[NotQuiteManc]

Last season, Martial was mostly unavailable, Rashford is just not a CF despite having the physical tools for it and he seems very impatient when he doesn't get the ball as often (concentration issues highlighted by EtH) and Weghorst - need I say more?

I am waiting and hoping that having a consistent team with Hojlund upfront would bring the positive change not just for Antony, but to other players as well like Sancho.

 

[Cathy Ferguson]

He's got the tools - just needs to make everything click

Nope. He has limited pace and acceleration and can rarely go past his marker.

 

[Andrew Richmond]

Just not good enough. When you pay the sort of money we paid to buy him you would think we would be getting the finished product, a world class player. I just don’t see it, he is very underwhelming.

 

[The holy trinity 68]

Just not good enough. When you pay the sort of money we paid to buy him you would think we would be getting the finished product, a world class player. I just don’t see it, he is very underwhelming.

Unfortunately that is the going rate for young attacking with good potential. He is only 23 and has only had one season in the Premier League.

Sancho was of a similar age and the club paid a similar amount. Hojlund is 2 years younger than Antony was and the club just paid £65m.

Arsenal just paid £65m for 23 year old Havertz on the back of being dreadful and £105m for 24 year old Rice who is vastly overrated. Chelsea just paid £50m for 19 year old Lavia and £105m for 21 year old Caicedo. Liverpool just paid £60m for 22 year old Szoboszlai, Man City just paid £80m for 21 year old Gvardiol.

Unfortunately this is the transfer climate for young players now.

 

[pcaming]

Nope. He has limited pace and acceleration and can rarely go past his marker.

I really don't know what vendetta ETH has against Pellestri, but he has been unfairly denied a run at RW.

Antony has to be one of the least effective wingers we've ever had.

 

[RedStarUnited]

Unfortunately that is the going rate for young attacking with good potential. He is only 23 and has only had one season in the Premier League.

Sancho was of a similar age and the club paid a similar amount. Hojlund is 2 years younger than Antony was and the club just paid £65m.

Arsenal just paid £65m for 23 year old Havertz on the back of being dreadful and £105m for 24 year old Rice who is vastly overrated. Chelsea just paid £50m for 19 year old Lavia and £105m for 21 year old Caicedo. Liverpool just paid £60m for 22 year old Szoboszlai, Man City just paid £80m for 21 year old Gvardiol.

Unfortunately this is the transfer climate for young players now.

Does he really?

 

[The holy trinity 68]

Does he really?

Yes he does, that is also why I typed good and not great.

 

[kouroux]

Just not good enough. When you pay the sort of money we paid to buy him you would think we would be getting the finished product, a world class player. I just don’t see it, he is very underwhelming.

The players you're talking about they cost between 150 and 200m, if not more

 

[Offsideagain]

I like ETH, but I think he lost the plot when he said Antony was not a one trick pony and compared him to Arjen Robben. He also has a very short fuse and opposition players know this and wind him up. He will get the odd goal but he's yet to convince me he's the genius ETH says he is. I know footy has changed since Steve Coppell's days but he always said his job was to get crosses into the box and the Centre forwards job wasto be there for them.

 

[Trex]

Something he always do and I'm sure its tactical (because otherwise it would have been coached out since he was doing it all of last season) is he always closes down the opponent left cb any time our center forward closes the down the rcb, leaving the opponent left back free which often you see scenarios were the opponent goalie has an easy pass to the left back. Or the opponent deep midfielder receiving a pass even under pressure can first time hit a pass to the left back and away they go breaking down our right flank.
This is an obvious weakness and probably the biggest reason why our high press don't function optimally. I don't think it's an Antony problem. I think the idea is for the center forward to make a curve run towards the opponent right center back blocking the passing lane to pass to the left center back while Antony make same run to the left centre back the blocking the path to pass to the left back. With the our left winger already on their right back.
Problem is the right center back can just pass it back to the goalie who will simply switch it to the opponent left back who would be on his own in space. I've seen this progression of play cost us goals and it generally puts us on the back foot. I don't know if its down to the impatience of the center forward or if its ETH telling them to do this as often as they do.
It makes sense to do if there is a bad touch from the opponent rcb and sometimes it leads to us gaining possession higher up but it doesn't most times.
Sometimes I watch us and think surely ETH knows what he's doing opening the game up like that. It almost like the idea is to lure opponent out so we go pound for pound. It almost like the idea is to trust be player on both end of the pitch to do the business.

 

[Red in STL]

Just not good enough. When you pay the sort of money we paid to buy him you would think we would be getting the finished product, a world class player. I just don’t see it, he is very underwhelming.

How many world class 23 year old finished products do you think there are out there?

 

[Jericholyte2]

Do we have a platform here to talk about the potential legal situation, or is it a Greenwood-type deal of radio silence?

 

[rpitchfo]

What situation?

 

[Ayoba]

Uh oh spaghetti oh!

 

[VP89]

Do we have a platform here to talk about the potential legal situation, or is it a Greenwood-type deal of radio silence?

Let's see if he is charged with anything first.

 

[lex talionis]

I'd like to see Antony develop into a more multifaceted footballer. Although his athleticism is top shelf, he's a bit too predictable with his actual play.

 

[Jerry Garcia]

The club should have sold him at the beginning of the summer. He’s marginally better than Obertan. Another disastrous signing, unfortunately.

 

[Real Name]

The club should have sold him at the beginning of the summer. He’s marginally better than Obertan. Another disastrous signing, unfortunately.

Car crash of a post.

 

[Matt851]

Unfortunately that is the going rate for young attacking with good potential. He is only 23 and has only had one season in the Premier League.

Sancho was of a similar age and the club paid a similar amount. Hojlund is 2 years younger than Antony was and the club just paid £65m.

Arsenal just paid £65m for 23 year old Havertz on the back of being dreadful and £105m for 24 year old Rice who is vastly overrated. Chelsea just paid £50m for 19 year old Lavia and £105m for 21 year old Caicedo. Liverpool just paid £60m for 22 year old Szoboszlai, Man City just paid £80m for 21 year old Gvardiol.

Unfortunately this is the transfer climate for young players now.

Not buying this

Sancho had elite stats in Germany and was rated much more highly than Antony ever was prior to joining us

The Antony fee did a lot to inflate the market to the point its at now so contributed to some of the other big fees you mention

The havertz transfer was a bit of an odd one but I would much rather have any of the other players you mention than Antony for £80m. They all at least have the potential to be amongst the best in the world in their position. Whereas Antony just doesn't seem to have the required attributes, it's had to tell what he is actually good at

 

[Still Going…]

I really don't know what vendetta ETH has against Pellestri, but he has been unfairly denied a run at RW.

Antony is probably not the answer, but I'm not seeing that Pellestri could be. Don't think ETH has a vendetta against FP, I reckon he just doubts he's quite a the level he needs and at least he knows Antony can pull of the work rate, pressing, defensive actions. It's a shame he offers almost nothing else. I'd just put Mount there myself because I don't want Bruno and Mount together in midfield.

 

[Shunty]

Will be suspended soon following allegations from Brazil, the club will make a decision in 2027 about him coming back into the starting line up.

 

[bosnian_red]

Will be suspended soon following allegations from Brazil, the club will make a decision in 2027 about him coming back into the starting line up.

Quite a bit different and let's wait to see if anything involving the police actually happens or if he gets charged at all before making any conclusions. At this stage it's nothing.

 

[kouroux]

I really don't know what vendetta ETH has against Pellestri, but he has been unfairly denied a run at RW.

Antony has to be one of the least effective wingers we've ever had.

Pellestri is average at best tbh. The Caf is obsessed with him when there is nothing special about him

 

[Skills]

Pellestri is average at best tbh. The Caf is obsessed with him when there is nothing special about him

So is Antony.

 

[justboy68]

Pellestri is average at best tbh. The Caf is obsessed with him when there is nothing special about him

It's because he's at least a proper winger who is happy to take people on the outside, not just cut in all the time. What we'd give for a Nani these days, someone with bags of talent who can be a threat cutting in but also play as a traditional winger and beat his man down the sideline.

 

[kouroux]

So is Antony.

For all his faults, it's quiete easy to see that Antony is a better player. Pellestri is a bench player at best

 

[theballisround]

Apparently the wife is prepping a domestic violence case against him.
Dunno if rhat worries me or not, he doesn't do much anyway.

 

[pcaming]

Pellestri is average at best tbh. The Caf is obsessed with him when there is nothing special about him

I never said he was terrific. Antony has been so ineffective that even average at best Pellestri deserves a go.

 

[NLunited]

Something he always do and I'm sure its tactical (because otherwise it would have been coached out since he was doing it all of last season) is he always closes down the opponent left cb any time our center forward closes the down the rcb, leaving the opponent left back free which often you see scenarios were the opponent goalie has an easy pass to the left back. Or the opponent deep midfielder receiving a pass even under pressure can first time hit a pass to the left back and away they go breaking down our right flank.
This is an obvious weakness and probably the biggest reason why our high press don't function optimally. I don't think it's an Antony problem. I think the idea is for the center forward to make a curve run towards the opponent right center back blocking the passing lane to pass to the left center back while Antony make same run to the left centre back the blocking the path to pass to the left back. With the our left winger already on their right back.
Problem is the right center back can just pass it back to the goalie who will simply switch it to the opponent left back who would be on his own in space. I've seen this progression of play cost us goals and it generally puts us on the back foot. I don't know if its down to the impatience of the center forward or if its ETH telling them to do this as often as they do.
It makes sense to do if there is a bad touch from the opponent rcb and sometimes it leads to us gaining possession higher up but it doesn't most times.
Sometimes I watch us and think surely ETH knows what he's doing opening the game up like that. It almost like the idea is to lure opponent out so we go pound for pound. It almost like the idea is to trust be player on both end of the pitch to do the business.

Often the player who is the worst at playing out from the back is left open. Unless we go man for man.

 

[Trex]

Often the player who is the worst at playing out from the back is left open. Unless we go man for man.

But we do this even against strong attacking left backs.

 

[AjaxCunian]

That situation is looking really bad, and it will surely have an impact on him. Hope the club is on it.

 

[croadyman]

That situation is looking really bad, and it will surely have an impact on him. Hope the club is on it.

Yeah should he be left out today?

 

[AjaxCunian]

Yeah should he be left out today?

Wouldn't go that far myself.

 

[zaafi]

Just not good enough. When you pay the sort of money we paid to buy him you would think we would be getting the finished product, a world class player. I just don’t see it, he is very underwhelming.

Yeah, just like how Real Madrid paid 70m for a 16 year old Endrick with 10 professional games behind him.

 

[Garethw]

Yeah should he be left out today?

If he’s left out today then it’s likely a sign that shit is going to hit the fan over this.

 

[Garethw]

Yeah, just like how Real Madrid paid 70m for a 16 year old Endrick with 10 professional games behind him.

Endrick was considered a potential generational talent though. Antony was a slightly above average winger from the Dutch league.

 

[croadyman]

If he’s left out today then it’s likely a sign that shit is going to hit the fan over this.

Yeah he will stay in until more is known

 

[zaafi]

Endrick was considered a potential generational talent though. Antony was a slightly above average winger from the Dutch league.

Generational talent?

Ødegaard was considered twice the player than Endrick and he's not even a generational talent.

Slightly above average winger who played winger for Brazil as a 20 year old. Yeah, okay.

 

[kouroux]

I never said he was terrific. Antony has been so ineffective that even average at best Pellestri deserves a go.

If he hasn't received more opportunities, there might be valid reasons (or not)

 

[Bertie Wooster]

Yeah he will stay in until more is known

I hope so.

The media / social media treats us differently anyway, which makes it much harder, but we can't afford to just make it harder for ourselves as well. We need to approach this one, if we're 'allowed' that is, more like other PL teams did last season who just carried on picking their players throughout. As soon as you leave them out, a momentum gathers and it becomes almost impossible for them to return.