Has Martial done enough to be backed as our long-term #9?

He’s our #9, & I’ll back him until he isn’t. He did ok tonight, lovely movement, touch, & hit with his left foot. Deserved a goal, got little service.
 
What does Kane have to do with Martial being poor? Is it to make us feel better that we have a poor striker?

"Maguire was poor for that goal. But it's ok. Dier was poor either". Ha..
 
A long stretch On the dame judy is in order.

Offers little when he’s needed the most. He is weak as feck when his back is to goal. Which should not be the case considering his build and strength.

Ole please play igalho from now on......
 
Not good enough. Do you think Fergie would have him as our main striker? No chance. We are supposed to be a top club. He needs to go.

Rvp
Rvn
Ole
Rooney
Tevez
Sheringham
Hughes
Yorke
Cole
Saha
Cantona
Berbatov

All better strikers than Martial. Thats the problem now. We keep players way to long when they aren't good enough.
 
Those two chances he had tonight would've been buried by most of the top strikers we've had in the past 3 decades. That's the bar, that's the gold standard. Not good enough.
 
Martial reflects poorly on OGS as a coach and really poorly on OGS as a coach who was a top striker.

I doubt Martial will ever truly be good enough for us, at least not when holding him to perhaps a bygone standard, but I had hoped OGS would get more out of him, as there's so much that could be improved.

Take away the politics of the situation and their respective status at the club and Inghao would start.
 
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I don't think it's really fair to judge him when creativity has been a constant issue in the team for years and a successful cross isn't even a thing here.

I think with Pogba and Bruno our forwards will collectively benefit. We were also mostly flat across the park before the 60th min anyway.
 
He was the best forward of the three, so I'm not going to complain about him. He will score next game.
 
Martial was absolutely brutal today. He doesn't move. He ended up with a couple of chances because he happened to be standing (yes standing) at the right place at the right time. But he has to move. He has no footballing brain. Everything to him is played to feet. He doesn't see the space and make the runs into them. And what really had me fuming was when Bruno was chasing down defenders while Martial stood there and watched. He has all the talent in the world, but he has to work on his vision for reading where the ball is going to go, and he needs to work harder...
 
Yes and I'm holding onto the performances pre Covid. Do think though that when times play deep, we need other options. That said, the balls in from wide are shocking.
 
Sayros said:
He was the best forward of the three, so I'm not going to complain about him. He will score next game.
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Absolutely not. He was almost invisible in a game we have most of the play, and you just need to look at his movement off the ball to understand why. No anticipation whatsoever. He was good in february cirka, he needs to get his frontal lobes in gear.
 
I hardly knew he was in the game...he's like a ghost.
Ighalo to start, please!
 
Dislike him more with each game. He’s a winger, it’s obvious.

I feel like I’m being harsh but I just do not see any reason to keep him in the starting 11.

Without doubt I’d start Ighalo next game. Positioning is spot on for a no 9 and he can hold the ball.

There were times when the ball was lost by him and Bruno ran his guts out to press and try to win the ball back, with Martial just doing his usual leisurely stroll about the pitch.
 
Not surprised to see this thread filled with bile, think ill avoid the Martial threads.
 
Judas said:
Not often but he was given two brilliant chances, and the best strikers would have at least finished one of them. That's the major difference.
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Same as Rashford should have finished his? If I'm not mistaken, Martial is our most efficient player over the last 3/4 seasons. So, that's at least one thing I would never use against him --> His ability to combine with Rashford or James was subpar, same as his ability to involve himself in the game despite the lack of service..
 
Rashford can afford to miss a chance when he offers so much more during a game, its not even a debate. Martial is our striker, he's there to bury those chances.
 
Judas said:
Rashford can afford to miss a chance when he offers so much more during a game, its not even a debate. Martial is our striker, he's there to bury those chances.
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Just because it is easier to get involved in the game when playing on the wing, I would not say that he offers more as a whole. And again, judging Rashford/Martial against a defensive team and with minimal service is not fair. And they have different strengthss.
 
He's good so many good attributes but zero football brain. That's the biggest problem. #9 for a big club needs tact and guile to draw defenders, win penalty ect.. He's just doesn't have that.
 
I think it's harsh to criticise him too much for those chances, one was an unbelievable save by Lloris, have to give credit to the keeper. The other one was absolutely pinged at him by Bruno, even a top-class striker that's going to take a second or two to control and Dier gets back to make a good block. I don't think either of them are bad misses.

Martial is probably the best finisher in the squad. The issue would be that he doesn't make enough chances for himself, his movement can be lacking. Think he's getting better this season but still well off the top strikers in the world in that respect.
 
Leanshig said:
Those two chances he had tonight would've been buried by most of the top strikers we've had in the past 3 decades. That's the bar, that's the gold standard. Not good enough.
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But that's blatantly untrue, otherwise those strikers would score hundreds goals per seasons and we all know that they didn't.
 
I think he's a great player but I don't think he is a lone striker. He's a LF and the problem you have is that Rashford is also a LF/LW.
 
SilentWitness said:
I think he's a great player but I don't think he is a lone striker. He's a LF and the problem you have is that Rashford is also a LF/LW.
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Yep this is painfully obvious to me. He's not a lone striker, and I'm baffled how much time people are willing to give him to get comfortable at the role. Its just not for him, no shame in that, he's much better on the left, but Rashford is better. Neither are lone strikers.
 
SilentWitness said:
I think he's a great player but I don't think he is a lone striker. He's a LF and the problem you have is that Rashford is also a LF/LW.
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I don't think he's either.

He's a top class finisher, with poor instincts to dominate opponents from any position.

If you can somehow play him into situations where he doesn't need to outthink a defender, he'll score. The rest of the time, he gives you very little.

He's playing CF at the moment in order to distract defenders from Rashford and because he'll end up getting chances by default. But I don't think he's suited to the role at all. Unfortunately, it's a similar kind of story when he starts on the left when he needs to play off a CF who does most of the running for him.

I'm still hoping something clicks for him, because he has the difficult parts of his game sorted. It's the easy bits where he's lacking.
 
To be fair it was like first game of the season and it was impossible to play the way we were in March. Saying that Martial always blows hot and cold and as others have said, hes nowhere near the standard of striker we have had in the past. We are still 4-5 players away from challenging for the title and a wc striker or 2 is essential.
 
BAMSOLA said:
Ighalo needs to be starting, Martial needs to be taking notes on how to at least pose a threat over 90 mins.
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100% this. Ighalo should be leading the line and Rashford/Martial should be rotating with one or both on the field but from wide. Neither of them are physical enough, alert enough or canny enough to be the focal point of the attack.

Ighalo is at least capable of being a handful and occupying the main CD - Martial just stumbles around up front with his head down like an emo at a Cure concert for most of the game.
 
JPRouve said:
But that's blatantly untrue, otherwise those strikers would score hundreds goals per seasons and we all know that they didn't.
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Its painful isnt it? A world class save and a defender literally slides in to block his shot both on target. A left and right foot shot both at angles.

Literally 2 great defensive things where we would be complimenting the defenders than the attackers if it was our players but it isnt going to happen here.

Some people will just tactically always think that the number 9 should be blamed if we dont win the match when for nearly a decade the goals have come out wide for 3/4 of the teams of the world.

Pure delusion.

Ighalo is whack. Glad the guy didnt score, looking lost so only the newbies still sing his name about wishing he would start.
 
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