greenwood and Pogba could potentially blow the opposition away anyway. It's the same with every great team, goals don't just have to come from one place, that's been our major issue over the years. If Lukaku didn't score we were screwed, if Ibra didn't score, if Rashford didn't score. That's looking like changing now as we seen away to Brighton and it shouldn't be as costly if Martial has a quiet one, as all strikers do.
Yeah, like how he has played as a striker in the last 4 seasons or how Jose played him regularly.
This is his first season when he has played as a striker consistently the whole period and his output is 14goals the whole despite feeding on bare bones.
I stand to be corrected but no player has scored more EPL goals than Martial since Bruno's debut.
Interestingly, he happens to be one of the most consistent player in the league when it comes to goals and assists. Keep in mind that Martial's previous records were done while playing around half of the available minutes and as a winger more often than not. In terms of perception the issue is that people judge his record as if he was playing 3000 minutes in the league per year when he was closer to 1500. He also has a better record than Rashford who isn't labelled as inconsistent. But to be fair to Rashford, he was in the same bag he wasn't playing that much either and his record was also respectable when you take into account context.
I was hoping we would implement a "system" or "strategy" where he will switch positions at times during games with Rashford.
CF <--> LW
Especially when things are not happening with him nor Rashford (both of them aren't in their normal attacking gear-shift isn't it.). Both of them tend to be a "streaky" players at times. Inconsistency is still there, but that's expected really. Good thing is it's getting better.
This is so for him.. in a way, "to get in the zone" or "sharpening his fangs as we play". When Martial is dribbling from the left, it always threaten defenses, and his creative passes would do well in messing up defense organization. His confidence also tend to grew as he dribbles past players and more on the ball creating stuffs. CF role tend to limit him playing on the ball.
CF <--> LW
Especially when things are not happening with him nor Rashford (both of them aren't in their normal attacking gear-shift isn't it.). Both of them tend to be a "streaky" players at times. Inconsistency is still there, but that's expected really. Good thing is it's getting better.
This is so for him.. in a way, "to get in the zone" or "sharpening his fangs as we play". When Martial is dribbling from the left, it always threaten defenses, and his creative passes would do well in messing up defense organization. His confidence also tend to grew as he dribbles past players and more on the ball creating stuffs. CF role tend to limit him playing on the ball.
These sort of excuses don't work because everyone could come up with an argument as to why their teams isn't scoring many.
Saying that they didn't want to score more goals is just a stretch. Our front players have played the majority of the season with Perreira and Lingard behind them which negate any sort of excuse one could come up as to why Liverpool trio didn't outscore ours.
That Liverpool trio also had the advantage of playing in a far more functional team with better chemistry and time together while ours weren't afforded the same privilege.
Whichever way one would love to slice it, we simply have a deadlier trio as represented in numbers. And yes we have outscored them in all competion and have better goal/min ratio in the PL. Them not wanting to score excuse simply doesn't fly.
Not to mention this is Greenwood first real season of top level football and has only recently been integrated as a starter in the league. First season for Martial as a striker which had a bump with an injury that had him out for 2 months. This is Rashford real breakthrough and explosive season which got slowed down by missing 2 months of football. On top of all that, they had to rely on a midfield of Perreira and Lingard for creativity yet despite all that they've outscored the Liverpool trio in all competion and have a better goal per minute ratio in the league.
So yeah our strike force is deadlier and I'm confident it'll be proven in due time even for the most scepticals out there.
Last edited:
Beautiful analysis. Facts are hard to be disputed against, maybe not so true in the world of today
This is pure crap. Every team wants to score goals, they have players like Mane, Salah who love scoring goals, so I will not buy someone telling me they didn't want to score goals.
Liverpool changed their tactics this season, they played beautiful football last season scoring good goals, this season there has been a shift to be more solid.
I think our trio will offer more going forward.
My biggest problem so far since Greenwood stepped in post covid break is that Ole seems to want to play a 4231 with Rashford and Greenwood significantly deeper than Martial - almost like they are trying to play a ball in to Martial.
Rashford - Martial - Greenwood
Dropping To
Rashford - Greenwood
Martial
Rashford and Greenwood seem a bit far away from Martial at times in a 4231 but in a 433 - they can play in line allowing Rashford and Greenwood to make runs off of Martial's 1st touches, lay offs passes (because I think the most creative out of those three is easily martial) whilst the whole front three can take goalscoring opportunities on Bruno and Pogbas work aswell.
Martial
Rashford-Bruno-Greenwood
This is just most likely their starting position before they make a run in behind , However I think to get the best use of not just Martial but all of the front 3 - we should be playing a 433 with Martial dropping deepest instead of Rashford and Greenwood dropping deep to play a ball in to Martial.Rashford-Bruno-Greenwood
Rashford - Martial - Greenwood
Dropping To
Rashford - Greenwood
Martial
I mean come on. There have been seasons when Salah scored 30 league goals alone and they have plundered the premier league for years. In one COVID impacted season where they basically won the league in Jan and ours is deadlier just like that? This is the first season ours have delivered to some degree. Very RAWKISH
Don't even know why some are trying to argue against numbers.
Not to mention all of Greenwood, Martial and Rashford are goalscorers while Firmino doesn't really score much which would naturally be against the Liverpool trio when talking purely about numbers.
People losing their stuff over this astound me.
Then again this is the Caf, overrating opposition's players while underrating ours is a favorite pass time for most posters on these boards.
Man Utd 5:2 Bournemouth
Incredible goal.
Cracking goal. Great to see him firing. 9 in 8 is it now?
What an absolute peach. Incredible player.
One goal away from 50 PL goals, and he looked upset at coming off before getting it, which is exactly what you want from your leading striker. You'll get it next time, Tony.
Wrong thread, pal!
20 goals.
Nice header back for the penalty as well.
His central positions helps the wider forwards and likewise when everyone starts moving about- he can move in to different places too as seen by his wonder goal.
His central positions helps the wider forwards and likewise when everyone starts moving about- he can move in to different places too as seen by his wonder goal.
It's great to finally see clear improvement from him. There were a couple of moments where he could' ve scored from a cutback from one of our wingers, such is his movement to be in the right place.
Very different game today. His main job - which he did excellently - was hold up play. Drew an early yellow card, the foul for the free kick, and several more fouls at the half-line. And with that role and the congesion, no chance of getting a goal centrally so switched wide annd got it. Very mature CF performance. What I've been hoping for since his second game here (3-2 win vs Southampton, where he combined hold up, dribbling, and finishing).
Brilliant goal tonight. He can learn to move and hold it up better hopefully in the future too.
Once he gets a chance he just takes them at the moment.
Once he gets a chance he just takes them at the moment.
Thought he was great regardless of the goal. Awesome hold up play, very strong with his back to goal, and some slick passing again. Love the man.
Just realizedOne goal away from 50 PL goals, and he looked upset at coming off before getting it, which is exactly what you want from your leading striker. You'll get it next time, Tony.
Wrong thread, pal!
Martial's goal was very special and will rightly be talked about. However, one of the most pleasing things about Martial's work today was how well he used his body against Bournemouth. When we were fighting to get back into the first half he was regularly having to take the ball with his back to goal, and he did it really well. A few years ago we had Mourinho bemoaning Martial's ability to operate centrally and be strong against defenders. Today Martial showed, as he has a lot recently, that he's developing his game as a #9. Really pleased and happy to admit he's forcing me to admit a lot of stuff I've said about him in the past was wrong.
Scored a great goal, never doubted him, hopefully he only grows better with all the positivities surrounding him.
Brilliant goal.
1 Goal & 2 Assists
1 Goal & 2 Assists
Mods he has 7 assists now. 1 today and another against Norwich.
Martial FC by the way.
Martial FC by the way.
He had two assists today ? I can't even remember him getting one. Do you get an assists for being fouled for a free kick goal?
Regardless, he was class again. Such a complete football. And of course, a lovely goal to take him to 20. Happy for him.
I think some people on these boards need to understand the nature of his role and how thankless playing as a striker can be. In the first half before he scored i'd already started reading murmurs of some people complaining about him being quiet. That's unfortunately can happen to strikers in games because of the position they play, they have to be dependent on services and teammates to come alive.
The striker's role is a probing and patient role. He's not gonna get or look as involved as a Bruno in midfield or inside forwards on the sides. He resides in the most packed area of the pitch surrounded by defenders and has to be patient. Drop deep sometimes to get the ball but otherwise for the most part he has to be patient. Unfortunately loads of Caftards don't understand that and after 20 minutes if they haven't seen Martial have a shot on target they start complaining about him being quiet disregarding how he helps our front line with his pressing from the front and opening up spaces on the sides by occupying his CBs, not to mention his link up play.
I wish some people would start understanding this and accept that strikers won't always look as busy or involved throughout the entirety of the game. Their involvement is the most dependent on other teammates around them.
The striker's role is a probing and patient role. He's not gonna get or look as involved as a Bruno in midfield or inside forwards on the sides. He resides in the most packed area of the pitch surrounded by defenders and has to be patient. Drop deep sometimes to get the ball but otherwise for the most part he has to be patient. Unfortunately loads of Caftards don't understand that and after 20 minutes if they haven't seen Martial have a shot on target they start complaining about him being quiet disregarding how he helps our front line with his pressing from the front and opening up spaces on the sides by occupying his CBs, not to mention his link up play.
I wish some people would start understanding this and accept that strikers won't always look as busy or involved throughout the entirety of the game. Their involvement is the most dependent on other teammates around them.
Is there another player you’d rather have with the ball at his feet on the left corner of the box? Has to be a short list, though Mason is working his way up it.
Mods, @Damien , the assist stats is wrong
Tasty goal this. He's lethal from this side and angle, scored loads of goals for us from there.
Exactly this. Some people don't understand that #9 can be a very ungrateful job. He's gotta battle it out with CB's (which is especially excruciating in EPL) and more often than not feed on scraps in order to support the team.
He needed a goal today, 3rd game since the hat trick and I want him to be a more regular goal scorer.
FPL also gave him an Assist for the penalty. What a goal that was and another brilliant performance.
He's taking the no.9 position very seriously. Credit to Ole and the coaching team.
It's very evident to me, he is occupying the centre backs more and holding the central positions rather than drifting and wandering around. I still think he can drift out/run the channels a bit more because his influence is a bit more subdued but right now he's doing a lot of the dirty work (for him anyways) in the long ball knock downs, back to goal hold up play etc.
Same can be said of Rashford and Pogba. Interesting developments.
It's very evident to me, he is occupying the centre backs more and holding the central positions rather than drifting and wandering around. I still think he can drift out/run the channels a bit more because his influence is a bit more subdued but right now he's doing a lot of the dirty work (for him anyways) in the long ball knock downs, back to goal hold up play etc.
Same can be said of Rashford and Pogba. Interesting developments.
- Status