Anthony Martial image 9

Anthony Martial France flag

2019-20 Performances


View full 2019-20 profile

6.2 Season Average Rating
Appearances
48
Goals
23
Assists
8
Yellow cards
1
Status
Not open for further replies.
Solskjaer insists Man Utd don't need Harry Kane because they have Anthony Martial

“Now Anthony is back, I am quite happy with the options I have in attack.

“I’ve heard what some people have said about us being short of a genuine No.9, but Anthony has absolutely everything in his locker to take that role.

“He can be a target man, he’s quick, he’s technical – and one of the reasons he wanted to stay here was because I told him I saw him as a central striker.

“I don’t think people outside the club realise how good this lad is.

“But the players in the dressing room know. When we are talking about how we are going to score goals, they say, ‘We will just give the ball to Anthony.’

“He has the confidence of his team-mates and his manager because we see him every day in training.

“What I’ve now got to do is set the team up to get the best out of him, but I think he will improve by just staying fit and playing more games.”
 
Well he's not going to say Anthony is shite and we need a new striker.

I think he can be good but we'll never really know how good he actually can be until we have some sort of creativity in the team. It's clear that he tries harder when he's playing as a central forward, just have to take a glance at his sprints and km covered.
 
If we had City's midfield Rashford, Greenwood and Martial would all score plenty of goals. The problem is we don't. We have one creative midfielder at the club and he's not fit at the moment and probably has his head elsewhere anywhere. And when he has played recently he's been too deep.

The midfield is the biggest issue. Has been for years.
 
If we had City's midfield Rashford, Greenwood and Martial would all score plenty of goals. The problem is we don't. We have one creative midfielder at the club and he's not fit at the moment and probably has his head elsewhere anywhere. And when he has played recently he's been too deep.

The midfield is the biggest issue. Has been for years.

Why people say that the reason we are not scoring goals is that we lack a good striker does not make sense to me either.

Said it last year that we should get two decent all-round midfielders before trying to sign anybody else.
 
If we had City's midfield Rashford, Greenwood and Martial would all score plenty of goals. The problem is we don't. We have one creative midfielder at the club and he's not fit at the moment and probably has his head elsewhere anywhere. And when he has played recently he's been too deep.

The midfield is the biggest issue. Has been for years.
I have serious doubts that they would score more goals. Rashford doesn't have the football intelligence to make runs to open up space for himself, Greenwood is just turned 18, enough said and with Martial if the ball isn't played into his feet then he just can't be arsed.

Rashford has been given time this season as number 9. He's had chances but he's fluffed them because he's not a natural striker. Having De Bruyne isn't going to make him a more clinical finisher. Martial has had plenty of minutes as number 9 over the years and his numbers don't justify him being the number 1 striker. He started the season well so we'll wait and see how he progresses but I'm not holding my breath.
 
This is his time now. He has to take this and run. No excuses and no more injuries please.
 
I have serious doubts that they would score more goals. Rashford doesn't have the football intelligence to make runs to open up space for himself, Greenwood is just turned 18, enough said and with Martial if the ball isn't played into his feet then he just can't be arsed.

Rashford has been given time this season as number 9. He's had chances but he's fluffed them because he's not a natural striker. Having De Bruyne isn't going to make him a more clinical finisher. Martial has had plenty of minutes as number 9 over the years and his numbers don't justify him being the number 1 striker. He started the season well so we'll wait and see how he progresses but I'm not holding my breath.

If we replaced our midfield with Citys you don't think they would score more? :wenger:
 
Injuries wont allow it to see his full potential. Dont know if it's him or us, but he cant stay fit for long periods. He is our best attacking player without a doubt.
 
Injuries wont allow it to see his full potential. Dont know if it's him or us, but he cant stay fit for long periods. He is our best attacking player without a doubt.

Agree with this, his injury record is a serious worry
 
We create feck all. Harry Kane would struggle with us. I have absolutely no doubt.
 
We create feck all. Harry Kane would struggle with us. I have absolutely no doubt.
Tottenham only really have one creative player, much like us but Kane manages. You don't need Zidane behind you to score goals. Players like Vardy and Lukaku would manage it with mediocre mid table players behind them
 
Tottenham only really have one creative player, much like us but Kane manages. You don't need Zidane behind you to score goals. Players like Vardy and Lukaku would manage it with mediocre mid table players behind them

That's not true - if you take them individually maybe they won't stand out as strong creator of chances but Eriksen, Son, Moura, Winks, lo celso, ndombele, lamela, Alli, Rose and Winks are able to play a more strategic and fluid type of creative football in the league than Shaw, Wan Bissaka, Rashford, James, Martial, Pogba, Mctomminay, Lingard, Matic, Mata & Fred.

Spurs may not have the most creative team on the PL but they are definitely more capable of opening up a defence than us - that is both down to the quality of the player & the coach.
 
I think people are overestimating our forwards and underestimating a lot of our play. Agreed most of the football we've been playing is tumescent but I can think of countless times that James fizzed the ball across goal or Dalot or AWB or Pogba giving our forwards one on ones with the keeper but it's all came to nothing because they don't have the natural goal scoring instinct needed to be 20+ goals strikers.

Both Rashford and Martial have been given plenty of opportunities as a number 9 over the seasons but their numbers speak for themselves. If we had a Harry Kane or even a Chicharito we might not be in the top 4 but we sure as hell wouldn't be a few points off relegation zone.

The arrogance of Ole/the club have put us in this position thinking they could change decent players into goal machines. Maybe in time they could do a job there but Ole/the club have made a big mistake not bringing in someone who's more of a guarantee than Martial and Rashford even if we do have a shite midfield which people like to put the blame on for us not scoring more goals. Perhaps if our forwards were more intelligent in their play or made better runs we wouldn't be having this conversation.
 
Its at least positive to hear that he suffered a setback because he was trying too hard to come back and play as the #9. That's not something you normally hear about Tony.
 
If we had City's midfield Rashford, Greenwood and Martial would all score plenty of goals. The problem is we don't. We have one creative midfielder at the club and he's not fit at the moment and probably has his head elsewhere anywhere. And when he has played recently he's been too deep.

The midfield is the biggest issue. Has been for years.
True. It's boggles my mind when I keep hearing from Caftards to so called expert saying that our biggest issue is a striker. I mean it's beyond obvious that we lack creativity in the middle of the park which together with poor coaching has us devoid of chances creation.

I even seen people say that if they were offered anyone from City, they'd take Sterling because he's scoring goals. You have KDB and you want to get sterling who will end up flat like every single ones of our attackers due to lack of services. DeBryuine is the creative solution right there.

It's just baffling to me how even so called expert failed to identify that midfield is our biggest issue rather than a striker right now.
 
True. It's boggles my mind when I keep hearing from Caftards to so called expert saying that our biggest issue is a striker. I mean it's beyond obvious that we lack creativity in the middle of the park which together with poor coaching has us devoid of chances creation.

I even seen people say that if they were offered anyone from City, they'd take Sterling because he's scoring goals. You have KDB and you want to get sterling who will end up flat like every single ones of our attackers due to lack of services. DeBryuine is the creative solution right there.

It's just baffling to me how even so called expert failed to identify that midfield is our biggest issue rather than a striker right now.

One could theorize that understanding causality might be difficult. Then again, the club did not understand that we needed midfielders before any other signing this summer and thought(hoped) that Fred would suddenly adapt.
 
If he starts with rashford to his left and James to his right, there is still a chance he'll get a few decent chances. In the absence of pogba, there is almost no chance that there will be any creativity from there.
 
If he starts with rashford to his left and James to his right, there is still a chance he'll get a few decent chances. In the absence of pogba, there is almost no chance that there will be any creativity from there.
I’m gonna guess he’ll stick with the 3-5-2 and have Rashford and Martial next to each other. I might be misremembering but the few times they have played together they’ve done alright.
 
Why people say that the reason we are not scoring goals is that we lack a good striker does not make sense to me either.

Said it last year that we should get two decent all-round midfielders before trying to sign anybody else.

Watch us spend all the budget on strikers next summer :rolleyes:
 
Hoping for a big game from him today, will be so refreshing having someone who can control and keep hold of the ball with Rashford and James making runs behind hopefully.
 
Norwich 1:3 Man Utd
Gives so much more on central position than Rashford. Who again looks natural on left wing. Nice game by both
 
He's back :drool:

Considering he's only just returning, I thought he was brilliant.
 
On another day he could've been walking home with the matchball. Good to have him back and sure there's plenty more to come. Nice to see him linking well with Rashford too.
 
Best forward at the club and it isn't close. Not much competition tbf
 
Such a classy player. Missed some chances today but he adds a certain excellence to our attack we don't have without him. He touch, intelligence, hold up clamness further up the pitch is something we can't replace ATM.
 
In the quotes above from Ole, I'm glad he can see Martial can be used as a target man.

His hold up play is brilliant. He's so strong on the ball. One of our only players who are consistent at resisting pressing opposition.
 
We would've spent the entire season hovering in the bottom half if he never came back. Martial back, United score more than one goal again simple.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.