Yeah when he's in the flow like that, he's majestic to watch. You expect his dribbling, but his vision and ability to start attacks from deep in our half are what go underappreciated a lot.
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9
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 36
- Goals
- 7
- Assists
- 5
- Yellow cards
- 1
- Red cards
- 1
- Status
Pogba was asked who’s got the best technique/feet at both club and country. He said in training the things Martial can do with the ball at his feet are baffling. Last season he combined it well off the ball and his finishing was on it. Since the Sevilla game he’s been off. Recently, he’s been showing everything but the finishing. We really need him firing soon.
Agreed, Martial is capable of sheer genius. Such as the goal against Watford(?) last season.
I have no doubt he'll find his shooting boots again. His recent dry spell was as long as RVPs longest. I think people overestimate a dip in goal scoring form. Even the best players sometimes have a hard time in front of goal. He's still the glue that holds our attack together and last game looked like a return to post lockdown form, minus the goals.
If you ignore the chances he should have taken, I think this was probably his best performance of the season. Excellent at receiving the ball and holding it up, and he even played some lovely passes to set others up. His dribbling was on point as well in this game and I see this as a step in the right direction for him. Hope he keeps it up - the goals will come.
Yeah are you on about the one where he bamboozled Foster at home?
He's overthinking it a bit too much it seems, taking an extra touch too many or snatching the shot. His first time touches to get himself into the 1on1's to begin with (1:48, 2:42) shows it's simply a matter of time until he starts scoring again. He's doing the hard part with ease, just needs to relax once he's there.
I think he has a preference to his play of dropping deep and he does work hard for that. On the opposite side it ends up looking like he doesn't make the runs forward behind the defensive line like a traditional number 9 does - but are there many strikers that are up and down the defensive line like a yo yo? People might mention Firmino again but to me he is AM playing as a striker resulting as a false 9 (aka he doesnt have the ability to hold on to the ball like Martial does with his back to a defender because he is a striker playing deeper almost like a AM resulting in a false 9 too).
If he was english a majority of our fanbase would be demanding him to be chucked in the bin.
Quite a large section of our fan base are already demanding that.
I think so, I remember watching it and going, how in the feck did he do that?Yeah are you on about the one where he bamboozled Foster at home?
He's overthinking it a bit too much it seems, taking an extra touch too many or snatching the shot. His first time touches to get himself into the 1on1's to begin with (1:48, 2:42) shows it's simply a matter of time until he starts scoring again. He's doing the hard part with ease, just needs to relax once he's there.
Yeah, he's been getting himself into good positions, the goals will come.
It is a team game and he is playing for the team. He is not a selfish player and who says the number 9 has to be the one scoring the goals?
I think this is bang on. When he's on song he's absurdly good, but for me it just takes too little to get frustrated or despondent. I think he possibly also lacks that ruthless mentality you see in the very elite strikers.
I actually think he has something of Berbatov about him, where his playmaking abilities as a striker almost outweigh his actual goalscoring abilities.
I think there's a caveat regarding your comparison to Yorke, who was a lot older and more mature when he joined United, while Martial was completely raw.
What are you bringing to the conversation by saying stuff like this? What does that even mean? And no because there's more to the modern day striker role than scoring goals. Just because you can't see what Martial brings to us, doesn't mean nobody else can too.
Yeah he does. It's normally either or isn't it? To me the player he's most similar to in style is Benzema. The way we're set up with inside forwards, with even our fullbacks rarely crossing too, it's more beneficial to our team overall if he's the one dropping deep providing the space behind for Rashford/Greenwood, or linking up with Bruno/Pogba, than being the one stretching the defenders expecting Rashford, Greenwood & the fullbacks to cross to him. His strengths lie in his playmaking abilities, so I do think the way we see him play is by design.
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Earlier in the season he was not getting into the positions to score but recently he’s got in those positions and missed easy finishes. Finishing is his best quality by far. I would bet that he’s about to go on a long scoring run. Let’s just hope he remains fit.
Tony is a beast
Fantastic hold up and link up play yesterday
To be fair when you watch the chances again 2nd one don’t think he actually has time to shape it in the far corner and his best bet is probably a toe poke that direction instead of the side for.
First one not really sure why he hesitated. Don’t think he needed that second touch and should have stuck that one away.
Totally forgot about the pass to Telles and the one to Cavani as well as almost slipping Rashford in on one. He was on it yesterday.
First one not really sure why he hesitated. Don’t think he needed that second touch and should have stuck that one away.
Totally forgot about the pass to Telles and the one to Cavani as well as almost slipping Rashford in on one. He was on it yesterday.
Really good all round performance against Leeds. Bit disappointed he didn't score, yesterday was the perfect game for him to get his confidence back in front of goal.
Seems to be slowly playing his way back into form though, it's just the finishing touch that's missing. Bruno and Rashford have been so important for us this season, but still think Martial, Cavani and Greenwood will have huge parts to play.
Seems to be slowly playing his way back into form though, it's just the finishing touch that's missing. Bruno and Rashford have been so important for us this season, but still think Martial, Cavani and Greenwood will have huge parts to play.
New fan
Not sure its worth trying to have a reasoned debate with someone like you
You seem obsessed with their being some kind of agenda against martial.
Personally i like him as a player and he was very good late last season but his form is up and down and he was very poor this season before the last 2/3 games. That much was obvious
Not sure its worth trying to have a reasoned debate with someone like you
You seem obsessed with their being some kind of agenda against martial.
Personally i like him as a player and he was very good late last season but his form is up and down and he was very poor this season before the last 2/3 games. That much was obvious
Yeah that was with a sumptuous pirouette in a split second that got us on the attack...
It's silly, but I hope that's not the case, bangers from the all-black boot, black glove wearing Martial would be so iconic
You must be a new fan, or deeply caught in the agenda driven myths, because in truth Martial more often than not delivers on the intangibles whether he's in scoring form or not, and hugely impacts our fluidity, chance creation and ability to sustain attacks.
The two seasons he has been trusted as our starting 9 completely go against such a take. He has proved able to lead our attack, in various systems whether as a false 9 or out and out 9. The only question on Martial now, like all players, is if he can do it season after season while improving to a higher level, not the 'is he good enough' nonsense.
My advice for you is to pull yourself away from the agenda driven narratives and realize that we have a very unique, elite striker just about to enter his prime. Trust me, you'll have a much better time enjoying the ride than stressing daily about which poacher should replace Martial. Ole knows ball and he's not about to replace Anto with a poacher that will need a whole team set up to feed him. If anything, a poacher would come in to be the plan B rather than the main forward
And they actually might have a point. Him in the mood and he is great but not scoring sitters. But when he is moody he is the worst player on the pitch. He is playing for Utd as a number 9 that should really be enough. Moody and streaky will be the legacy of Martial.
I think out of our current front 3, he will be the one without a long term future here. Rashford will continue to improve, go onto be world class, if he isn't already, Mason still has time but is incredibly talented. If we were to get someone like Haaland and a proper RW, our attack would go to another level.
Martial hasn't improved as a footballer in years since being here, if anything, he's probably gone backwards. He's a good player from a creative standpoint, but that's not enough to be a striker at a club like United. His heading ability isn't the best, nor his movement off the ball, his hold up play could be severely improved upon and his finishing is far too inconsistent. His best attribute is his ability on the ball - which is why I do think he'd be a very good player at a club where he is the star man and everything goes through him.
I also don't see him taking Rashford's spot as that left forward anytime soon too.
Martial hasn't improved as a footballer in years since being here, if anything, he's probably gone backwards. He's a good player from a creative standpoint, but that's not enough to be a striker at a club like United. His heading ability isn't the best, nor his movement off the ball, his hold up play could be severely improved upon and his finishing is far too inconsistent. His best attribute is his ability on the ball - which is why I do think he'd be a very good player at a club where he is the star man and everything goes through him.
I also don't see him taking Rashford's spot as that left forward anytime soon too.
I don't think they have a point. He's absolutely integral to our attacking play whether he's scoring or not. When he's not in the side we camp out in our half hoping for a ball over the top to stick to Rashford or Greenwood.
As per when it comes to Martial criticism it's nothing but hypotheticals and sheer hope things would be better without him. We were dreadful when he was injured last season and we were poor when he was out with suspension this season. Rashford and Greenwood playing as a two upfront together has been a disaster almost everytime we've been forced to play them in that system, their inability to find one another or bring the midfielders into games is a huge reason as to why we struggled against Arsenal and Leipzig. We signed Cavani who in his pomp was an undeniably world-class player and despite his impressive start to his career here it's very very obvious he just won't displace Martial, and the games that he does start, Martial will be on the wings alongside him. All the evidence shows that we play significantly better football and win more matches with Martial in the team, he's the conductor in that attack and brings a level of finesse, composure and intelligence that Rashford and Greenwood (currently) simply can't match. As for your "Martial hasn't improved as a footballer" comment, it's complete drivel, his general play, consistency and goal output last season is quite clearly unlike anything we've seen from him previously.
P.S this time last year Rashford was in amazing form and the same digs were being taken at Martial for a slow start to the season where he was injured for a spell and endured patchy form, the season ended with Martial as our top goalscorer in all competitions (including 17 in the league with no penalties) and won our Players' Player of the Season award. I love Rashford but the tendency to criticize one when the other is in better form is such a bad trait in our fanbase and it has been going on for years, rather than appreciate that they've consistently been our better players and in some ways our shining lights over the last 5 years they're consistently pitted against one another.
Straw-man argument. I never claimed we would currently be better without him in the team. This nonsense that because we currently don't have a better option and as a result play worse without him, is justification that he can't severely be improved upon is laughable. Cavani is past it and was brought in as another option, whilst still scoring just as many goals as Martial despite barely playing football for god knows how long and struggling with fitness.
How has his general play or consistency improved? Has he significantly improved his movement off the ball, a clear issue with his game for years now? No. Has he improved his heading ability? No. Has he improved his hold up play significantly? No. The only thing you could maybe argue is an improvement to his finishing, but even then, bar the second half of last season, his finishing this season has reverted back to being extremely inconsistent and at times - poor.
He's simply not good enough. He has the ability, but the reason people compare him to Rashford is because unlike Rashford, he's stagnated as a footballer. He is better off the left IMO, but he will never take that position from Marcus who is continuing to improve as a player and is already a superior footballer imo.
You'd be fecking crazy to think he's even close to players like Haaland, Lewandowski etc. - the calibre of players we should be targeting as our main forward. He's 25 years old now, no longer a 'talent' and I haven't seen enough consistency to be confident he will ever be more than he currently is. A very good player on his day, who is too inconsistent to ever lead the line for a team that wants to win major trophies.
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Well you can't come up with such an incorrect and convoluted assessment of the two without either being misled as a new fan or heavilty taping into the agendas. There's no obsession, the narrative is there for all to see and it's unfortunate that it clouds space for otherwise football worthy and interesting discussion. I put it out there so you know I won't be engaging with the nonsense.New fan
Not sure its worth trying to have a reasoned debate with someone like you
You seem obsessed with their being some kind of agenda against martial.
Personally i like him as a player and he was very good late last season but his form is up and down and he was very poor this season before the last 2/3 games. That much was obvious
What a horrendous post. He improved all of the bolded qualities last season and appears to be getting back to them again now. The only aspect I would say he hasn't improved on is his finishing, are you sure you're watching the same player?
He's one of the most entertaining footballers currently whenever he's in full flow like against Leeds.
Which makes it all the more strange that such a large portion of the fanbase can't stand him and want him sold on.
The improvements in those aspects have been extremely minimal and up until his very good run of form towards the end of last season, were still questioned heavily. Which was the point. He's been here for 6 fecking years. The guy is 25 now, no longer a talent, this is the player he is - and has had two seasons where he's managed over 10 goals for us.
He's not good enough, I don't give a feck about his talent or how exciting he is to watch. I'd take an industrial Haaland who is twice the player and younger, over him any day.
Also turn it up pal - 'seems to be getting back to it this season'. Ridiculous. The guy has played 9 games this season and has scored once. If that's acceptable for you, because he's exciting to watch, so be it.
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And with a 9.89, biggest score there. But he's crap apparently.
Agreed.. the problem is at 25 is there still time to improve and develop on those mental attributes?
I'm not entirely sure why you're getting so worked up over things. Your selective memory and temper seem to be clouding your judgement here. I think most people will agree that last season, Martial made big improvements to his game, coinciding with him being played in his best position. This season, he's started very slowly but his dry spell is only as long as RVPs in our last title winning season. You need to accept that strikers go through streaks where theyre useless in front of goal and you'll be happier for it. Martial is still the glue to our attack and it doesn't function properly without him.
This has been his worst run of form in front of goal in his United career, he's clearly overthinking the chances he's getting at the moment but he's getting into good positions. He'll find his goalscoring form again and it will be glorious.
Great post here. I will never understand the vitriol spewed at Martial after what he has done for our club. During his debut season he was one of the few shining lights in attack and instrumental in our FA Cup win. You could also argue that we wouldn't have made it to the UCL this year without Martial last season.
I feel it is obvious that we generally play better with Martial than without him. I still think he's good enough for the club, even though he hasn't scored too many goals this season. He reminds me a little of a striker's version of Nani - has stardust in his feet, and just needs to put it all together consistently to become a force of nature like Nani did in 2010-2011(?).
If anyone can't see what Martial offers and how much he improves our general play, it's not his issue. The calls for him to be replaced by Cavani are premature, and saying he is the weakest of the MMM trio does him a disservice in my opinion. We should be glad that they're all playing for United.
He probably would have gotten a 10 if he banged one or both of those chances he got. Not good enough.
Lol.
Elite compared to who?Yeah that was with a sumptuous pirouette in a split second that got us on the attack...
It's silly, but I hope that's not the case, bangers from the all-black boot, black glove wearing Martial would be so iconic
You must be a new fan, or deeply caught in the agenda driven myths, because in truth Martial more often than not delivers on the intangibles whether he's in scoring form or not, and hugely impacts our fluidity, chance creation and ability to sustain attacks.
The two seasons he has been trusted as our starting 9 completely go against such a take. He has proved able to lead our attack, in various systems whether as a false 9 or out and out 9. The only question on Martial now, like all players, is if he can do it season after season while improving to a higher level, not the 'is he good enough' nonsense.
My advice for you is to pull yourself away from the agenda driven narratives and realize that we have a very unique, elite striker just about to enter his prime. Trust me, you'll have a much better time enjoying the ride than stressing daily about which poacher should replace Martial. Ole knows ball and he's not about to replace Anto with a poacher that will need a whole team set up to feed him. If anything, a poacher would come in to be the plan B rather than the main forward
Ole wanted Haaland and it certainly wasn't to sit on the bench whilst Martial starts.
Rashford is in better form right now but generally I’m not sure how he’s better than Martial. Last season Martial was ripping it up, best player in the league (possibly) after the restart. Rashford had some shockers. Both of them are streaky, both could be world class but I think Martial strings things together better from game to game. Put Rashford where Martial is and he’ll be losing the ball all the time...
What forum posters like us, except those on here who were actually professional footballers, can’t answer is whether a striker at the age of 25 is capable of improving his finishing, the aspect of Martial’s game that clearly needs improving. I hope so, but it’s not clear that if you haven’t got it by 25 that you’re ever going to get it.
But I really believe in Martial’s case that is possible for him to reach an elite level. He’s got the talent, but he too often lacks intensity and focus at the final moment. That’s a mental barrier he can overcome. I don’t know that he will, but he most certainly can if commits himself to it.
But I really believe in Martial’s case that is possible for him to reach an elite level. He’s got the talent, but he too often lacks intensity and focus at the final moment. That’s a mental barrier he can overcome. I don’t know that he will, but he most certainly can if commits himself to it.
He used to be really effective in front of goal. One of the most effective in the league if I remember correctly. Most players have patches on and off but if Martial can bring that effectivity back to normal then he'll probably become a Salah/Mané level player very quickly. He might not have the mental attributes to stay there though once he reaches that level, but he is improving his all-round game all the time I think.
Only PL striker I'd pick before him is aguero, in terms of finishing; for playmaking, none
Did you ever think of the possibility that Halaand didn't want to come here because he wasn't guaranteed a starting spot? We can play hypotheticals all day
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