I can totally see him bagging 20 league goals and more, just not with the team presently constructed.
9
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 48
- Goals
- 23
- Assists
- 8
- Yellow cards
- 1
- Status
I think you accept Firmino’s output when the team is working as well as it does around him, but Martial doesn’t have that role at United. He offers nothing close to what Firmino does when not scoring. Martial’s supporters would argue his finishing is his strength, but he neither has the intelligence nor the workrate to make the runs to make the most of that. Rashford’s a much better player for that reason.
Should have scored that big chance 
. I thought he did alright, but struggled against a very strong defense.
. I thought he did alright, but struggled against a very strong defense.Today alone he made 2 such runs that he should have been found with relative ease but was let down by James.
Also, didn't Van Persie say that he saw Rashford and Martial make great run after great run and just get ignored by teammates (who don't have the vision or technics to execute the pass)?
I’m probably guilty of flip flopping on Martial as much as anyone. I did note Van Persie on that too, but I think that is more true of Rashford than Martial.
I do think United should be working for a senior centre forward capable of being United’s first choice though. That’s not to say I want Martial out, but I don’t think we can place such responsibility and expectation on him. He’s not good enough to be a key man in a title winning team.
Once again our better players. Consistency is key to him upping his game.
Such boring old cliches. Get some new material.
This.
Are you going to still dismiss them as cliches when Martial is 28 and is still only doing it sporadically?
When you're banging on about his lack of intelligence and work rate, everyone can tell you haven't been watching him in any great detail this season. For a striker to score consistently, they need service.
Please don’t bother with the ad hominem attacks. I literally watch every minute United play and watch however much highlights, analysis and reruns on top of that.
Yeah, he could benefit from better service, but I see someone like Rashford benefitting it from a far greater extent. Martial gets better service than most forwards from bottom half PL teams, but is still is only getting a similar level of chances to most of them. That’s not down to service. That’s down to not attacking the six yard box when your winger or full back is on the byline.
Rashford was in this situation a few months ago and he didn't do well there alone as well.
Us creating chances requires him dropping deep, as seen again today, with this in mind, why are our wide players brainlessly crossing into an empty box when simple cut backs are on the cards? Until we can create consistently without him dropping into midfield, it will be very difficult for him to get across the 6 yard box. We are best off looking for cut backs.
Rashford benefits from Martial's play far more than the other way around. For someone who watches United so much, you should be able to see that.
I’m not sure where I have said the opposite, in fact your statement supports my argument. Rashford plays with more endeavour and tenacity and so will benefit far more from an improvement in the quality of the support from teammates. Rashford makes the most of what Martial gives him. I don’t think Martial makes the most of what his teammates offer him.
Martial has to be the most polarizing player at United and it is one the parting gift of Mourinho.
If those who are criticiszing him bothered to look at the PL goals this season, Martial has 8 Goals despite being injured for best part of 2 month. But yeah why bother about that when you can blame the player to miss one chance in a game which he actually created himself because rest of the team wasn't interested in creating anything.
Against Liverpool, I don't know how many times Martial actually went to the left side to receive the ball but was ignored. His pass to AWB resulted in only other chance that we created in the match. We were barely holding the ball and I don't know what people who criticisze him expect from him when there is next to no service from his teammates. Not a single cross I remember today from either fullback that even merited as okay. The only cross that looked dangerous was provided by Martial to Greenwood. I agree he should have hit the target but the ball was bouncing when he hit it and probably feared that VVD will cut him off if he didn't shoot quickly. Every striker misses one or two chances, just look at Salah's miss.
I think both Martial and Pogba are just easy target. Keane managed to include Pogba also in his comments. Do I think Martial was great today? No absolutely not but he did well considering how we were set up and how we played. We have far more pressing issue than our strikers this season. I will pass judgement on Martial when we sort out Midfield and start creating chances.
If those who are criticiszing him bothered to look at the PL goals this season, Martial has 8 Goals despite being injured for best part of 2 month. But yeah why bother about that when you can blame the player to miss one chance in a game which he actually created himself because rest of the team wasn't interested in creating anything.
Against Liverpool, I don't know how many times Martial actually went to the left side to receive the ball but was ignored. His pass to AWB resulted in only other chance that we created in the match. We were barely holding the ball and I don't know what people who criticisze him expect from him when there is next to no service from his teammates. Not a single cross I remember today from either fullback that even merited as okay. The only cross that looked dangerous was provided by Martial to Greenwood. I agree he should have hit the target but the ball was bouncing when he hit it and probably feared that VVD will cut him off if he didn't shoot quickly. Every striker misses one or two chances, just look at Salah's miss.
I think both Martial and Pogba are just easy target. Keane managed to include Pogba also in his comments. Do I think Martial was great today? No absolutely not but he did well considering how we were set up and how we played. We have far more pressing issue than our strikers this season. I will pass judgement on Martial when we sort out Midfield and start creating chances.
These fans want physical strikers with their assumptions that Rashford is a left winger. Rashford is a left forward. If we bring a physical striker in Rashford's form goes down atleast by 50% because he requires to play as a winger - more wider, more dribbling, more crossing, more playmaking.
Right now - alot of the vision and creativity doesn't come from anyone apart from martial. He brings others in to play and creates spaces all around him for others to score.
Since Rashford has been our only goal scorer who has been starting all games he has benefited the most.
That's why we need a left footed RF to compete with Greenwood if Ole doesn't think he is ready & possibly another experienced CF just for some squad depth.
My point is Rashford doesn't offer nearly as much for Martial or his other teammates than Martial does for the forwards. Rashford wasn't setting the Premier league alight when Martial was absent. His run of form coincided with Martial's return.
Bingo. Totally agree. Will love him in the squad as he's a valuable option and currently definitely our best option in the attack but can't see him as a main starting player for any title winning team.
He is a Firminho kind of player. We need a strong right forward as well ( Mason is still a Kid)
Firmino is far better in the linking part imo. Martial is good in holding the ball and playing with his back to the goal but I won't say he's on the same level as Firmino in linking up play and creating spaces for other players. It's shooting and finishing in front of the goal that's his strongest point not play making, while Firmino is the opposite. I will keep him playing for now but long term I think it will be better for us buying an established striker and having Martial as a squad option covering both striker and left flank.
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Amar hates Martial so no surprise he's the first one to start the criticism.
Yeah, let's go and spunk 100 million on a striker no better than Martial and watch him flop because of the lack of creativity in the team. Martial is an excellent forward and is only getting better, lets focus on his supply.
That wasn't said until Liverpool perfected Mane & Salah.
We still only have a Mane in Rashford & our left footed right forward hardly starts a game with them.
Either way - being worse than firmino isn't bad, he doesn't need to be better either he is 3 years younger than him aswwell.
Because Firmino himself isn't en exceptional striker by any means but he's just pretty good in linking play and creating spaces for others and has found a system with 2 goals machine players that suited him. Martial's biggest assets isn't really play making but being a finisher and not every team succeeded with a similar system like Klopp's I don't buy the idea of building a Liverpool esque attack based on him. It's an individual case rather than the rule.
I think he's a good player, but not really a main player in a title challenging team as the original poster said. Everyone will love having him an option but can you say they will win the league with him as a main starting player every game, I really can't say it.
Had we signed Haaland wouldn't he have displaced him for example?
He did well, but that chance I was expecting him to score or at least on target. Knowing his standard, Disappointed that he put that one way off the target.
Firminho is better because he has Salah and Mane running havoc. We only have Rashford. Put Martial in that pool lineup in place of Firminho, you will get the same result.
A better coach would be a good starting point.
I highly doubt this. Let's agree to disagree though.
Sure Haaland could have displaced him but he would have struggled here, Rashford would have struggled to play next to Haaland.
Haaland needs a totally different type of players to make him work & we have no one at the moment who does that.
Martial is not a striker, he is a player in central positions who brings wider positions in to play - ideally wider goal scorers.
If we have Rashford 2.0 on the right then we can talk about title wins but I'm not bothered about that either because we have to become a CL qualifying team first & we have too many gaps in our squad for that.
No left footed RW.
No creative CAM x2
No CDM, No transitional CM
No attacking wingbacks
No proper CB and so much more.
Our goal scoring has hardly been the problem - its been our creativity.
If you think Haaland is going to come here and score off pereira, Rashford, mctomminay, Shaw, James, Wan Bissaka - then so be it.
That's why I and so many others get defensive over Martial because he is creative, he does interlink, he does drop deeper than our wingers - yet our manager plays him the furthest attacker forward.
I've got no problem with us eventually replacing martial in the future when we have the creativity evenly spread across the first team - but right now he is one of the few players who manges to improve the players around him. He interlinks with every player around him - Rashford who scores goals for fun due to some of the work martial does which is like a 2 man's job of a CAM's & a Cf's, Interlinks with Pereira who completely fumbles every opportunity he gets & doesn't interlink with the RW because again - it's a right winger and not a right forward. If we get Rashford 2.0 or on the right then the goals come from there too and Martials role become purely that of a support striker.
The guy has even improved his work rate this year.
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This is the first season he is getting a genuine run out. Before he was in and out of the team. Give him at least one full season.
I thought he did fine today under the circumstances, I think as the pivot for Rashford and Greenwood to play off he's an ideal piece of a 3 man frontline.
Him burning chances or not having the right movements in the box has nothing to do with the players around him.
His best season still is 11 goals. Not sure he'll even reach that number again to be fair.
Was a talented kid, now he's turning 25 hasnt been progressing and its time to replace him.
His best season still is 11 goals. Not sure he'll even reach that number again to be fair.
Was a talented kid, now he's turning 25 hasnt been progressing and its time to replace him.
So he won't score 3 goals for the rest of the PL season?
Don't think so no, unless he takes penalties now that Rashford is injured
He was one of our better players yesterday, only downside was missing that good chance. Lot of lazy criticism in this thread, he's been working hard and making good runs but getting no service. Also put a few good crosses in.
Quite a bold prediction.
Lay off the sauce...
I'm sure @Andersonson would be delighted for him to net a hat trick against Burnley and prove him wrong, but not sure I see him either reaching something like 15 league goals, which I would have considered par at the beginning of the season.
People think he is an amazing star. Talented players put that chance away. He neefs space to run and maje some dribbles. He was out of position,no clue where to be and how to deal with defense. Not good enough to be in the top 10 teams in epl,if that.
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