Is there a way to get more out of Antony?

davidmichael

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http://www.skysports.com/share/13044134

I saw this pop up on Sky Sports News and it made me wonder if there’s a way to get more out of Antony, maybe changing his positional role or is it really a case of writing off £80+ million ?

I’m not usually a fan of changing players positions as I think players should always play their best role and the whole point of a squad is to have able cover for each position but in Antony’s case it’s clear he’s fecking awful in his supposed best position.

He may be the most one footed player I’ve ever seen and out wide on the right he’s useless as he can only cut inside so the opposition show him the outside and leaves our right side impotent, that said though he does have the ability to beat a man and link play so would he be better as a 10 ?

I know this is Fernandes position but I’m simply looking at Antony as an alternative or rotation option if he stays due to us not finding a buyer. If played centrally Antony would have the option of going either way and does have the pace to then open play up and the passing to play others in.

What I don’t want is to see Antony on the right anymore as unlike Diallo and Olise if he was to join he’s too much one dimensional and offers nothing on the right other than a warm body, shifting him may be hard work and if so possibly a central role could see him at least become a decent option rather than a pointless waste of money as he currently is.
 
I saw someone suggest in the matchday thread that him and Dalot should swap positions, and honestly it’s not the worst idea in the world. Antony could offer more aggression and energy as fullback while Dalot clearly offers more attacking threat. Tbh though I’d rather be rid of both of them.
 
He could get on the food kiosks at half time so I can get my warm beer in a plastic bottle a bit quicker.
 
You need to be fairly comfortable with both feet in that no 10 position so don't see it. He also isn't strong or disciplined enough to play right back either.

I can't recall if we've tried him for a full 90 on the left? It not i'd make him backup for the LW as at least he might improve our crossing game.
 
What tangible attribute does he have to be useful as any form of attacker?

Does he rinse a man for pace? No
Does he have the ability to dribble in and out of tight spaces like Bernardo Silva? No
Does he have a great shot? No
Is he a great finisher? No
Does he have the vision of Bruno Fernandes? No
Does he have the passing ability of a good 10 (weight, range, creativity)? No
Does he have a reliable cross from a range of positions? No

What have we actually got to work with? The one footedness wouldn't matter if he had other elite attributes. Look at how one footed Bernardo Silva is:

 
He works hard but that is about it , there does not seem to be any trait that he is above average at

I think he is just an average player and we have got what we are going to get out of him.
 
Yes he could work better as a 10
or a left winger
or even right winger for that matter - it just has to be for another club

@OP are you suggesting we should give Antony a chance as a #10? Have you thought that through? Because we might be the most stacked club in #10 position.

People need to realize that Antony's biggest weakness is his passing with left foot which is atrocious. There is no position in which this can be mitigated. Certainly not #10 or left wing (if you've seen him attempting to cross you know).
 
He seems to do most of his best work in the middle third of the pitch and simply doesn't have the top speed, or maybe stamina, to run the length of the pitch with the ball to be effective from there. He needs to start timing his runs so he receives the ball closer to the opponents box, like Garnacho does.

He seems to have so few touches in the opponents box compared to most wingers/forwards, and I think it's down to his starting positions. He's either too deep or too wide. It would be fine if he was adept at crossing or playing incisive passes from those positions but he is not.

I really think him and the coaching staff need to work on his runs into the box.
 
Antony's best work on the ball probably comes when he cuts infield early in the attack, gets more central, and plays a disguised through ball for another forward. Unfortunately he only does this very rarely, partially because he hangs very wide all the time. A fullback who gets up and down the pitch better as a genuine threat could maybe help with that.

But the simplest way to get something out of him right now would probably be to get him playing the ball into the box earlier. A few inswinging crosses from deep to mix up his game would be nice. It can be okay to have wingers who shoot a lot, but he doesn't hit the target anywhere near enough to justify the price of all the raffle tickets.

I actually thought he was quietly on a slow upward curve for a couple of weeks back in December, but that came to an abrupt halt with a really bad half against Forest.
 
It is coaching. I do believe there is a player in there, but he needs to play quicker and simplify his game. Work on that right foot and being able to hit the byline and cross.
 
Don't see him cutting it as a winger in the Premier League. Getting more out of him might require a role at wing back or full back. Decent work rate and already understands his defensive duties for the team and tackles or produces turnovers better than some of Uniteds defenders.
 
Smores said:
You need to be fairly comfortable with both feet in that no 10 position so don't see it. He also isn't strong or disciplined enough to play right back either.

I can't recall if we've tried him for a full 90 on the left? It not i'd make him backup for the LW as at least he might improve our crossing game.
Click to expand...

In my opinion his best games has been when he's had more to do defensively. Not saying we should play him at right back, but I don't think his defensive discipline has been a problem at all.
 
didz said:
Antony's best work on the ball probably comes when he cuts infield early in the attack, gets more central, and plays a disguised through ball for another forward. Unfortunately he only does this very rarely, partially because he hangs very wide all the time. A fullback who gets up and down the pitch better as a genuine threat could maybe help with that.

But the simplest way to get something out of him right now would probably be to get him playing the ball into the box earlier. A few inswinging crosses from deep to mix up his game would be nice. It can be okay to have wingers who shoot a lot, but he doesn't hit the target anywhere near enough to justify the price of all the raffle tickets.

I actually thought he was quietly on a slow upward curve for a couple of weeks back in December, but that came to an abrupt halt with a really bad half against Forest.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. A fullback that stays on the flank and provides the overlap would help him.

When he does cut inside, he drags the defending left back infield and often creates space for an overlap. From there, he can play in his righback into space.

I dont think all hope is lost.
 
Skills said:
What tangible attribute does he have to be useful as any form of attacker?

Does he rinse a man for pace? No
Does he have the ability to dribble in and out of tight spaces like Bernardo Silva? No
Does he have a great shot? No
Is he a great finisher? No
Does he have the vision of Bruno Fernandes? No
Does he have the passing ability of a good 10 (weight, range, creativity)? No
Does he have a reliable cross from a range of positions? No

What have we actually got to work with? The one footedness wouldn't matter if he had other elite attributes. Look at how one footed Bernardo Silva is:

Click to expand...


Basically this, he has few redeemable qualities as it is, outside of defensive work.
 
His overall game is pretty average, I don't see him succeeding anywhere else on the pitch. Not in the Premier League anyway. He can have an okay career in a weaker league.
 
Garnacho does well on the right, so I would put Antony on the left wing, behind Rashford as a substitute, when we need to close the game out.
One advantage on the left is that he won't have to stop his run and swap to his left. On the left wing he can immediately use his left foot to cross the ball.
 
I think it's got to be worth trying him on the LW, especially with the form Garnacho is showing on RW. Antony slows down too much when he tries to come infield, he's actually relatively quick in a straight line.
 
I'd genuinely convert him to a RB, he reminds me of Valencia with his work rate, strength & the time he needs on the ball I think he would be an option there for certain games if we are set on him staying.
 
Obvious.Play him on the left, tell him to take on the fullback and cross with his left. He does have a decent left leg.
 
For those suggesting he play on the left, he can't beat a man so would be another Sancho from the right situation.
 
Why are our wingers married to their flank. Why don’t we see them switch sides more?
 
Please don't compare him to Valencia, who was a far,far superior all-round footballer.
 
Lay said:
Why are our wingers married to their flank. Why don’t we see them switch sides more?
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I think we are still a bit of a dinosaur club/very traditional in this regard. It was always Giggs left, Beckham/CR right and evra/neville/irwin overlapping.
We still buy/develop ‘wingers’ where the game has moved onto wide forwards, inverted forwards and underlapping attacking fullbacks. Unfortunately our wide players are largely unable to cross the ball effectively so we lack that now too, hence the service issues Højlund is having. I don’t think any of our managers has fully modernised out play style yet.
 
FrankDrebin said:
Please don't compare him to Valencia, who was a far,far superior all-round footballer.
Click to expand...

I don't know if he was an all-round footballer but he had a few stand out attributes (pace, acceleration, strength) with a decent right foot. You can definitely cut it as a PL winger with that.

Don't think his finishing, passing, vision etc were anything to write home about.
 
Look at his highlights before he joined us.

One touch through balls, perfect crosses and shots which don’t just fly past the back post.

Sure he might not ever be worth 85m and he’s probably best utilised against low block teams, but he has a lot more to give than he’s contributing at the moment.

He needs confidence, sharpness and a side which controls the midfield and scores goals
so he can take more risks.
 
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