[tenpoless]

It almost felt like He tried not to score. A bit weird finishing..

 

[TheFlagStaysDown]

I defend him a lot but whenever he gets 1v1 he shits his pants. Never a top atriker for me, should be playing as wide striker or LW or a second striker. He’s got good dribble, wicked shot and a pass but he can’t be a main striker. He’s just instinctive finisher, think lingard woukd finish it better tbh

 

[JohnnyLaw]

I thought he was hands down Englands best player yesterday even with the misses. The main thing is that even when he fecks up, he never ever stops trying, running and getting himself involved. It's not overconfidence but he has sheer determination which will eventually pay off I feel, as long as he keeps managing himself properly.
I can definitely see him becoming a great striker eventually if he wants it, he has every attribute he needs.
It's difficult these days when most teams only utilize the one center forward. It's a high pressure position and you really need a bit of everything to Be succesful at it. The likes of Rooney and Ibrahimovic took a long time before they started scoring regularly rather than spectacularly, and if it hadn't been more of the norm back then to play with two strikers they'd probably struggle too having to compete with the likes of Del Piero and Van Nistelrooy, rather than complementing them.
Probably not a good thing to compare players today to 10 years ago but I think Rashford actually contributes even more effectively in terms of goals/assists compared to Rooney at the same age.

 

[Reiliano]

it'll all come together. People need to calm down, he puts the work in.

Ronaldo was terrible at finishing and had terrible decision making at rashfords age

 

[KM]

Someone should sit Marcus down and explain to him that he should never take another free kick.
Its a complete waste.

He only took free kick tonight and that was quite okay? The rest of the set pieces were taken by TAA.

Bad game yesterday. A good performance would've meant more pressure on Southgate as Sterling has been bad too but Sterling for now keeps his place.

 

[K2K]

Sterling is the better player and should be starting.

Also helps shield a young player that is still inconsistent from inevitable abuse when England eventually loses.

 

[ivaldo]

Sterling is the better player and should be starting.

Also helps shield a young player that is still inconsistent from inevitable abuse when England eventually loses.

Think Rashford provides more for England.

 

[AndyJ1985]

He's hopeless when he starts games. Much better as a sub against tired legs.

 

[Rednotdead]

Perhaps at this stage Rashford needs to concentrate more on perfecting the basics of the game and less on the flicks and tricks.

The very fact that he can't displace Sterling, who has scored only 2 goals in 40 games for England, should tell him something about his own level of performance.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

Remember when he first broke on the scene, if he got 1 on 1 like he did last night you could bet your house on him tucking it away. Now I wouldn’t bet a twix on it. What the hell has happened to him? He looked a natural finisher with great instincts and movement, now he is none of things.
Maybe a loan spell somewhere where he could play up top regularly might do him some good, get his game in order as it still looks like he is trying way too hard. Needs to stop that and let the game come to him.

 

[breakout67]

Southgate is killing Rashford's confidence with his negative tactics and favouritism of Sterling.

whitetext

 

[MadMike]

I think people here are being overly harsh.

I thought it was a good performance from Rashford considering there was feck all service. In possession he looked tidy without forcing it and he constantly ran in-behind the defence but the delivery was severely lacking. TAA, Rose and RLC and Delph failed to provide any sort of ammunition.

Yeah he should have buried his chance. If he had it would have been a very good performance. Now it obviously isn’t but it’s not shite either.

I think people here are forgetting Sterling tripping over himself with a gaping empty net or sending the ball straight at the goalie from 3 yards out unmarked and the goalie scrambling.

 

[roonster09]

I think people here are being overly harsh.

I thought it was a good performance from Rashford considering there was feck all service. In possession he looked tidy without forcing it and he constantly ran in-behind the defence but the delivery was severely lacking. TAA, Rose and RLC and Delph failed to provide any sort of ammunition.

Yeah he should have buried his chance. If he had it would have been a very good performance. Now it obviously isn’t but it’s not shite either.

I think people here are forgetting Sterling tripping over himself with a gaping empty net or sending the ball straight at the goalie from 3 yards out unmarked and the goalie scrambling.

Yeah, agree with this. He had a good game except 1 missed chance.

 

[Dundrummer]

Think Rashford provides more for England.

Neither of them have ever done anything of note for England, 5 goals in 60 caps between them. Neither should be starting.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I think people here are being overly harsh.

I thought it was a good performance from Rashford considering there was feck all service. In possession he looked tidy without forcing it and he constantly ran in-behind the defence but the delivery was severely lacking. TAA, Rose and RLC and Delph failed to provide any sort of ammunition.

Yeah he should have buried his chance. If he had it would have been a very good performance. Now it obviously isn’t but it’s not shite either.

I think people here are forgetting Sterling tripping over himself with a gaping empty net or sending the ball straight at the goalie from 3 yards out unmarked and the goalie scrambling.

He wasted possession a lot. Didn’t pass the ball at all well IMO. Set the scene with a massively overhit pass to Vardy in the fist minute and never really recovered from that.

 

[11101]

Yep. He has a good striking technique but he loses all composure when through on goal like that.

Every time he goes across the face of goal, from either side. It must be easy preparing against him as a keeper. You know what he will do every time. Let's see him go to the near post or even try to take it round the keeper.

 

[Utdstar01]

Felt for sure he was gonna try and take that 1v1 around courtois and pass it into the net.

 

[Ekeke]

Rashford needs to be playing up front regularly if thats his position

 

[Dundrummer]

Rashford needs to be playing up front regularly if thats his position

Not a chance in hell of that happening though is there?

He's basically an exact re-run of Welbeck at this stage. Come through as a forward, look very promising, get shunted out wide to make space for a big name signing (RVP/Ibra), look okayish as a wide player but start getting a reputation as a poor finisher, stop playing almost entirely because of another big name signing (Mata/Sanchez).

I just hope we don't tell this one he's not good enough for us and then see him sign for a better team...

 

[11101]

Rashford needs to be playing up front regularly if thats his position

Yeah that's not going to happen with his finishing rate. He is not clinical enough by a long stretch. He's either happy to play second fiddle to Lukaku, he goes to a mid table club that is ok with 10 goals a season, or he adapts to playing as a wide forward or winger.

I hope it's the latter.

 

[Zlatattack]

It's only 1 game, he got himself into good position time after time but he has to start finishing chances again. If you want to be a starter at Manchester United, you either need to have a nuclear device strapped to Mourinhos family (like Fellaini) or you have to take your chances up front.

 

[red4ever 79]

Dreadful. Should be nowhere near a starting place at international level. It's Kane or bust for England. How poor are the selections of strikers for England. Go back to Euro 96, Shearer, Fowler, Sherringham, Cole, Wright, Collymore

 

[Ekeke]

Not a chance in hell of that happening though is there?

He's basically an exact re-run of Welbeck at this stage. Come through as a forward, look very promising, get shunted out wide to make space for a big name signing (RVP/Ibra), look okayish as a wide player but start getting a reputation as a poor finisher, stop playing almost entirely because of another big name signing (Mata/Sanchez).

I just hope we don't tell this one he's not good enough for us and then see him sign for a better team...

There could be but yes its unlikely. We could play 2 up front against the weaker teams, Martial and Rashford (maybe Lingard) could compete for the spot next to Lukaku. Keep them in the goals and their striker senses sharp.

He's never going to be a proper wide player, he looked a talent with his speed and finishing when he first came through and its time to develop that or it may not happen for him.

 

[ivaldo]

Neither of them have ever done anything of note for England, 5 goals in 60 caps between them. Neither should be starting.

Who would you start?

 

[SouthPredators4]

He is a good young player who is given plenty of chances to develop. However, his successes today is due to his fantastic work ethics since his debut but lets not overrate him. Nobody except DDG is undroppable and being local or young does not mean being judge differently. We need to be ruthless like Real Madrid. They had Asensio, Vazquez, Llorente, Hernandez, Ceballos, Mayoral which are amazing young talents and yet continue to buy top tier players. That way, nobody takes their place for granted and only the finest get into the 11. Continue to bring in young players without compromising on our successes and whoever fade away would seek new careers with smaller clubs. That should be the M.O for a club like ours.

 

[Adisa]

We have two young talents with absolutely woeful game intelligence.

 

[Ekeke]

He is a good young player who is given plenty of chances to develop. However, his successes today is due to his fantastic work ethics since his debut but lets not overrate him. Nobody except DDG is undroppable and being local or young does not mean being judge differently. We need to be ruthless like Real Madrid. They had Asensio, Vazquez, Llorente, Hernandez, Ceballos, Mayoral which are amazing young talents and yet continue to buy top tier players. That way, nobody takes their place for granted and only the finest get into the 11. Continue to bring in young players without compromising on our successes and whoever fade away would seek new careers with smaller clubs. That should be the M.O for a club like ours.

I mean if it works sure. It works for Madrid.

For example they sold Carvajal, he developed in Germany as one of the better attacking fullbacks and they bought him back after 1 season, ready to play for the national team.

If you can do that without the player wanting to join a different big team because you didnt stick with them the first time then great.

 

[Zoo]

We have two young talents with absolutely woeful game intelligence.

A bit harsh.

 

[JPRouve]

We have two young talents with absolutely woeful game intelligence.

We have two young players that should have played twice as much because that's how you develop game intelligence. United has not been the best place for them in the last two years, the club's short term ambition and their long term development don't match.

 

[Ekeke]

We have two young players that should have played twice as much because that's how you develop game intelligence. United has not been the best place for them in the last two years, the club's short term ambition and their long term development don't match.

I kinda agree, but at the beginning I seem to remember Mourinho starting Martial and Rashford plenty although on the wings. They werent really performing well enough. If anything I'd say he might have persisted with them a bit too long, Martial especially. Since then Martial fell out of favour but returned to some decent form at times last season.

I'd say the key is being willing to keep giving chances to young players, take them out and put them back in at the right times not always playing them through poor form which is what he was doing at first. And now maybe they don't get as many chances to get back into the team as they should.

 

[DownRiver]

He is so frustrating because he looked a completely different player Vs Costa Rica. Putting lack of service to one side, he was very flat footer Vs Belgium. He never tried to run and close down like in Costa Rica. He didn't have the swagger I saw Vs Costa Rica. It's as if something was on his mind. Was it because of the injury? Maybe a confidence loss due to Sterling picked over him in two straight games?

I really did want him to start ahead of Sterling, but now I feel he should come on and impact the game from the bench when opposition is tired. He is too inconsistant to start games.

 

[Dundrummer]

Who would you start?

Honestly, Welbeck. If England are gonna play two strikers and no other outright attackers then they need to be players who can score goals for England. Kane is obviously one, and Welbeck edges Vardy because he's better at being a second striker and has a better record.

Vardy and Kane is one of those 'sounds good on paper but football isn't played on paper' situations. But sadly everyone and their dog has decided Welbeck is shite now, so the manager would be risking ridicule by picking the only other player in the squad who can actually score goals for his team, and Southgate is an obvious coward.

Or he could scrap this daft formation and play to their actual strengths, but that would require him to stop huffing his own farts.

 

[Herald]

It almost felt like He tried not to score. A bit weird finishing..

It's always about the same with him and Lingard, they will produce some wonder goals from time to time like Welbeck did. But they are not reliable and they are not going to be - squad players at maximum.

 

[JPRouve]

I kinda agree, but at the beginning I seem to remember Mourinho starting Martial and Rashford plenty although on the wings. They werent really performing well enough. If anything I'd say he might have persisted with them a bit too long, Martial especially. Since then Martial fell out of favour but returned to some decent form at times last season.

I'd say the key is being willing to keep giving chances to young players, take them out and put them back in at the right times not always playing them through poor form which is what he was doing at first. And now maybe they don't get as many chances to get back into the team as they should.

It's when they are bad that they need to play, that's when they learn how to elevate their floor, that's when they are given the opportunity to find the solutions to their individual struggles. Being bad happens to all players but veterans are given the opportunity to find the answers, just look at RVP during his first season for us or Evra and Vidic. You can't expect a player to develop mentally, when you put them out of games at the one time where they will actually learn something.

And I suspect that the idea behind Mourinho's appointment was to win quickly after basically wasting 3 years on Moyes and LVG. And the reality is that if we look at things beyond short term, Mourinho is also learning, he has to solve problems that he didn't had before like how to develop talented players that he might not need right now but will in 3 or 4 years.

 

[ivaldo]

Honestly, Welbeck. If England are gonna play two strikers and no other outright attackers then they need to be players who can score goals for England. Kane is obviously one, and Welbeck edges Vardy because he's better at being a second striker and has a better record.

Vardy and Kane is one of those 'sounds good on paper but football isn't played on paper' situations. But sadly everyone and their dog has decided Welbeck is shite now, so the manager would be risking ridicule by picking the only other player in the squad who can actually score goals for his team, and Southgate is an obvious coward.

Or he could scrap this daft formation and play to their actual strengths, but that would require him to stop huffing his own farts.

That's because he is shit. It's bizzare you'd decide Welbeck (did you see his 'attempt' last night?) would be a better selection. Frankly, he shouldn't even be in the squad.

I haven't been a great admirer of Southgate, but for the players we have available this is the best formation. We don't have the midfielders to dominate games, so an additional centteback means we can take advantage of our wingbacks, both of whom have excellent delivery.

 

[Di Maria's angel]

He was shit. No sugar coating that performance. However, it wasn't his normal super-selfish type performance. Genuinely seemed less interested in doing everything on his own. I will also add that everyone was shit and that the midfielders were awful beyond belief. Yesterday actually highlights the importance of Henderson - if, if, England are to win the WC, he'll play a huge role.

 

[Dundrummer]

That's because he is shit. It's bizzare you'd decide Welbeck (did you see his 'attempt' last night?) would be a better selection. Frankly, he shouldn't even be in the squad.

You mean the attempt where he went closer to equalising than any other player only to be stopped by Fellaini's outsized limbs? He's patently not shit, and he's in the squad for a very obvious reason.

England have created about four opportunities outside of set plays all tournament, and if they're gonna insist on this daft formation they'll be going out very soon if they keep playing forwards who can't score goals.

 

[ivaldo]

You mean the attempt where he went closer to equalising than any other player only to be stopped by Fellaini's outsized limbs? He's patently not shit, and he's in the squad for a very obvious reason.

England have created about four opportunities outside of set plays all tournament, they're gonna go out very soon if they keep playing Rashford or Sterling as forwards.

Nah, his attempt to flick it around the corner and he managed to find the steward. Another one to add to his growing collection. With the space and time he had in the box he should've done better with the one Fellaini blocked, too.

Just a few posts earlier you compare Rashford to Welbeck as a criticism! And by using those same international stats Peter Crouch was one of the most lethal international strikers the world has known.

There's a reason he was sold for peanuts, and a reason why Arsenal were the only ones in for them.

You're going to find few who agree that Welbeck should be starting for England.

 

[Adisa]

We have two young players that should have played twice as much because that's how you develop game intelligence. United has not been the best place for them in the last two years, the club's short term ambition and their long term development don't match.

Agree completely.

 

[breakout67]

We have two young players that should have played twice as much because that's how you develop game intelligence. United has not been the best place for them in the last two years, the club's short term ambition and their long term development don't match.

Martial and Rashford should have played over 4500 minutes each this season? What are you smoking and why do you want us to be battling with Chelsea and Arsenal for Europa League places?