[NoPace]

Absolutely, he's been solid. Could add more to his game but he's been at the club for what 4 months and he's being called a dud, shit, average and what not. He's just a different type of player compared to Garnacho for example yet you have pople saying Pellistri is better based on one game. People were expecting him going all guns blazing beating his mane all game long but he's a different kind of player and for a player in a new club and in a new, tough leage he's been absolutely fine.

As I said previously I've never seen player being so unwelcomed here. Maybe it's due to the price but in any case it's a bit crazy.

Pellistri mostly played against a CB unless I'm recalling wrong, since Charlton brought on a CB and moved to a back 5 in the 2nd half.

He does need to add some power and a right foot, but he's 22, those are the likeliest things to improve as you move into your mid 20s.

 

[Real Name]

Pellistri mostly played against a CB unless I'm recalling wrong, since Charlton brought on a CB and moved to a back 5 in the 2nd half.

He does need to add some power and a right foot, but he's 22, those are the likeliest things to improve as you move into your mid 20s.

He gives us stability and as @Rossa said he makes space for himself with passing and tries to make a good pass in the box or move to the left foot, not to mention he seems to be good at goalscoring.

But he's not beating his man so he's a dud apparently.

 

[Big Ray]

Yeah it's terrible. I want him to start beating his man too, but he's doing fine overall for a 22 year old winger moving up to a higher level. Won the game with a great goal today.

He'd be getting more assists to match his goals with a more predatory #9. Probably the player suffering the most from that issue.

Serious amount of impatient children in this thread. I think a proper nine helps him for sure but when he settles and finds his rhythm some people in here are going to feel really daft.

 

[AltiUn]

He'd be twice the player if he didn't slow down the counter every time, it's annoying but very easily fixable.

 

[TwoSheds]

Didn't watch the game but let me guess - only scored one goal so he's shit?

 

[AltiUn]

Didn't watch the game but let me guess - only scored one goal so he's shit?

Yeah, that's exactly it mate, well done. Got it in one.

 

[flappyjay]

When he has the ball on the counter I have zero expectations of him doing anything to create a goal.

 

[OrcaFat]

He gives us stability and as @Rossa said he makes space for himself with passing and tries to make a good pass in the box or move to the left foot, not to mention he seems to be good at goalscoring.

But he's not beating his man so he's a dud apparently.

He hasn’t been beating his man on a regular basis but he has done it and definitely has the ability to do it more. Some were complaining that he beats his man then dithers and ends up having to beat his man again.

The haste in judging him is bizarre. All the good things he has shown (in fits and starts) are apparently negated by parts of his game that are not fully developed yet.

He is not a fully-realised entity. He is still learning how to get the best out of his talent. He is not settled in yet and I still don’t think he is match fit.

When he does things instinctively you see his quality. When he has time to think and make decisions, it’s not always good, sure, but that’s exactly the stuff that comes with time. Meanwhile he is already contributing. I’m not worried. At all.

 

[#07]

 

[NotoriousISSY]

He's going to fall into that Maguire category of being ridiculed because he cost probably double his actual worth.

He's got a hell of a left peg, but he's the last player I want to see the ball driven out to on the counter - which is a feature of our play from around the hour mark in particular.

There is definitely room for improvement, more in the sense of creating chances. The front 3/4 players should be chipping in both putting the ball in and setting up their teammates. I'm not going to go stat hunting because my eyes work, but there's no way he's creating above 1 chance per game at best, and even that might be a floater which has hit someone's head.

 

[Rossa]

Your opening line basically sums it all up with what the issue is. Like the fella above said this is one of the worst threads on the Cafe and mainly because there are so many hating on Antony due to not having watched him before and him not being the type of player they expected.

I say, let's give him time and see how he develops. He clearly has some skill and great attributes that will benefit the team. Sure, his inside movement and shot is predictable, but he seems to get away from his man most of the time - very quick feet. However, I think he needs to be more direct and not come to a full stop. It's basically inviting the defender back in the game - keep the intensity and put the defender on the wrong foot. It's why he sometimes looks slower than he is. I also don't understand why he runs towards the corner flag when in acres of space instead of going straight for goal - happened yesterday even against a much slower defender.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Pellistri mostly played against a CB unless I'm recalling wrong, since Charlton brought on a CB and moved to a back 5 in the 2nd half.

He does need to add some power and a right foot, but he's 22, those are the likeliest things to improve as you move into your mid 20s.

You can’t be serious? I’m involved in training kids. It’s vital to get them using both feet as young as possible. Because it is absolutely not something you can learn later in life.

The only hope we have for Anthony is that it’s a confidence thing. He is able to use his right foot but chooses not to. He’s playing within himself. Which is not what you’d think because he seems like a confident guy. Appearances can be deceiving though.

 

[OrcaFat]

I say, let's give him time and see how he develops. He clearly has some skill and great attributes that will benefit the team. Sure, his inside movement and shot is predictable, but he seems to get away from his man most of the time - very quick feet. However, I think he needs to be more direct and not come to a full stop. It's basically inviting the defender back in the game - keep the intensity and put the defender on the wrong foot. It's why he sometimes looks slower than he is. I also don't understand why he runs towards the corner flag when in acres of space instead of going straight for goal - happened yesterday even against a much slower defender.

These weaknesses in his game are exactly the sorts of things that can be coached out as part of a player’s normal development. By next season he will be playing much better, no doubt.

 

[flameinthesun]

Think his role in the team is starting to become underrated. I agree he needs to improve on his 1 on 1s as well as using his right foot however, his overall contribution to the team is very important. He pretty much drags two opposition players to him, he's one of the best in the team at keeping the ball under pressure (the amount of times we've pinged the ball to him on a counter and he's maintained possession allowing the whole team to get up the pitch). His link up play from the wing is very good, he's probably the best presser next to Bruno, constantly tracks back.

Add to that he's already got 5 goals in his first season here, as well as the drop off that happens on the right side when he is taken off just shows what he brings to this team.

I'd have him down as one of the most important pieces in this team. Of course there are areas of improvement but in general im quite happy with his impact.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

Not concerned, he is still adapting and fitting in, to a new league, club and country, and still managing to contribute while he does.

 

[Crimson King]

Think his role in the team is starting to become underrated. I agree he needs to improve on his 1 on 1s as well as using his right foot however, his overall contribution to the team is very important. He pretty much drags two opposition players to him, he's one of the best in the team at keeping the ball under pressure (the amount of times we've pinged the ball to him on a counter and he's maintained possession allowing the whole team to get up the pitch). His link up play from the wing is very good, he's probably the best presser next to Bruno, constantly tracks back.

Add to that he's already got 5 goals in his first season here, as well as the drop off that happens on the right side when he is taken off just shows what he brings to this team.

I'd have him down as one of the most important pieces in this team. Of course there are areas of improvement but in general im quite happy with his impact.

People get annoyed at him for not crossing with his right, even though there's rarely anyone to aim at. He's not a player who's going to hit aimless crosses into the box, and I honestly don't think that's what EtH wants him to do. I think he appreciates how Antony drags defenders out to him and then recycles possession centrally. This is an important part of how he wants us to play.

I can agree with people who think he needs to show more variation, and hopefully that will come with time, but those who say he's just a left-footed Valencia are talking shite.

He's doing fine, Utd fans need to stop feeding into the narrative that he's rubbish and one dimensional that rival fans and some sections of the media have started to spew. It's just not true.

 

[Fabio Rochemback]

You can’t be serious? I’m involved in training kids. It’s vital to get them using both feet as young as possible. Because it is absolutely not something you can learn later in life.

By and large I agree, but I definitely noticed Salah improve with his right foot since joining Liverpool. Of course, he's not exactly Dembele or Perisic still!

 

[Idxomer]

Those stats from this season in the PL and his last one in the Eredivisie. They show why he has been disappointing so far, he isn't doing the stuff I expected him to be good at. His dribbling is also faring much worse in the PL but that was expected. It's still early but a lot of worrying signs already and his skill set seems a bit limited.

 

[rimaldo]

i think the fa should step in and force him to chop off his right foot and donate it to someone who might use it better. antony should then be forced to kick a ball against a garage door 2,000 times a day with his bloodied stump, as a reminder to all our academy players to be two footed. antony should then be forced to watch his family members being lowered into an active volcano. he would be able to stop the winch, but the kill switch is biometric and requires the outline of a right foot. as he’s frantically trying to make his left foot do the work his right foot would be able to do so easily, and failing, he will then look over to ten hag and nod, for he has been taught a valuable lesson.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

You can’t be serious? I’m involved in training kids. It’s vital to get them using both feet as young as possible. Because it is absolutely not something you can learn later in life.

The only hope we have for Anthony is that it’s a confidence thing. He is able to use his right foot but chooses not to. He’s playing within himself. Which is not what you’d think because he seems like a confident guy. Appearances can be deceiving though.

I definitely agree they should be doing it as early as possible, but how much later in life are we talking? I remember an interview years ago with Chris Waddle, where he said he said that he was hopelessly all left-foot until he was 23, and he put it right just through continuous practice and strengthening of his right foot over a few months. It certainly worked for him, as he was very two-footed at his peak.

I do wonder if one footed players do put the work in to improve the weakness, or if they know they're good enough to get by without it. Many great players have been just fine with one strong foot. Though you really do want a winger to be able to go both ways or else they become predictable.

 

[Floyd]

You can’t be serious? I’m involved in training kids. It’s vital to get them using both feet as young as possible. Because it is absolutely not something you can learn later in life.

The only hope we have for Anthony is that it’s a confidence thing. He is able to use his right foot but chooses not to. He’s playing within himself. Which is not what you’d think because he seems like a confident guy. Appearances can be deceiving though.

That's just not true. It can be done at any time. My self I did it in two batches, when I was 15-16 (due to broken bone in my tight foot) and when I was 22-23. Hammering the ball against a brick wall over and over and over again actually works.

Chris Waddle agrees with me, even if I can't remember him being anything special with his right?

"I was completely left-footed until I was about 23. It’s then that I started playing on the right-hand side and people knew I’d cut onto my left so I worked on my right in the gym. Twenty minutes a day for a couple of months is all it takes for a professional to improve his weaker foot"

 

[Yorkeontop]

I'm in the glass half empty camp as well. Time will tell I guess.

 

[altodevil]

It always feels like he slows our play down by cutting in or brining the ball to his left. Genuinely think he'd fit better on the left.

 

[Skills]

I mean he scored a banger of a goal. So I think sooner or later teams will have to start respecting that. Now what he needs to do is, when they are now defending to stop him from shooting he needs to then be able to go the other way or add an opposite threat.

 

[Telsim]

Those stats from this season in the PL and his last one in the Eredivisie. They show why he has been disappointing so far, he isn't doing the stuff I expected him to be good at. His dribbling is also faring much worse in the PL but that was expected. It's still early but a lot of worrying signs already and his skill set seems a bit limited.

Wow, actually much worse than I expected. Concerning, to say the least.

 

[El Jefe]

what utter drivel

Compelling post.

Those stats from this season in the PL and his last one in the Eredivisie. They show why he has been disappointing so far, he isn't doing the stuff I expected him to be good at. His dribbling is also faring much worse in the PL but that was expected. It's still early but a lot of worrying signs already and his skill set seems a bit limited.

I mentioned earlier that his dribbling and creativity stats for this season are absolutely awful so far. You won't get any response to this by those that have their heads in the sand and think Antony is doing perfectly fine and the rest of us are mad. It goes against their agenda that Antony is painfully limited from an attacking sense.

Sure he adds balance tactically and helps a lot in ball circulation but to act like those are the qualities he'll mainly be judged on is disingenuous.

 

[acnumber9]

1 in 3 for a winger ain't bad. Especially considering he joined when the season was well underway.

Joint 2nd highest goal scorer atm

I’d expect a productive winger to be creating goals too.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

That's just not true. It can be done at any time. My self I did it in two batches, when I was 15-16 (due to broken bone in my tight foot) and when I was 22-23. Hammering the ball against a brick wall over and over and over again actually works.

Chris Waddle agrees with me, even if I can't remember him being anything special with his right?

"I was completely left-footed until I was about 23. It’s then that I started playing on the right-hand side and people knew I’d cut onto my left so I worked on my right in the gym. Twenty minutes a day for a couple of months is all it takes for a professional to improve his weaker foot"

Fair enough. You can make your weaker foot less bad by drilling it later in life. But it’s definitely not something you expect to improve naturally in mid to late 20s, which was implied in the post I responded to.

Plus it seems crazy that a professional footballer would need to take up valuable training time doing the sort of basic drills that Waddle describes. We all know he played football in a very different era.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Those stats from this season in the PL and his last one in the Eredivisie. They show why he has been disappointing so far, he isn't doing the stuff I expected him to be good at. His dribbling is also faring much worse in the PL but that was expected. It's still early but a lot of worrying signs already and his skill set seems a bit limited.

Yikes. That’s not good at all. How do the rest of his stats compare? Defensive stats etc

 

[Shinjch]

All things considered, I think his start at the club has been grand. Obviously hoping for more, but he is already a valuable part of the team. He provides a lot of balance, but needs to work more on the offensive transitions.

 

[FrankDrebin]

There are clear features of his game which are impressive. He's got impeccable work-rate and good awareness of his surroundings, whether that's dragging opposition players out of their comfort zones or darting into the box to make a goal-scoring opportunity.

But he also has clear sides to his game that he needs to (really) heavily improve upon.

Off the bat, he's not great 1v1. He doesn't seem to show any willingness or confidence in going up against his opponent, more so when going down the side.

His link-up play is substandard, especially down the sides, though I think Dalot and AWB can certainly help him more in that regard by offering a greater, consistent outlet.

He has a frustrating knack of slowing our game down on the counter which is, frankly, bizarre. More so when you have Rashford and Bruno taking full advantage of the space in front of them while keeping up that intensity. Needs to be more eager and direct.

It doesn't seem like he has particularly great stamina. This is evident usually in the 2nd half of games when he gets annoyingly lax with the ball. Sloppiness comes into his game. There's a distinct lack of off the ball movement. This is something that will improve with in time though.

Overall I give Antony a early season rating of 6/10.
His negatives, or elements that he needs to improve upon, are clearly evident to anyone who has eye-balls but he does have the right attitude when it comes to team-work and work rate.
He does hold the width of the team, to some extent. He is always a outlet on the right hand side. He doesn't drift much, which is to his credit, especially when you have certain players who run all over the place. And he does have a goal in him but we need to see much more from him on the creative side. Maybe having a archetypal number 9 leading from the front would help in in that regard. Gives him a focal point to aim for when he invariably cuts inside.

Edit: Also, don't compare Antony to Valencia. The Ecuadorian was twice the player.

 

[Putting all banter aside]

I understand all the pleads for more patience with a new player, and I don't want to write him off, but with the price tag that we've payed for him, I fully get why many expect a more from him than what he's shown so far. His dribbling isn't anything special, his passing lacks creativity and is quite mediocre until now.

 

[Idxomer]

Yikes. That’s not good at all. How do the rest of his stats compare? Defensive stats etc

Very similar so far.

 

[Sparky_Hughes]

Compelling post.

I mentioned earlier that his dribbling and creativity stats for this season are absolutely awful so far. You won't get any response to this by those that have their heads in the sand and think Antony is doing perfectly fine and the rest of us are mad. It goes against their agenda that Antony is painfully limited from an attacking sense.

Sure he adds balance tactically and helps a lot in ball circulation but to act like those are the qualities he'll mainly be judged on is disingenuous.

Nobody is burying their heads in the sand, but players arent machines, and stats arent everything. If you take into account the fact he is making the step up to a tougher league, a MUCH higher profile club in a new country what he has shown so far isnt that bad. Can he improve? Of course, does he need to? Definitely, but the fecking doom merchants are just getting a bit tiresome to be honest. We are making cracking progress as a club compared to where were 12 months ago, even though he hasnt been what he can be yet he is still contributing, but people arent happy unless they can have a bitch about something.

 

[FrankDrebin]

I think the comparison to Lamela is a interesting one.

Lamela looked like a fine, spontaneous creative player for AS Roma before he joined Spurs.

 

[glasgow 21]

Please stop this negativity about a new player. Antony has so far shown to me he wants to play for the shirt which is more than a lot of players we have/had over the past decade, I sat and watch Martial walking back for years when counters were launched against Utd, not wanting to isolate Martial as there was more than him not bothering. Antony sprinted back and was in defence last night as his heart is in the right place ,the rest will come. The alternative is to have no patience and declare Ten Hag is wrong in his decision making.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

That's just not true. It can be done at any time. My self I did it in two batches, when I was 15-16 (due to broken bone in my tight foot) and when I was 22-23. Hammering the ball against a brick wall over and over and over again actually works.

Chris Waddle agrees with me, even if I can't remember him being anything special with his right?

"I was completely left-footed until I was about 23. It’s then that I started playing on the right-hand side and people knew I’d cut onto my left so I worked on my right in the gym. Twenty minutes a day for a couple of months is all it takes for a professional to improve his weaker foot"

He scored some great goals with his right foot tbf. There's some good ones on this. The lob at 0:58 and the volley at 1:30 are particularly good. He lashes one in with the outside of his foot from right on the byline at 4:08 too



I'd say he's one of the better examples of a player who was very one-footed but quickly became effectively two-footed. He became a very good crosser from the right, which he certainly wasn't earlier in his career.

 

[crossy1686]

To be fair, Antony has had a better start to life at United than Sancho, and most of our older signings. I'll judge him next season, much like Sancho this season. First one is a free hit, second one needs to be on point for the money and expectation.

 

[Floyd]

He scored some great goals with his right foot tbf. There's some good ones on this. The lob at 0:58 and the volley at 1:30 are particularly good. He lashes one in with the outside of his foot from right on the byline at 4:08 too



I'd say he's one of the better examples of a player who was very one-footed but quickly became effectively two-footed. He became a very good crosser from the right, which he certainly wasn't earlier in his career.

Thanks. That first lob at 0:58 is Cantona-esque.

 

[FrankDrebin]

Waddle, or as my dad called him 'The Wobbler' in his later years, was a great player.

Always taken back that England can produce aesthetically pleasing footballers at times.