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2022-23 Performances


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InfiniteBoredom

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It’s still a huge call for ETH to make. And you can imagine the drama if we don’t score a load of goals while Ronaldo is benched. Just an absolute pain in the hole for him, the whole situation
It’s a distraction we can do without, but it’s also something the manager can use to impose his authority on the team. For a club mired in player power for the last decade, benching a player of Ronaldo’s stature would send a loud and clear (albeit expensive) message that nothing but performance will give you a starting spot.

I think Ronaldo will still leave though, Mendes will find a way to finagle him onto someone.
 

crossy1686

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If we trust him that he can be first choice no9 then we must sell Ronaldo and buy another forward who can play on the wing or low budget striker who is happy with backup role.
People try to underestimate this (and try to explain it with "season is long" and shit) but despite huge number of games, injuries and specific tactics for specific games there is always first 11 player who plays most of games and substitute who plays less. Especially on striker position. Striker is like a gk. You must have clear no1.

Ronaldo will never accept rotation. Absolutely never. He will sulk, cry, fly to Portugal and ruin good mood in a team. Martial, despite i love the guy, has mentality problem. He is not a fighter. When he is dropped he gives up. So in short; if Ronaldo stays, we can forget on this Martial.
I would suggest that one of the only reasons Martial is playing well is because he knows he’s the only striker at the club. Ronaldo wants away and will probably go, even if he doesn’t, a want away striker wont start most games. If we sign another forward there could be another huge regression, we know he doesn’t like competition.
 

Syphon Wallet

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Martial right now is undropable and Ronaldo hates the bench. Interested to see how Ten Hag handles this
If Ronaldo ends up staying after the crap he's pulled this window.... Then who cares what he likes or doesn't like.
Martial should play if he can get back to form, makes our attack more fluid.

Ronaldo should not be playing every game at this point anyway, that won't get the best out of him, despite his own wishes.
 

NickSantigo

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He will start vs Brighton, and it's up to him to keep Ronaldo out of the first XI. EtH isn't going to drop his in form striker for a 38 year old with 1 year on his contract, and the club, as incompetent as it's been, will have to back him up on it.
I agree he should start but it'll take a pair of very big balls to drop Ronaldo. Ronaldo could a big problem in that dressing room if he doesn't get his way
 

AltiUn

likes playing with swords after fantasies
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I didn't have an Anthony Martial redemption arc on the cards but here we are.
 

Leftback99

Might have a bedwetting fetish.
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It's only pre season but playing better football when Martial is in the side is nothing new. Injuries and lack of consistent starts is what holds him back.
 

Highfather_24

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Sep 20, 2014
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He will finally activate that Balon'dor clause.

On a serious note, he really is the glue that is bringing our attack together right now. Brilliant hold up and link up play, a very complete CF performance.

Sancho, Bruno and Rashford wont be playing as good with Ronaldo up front.
 

peridigm

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Not jumping back on the train yet but he's looked a hell of a lot better in this pre-season than he did in his past two seasons.
I expect he's done enough to make ETH want to keep him. It's a shame Greenwood is an idiot. I'd like to have seen what he can do under ETH as well.
 

STYLOISRED

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I don't think there is a single premier league player that commands the amount of followership relative to performance that Martial does. It's insane.
Martial FC may sound like a meme but it boggles the mind how much people are quick to defend him and celebrate his good performances on social media. I could call myself a member too and I can't even say why i love him so much. Imagine if he fulfilled his huge potential
 

Jeppers7

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Feb 25, 2014
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He’s just a really good footballer. He needs an arm around his shoulder and to be told how great he is from time to time, to feel important. ETH system will suit him and Sancho to a tee. Love watching him when he’s on it. Fabulous player.
 

Andycoleno9

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Not jumping back on the train yet but he's looked a hell of a lot better in this pre-season than he did in his past two seasons.
I expect he's done enough to make ETH want to keep him. It's a shame Greenwood is an idiot. I'd like to have seen what he can do under ETH as well.
As great man once said; I find your lack of faith disturbing :D
 

VivaJesperBlomqvist

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I’m struggling to comprehend how well he is playing at the moment. Absolute madness. Today was a perfect performance
 

MadDogg

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maybe it's an unfair accusation. Just felt that way, given his best spells for us came when van Gaal and Solskjaer trusted him to be the main attacker while he did rather poorly under Mourinho. Either way, I hope he takes this chance and runs with it.
He was really only poor in Mourinho's first season. In the following 18 months he was generally pretty good when he actually got a run of games, but Mourinho simply didn't like him so would constantly play the likes of Rashford and Sanchez ahead of him despite them not performing as well.
 

MadDogg

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In fairness to Martial he hasn't received any proper training for 3 years, i'm actually quite intrigued to see what he does under EtH, and I am not Martial FC, I'm completely down the line on him.
Honestly, he (and the rest of our attackers) hasn't had any proper training since LVG. And even that was debatable, as LVG (like Mourinho) seemed to expect the attackers to just do their own thing and make things happen without a proper attacking system around them.

It's something that really does frustrate me, as we had a bunch of exciting young attackers and then wasted at least six of their most important development years with incompetent coaching and management. I wonder what Martial and Rashford would look like today if we'd had good management and coaching throughout those years.
 

Classnordic

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Dec 31, 2014
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His ability and potential was always outrageus, however its true that hope kills.
 

Castia

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Can he keep it up if he’s dropped or moved to the left though?

He’s never up for the fight instead he just sulks and downs tools.
 

sugar_kane

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Jun 6, 2013
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Unlike many players, Martial is a guy who thrives when he has no competition for his spot.

His best seasons were when he first came in, when we had no recognised centre forward in the squad. He went to shit when Zlatan arrived, and this lull continued throughout Lukaku's time at the club. He then instantly picked up when Ole binned off Lukaku.

Lo and behold with Ronaldo going AWOL he suddenly starts to look like a real player again.

It's unusual, but I genuinely believe there is a correlation here - Martial crumbles when he isn't made to feel like the main man.
 

Castia

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Utter myth which is being parroted like it's fact.
No it isnt. He downed tools when we signed Zlatan….did ok in the left until we signed Sanchez then dropped off again.

Last year went on loan because we signed Ronaldo and Sancho and couldn’t get in the team.

The commentator said earlier this is his 8th season…he’s been pretty mediocre for the most part baring maybe a couple of seasons.

Feck me he couldn’t even get in the Sevilla side a month ago and was literally bood for lack of effort don’t act like he’s a a fecking superstar :lol:

Only took 3 friendlies and he’s better than Ronaldo!
 

InfiniteBoredom

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Unlike many players, Martial is a guy who thrives when he has no competition for his spot.

His best seasons were when he first came in, when we had no recognised centre forward in the squad. He went to shit when Zlatan arrived, and this lull continued throughout Lukaku's time at the club. He then instantly picked up when Ole binned off Lukaku.

Lo and behold with Ronaldo going AWOL he suddenly starts to look like a real player again.

It's unusual, but I genuinely believe there is a correlation here - Martial crumbles when he isn't made to feel like the main man.
I must’ve dreamed about when he displaced Rashford from the bench in 17/18, or when he and Pogba kept Mourinho in the job for months in 18/19, despite yet again being overlooked in favour of Sanchez.

Lazy narrative that has zero basis in fact.
 

Raven

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No it isnt. He downed tools when we signed Zlatan….did ok in the left until we signed Sanchez then dropped off again.

Last year went on loan because we signed Ronaldo and Sancho and couldn’t get in the team.

The commentator said earlier this is his 8th season…he’s been pretty mediocre for the most part baring maybe a couple of seasons.

Feck me he couldn’t even get in the Sevilla side a month ago and was literally bood for lack of effort don’t act like he’s a a fecking superstar :lol:

Only took 3 friendlies and he’s better than Ronaldo!
His first season under Mou was poor, the following 2 were very good, fighting his way back into the 1st team twice after being dropped in favour of Rashford, followed by Sanchez. As with the rest of the team, he dropped off after Ole's initial winning streak but came back the following season with a vengeance. He was the undisputed main man at the start of the next season, with an old Cavani signed as his back up, this was his worst season of his career and only the second season of his career where he was the main man.

His last 2 seasons have been incredibly poor but this utter nonsense that he has to be the main man with 0 competition is tedious and false.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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Another funny one is 'Martial only plays well without crowd', talking about the guy who scored in his debut in front of a packed OT and the winning goal in a FAC semi in front of 80k people.

I can understand part of the reason. He's such a supremely talented footballer that these drops (oftentimes exteme) in form just seems incomprehensible, so people just invented very subjective intepretation to try to make sense of it all.
 

Raven

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Another funny one is 'Martial only plays well without crowd', talking about the guy who scored in his debut in front of a packed OT and the winning goal in a FAC semi in front of 80k people.

I can understand part of the reason. He's such a supremely talented footballer that these drops (oftentimes exteme) in form just seems incomprehensible, so people just invented very subjective intepretation to try to make sense of it all.
It's like the cretinous "only 1 good season in 7" trope, gets brought out all the time for Shaw as well.
 

Foxbatt

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Oct 21, 2013
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I agree he should start but it'll take a pair of very big balls to drop Ronaldo. Ronaldo could a big problem in that dressing room if he doesn't get his way
I think there is a big difference between Ole and ETH. ETH can do things that Ole is not able to pull off.
 

mu4c_20le

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He was the undisputed main man at the start of the next season, with an old Cavani signed as his back up, .
No he wasn't, Cavani was our 9. He was shifted out wide most of the time, only up front when the other was injured.
 

RedStarUnited

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I must’ve dreamed about when he displaced Rashford from the bench in 17/18, or when he and Pogba kept Mourinho in the job for months in 18/19, despite yet again being overlooked in favour of Sanchez.

Lazy narrative that has zero basis in fact.
Its honestly so annoying.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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