I feel the main problem was not getting the ball to him enough. He still doesn't look as sharp as I would hope but it wasn't a poor performance.
Edit: I also said Pogba was decent in the first half and atrocious in the second.
9
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 36
- Goals
- 7
- Assists
- 5
- Yellow cards
- 1
- Red cards
- 1
- Status
Edit: I also said Pogba was decent in the first half and atrocious in the second.
talking about a disgraceful display..he looks slow as well
Thought he looks a bit heavy and slow.
Poor once again. Deservedly subbed, shame he’s got no competition. Get Greenwood replaced on the right and he can challenge him.
Definitely not the main problem considering when he got the ball he lost it more often than not. Hopefully just early season fatigue and he soon find the form he had last season.
On Pogba guess you haven't seen the stats floating around here? you don't get them stats in 20 mins mate, he was garbage throughout.
He is lost like the rest of the team.
Yeah he played a big part in the disallowed goals what dropping deep. These part of his game never gets notice
Since you seem such a big fan of stats, I assume you have stats to back up your assertion about him losing the ball "more often than not" (over 50% of the time).
Pogba's first half was fine up until his fouling spree towards the end. Came out in the second half and everything he did was shit.
He had the one class moment to create what should have been Greenwood's goal (if Rashford hadn't gone offside), but otherwise he was poor. Hopefully he can kick back into form soon as we really do need him.
The only reason he was having to do that was because of Bruno's terrible performance as well.
Definitely looked off the pace today, nothing was coming off but still looked sharp in terms of positioning. Seemed genuinely frustrated at himself though so lets hope its just match fitness. I think he will have a good season, is forcing it a bit atm
The whole front 3 isnt clicking yet - theres no one twos like last season, the space between them is larger than ever & Martial has to be a more predatory type striker to make something for himself which wont happen because he isnt that type of forward.
Theres no quick transitioning of the ball between the players and it makes it easier to leave Martial isolated upfront. The only time when the front 3 line up is on a counter when they have the space to make something by themselves through a dribble. Rashford did it only a few times today but Martials dribbling wasnt the best.
I'm happy about Rashford's goal but without his one twos with Martial then Martial is going to struggle to be that link up player that sets him to a rhythm & have our front 3 playing in a narrow creative way.
We need a more predatory striker competing with him - but we dont necessarily play to the ability of one either; hardly any clear cut chances created by anyone in the team.
Theres no quick transitioning of the ball between the players and it makes it easier to leave Martial isolated upfront. The only time when the front 3 line up is on a counter when they have the space to make something by themselves through a dribble. Rashford did it only a few times today but Martials dribbling wasnt the best.
I'm happy about Rashford's goal but without his one twos with Martial then Martial is going to struggle to be that link up player that sets him to a rhythm & have our front 3 playing in a narrow creative way.
We need a more predatory striker competing with him - but we dont necessarily play to the ability of one either; hardly any clear cut chances created by anyone in the team.
Lovely footwork in the lead up to Greenwood’s goal. Otherwise absolutely shite. One of many United players starting the season with their head up their arse.
He was shit. Could just be off the pace, but hopefully starts finding his form again.
True, we need a good CF who is good in the air that we can cross to. So far, we have no one who can do that.
Especially if we get Telles, we hopefully can get a player that can provide something different to Martial.
It’s concerning we have no one to come in when he’s playing like he did today. While I like Ighalo, he’s certainly not someone I’m going to be expecting much from if he does step in.
Looks so un-match fit
What have our coaches done to this players
How can they come into a new season so in prepared
The Man City players don’t look so unfit
What have our coaches done to this players
How can they come into a new season so in prepared
The Man City players don’t look so unfit
Agreed. This is the common theme with so many of our players. Martial, Pogba, AWB and Shaw all looks unfit to me. In a highly competitive game when games are won and lost on very few margins we are playing with literally passengers out there.
Martial is looking heavy, slow and sloppy with poor touches and ball control, which is not something i would associate with him. Plus his running and closing down is all off as well.
Pogba can barely run, he is getting turned inside and outside from every other player, he is no longer able to get into his stride is also looking unfit and heavy causing him to make no contribution in the attacking side of play and Bruno is trying to cover him up time and time again, leaving Martial isolated.
Shaw as usual after every injury takes a month to slowly get into his stride, for the first month, he does not offer any attacking threat nor defensively, he is able to cover or stop getting crosses in, so his poor outings are actually expected.
AWB has always been poor attacking wise, however its his defensive support which is concerning. He looks gassed up and seen slowly jogging back which is concerning as his defensive ability is his most important attribute, if he is lacking in those we have no use for him.
I blame our staff for letting our players be so out of shape, whereas all other teams have their players up and running we are struggling so bad and need games to build up our fitness. Its amateur stuff from one of the biggest clubs in the world.
Considering Liverpool won the title last season, i thought we would be making signings early on to let them bed in with the squad and get the squad fired up from the start, but here we are with only one signing and majority of our starting eleven unfit, we really are a banter club now. Its soo sad to see.
The amount of tines he did the hard work by skinni.g defenders then strolls on like nobody else is within 50 yards of him to make a tackle was ridiculous
I thought he made some tackles even in midfield today but it was his dribbling that was off.
May as well praise him for the part he played in the winning goal by dropping to the bench
I like Martial I really do, but he's just not a great number 9. He has no height or physical presence which makes him very predictable to defend against. Like Rashford he excels when he has some space to drive into but is useless against a packed defence.
I'd be tempted to save the Sancho money (
) and get Haaland next summer instead. We'd benefit far more from a proper striker leading the line than another tricky wide player.
I'd be tempted to save the Sancho money (
) and get Haaland next summer instead. We'd benefit far more from a proper striker leading the line than another tricky wide player.Making the right runs and his hold-up play is continuously improving, he was fine today, our issues are at the other end.
Martial looks like a fat git.
Awful thus far.
Kept needlessly dribbling too.
Kept needlessly dribbling too.
I like Martial I really do, but he's just not a great number 9. He has no height or physical presence which makes him very predictable to defend against. Like Rashford he excels when he has some space to drive into but is useless against a packed defence.
I'd be tempted to save the Sancho money (
This has always been my criticism of Martial . He is a great player but he is simply not a number 9 . I would not drop him from the team but would not have him playing in that position .
He will score goals because he is good enough of a talent but does not offer what you want from a world class number 9
Yawn. Aguero says hello.I like Martial I really do, but he's just not a great number 9. He has no height or physical presence which makes him very predictable to defend against. Like Rashford he excels when he has some space to drive into but is useless against a packed defence.
I'd be tempted to save the Sancho money (
I'm not disagreeing with you here but where do you think we should play him? Genuinely curious.
I think he is better out wide . I would even swap him for Rashford for a bit and to be honest i thought that was the plan anyway for them both . I am not convinced Rashford is a number 9 either but he is more capable of the scrappy goals than Martial
His boot and sock combination is clearly wrong. Can't believe it hasn't been spotted yet.
All three of Greenwood, Martial and Rashford would benefit from playing in a two up front. I think Rashford and Greenwood especially are wasted playing so far away from the goal.
Like Cole and Yorke ? Could work and might help Pogba too as having a front two could movd him further up the pitch and we could play a 442 formation
Yeh. At this stage of development, all three are like young Rooney; who benefit playing off a striker. Maybe on later years, they also can be like Rooney, playing as a top class no. 9. But it just look like they're far off from ready yet.
Martial is a more clinical Firmino/Lacazette & he is only good as the players he is trying to interlink with.
Not only are we hardly playing like that - Rashford & Greenwood are not playing narrow making runs off of Martial but instead playing wide and deep like creators to Martial for him to finish the chances.
Martial in the middle should be used as a way of getting Rashford & Greenwood to be our main goalscorers. Those two are the players with a predatory instinct and just because they dont finesse every chance they get like Martial does - doesnt mean they are not our best forwards.
That's why playing a 352 is the defensive diamond shape of the 433 we should be using - Matic dropping inbetween CB & CDM with Martial dropping between CAM/SS/CF
We need a good traditional striker to compete with Martial and not this Ighalo stuff. I'm happy enough with Martial being our False 9/Support striker; but we cant be playing every game with that tactic either- especially when the tactics is far from perfected. I wouldnt ever sell Martial because he plays football in a different way and it's good to have that versatility in your squad. If we get that top class traditional number 9 then we can change our front line tactically depending on what we need that day - do we need a false 9? Then pick Martial. Are we going to cross all game with Daniel James and whoever? Use our top class traditional forward instead. Selling a support striker like Martial would be stupid because they are not the easiest to find and we have more than a decent one.
Not only are we hardly playing like that - Rashford & Greenwood are not playing narrow making runs off of Martial but instead playing wide and deep like creators to Martial for him to finish the chances.
Martial in the middle should be used as a way of getting Rashford & Greenwood to be our main goalscorers. Those two are the players with a predatory instinct and just because they dont finesse every chance they get like Martial does - doesnt mean they are not our best forwards.
That's why playing a 352 is the defensive diamond shape of the 433 we should be using - Matic dropping inbetween CB & CDM with Martial dropping between CAM/SS/CF
Rashford- Greenwood
Martial
Shaw - Pogba- Bruno - AWB
Maguire - Matic - Lindelof
Martial
Shaw - Pogba- Bruno - AWB
Maguire - Matic - Lindelof
We need a good traditional striker to compete with Martial and not this Ighalo stuff. I'm happy enough with Martial being our False 9/Support striker; but we cant be playing every game with that tactic either- especially when the tactics is far from perfected. I wouldnt ever sell Martial because he plays football in a different way and it's good to have that versatility in your squad. If we get that top class traditional number 9 then we can change our front line tactically depending on what we need that day - do we need a false 9? Then pick Martial. Are we going to cross all game with Daniel James and whoever? Use our top class traditional forward instead. Selling a support striker like Martial would be stupid because they are not the easiest to find and we have more than a decent one.
It is too easy to isolate Martial now. He is facing two defenders plus a DM most of the time. No matter who is playing as CF we need to have someone close to the CF.
That would be my preference. Though we’d need proper wide players. You could probably only accommodate one of Pogba and Bruno.
Feck me he has been dreadful last games, he was dreadful in the semis v Sevilla too. He needs competition, Sancho would add that as Greenwood could play central.
Looked like he turned a corner but same ol Martial so far.
Just came across this on Reddit, as I mentioned yesterday, I felt one of our issues was that we couldn't get the ball to Martial enough. I also mentioned that this was a big problem before Bruno's arrival. This graphic backs up my point that nobody around him was capable of doing their jobs and getting the ball to him.
- Status