[ghaliboy]

You can see he's in a hole mentally. But I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing but I think you can see he's trying his hardest to climb out of it. Whereas I think two years ago he'd have been happy to accept the bag and move on after a performance like this. If I was to say I was worried about him at the moment I don't know what it would mean, at the back end of last season I said you would have to be absolutely wary of a breakdown from him going into the new season with Martial as the main striker. I thought the plaudits over a performance lift of a couple of months after lockdown that were portrayed as 'brilliant playing of the forward role' and probably measured more like an "okay there might be something here, we work on this over the next few seasons" it still had me very skeptical going into this season.

I think as his career continues to develop the shuffling around of positions is starting to hinder him. I'd much prefer him to go in as a forward or on the left and stay there and come in and out of the side when form dictates. But on the gigantic briefcase he's sitting on, man managing that is next to impossible. As long as we're winning we can carry this, but I think some introspection from Martial is required here. A goal or two in honesty here is sorely needed.

 

[Womp]

There were people a few years ago laughing at me and a few others who rated Rashford higher, claiming he would be the better player purely due to the improvements they were making to their game and the mentality. Marcus is now clearly the better player and is only improving. Martial needs to go, I can't think of a single aspect of his game he has improved since he's got here, if anything, I'd say he's regressed in some areas. He will never be good enough to be our starting striker - that will be Mason or another top player moving forward imo and he isn't nearly as impactful as Marcus when playing off the left.

I think he'd do well at a smaller club that didn't have so much expectation where he could play through these periods, without having so much competition. He's a very good talent and for that reason alone, he will always be a good player, but we simply need better.

 

[Tapori]

Time is ticking on his OT career. Hope he finds how to solve whatever is troubling him.

 

[Tapori]

You can see he's in a hole mentally. But I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing but I think you can see he's trying his hardest to climb out of it. Whereas I think two years ago he'd have been happy to accept the bag and move on after a performance like this. If I was to say I was worried about him at the moment I don't know what it would mean, at the back end of last season I said you would have to be absolutely wary of a breakdown from him going into the new season with Martial as the main striker. I thought the plaudits over a performance lift of a couple of months after lockdown that were portrayed as 'brilliant playing of the forward role' and probably measured more like an "okay there might be something here, we work on this over the next few seasons" it still had me very skeptical going into this season.

I think as his career continues to develop the shuffling around of positions is starting to hinder him. I'd much prefer him to go in as a forward or on the left and stay there and come in and out of the side when form dictates. But on the gigantic briefcase he's sitting on, man managing that is next to impossible. As long as we're winning we can carry this, but I think some introspection from Martial is required here. A goal or two in honesty here is sorely needed.

Good post. Fanboys/haters will be confused.

You'll be surprised how much mentality affects performance at the highest level.

 

[poleglass red]

That was as bad as a performance from a utd player as I've seen in years. No passion, no heart and most of all no ability. The game changed when he got injured.

 

[Devil may care]

I'm sure some see me as a Martial defender as I do feel he gets unfair heat quite often, but he was shite today, no argument.

 

[Yakuza_devils]

I think he lacks football intelligent which is the hardest if not impossible to learn.

With all the talents he has he can't bring up his game to another level for 5 years here.

He played best when LVG was here because the whole set up of the team was very rigid and organised. Hence, Martial didn't need to think or use football intelligent to play well.

 

[tjb]

People mistake being able to dribble occasionally in tight spaces and having a decent shooting technique as world class. There are so many other aspects of his game that are missing. It's the reason why people always seem to think he's technically better than rashford, which isn't actually true. His game may seem more pleasing to the eye, but rashford has soo much more in his locker. Rashford can tear teams apart in a game, Martial can only make one or two moments in a game even when on form. It's ridiculous. He's not going to be Henry or anything near that. He's essentially a player with all flash and no substance, who doesn't even have that flash the majority of the time.

 

[Sylar]

He had one good moment the whole game but yikes he was not good. Everything seemed to bounce off him

The issue we have is he seems to always want the ball to feet and doesn't make enough of those unselfish runs which can stretch play, and might not see him get the ball but create space for somebody else

We looked better once he came off
I think he badly needs a goal (from open play) but that could be a while

 

[Morpheus 7]

He's having a poor season, things just don't seem to be improving this season for him. Martial was inconsistent, now he's just poor. Questions need to be asked in the summer if he can't turn it around. I have no issue with him as a bit part player, sub. If he wants to lead the line and play regular, he can't perform like this at United. The comparisons between Rashford and Martial need to stop too. One is 23 and the other 25, Rashford gives the team so much more. He contributes when he's playing bad. Martial just sulks and goes missing, his game needs to improve. Even Martial FC have silent. They need another screamer of a goal to mask a run of games of nothing.

 

[Freak]

He’s a liability these days.

 

[tenpoless]

At his best : The next Henry
At his worst : Danny Welbeck

 

[White Fury]

Another invisible performance. Its like playing with 10 men when hes on the pitch. Dont think he can turn it around, looks like hes donezo at this club.

 

[2cents]

Any news on his injury?

 

[Bwuk]

He’s a good player but he’s struggling for confidence.

Last season the chance vs PSG would of went in. That’s the difference. He needs a goal, and badly.

 

[MemphisDepay]

At his best : The next Henry
At his worst : Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck would always run his socks off and work for the team.

 

[BenitoSTARR]

Without question a poor performance from him.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

He’s a strange character. One moment he was hobbling around looking as though he’d done his groin, then he seemed to miraculously recover for a few minutes before he was subbed off. Definitely a head game for him. When he’s full of confidence he’s sensational but that doesn’t happen often enough and when he’s not feeling it he’s a complete liability. Hopefully the sports psychologists at the club are working overtime with him.

 

[arthurka]

25 years old and still waiting.
I would like to point out that we scored 3 goals in 15 minutes after Mata came on for him..

 

[Stretfordender]

Get him gone, his performances are setting the tone for this united team. He has one good game every five and usually that’s against one of the lesser teams. Adds sweet FA to the team, he’s lazy, absolutely no movement in him whatsoever, body language is terrible and he has no work ethic. In no way is he a team player. Quicker we get rid of this liability the more consistent the team we will be.

 

[Borys]

Seriously, what happened to him? He didn't suffer any injury over the summer did he?
Less composed than 19 years old Greenwood.
Slower than 87 years old Cavani.

Shocking game from him, looks like a guy who needs a break from sport on professional level.

 

[AshRK]

He needs some goals to get started again. The misses for United and france have not helped him this season. He is always a confidence player who lacks elite mentality. I still think he has a place in our team but he cannot afford such a shit season if he wants to be here for long term.

 

[Luminous Lizard]

Martial has always been one of my favourite players but he’s been so poor this season.

No movement, no hold up and no link up play. He only looks reasonable when he’s got the ball to feet running at someone but that doesn’t happen often enough either.

 

[Hurumhende]

Martial needs a spell on the bench or a role coming off the bench for now. His current form, combined with a starting role, is not doing his confidence any favors.

His near-post defending at corners is also a cause for concern - he would have at least challenged Rice for that header if he had correctly anticipated the ball's trajectory (and not moved forward) and not forgetting his recent own goal from a similar position.

His weak hold up play is frequently targeted by opponents, especially because they know he won't fully track back once dispossessed.

 

[GlasgowCeltic]

He likes to play football, and he’s brilliant at it, but he’s not desperate to score or to win, and he’s thin skinned when it comes to having direct competition.

 

[Falcow]

Though he had finally turned that corner after having a very good season last year but it's all gone wrong for him this season, yesterday was easily his worst performance.

I'm hoping he can go on a run over Christmas which will be a crucial period for us. As for longer term, well he really needed to build on last season but has gone backwards unfortunately. He is just not a lead the line striker, I think that left slot in a three is his best position but he is not even justifying that at the moment.

He is the same age now as Rooney was in 2010....Ronaldo had already spent a season in Madrid at this age. In other words if it hasn't happened for him by now, its probably not going to.

 

[eire-red]

People mistake being able to dribble occasionally in tight spaces and having a decent shooting technique as world class. There are so many other aspects of his game that are missing. It's the reason why people always seem to think he's technically better than rashford, which isn't actually true. His game may seem more pleasing to the eye, but rashford has soo much more in his locker. Rashford can tear teams apart in a game, Martial can only make one or two moments in a game even when on form. It's ridiculous. He's not going to be Henry or anything near that. He's essentially a player with all flash and no substance, who doesn't even have that flash the majority of the time.

I've been very critical of him this season, but I think that assessment is overly harsh on him. At the moment he is offering nothing to the team, can't argue with that.

But after the restartast last season he was electric. I felt that every time he got the ball he would do something. His goal and assist against Southampton were top class, the hat trick against Sheffield as well. He was contributing in games he wasn't scoring in as well, like Villa away. That's the most frustrating thing, because for all the world it looked like Martial was ready to fill the boots of a proper No. 9 to lead the line.

On his day, he's just as devastating as Rashford. God knows what has gone wrong with him, but he needs to sort himself out ASAP because if we want to have any sort of title push this season, or a run in the CL, we need him firing on all cylinders like he was towards the back end of last season.

Is he the long term answer? Probably not. But he was probably our most consistent performer last season. I think we'll eventually replace him with a top CF, or Greenwood will take the role eventually, but he's still an asset to the team.

 

[Sylar]

At his best : The next Henry
At his worst : Danny Welbeck

Danny Welbeck would always run his socks off and work for the team.

Agree with @MemphisDepay
Welbeck would still make runs, create space the majority of the time when things aren't going well. I mean the end product would be bad but he would make unselfish runs too (maybe I'm being selective in my memory though)

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Though he had finally turned that corner after having a very good season last year but it's all gone wrong for him this season, yesterday was easily his worst performance.

I'm hoping he can go on a run over Christmas which will be a crucial period for us. As for longer term, well he really needed to build on last season but has gone backwards unfortunately. He is just not a lead the line striker, I think that left slot in a three is his best position but he is not even justifying that at the moment.

He is the same age now as Rooney was in 2010....Ronaldo had already spent a season in Madrid at this age. In other words if it hasn't happened for him by now, its probably not going to.

I don’t think we should get hung up on his age. Lots of players don’t ‘click’ until a bit later in their career. I think what’s more relevant is that he’s in his 6th season at the club.

he’s clearly had an appalling start to the season, poor form, nibbling injuries and that suspension have all been a perfect storm.

the fact we have done ok, without our first choice no 9, is good news for our strength in depth, and when he regains some semblance of form, that will be of benefit to the club.

When he has done better this season, it’s been in a supporting role.

when he plays for France, where does he play? Perhaps we should accept he’s not the right no 9 for us, and should be used on the left, or as a second striker when required?

 

[ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg]

Agree with @MemphisDepay
Welbeck would still make runs, create space the majority of the time when things aren't going well. I mean the end product would be bad but he would make unselfish runs too (maybe I'm being selective in my memory though)

Welbeck is the type of non scoring forward who makes your other players better. Like Firminho (not necessarily in terms of style of play).

the difference is United fans never thought Welbeck was world class, whilst Liverpool have this strange notion that Firminho is one of the best in the world...

As strange as it sounds, Welbeck wasn’t played up front to score. He added a hell of a lot to the team. Issue with Martial is that he doesn’t add a great deal to the team when he’s off form. You don’t see the pressing, the runs, the hold up play.

 

[Lynty]

Really poor this season so far.

One thing is for certain, he'll hit a run of form at some point and look world class, win us a few points - we just need accept that, put him in rotation like we are currently doing and start making groundwork on a Haaland deal for 2022.

 

[Sylar]

Agree @ClaytonBlackmoorLeftPeg
Oddly enough, not to side track this, but I remember in fergies last season a few Madrid fans asking why Welbeck doesn't start more as he looks class (he scored and was seemingly everywhere and did such a job until Nani red card in the second leg)

With martial the one time in the first half he looked good was when he linked up with telles and his movement of the ball was really good to get into good spaces

 

[Bobcat]

Our new scapegoat

Its not scapegoating when hes been objectively dreadful all season. Before Bruno i would say he was among our most important players, right now id rather not see his name on the team sheet.

Everyone could understand him not performing under Jose when he tried to freeze him out, but now he does not have that excuse as Ole has shown him nothing but faith and support.

Martial either has to sort himself out or risk permanently lose his place. We cant afford these kind of performances for such a long time

 

[I_live_cement]

It's a mental issue with Martial. He has all the talent in the world but he just doesn't want it as much as other players with less talent. Reminds me of Hazard.

 

[Hugh Jass]

It's a mental issue with Martial. He has all the talent in the world but he just doesn't want it as much as other players with less talent. Reminds me of Hazard.

This. He just does not have the will to push himself that extra ten percent.

 

[VP89]

His injury looked pretty bad, I think he'll be out for a few weeks. Hope he takes it as an opportunity to come back with a fresh start.

 

[Abhinav]

His form just after lockdown last season was fantastic with the best part of it being his strength and hold up play. It was a big reason why we looked quite fluid during that run of games.
He has regressed back to his normal self and it is quite a worry. We have Cavani as a back up but with games coming thick & fast we really need all our 4 forwards to be sharp whenever they are called upon. This season, we just can’t afford any of the front players to go on a 7-8 match barren spell if we are to challenge for anything meaningful.

 

[Gerald G]

I really don't get what's up with Martial. I'm never one for body language stuff but it doesn't look great and he's just been quite poor. He was usually a good finisher but it's been dire and he just hasn't been performing. He just generally looks a bit unhappy - I'm not sure if it's a personal life thing - but he's looking like a shadow of the player he was last season.

I'm hoping it's just some weird slump and hopefully when he gets back from injury he will be fine. I think this is a big season for Martial. Even he doesn't perform I wouldn't be half surprised if we were interested in another forward next season.

 

[Falcow]

I don’t think we should get hung up on his age. Lots of players don’t ‘click’ until a bit later in their career. I think what’s more relevant is that he’s in his 6th season at the club.

he’s clearly had an appalling start to the season, poor form, nibbling injuries and that suspension have all been a perfect storm.

the fact we have done ok, without our first choice no 9, is good news for our strength in depth, and when he regains some semblance of form, that will be of benefit to the club.

When he has done better this season, it’s been in a supporting role.

when he plays for France, where does he play? Perhaps we should accept he’s not the right no 9 for us, and should be used on the left, or as a second striker when required?

Not sure where he plays for France but strangely he has been crap ever since he got a recall for the French team over the summer....I'm sure it's just a coincidence though.

 

[Harry190]

Any word on the injury?