[Red Star One]

He should be converted into a wing back at some club like Inter or Frankfurt.

no way he could play RWB with no right foot.

 

[Lentwood]

Beating a defender means getting past them and staying past them.

Unfortunately for Antony, they always catch him up. The lad can't move with the ball.

Even for £50 million, he shouldn't be here.

Yeah but I would argue that, if you watch our last few games (Bayern, Chelsea, Galatasary & Bournemouth), he often beats his man, but its generally on the halfway line, or just inside the opposition half. He then ends up completely isolated, inevitably having to turn back or be surrounded by opponents.

I'm saying I understand the frustrations...but I think he gets too much criticism given we're clearly a very dysfunctional side. At least he never stops trying and working hard and I think he does have the tools to be a good player in the right setup.

 

[RedRocket9908]

Beating a defender means getting past them and staying past them.

Unfortunately for Antony, they always catch him up. The lad can't move with the ball.

Even for £50 million, he shouldn't be here.

He does well getting down the wing with ball at his feet but as a left footer he has to cut inside in order to cross or pass and there never really seems to be anyone in the right positions for him to pass or cross to which means he has to hold it up and allows the defence to get accross to him.

 

[The Irish Connection]

This is the point that bugs me most. Sure he’s quick over the first few yards, but is easily caught up with, and he can never muscle past anyone.
Surely, these points would have been the easiest to scout? Simple basic physical traits.

I know, it’s baffling. Ten Hag was/is clearly naive regarding the premier league. You just don’t survive in this league as a forward/winger without pace and/or strength (and/or intelligence.)
Sancho is another example of not having the pace or strength required.
Hope we get the next few signings right.

 

[tomaldinho1]

I'm still on the fence with Antony.

Genuinely think he's not an out and out winger, so him being isolated out there when he doesn't have the skillset or the pace really to take a man on 1v1 and get a ball into the box, doesn't do him any favours. Defensively he offers workrate etc. He's not like a Mahrez, Saka or Raphinha that is comfortable in doing those things out there on his own.

I think if he had a fullback on his side that bombed forward like Davies did for Sane, I think you'd see a different side to his game. Unfortunately for him, he's got Dalot and AWB who just offer nothing going either way.

Antony was actually decent last night and the few forays we made into good areas all came from him/Dalot and McT's runs. He has started making much better passing decisions but the crosses/shots remain crap. I do agree with what another poster said with our players getting isolated - he beat his man a few times but then there's just nothing there, same happened for Garnacho when he made the burst and Hojlund was kind of in his way and they got swamped by about 6 Bayern players. To play in this system, which seems very similar to how we've played for years now, you basically have to be lightening quick so in the few instances you get some space, you are able to get near enough to goal to shoot. You won't find many faster LBs than Davies as well.

If I think of the team which uses their full backs offensively the most, I would say it is Pool, and Robertson/TAA score or assist basically every 3 games in the PL - so you're getting 12+ goal involvements from them each a season. Shaw (who is held up as a great full back on here) has had 0,1,2,0,4,0,6,3,3,0 goals and assists in the league. We're atrocious at this and have been forever.

 

[Marwood]

Yeah but I would argue that, if you watch our last few games (Bayern, Chelsea, Galatasary & Bournemouth), he often beats his man, but its generally on the halfway line, or just inside the opposition half. He then ends up completely isolated, inevitably having to turn back or be surrounded by opponents.

I'm saying I understand the frustrations...but I think he gets too much criticism given we're clearly a very dysfunctional side. At least he never stops trying and working hard and I think he does have the tools to be a good player in the right setup.

His stats over the last 25 games, it can't get any worse really so in terms of criticism, I think its tricky to say that's too much.

I'd love to believe its down to a lack of options but time and again we see defenders getting back at him. It happened last night. Slipped it through a players legs but, nicely done, player gets back at him.

 

[TMDaines]

Not really when Sancho is in the same dressing room (or not, as it were). Antony has been disappointing but he's still been better and more reliable than Sancho was for us.

If someone wanted to make the case for Sancho, I wouldn't fight them too hard.

My instinct though is that Sancho comfortably has the higher ceiling, as seen from his time at Dortmund, and is the player far more top managers would want to get their hands on. I don't fault Antony's endeavour most of the time; he's just completely out of his depth at this level.

 

[acnumber9]

And the £73m player currently training (when he feels like it) with the reserves?

He has more goals and assists in the Premier League dating back to the start of last season despite lengthy sabbaticals. It actually paints a very disturbing picture of how bad Antony actually is.

 

[Fortitude]

His stats over the last 25 games, it can't get any worse really so in terms of criticism, I think its tricky to say that's too much.

I'd love to believe its down to a lack of options but time and again we see defenders getting back at him. It happened last night. Slipped it through a players legs but, nicely done, player gets back at him.

Thiago Silva, at 39, getting back at him after he did that nice bit of skill to dupe him, as the oldest CB to play for Chelsea by this point, is about the most tragic I've seen. Recovered and took the ball back off him with ease.

 

[DanClancy]

Yeah but I would argue that, if you watch our last few games (Bayern, Chelsea, Galatasary & Bournemouth), he often beats his man, but its generally on the halfway line, or just inside the opposition half. He then ends up completely isolated, inevitably having to turn back or be surrounded by opponents.

I'm saying I understand the frustrations...but I think he gets too much criticism given we're clearly a very dysfunctional side. At least he never stops trying and working hard and I think he does have the tools to be a good player in the right setup.

He can't beat a man near the box though which is more important, he can't shoot/cross and is the most one footed footballer I've ever seen. He did well in the first month scoring 3 goals in his first 3 games but defenders have now sussed him out and he's scored 1 goal in his last 34 league goals. Its an appalling stat for a player who is on his way to being one of the worst signings of all time.

The signing should never have been allowed to happen given the fee but despite me supporting Ten Hag I'm seriously concerned how he thought he's good enough for United after coaching him for a few years.

He'll likely get next season at United and just hope his wages aren't astronomical so we're able to get rid of him for £15m in 18 months time but based on what we've seen its going to take the mother of all turnarounds for him to be a success here.

 

[Marwood]

Thiago Silva, at 39, getting back at him after he did that nice bit of skill to dupe him, as the oldest CB to play for Chelsea by this point, is about the most tragic I've seen. Recovered and took the ball back off him with ease.

Yeah exactly that. It can't just be put down to a lack of options. Sometimes sure but fundamentally I think its a dribbling technique issue. He's not quick when carrying the ball and shows too much of it to the defender. Probably due to being so one side dominant.

Essentially he's at a level he shouldn't be.

I think he gets credit, probably too much mind, because he will do the boring bits of football. Which is in stark contrast to some of our big time Charlies.

 

[EireRed_GS]

Ive had enough of him now. Yes he works very hard, but he offers nothing. creates absolutely nothing.

The only thing he's really good for is being more of a distraction to create space for someone else to do something.

Spoke to a few at the game last night that all agreed he's got to be an easy enough job for any competent full back to deal with, because he only has the one thing in his locker.. Drive down the wing, try and cut in and shoot, or play it back to the CM /RB. Thats literally all he does. He doesnt even cut in and look for a through ball to the forward. He has no interest in crossing it. Zero interest in using his right foot. Even if he does get past a defender, they know hes not gonna cross it, and will try turn back anyway.

He got away with it when he just joined, defenders didnt expect him to cut in. Premier League defenders have figured him out now. The amount of money we paid for him, Ajax laughing all the way to the bank there.

 

[robinrooney]

He can't beat a man near the box though which is more important, he can't shoot/cross and is the most one footed footballer I've ever seen. He did well in the first month scoring 3 goals in his first 3 games but defenders have now sussed him out and he's scored 1 goal in his last 34 league goals. Its an appalling stat for a player who is on his way to being one of the worst signings of all time.

The signing should never have been allowed to happen given the fee but despite me supporting Ten Hag I'm seriously concerned how he thought he's good enough for United after coaching him for a few years.

He'll likely get next season at United and just hope his wages aren't astronomical so we're able to get rid of him for £15m in 18 months time but based on what we've seen its going to take the mother of all turnarounds for him to be a success here.

Remember Antonio Valencia?

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

Remember Antonio Valencia?

It’s alright being one footed if you’re actually good though, which Valencia was. Antony on the other hand is not only extremely one footed but is shite with his preferred foot as well, outside of scoring the odd screamer about twice a season. Should be shipped out at the first opportunity.

 

[fergiewherearethou]

Remember Antonio Valencia?

Valencia who was often criticised for being to one dimensional was a Pavarotti of football in comparison to Antony.

 

[EireRed_GS]

Remember Antonio Valencia?

Valencia had a simple job to do on the wing, and he done his job pretty well regardless. of which foot was best.

Compared to Antony, Valencia looks prime Figo levels

 

[Skills]

The one footedness is over emphasised - probably because it's the only thing most football fans are capable to picking up. Watch that video of Bernardo Silva, and you'll see how one footed he is with his technique. It doesn't actually make that much of a difference - what matters more is the way you manipulate the ball and your defender when dribbling. Antony doesn't have the technique or the ability that a truly elite dribbler like Silva has.

 

[Doracle]

The one footedness is over emphasised - probably because it's the only thing most football fans are capable to picking up. Watch that video of Bernardo Silva, and you'll see how one footed he is with his technique. It doesn't actually make that much of a difference - what matters more is the way you manipulate the ball and your defender when dribbling. Antony doesn't have the technique or the ability that a truly elite dribbler like Silva has.

It’s not overemphasised though because he doesn’t have Bernardo’s elite ability. As such, he needs a functional right foot to enable him to keep defenders guessing. You either need Bernardo’s ability or a right foot - Antony has neither.

 

[Lee565]

We have to find a new position for him otherwise we are going to have another expensive deadwood on our hands that we won't be able to shift due to wages and low ball offers.

Would love to see him for just one game on the left wing or as a left wingback, or even on the left side of a 3 man midfield, it's not exactly like our current midfield options are amazing.

 

[Red in STL]

Remember Antonio Valencia?

Remember Luke Shaw - he's as one footed as it gets

 

[Valencia Shin Crosses]

Yeah but I would argue that, if you watch our last few games (Bayern, Chelsea, Galatasary & Bournemouth), he often beats his man, but its generally on the halfway line, or just inside the opposition half. He then ends up completely isolated, inevitably having to turn back or be surrounded by opponents.

I'm saying I understand the frustrations...but I think he gets too much criticism given we're clearly a very dysfunctional side. At least he never stops trying and working hard and I think he does have the tools to be a good player in the right setup.

Brother he has 1 goal contribution in his last 25 fecking games. He doesn’t have the “tools” at all.

 

[Jev]

Yeah but I would argue that, if you watch our last few games (Bayern, Chelsea, Galatasary & Bournemouth), he often beats his man, but its generally on the halfway line, or just inside the opposition half. He then ends up completely isolated, inevitably having to turn back or be surrounded by opponents.

That’s because it’s much easier to beat players far from their goal, given that they’re more likely to take risks in order to win the ball and start a counterattack. The closer you get to their goal, the more cautious your opponents become, and Antony is unable to beat a man that’s not charging at him.

 

[Jev]

We have to find a new position for him otherwise we are going to have another expensive deadwood on our hands that we won't be able to shift due to wages and low ball offers.

Would love to see him for just one game on the left wing or as a left wingback, or even on the left side of a 3 man midfield, it's not exactly like our current midfield options are amazing.

He’s a diabolical passer, can’t weigh a pass to save his life. What makes you think he could be a midfielder.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

He's been cut a bit of slack recently because Rashford and Martial has been so out of form, but he's just bad, and there's nothing to hang to with him for future improvement either.

 

[statpadder]

I said this a lot during the game but, for me, it's mental how we use him.

We know he's not a good dribbler. He can't beat his man. Yet we never have players over in support of him in possession to create passing triangles. We expect him to beat a player or two and pick out a forward nearly every time he has possession. It's daft.

Can someone pin this post? And maybe send this to Eth as well? Or fly a plane at OT with a bit.ly link to this post?

How can professional coaches being paid thousands of pounds a week not see this glaringly obvious issue?

 

[Yagami]

Can someone pin this post? And maybe send this to Eth as well? Or fly a plane at OT with a bit.ly link to this post?

How can professional coaches being paid thousands of pounds a week not see this glaringly obvious issue?

Ha, it's the same for all of our wide players. I said it in Garnacho's thread earlier. They all face the same problems because none of them are that good at dribbling yet we completely isolate them in possession. I could post this in all of our wide players performance threads:

There's a lot of things I don't get with ten Hag, but our wing play is one of the biggest conundrums.

We don't have a Giggs out wide. Garnacho and Antony are not that good at dribbling. So why constantly isolate them out wide with the expectation being that they'll consistently beat multiple men and get it into a packed box. It hardly ever works. What usually happens is that we lose possession, and, because we've pushed the likes of Bruno and McTominay forwards, we get ripped apart on the counter. Get out of the box, come closer to the ball and create some passing triangles or something! They need support.

It's going to be the same with Amad. A lot of people are excited to see him, but they're going to be disappointed if this is the system he comes in to. People will look at his dribbling stats last year and think he'll do better, but the majority of his dribbles came in specific situations. He's not the type to get the ball and just have his opponent on toast. He needs support, too.

Even thinking about Rashford's best form. I'm not talking about last season because his general play was still lacking. I'm talking about that season under Ole where, before his injury, he was putting up impressive stats AND playing excellently in general. He was so good in general because we had Martial up front who'd often drift to the left, and he'd benefit from that link up play. He didn't have that support last year which made his stats all the more impressive, and, to me, was the difference between his level of general play last year to that season under Ole.

It's as frustrating as seeing us constantly play a one man midfield.

 

[NK86]

The one footedness is over emphasised - probably because it's the only thing most football fans are capable to picking up. Watch that video of Bernardo Silva, and you'll see how one footed he is with his technique. It doesn't actually make that much of a difference - what matters more is the way you manipulate the ball and your defender when dribbling. Antony doesn't have the technique or the ability that a truly elite dribbler like Silva has.

Leaving dribbling aside, he does not even have pace to compensate for it. How many times have we seen him with acres of space in front of him with no defender blocking his path even if he just kicked and ran. He just stays still and almost waits for the defender to cover him before he passes it back or 5 yards infield. And this is all because he knows he does not have the speed to outpace a defender in a foot race even if he has a couple of steps on them.

It's astonishing our manager, who has worked with him for a couple of years in Ajax, thought it is a good idea to get a winger in who cannot dribble, does not have pace to burn, has poor kicking/shooting technique with his stronger foot, and has a non-existent weaker foot. He should not be anywhere near our squad as a winger, let alone being a first team regular.

 

[Malone_Post]

At £85m he’s the worst transfer in the history of the club

Eh? He's not even the worst transfer in this current squad.

And the £73m player currently training (when he feels like it) with the reserves?

Incredibly that player currently training with the reserves for the last 3 months and who was also banished to Holland for 3 months of last season has still managed more goals & assists than Antony has in the same period of time. In fact he has the same amount of goals and assists as Antony since he’s been banished. That’s how bad Antony is.

 

[Mibabalou]

Was never good enough - he's trying but it will absolutely never happen.

No chance he is ever a starting winger in a top 4 league / CL challenging side

 

[RuudtheRed]

For a fair comparison, he was much better at Ajax in the UCL. He's also quicker than people think - which is strange that he rarely goes for the full burst down the wing and instead slows it down for a ball roll or two before passing it infield. It's unfortunate he was up against Kim and Davies which is probably one of the toughest pairings to go up against right now. Might do better against lesser fullbacks.

 

[ROFLUTION]

The weird part is that he looked the real deal at Ajax and one of the biggest talents. But his sting got taken out of him when he landed here, and he's becoming less and less direct, which was his force at Ajax.

Needs to up his machoness and be more arrogant. Also need to cross to Højlund or whoever is in the box more.

 

[Kostov]

How much are we going to get back in transfer fee for this guy? 15m?

 

[Gordon Godot]

The weird part is that he looked the real deal at Ajax and one of the biggest talents. But his sting got taken out of him when he landed here, and he's becoming less and less direct, which was his force at Ajax.

Needs to up his machoness and be more arrogant. Also need to cross to Højlund or whoever is in the box more.

He looked good in a very poor league. Plenty of Ajax fans questioned the signing. Struggles to beat people, woefully one footed, cant cross. Dont see it. Was a massive read flag to me when ETH insisted we splurge £80m on a bang average player

 

[TempusFugit]

I was watching a CL game recently and i saw the RB receive a pass, knock it forward to the RW who quickly whipped in a good first time cross with his right foot. I was jealous to be honest. It sounds ridiculous but it's true. Playing Antony is just a handicap for the team at this point. He gets the ball, does a few rolls and then inevitably cuts inside to join an already crowded midfield instead of using the width like an actual winger.

He does the same thing everytime and every LB in the league must be expecting an easy game when up against him. What a terrible signing. I'd play Dalot as a RW before Antony. He can't cross, refuses to use his right leg and can't weight his passes properly, with zero vision. He can't see passes or openings before others and is basically just a glorified ball recycler. Just keeps it until one of the better players creates something. One of these days Ten Hag needs to be asked why he thought spending £85m on him was a great idea. If we were a serious club he'd be leaving in the summer. Sick of him already. He'll probably start at Anfield and give Tsimikas no trouble at all for the entire game.

 

[Gordon Godot]

I was watching a CL game recently and i saw the RB receive a pass, knock it forward to the RW who quickly whipped in a good first time cross with his right foot. I was jealous to be honest. It sounds ridiculous but it's true. Playing Antony is just a handicap for the team at this point. He gets the ball, does a few rolls and then inevitably cuts inside to join an already crowded midfield instead of using the width like an actual winger.

He does the same thing everytime and every LB in the league must be expecting an easy game when up against him. What a terrible signing. I'd play Dalot as a RW before Antony. He can't cross, refuses to use his right leg and can't weight his passes properly, with zero vision. He can't see passes or openings before others and is basically just a glorified ball recycler. Just keeps it until one of the better players creates something. One of these days Ten Hag needs to be asked why he thought spending £85m on him was a great idea. If we were a serious club he'd be leaving in the summer. Sick of him already. He'll probably start at Anfield and give Tsimikas no trouble at all for the entire game.

Exactly this. He carries no threat. Only trick to cut inside, he's been sussed. Terrible signing.

 

[Skills]

The weird part is that he looked the real deal at Ajax and one of the biggest talents. But his sting got taken out of him when he landed here, and he's becoming less and less direct, which was his force at Ajax.

Needs to up his machoness and be more arrogant. Also need to cross to Højlund or whoever is in the box more.

No he didn't. I genuinely can't believe anyone can watch his reels from Ajax and think they're one of a "huge talent".

 

[Skills]

He looked good in a very poor league. Plenty of Ajax fans questioned the signing. Struggles to beat people, woefully one footed, cant cross. Dont see it. Was a massive read flag to me when ETH insisted we splurge £80m on a bang average player

He didn't even look good. His highlight reels, stats all pointed towards a very average player.

 

[Skills]

It’s not overemphasised though because he doesn’t have Bernardo’s elite ability. As such, he needs a functional right foot to enable him to keep defenders guessing. You either need Bernardo’s ability or a right foot - Antony has neither.

That is the bigger issue. Even if he had a passable right foot, he has 0 outstanding attributes. He'd still be a poor player but less predictable than he is.

To actually be good enough at this level as an attacking player, you need 2-3 elite attributes and a few good/passable ones. He has nothing in the form of shooting, finishing, vision, passing, crossing, pace or dribbling that is elite or outstanding.

 

[Doracle]

That is the bigger issue. Even if he had a passable right foot, he has 0 outstanding attributes. He'd still be a poor player but less predictable than he is.

To actually be good enough at this level as an attacking player, you need 2-3 elite attributes and a few good/passable ones. He has nothing in the form of shooting, finishing, vision, passing, crossing, pace or dribbling that is elite or outstanding.

Yeah, can’t disagree with any of that. Truly bizarre why ETH thought he’d be good enough having worked with him for years.

 

[El Zoido]

Remember when Alexis Sanchez for £30m was considered a monumental overpayment and the worst transfer in our history? Looks like a bargain now.