must be more to it cause it’s baffling that he gets away with it, if I’m a teammate I’d be furious every time he shirks a tackle or does that thing of purposely jumping under the ball to avoid challenging in the air
10
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 56
- Goals
- 30
- Assists
- 9
- Yellow cards
- 2
- Status
You could stick prime Messi up top for us today and he'd have done nothing.
He should only be playing in easier fixtures. Injuries and a lack of depth and quality is making us rely on him to play that centre forward role and it just doesn't suit him.
Is that why Martial scored two?
He wasn't on the pitch whilst City were up for it and Martial is much more attuned to playing as a number 9.
Rashford is a wide attacker, pretty obvious we weren't going to be building attacks with his hold up play and City nullified our passes in the channels for him to run onto. But feel free to carry on blaming him for filling in as best he can.
I agree those gaps in defences was like watching the Bundesliga
I would rather have the current Berbatov than Rashford. At least once you get the ball to him, he is going to control it.
There's a chance, a small one but a chance, that if Martial can get going up front that Rashford might kick back into something resembling decent form on the left. They've always linked well and it would get Rashford away from striker where he's absolutely terrible. The couple of times he has looked decent this season have been when he's moved over to the left.
Of course I would say the exact same thing about Sancho. They both need that central focus point to play with, and Martial is the only player in the squad capable of playing that role.
Of course I would say the exact same thing about Sancho. They both need that central focus point to play with, and Martial is the only player in the squad capable of playing that role.
This is the Rashford performance thread. Most players were shite and it's said so in their performance threads. Rashford was shite so why it's said here.
Berbatov drove me bananas but I'd take him over Rashford, even at Berbatov's worst.
Imagine Berba playing out as a wide attacker, horses for courses. Both better in their natural positions.
He’s the Trent Alexander-Arnold of the forward position.
Abysmal performance. Passed the ball straight to City players. Even when City made an error, he couldn't take advantage. Complete lack of understanding between Rashford and Fernandes as to who was marking which City player, allowing them to advance up the pitch unchallenged.
Was absolute dogshit today.
To be fair as he was most of last season too.
I agree, just giving him the benefit due to his performance in the arsenal game.
One trick pony, running onto through balls or an absolute waste of a shirt!
I didn't understand why everyone talked him up as a Nr. 9 because of his Goals vs Arsenal and Liverpool. He scored all three goals playing from the left wing ffs...
His best position is from the left. He should play there or not.
His best position is from the left. He should play there or not.
All of the counter attacking opportunities were snuffed out so quickly in the first half and he just didn't offer anything. When he's off form he's dreadful. I just can't see him as a number 9 and influencing the game enough.
That implies he’s good at stuff not typically associated with the position he plays. Whereas he’s absolutely dreadful at any of the stuff you would expect midfielders or defenders to be good at.
Although the analogy works better with how bad he is at his core duties…
Rashford doesn't have the finesse, strength or composure to lead the line and I don't think Ten Hag can mould him into a bonafide striker.
Ronaldo should have came on when we went 2-0 and it was clear rashford wasnt working centrally, and moved to the left and sancho subbed.
Ronaldo should have came on when we went 2-0 and it was clear rashford wasnt working centrally, and moved to the left and sancho subbed.
Ronaldo isn't the answer to anything anymore, least of all that type of game.
Martial could have been, but who knows how many minutes he had in his legs.
Mou knew you couldn't turn Rashford into a 9 and he was right. He is great on the counter but apart from that he doesn't have what is needed to lead the line. Try him on the left again with Martial up front.
Yeah true. The similarities most striking to me, though, are the seemingly arrogant low levels of effort displayed when the circumstances aren’t exactly catering to the very specific and few things they are good at.
He's still more of a striker than rashford, and who knows maybe man city would have done an arsenal and pushed up higher thinking ronaldo pace isn't a threat leading to rashford being able to exploit the left.
Martial was not match fit but rashford can't be an option as a striker he doesn't have the brains or attributes to pull it off. Not getting a proper striker in the summer is going to cost us big time.
The ball wouldn't have bounced off him and he would have been a lot more dangerous. You seriously underrate how amazing was in comparison to Rashford
Many here don’t really understand football. He could put up that performance 5 times in a row but if he did it while scoring an open tap in then it would be “well he just knows how to score goals and that’s the strikers job”.
Guy isn’t good, and his fabled “great runs in behind” are amateur level when you watch a striker like Haaland that actually has an idea of how to bend and time his runs properly instead of just taking off
Was like playing with 10 men. Never play CF again
Pretty obvious one of the best players of all time would have been better. But having Iniesta & Xavi supplying excellent service would help any player on the planet. Pretty sure they'd have made Marcus look better than Bruno, McTommy & Eriksen managed. He needs to be running onto decent passes in the channels, something he was not supplied with today. But again still he's not a striker and it's not his fault he's being played there. Hopefully when him and Martial are in tandem again we'll see a lot of goals for the team. Then it'll be up to the defenders, keeper and midfielders to do their jobs.
How can anyone criticise Rashford in the Rashford thread because LOOKSOMETHINGELSEISHAPPENINGOVERTHERE is beyond me. Our fans are the worst
But unlike Rashford, Messi would control the ball and the inability to control the ball causes our team to be in trouble. He is a one trick pony who can only run to through balls. Don't forget Messi is fairly good in heading the ball too. Unlike Rashford who does not even make an attempt. If he was making an effort yet failing, then people would understand it more. Not being arsed about it is the biggest issue with him.
His core duties as a wide forward are finishing, making runs in behind, and squaring/crossing the ball, and he's very good at 2/3 of those, and in form he can do some decent passing too.
He's not a 9. His only good run there came when he first broke through.
He was back to his usual self today . He made Ake look like a Ball carrying midfielder to be fair to him.
Inverted wide forwards are supposed to be heavily involved in all their team’s attacking play. Accurate passing, clever movement and quality on the ball should be a given. Along with putting a shift in. Making life hard for opposition defenders and winning the ball back when we lose it.
He produces all the above so infrequently I’m starting to wonder if he’ll ever cut it at the level this team aspires to reach. Lack of effort aside, his touch and short passing today was diabolical.
I think his pace and finishing mean he is a 25-30 G+A/season player.
Like with Bruno, the question is if his productivity can make up for the shortcomings. In Rashford's case, I think a weakness at LW can be carried because of the potential damage he can do, and his pace, which the rest of the team lacks. Unlike with Bruno vs big teams, where the weakness is in the middle of the pitch, and that's hard to hide.
He's done a TON of damage from the left in big games- City, Liverpool, and PSG previously, and Liverpool this season. That's the way to use him and judge him.
Lazy with his pressing today. Yet the few times he did put some effort in, he almost got something. Frustrating, though he was not the only member of the front three to just stand there when city was dawdling with the ball outside their own half, but he was the worst offender because he was the closest to make something happen and triggering a press. I understand he is covering for Martial, but the least he can do is put in the effort.
Can you think of any other wide forwards at big/successful teams who doesn’t bring much to the party other than pace and finishing?
I can’t think of any. I’m not even sure his finishing is all that special. When did he last score a header?
I think you're right about only one of Rashford or Bruno. You can't have two players so loose with their passing.
I'd be inclined to go with Bruno though. He's just got more quality, he's shown it more recently.
And if one had to be sold, I think Rashford gets you more cash.
Unless you're thinking of Ronaldo, wide forwards don't usually score headers.
Mbappe is the extreme version of Rashford. Unreal pace, that makes the rest of his game work.
I haven't watched enough Liverpool to be sure about this, but pace and finishing were definitely Mane's strengths, and he seemed to be good but not great at everything else.
Yes, he would have no place at City or Bayern. But apart from Martinez and maybe the Dortmund version of Sancho, no one else would either.
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