Martial as our 9

[finneh]

It was so refreshing to see a striker:

• Press the opposition goalkeeper
• Control the ball closely
• Run at pace at and across defenders
• Generally link up well with his teammates
• Be able to hold onto the ball and redistribute when pressed by opposition defenders

I don't know if he looks like a star; or whether it's just that we haven't had a player that combines these qualities up front since probably Tevez in 2007 or Rooney in his early twenties. Either way though it's really refreshing to see, with a bit of polishing who knows how good he could be (he already looks head and shoulders our best number 9).

 

[dannyrhinos89]

He falls over in a strange way when shielding the ball

I noticed that too, he fell over a hell of a lot last night but he gets right back up and somehow still has the ball at his feet.

If martial played for madrid or Barca right now he would be a very smart player with the type of runs messi, ronaldo, bale and neymar make. It's a shame we don't have anyone even slightly close to their level to take advantage of that side of his game.

Anywya remeber the lad can barely/if at all speak English, he's already so good without been able to communicate, when he picks up English then he will massively improve even more

 

[markhrad]

I feel sorry for Martial and Memphis, both are displaying great skill and a desire to link up. They should be the focus of our attack now and in the future, however, when Rooney comes back the link up play will disappear especially if Mata is also in the starting 11.
Rooney will not be dropped and any poor performances by him will be readily explained by his famous excuse of requiring a few games to get back on track.

 

[Sam]

Its just so nice having a #9 with a consistently good first touch. The amount of times the ball was pinged into him, and he killed it dead was really impressive. It makes such a difference to the fluidity and pace of the attack. We've missed that since RVP's first season.

Rooney, Falcao, Hernandez, RVP (last season)...none of them could do that.

 

[gerdm07]

He has a bright future which means United has a bright future. He played much better than I expected TBH. He seems to have a soccer brain to go with his skills.

 

[Borys]

Seems very sound technically when the ball is played on the ground. He also has great close control, not sure about his dribbling but that’s good enough to play a decent number of games for us this season IMO. Not convinced if I would start him against Southampton, he needs to be introduced wisely to the EPL which will be probably more difficult than Europe games (look at Memphis for example of that).

But I like how he runs with the ball, he seems to have it under control. If he continues like that, I believe he will be a great option to have on the bench at least.

 

[red_devil83]

First touch better than an elephant? Check
Wasn't shit? Check
Can hold the ball up? Check

He should start.

 

[Hammerfell]

He's got everything that you can't teach, which is fantastic. Once he's matured a bit and gains experience he'll be absolutely incredible. I'm so glad we have him, whatever the price paid was. I'd love to see him given a chance at 9 with Rooney behind him.

 

[Sam]

He has a bright future which means United has a bright future. He played much better than I expected TBH. He seems to have a soccer brain to go with his skills.

One of the things that stood out when watching his Monaco videos. Rather then running down blind alleys all the time, like a lot of youngsters do while still learning the game, he seems to have really good awareness of his teammates and a good picture of whats going on around him. He would pick a pass rather then go on his own if a teammate was in a better position. A bit like Rooney when he burst through in all honesty.

That kind of footballing brain is very hard to teach.

 

[markhrad]

I don't see why we should introduce him slowly, he has already shown he is good enough to start, besides we do not have a better No9. He is 19 not 16 or 17 so there is no need to worry about his body not being strong enough to face premier league defences.

 

[Rezyuz]

I don't think that's fair. He nearly always passed as opposed to shooting when the opportunity arose. In fact, he probably should have shot more. This describes Memphis but not Martial up to now. Unfocused passes/unnecessary ball loss was his biggest problem last night.

Martial lost the ball quite a few times last night trying to dribble past 2-3 defenders m8. Maybe you were grabbing a drink when it happened every time :P

He was actually the highest of the team, Memphis had 0 losses.

 

[Cheesy]

I don't see why we should introduce him slowly, he has already shown he is good enough to start, besides we do not have a better No9. He is 19 not 16 or 17 so there is no need to worry about his body not being strong enough to face premier league defences.

Yep, the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo were already regular players with us by the time they'd hit their late-teens. He doesn't seem to be particularly phased by the prospect of playing for us and has settled in well. If he's genuinely going to be a world class player, we should already be looking to give him as much playing time as possible in order to ensure he gets plenty of opportunities to display his talent.

 

[Trizy]

He needs to better in the air, he was dominated by the centerbacks in aerial duels.

Well, generally CBs are very good in the air. Not a worrying sign for a 19 year old who hasn't finished growing.

 

[Sandikan]

him and Memphis are definitely the future, but it's going to be too much to expect him to carry the attack on his own for a while.

can definitely see it developing soon to Rooney just off him.

 

[The Mitcher]

Well, generally CBs are very good in the air. Not a worrying sign for a 19 year old who hasn't finished growing.

I know, I'm just pointing out. He did very well to hold them off when passed to feet.

 

[ghagua]

Might sound strange, but it will take the pressure off him if he is starting most matches. If he is on the bench, people will keep bringing up his price tag. He has shown that he can play, consistency will come with playing more games and gaining experience from that.

 

[ivaldo]

Might sound strange, but it will take the pressure off him if he is starting most matches. If he is on the bench, people will keep bringing up his price tag. He has shown that he can play, consistency will come with playing more games and gaining experience from that.

The media were criticising his price tag before had even kicked a ball for us, if there's one thing journalists hate it's being proven wrong, so they'll take a dig at him whenever they can.

 

[Raoul]

Ruud approves

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/manchester-...ial-over-wayne-rooney-up-front-van-nistelrooy

 

[bosnian_red]

One of the things that stood out when watching his Monaco videos. Rather then running down blind alleys all the time, like a lot of youngsters do while still learning the game, he seems to have really good awareness of his teammates and a good picture of whats going on around him. He would pick a pass rather then go on his own if a teammate was in a better position. A bit like Rooney when he burst through in all honesty.

That kind of footballing brain is very hard to teach.

Good example of this was the time when he turned a defender, sprinted past a few players into the middle and then played in Young with a nice pass (who ruined it, but it was good play). Many players would keep going, or have a shot from range since it opened up, but he always plays with his head up and is very composed on the ball. He just seems to have a great set of skills to go along with his physical attributes.

 

[LawCharltonBest]

Play him but with Rooney behind.

All day

 

[surf]

He's actually younger than Wilson, I was surprised to learn.

 

[bugmat]

Martial lost the ball quite a few times last night trying to dribble past 2-3 defenders m8. Maybe you were grabbing a drink when it happened every time :P

He was actually the highest of the team, Memphis had 0 losses.

WEll taht can't be true - I saw Memphis lose more than zero balls last night!

 

[Getsme]

Honestly we need Rooney back ASAP.

Not because I think Martial was crap (he wasnt, thought he was really good) but because we need to be able to rotate him / rest him and not burn him out.

He's played a game and a half.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

He looks to have a lot about him, but it would be insane to expect him to lead the line in most games this season, to me he still looks very raw and quite right too, he misplaced quite a few passes last night, and didn't really look like scoring, but on he flip side he looks so strong for his age, and his pace is fantastic, he is clearly a work in progress still.

I would starting with Rooney with Martial on the bench would be the way to go initially, then bring him on 50-60 minutes in and drop Rooney into he number 10 role and see how it goes, his pace late in games could be decisive.

 

[Sam]

I think the whole 'he should't start to many games' line of thinking is quite OTT. He's 19 (20 in 3 months), not 17. I also think it comes from not knowing much about him, so therefore not expecting much. If he'd come from a lower PL team, I don't think they'd be anywhere near with much conservatism.

Just for reference, at 19 these are the amount of PL games the following players started -

Ronaldo - 25
Rooney - 24
Sterling - 34
Shaw - 35 (He was only 18)

People talking about him mainly being a sub and just coming into matches are being far to cautious imo. There's 34 PL games left to play, I don't think its unrealistic to expect him to start 20/25 of those.

 

[dsch]

First touch better than an elephant? Check
Wasn't shit? Check
Can hold the ball up? Check

He should start.

Spoiler

 

[Pexbo]

I think the whole 'he should't start to many games' line of thinking is quite OTT. He's 19 (20 in 3 months), not 17. I also think it comes from not knowing much about him, so therefore not expecting much. If he'd come from a lower PL team, I don't think they'd be anywhere near with much conservatism.

Just for reference, at 19 these are the amount of PL games the following players started -

Ronaldo - 25
Rooney - 24
Sterling - 34
Shaw - 35 (He was only 18)

People talking about him mainly being a sub and just coming into matches are being far to cautious imo. There's 34 PL games left to play, I don't think its unrealistic to expect him to start 20/25 of those.

All of whom had been playing at their clubs for over a year and already had at least season in the EPL behind them. (more in all but Ronaldo's case) . Not just transferred from a significantly weaker league.

 

[Sylar]

He's played a game and a half.

You guys realise weve got something like 5 games in 25 days right? And hes only 19? Theres a reason Fergie done so well with the likes of Giggs and Ronaldo (and why we didnt see them play every game at a young age).

Martial looks great but much like Memphis, we need to be resting them / rotating them now so they can come strong after Xmas. Its not rocket science (especially when we dont have any other strikers in Martials case)

^^

 

[Eckers99]

Strong, quick and linked up well. He's clearly going to be a top player. We need to play Rooney in behind him with Young and Memphis either side.

 

[Rezyuz]

WEll taht can't be true - I saw Memphis lose more than zero balls last night!

In a dribble without counting bad first touch/control he didn't apparently.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

I feel sorry for Martial and Memphis, both are displaying great skill and a desire to link up. They should be the focus of our attack now and in the future, however, when Rooney comes back the link up play will disappear especially if Mata is also in the starting 11.
Rooney will not be dropped and any poor performances by him will be readily explained by his famous excuse of requiring a few games to get back on track.

Martial and Memphis are fantastic, and could truly be something special, but their form will be all over the place this season, Memphis has scored three wonder goals in Europe but has been totally anonymous in the league, Martial looks to have it all but his form is bound to be erratic.

So the conclusion for me is that Rooney and Young should be the focus of our attack early season, and we should ease Memphis and Martial in from the bench, the impact of those two coming on when the opposition is knackered from our possession game could be perfect for building up their confidence, later in the season when they are more up to speed in the prem then start them.

Mata is all we've got on the right really so he's going nowhere, tbf though he's usually pretty good.

 

[Americano]

All of whom had been playing at their clubs for over a year and already had at least season in the EPL behind them. (more in all but Ronaldo's case) . Not just transferred from a significantly weaker league.

Come on now. How can Madrid decide to buy him if we don't play him every game?

 

[Blue always red]

Link-up play and runs are very good. Has good technique, would like to see him with Roon in behind.

 

[bugmat]

In a dribble without counting bad first touch/control he didn't apparently.

Well that's not fair is it? And he certainly loses the ball the most from tackles.

 

[Getsme]

^^

So just over a game a week, in most of those games he came on as a sub, he must be fecked.

 

[Sereques]

Martial and Memphis are fantastic, and could truly be something special, but their form will be all over the place this season, Memphis has scored three wonder goals in Europe but has been totally anonymous in the league, Martial looks to have it all but his form is bound to be erratic.

So the conclusion for me is that Rooney and Young should be the focus of our attack early season, and we should ease Memphis and Martial in from the bench, the impact of those two coming on when the opposition is knackered from our possession game could be perfect for building up their confidence, later in the season when they are more up to speed in the prem then start them.

Mata is all we've got on the right really so he's going nowhere, tbf though he's usually pretty good.

Nice idea but sorry, kids these days don't have time nonsense like that. If Shaw gets to start every game when fit, they deserve to start every game.

 

[itso 7]

Martial and Memphis are fantastic, and could truly be something special, but their form will be all over the place this season, Memphis has scored three wonder goals in Europe but has been totally anonymous in the league, Martial looks to have it all but his form is bound to be erratic.

So the conclusion for me is that Rooney and Young should be the focus of our attack early season, and we should ease Memphis and Martial in from the bench, the impact of those two coming on when the opposition is knackered from our possession game could be perfect for building up their confidence, later in the season when they are more up to speed in the prem then start them.

Mata is all we've got on the right really so he's going nowhere, tbf though he's usually pretty good.

Not having that because you know who else's form is erratic? Yeah you guessed right, Young and Rooney! Rather than splitting their quad I'd keep them together because Rooney and Young could counter balance the bad decisions Memphis and Martial are bound to make through inexperience. What we need most is for those senior players to step up and be counted otherwise we would better off just playing Rooney with the kids upfront; take the second step towards completely rebuilding our attack.

 

[United again!]

His hold up play was quite good, and his extra pace gives him a bit of an edge over Rooney. But I still see the same things that plague Rooney's game coming from the buildup play. The lack of any penetration through the midfield allowing the 9 to hold up the ball and play off as well as the quick interplay from the 9 which is met by the player starting a move just turning on it and passing backwards. Either player Rooney or Martial can play the 9 effectively but the lack of adventure from everyone around the area is absolutely crippling.

If you just watch the 9 when we play, even Rooney back through the previous games the service is like this "ere it is, oo na, oh maybe? na... give it? Na.. Yep this w- na... Okay okay here it- Na.. haha Ok here it is.." and by that time the 9 has run around in bloody circles trying to read the minds of the other attackers in the move before they've even made up their mind what they're going to do with the ball themselves. It is just such an ineffective way to orchestrate the attack. And even on occasion Martial was dancing around in circles trying to work out when the pass is coming.

 

[MrSingh2002]

Watched a clip last night on all of his touches in the game and I'm defo impressed. Speed and his first touch are big strengths.

 

[ivaldo]

His hold up play was quite good, and his extra pace gives him a bit of an edge over Rooney. But I still see the same things that plague Rooney's game coming from the buildup play. The lack of any penetration through the midfield allowing the 9 to hold up the ball and play off as well as the quick interplay from the 9 which is met by the player starting a move just turning on it and passing backwards. Either player Rooney or Martial can play the 9 effectively but the lack of adventure from everyone around the area is absolutely crippling.

If you just watch the 9 when we play, even Rooney back through the previous games the service is like this "ere it is, oo na, oh maybe? na... give it? Na.. Yep this w- na... Okay okay here it- Na.. haha Ok here it is.." and by that time the 9 has run around in bloody circles trying to read the minds of the other attackers in the move before they've even made up their mind what they're going to do with the ball themselves. It is just such an ineffective way to orchestrate the attack. And even on occasion Martial was dancing around in circles trying to work out when the pass is coming.

Not having that, Rooney doesn't have the capability to hold the ball up anymore and Im flummoxed when I hear he hasn't had any service. He could easily have 4/5 Goals this season but his finishing has been sorely lacking. Hopefully, with a strong focal point like Martial up top, we're going to have the opportunities for our wide men to get beyond our central striker, at the moment it's a bloody miracle if Rooney takes a ball into his feet first time.

That isn't to say we've been creating a lot but Rooney has been a big, big factor in that.