Going through the league, the only teams I believe have worse starting strikers than Martial are Wolves (only due to Jimenez injury), Crystal Palace, Burnley, Newcastle, Fulham, West Brom, and Sheffield. I think you need to get all the way to 12th in the table before he improves a team. Yes, I'd rather have Antonio, Watkins, and Bamford. I feel like any of them would give it all to play as United's number 9 whereas all ours does is sulk when it gets tough.
Has Martial done enough to be backed as our long-term #9?
- Thread starter MyOnlySolskjaer
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Martial needs to learn from someone like RVP on how to do forward runs. Problem is RVP left before Martial came so Martial could not have learnt from him.
Then other players he looked to at that time: Rooney, Zlatan, Lukaku, Alexis all had different styles of play from him so it's quite hard to learn about forward runs from them.
Then other players he looked to at that time: Rooney, Zlatan, Lukaku, Alexis all had different styles of play from him so it's quite hard to learn about forward runs from them.
I like Martial and think he is a good footballer. However, the output over the years has been very inconsistent.
Also I am not 100% convinced that Greenwood is that good on the wing, I see his future as number 9 so we should probably start to play him there more often.
Also I am not 100% convinced that Greenwood is that good on the wing, I see his future as number 9 so we should probably start to play him there more often.
I’d much rather the likes of Zaha (plays there for Palace with a partner), Wood, Wilson and Maja/Lookman to this season’s Martial. Seriously, he’s sulking, his output is awful and he’s not working hard which is the bare minimum if he’s playing badly. For me, Ole got it right against Sociedad last week. When Cavani is out or needs to be rested, put Mason upfront and Dan James on the right.
Playing number 9 for United really is the graveyard shift in fairness, makes it even harder to Martial to get himself out of this awful form.
Most top teams would be handing you a few taps in to get the confidence going.
Most top teams would be handing you a few taps in to get the confidence going.
So it's everyone else's fault than Martial's that he doesn't get tap ins? He is a player who doesn't really try to make space in the box for the said tap ins.
Just take a look at James's first half header that gets parried by the keeper into a dangerous area. As soon as Martial knew the ball wasn't for him, he stops and just stands at the edge of the penalty box. Just one of the countless instances where if he continues moving, he can get on the end of such chances and maybe score a few. It isn't the team's fault that he always wants to score the perfect goal.
Not a hope he doubles his tally from here! At his current rate he'll get 2 more PL goals, abysmal...
It's incredibly surprising to see him play this bad throughout the season after the season he had last time. He was on absolute fire post covid break.
Think it's best for both parties if he moves to a new club and we get a new striker at this point. We have waited long enough for him to find consistency in his game. Just hope we try to sign the obvious 9 this time around.
Think it's best for both parties if he moves to a new club and we get a new striker at this point. We have waited long enough for him to find consistency in his game. Just hope we try to sign the obvious 9 this time around.
Needs a move, needs a change of scenery. Saw what its done for Lingard, think Martial needs a fresh start somewhere else. Can't be watching performances like he's put in this season for another year. Shame but oh well.
Martial has spent most of that time playing off the left, not as an actual striker. The only full season he played as a striker he scored more PL goals than Giroud ever has in England, and the same amount in that season (17) as Giroud has in the last four seasons in total.
Obviously Martial has been terrible this season but comparing his overall record with somebody who played as a striker all that time is a false narrative (especially when considering he was quite young in most of those seasons). Up until this season he and Rashford had an almost identical record. Similar amount of goals, similar amount of assists, similar amount of games played as striker, similar amount played on the left. It's actually quite amazing how close their records were. Martial has struggled this season and there are big question marks over whether he can be our longterm main striker, but the criticism should be fair.
I was just thinking the same. But I reckon there’s more to come from Martial and his best years are ahead of him. Ideally I would like to see him move somewhere on loan and come back, like a new signing, refreshed, enthused, clinical for his best years at United.
But I don’t think that could work. Has any established player come back to the same club after a loan period and succeeded? How’s Coutinho getting on at Barca?
I think the exact opposite that there isn't more to come from Martial, this is his level. He'll have purple patches of scoring goals, but he'll never ever be a consistent number 9 for a top club.
Yea. Possibly. His ceiling is high though. Much higher than many other players. His weakness seems to be delivering what he is capable of on a consistent basis. Which points to a mentality rather than ability issue. Therein lies the frustration of course.
So if there was a way to tap into the Anthony Martial that operates at that consistently high level then that would be great.
But maybe thats not possible.
Sadly many talented players never reach the level that they could, Martial is just another one of those talents to me. Fair play to him if it does click one day and a manager can get it out of him consistently, he could be incredible, I just am beyond the point of wanting us to giving him so much time and chances at the clubs expense.
https://www.skysports.com/football/...hester-united-forward-despite-difficult-patch
The manager is happy with Martials work ethic!
The manager is happy with Martials work ethic!
Surely you didn't expect from the manager to throw him under the bus? He's second choice nowadays, that's all we need to know really. We should not forget that we planned our season with Martial up front. Cavani's contributions are valuable to us but he's a different player compared to Martial. Of course, Solskjaer is going to pat the latter on the back and give him chances to hit any kind of form because there's not a manager in the world who doesn't prefer to go into the final third of the season with his plan A fully operational and with his players injury free and in good form. Solskjaer is doing the right thing here: Spurring Martial on to keep on trying and congratulating Cavani at the same time. After the end of the season and when the transfer window opens, we'll see what Solskjaer thinks about Martial and his future at the club.https://www.skysports.com/football/...hester-united-forward-despite-difficult-patch
The manager is happy with Martials work ethic!
My mate sent me a picture from an Instagram account called MUFC Basic with an apparent report from Dean Jones which says “sources believe there are figures at Manchester United that would now be willing to consider serious offers for Anthony Martial” but I can’t find a link
I must say that I am highly disappointed at Martial’s rate of growth and this is coming from someone that rates him so highly. I’m disappointed because I know he has the tools to be a special player but he never pushed himself to become that. If we get a good offer, let us bid him farewell so we can have enough to fund our ST, RW, LCB targets.
He's only up for a game if we are winning comfortably. If it's a hard game he's a shithouse who offers nothing and brings others down to his level.
He shows glimpses every now and again but that isn't good enough anymore. He's not progressed at all. Honestly needs to move, don't think he will ever find the motivation to be a top player though, looks like he'd happily be a journeyman.
He shows glimpses every now and again but that isn't good enough anymore. He's not progressed at all. Honestly needs to move, don't think he will ever find the motivation to be a top player though, looks like he'd happily be a journeyman.
Nail on the head. He will add a goal or two in comfortable games where teams are out on the feet. We used to have players in his position that dragged us through games we weren’t playing well or tight matches how are standards have dropped. He was my player of season last season but he still needed to kick on more if we wanted to go anywhere, but he’s 25 now and going backwards
There’s still a chance he catches some form now coming into the close of the season, although he was playing a lot better this time last year it’s not impossible he gets going again. He looks like a different player almost this season though. It’s not just the goals either. Hes playing totally within himself whatever is going on with him. His link up and spark from last season with Bruno is almost totally missing too. If he’s fit this may be the perfect weekend to relaunch his season... it’s the hope that kills you!
Should have sold him and kept Lukaku at the time. He's crap. Zero intelligence.
Sounds like there is a possibility of an apparent small percentage that the sources are actually people who might have knowledge of WTF is going on when it comes to speculation about anything.
we should have sold Lukaku and actually got Haaland over the line at the time. It would have been perfect.
Some of the comments are ridiculous. He is a quality player going through a rough patch but now that Lingard is gone, the fanbase needs a new punch bag and Martial has become that punch bag. Instead of providing a shred of support, the fan base turns on players the moment they start under performing, but equally also demand some level of insane loyalty from them. Martial needs some support and backing rather than constant nonsense. He actually had a decent game last night as well.
Disagree, Lukaku is in a band of footballers above Martial. No way ew would keep him if we wanted. Plus he had a huge bag of king edwards on his shoulder. Absolute right thing to do and ship him off to Second rate Serie A
“rough patch”
Martial is quality but I can't help but feel that his time with us is up.
Imagine if we didn't have Cavani. Or god forbid we didn't have Bruno
Dreading the prospect that he is still our main striker next season, don't think I can stomach watching him anymore.
It's either purple patch or rough patch with him, nothing in between. Scary.
Have some people decided to totally ignore Martials lethargy in games? He's been constantly told to up his work rate by numerous managers yet still he doesn't change.
The kid obviously has problems motivating himself at times and you get the sense of abit of attitude. Or he d be fulfilling his potential and be performing consistently.
In football you have to be ruthless with evolving the team and with recruitment, you can't become a charity hanging onto players earning huge wages hoping theyl find some consistency after 3,4,5 years. The successful clubs draw the line early , move players on and recruit better more consistent players.
Well overdue Martial leaving and I'd add De Gea and Pogba to that too.
The kid obviously has problems motivating himself at times and you get the sense of abit of attitude. Or he d be fulfilling his potential and be performing consistently.
In football you have to be ruthless with evolving the team and with recruitment, you can't become a charity hanging onto players earning huge wages hoping theyl find some consistency after 3,4,5 years. The successful clubs draw the line early , move players on and recruit better more consistent players.
Well overdue Martial leaving and I'd add De Gea and Pogba to that too.
Said it in other thread, if his name is Anthony Martin and he is English, he will ply his trade in championship
Everyone agrees that Martial, at his best, is a wonderful player. Reservations and concerns expressed on this forum are legitimate and validly held opinions.
But...how about an experiment in manifesting reality.
- only positive comments about Tony - they must be true but should be positive: eg he is a great on the ball, his ability to dribble in the opposition penalty box can strike fear into opponents
OR
- goal visualisation - I see his goal tomorrow against Chelsea as coming from a cutback from Rashford and first time finish from penalty spot area
OR
- unconditional love - Love you Tony!
Come on. Give it a go. What have you got to lose?!
But...how about an experiment in manifesting reality.
- only positive comments about Tony - they must be true but should be positive: eg he is a great on the ball, his ability to dribble in the opposition penalty box can strike fear into opponents
OR
- goal visualisation - I see his goal tomorrow against Chelsea as coming from a cutback from Rashford and first time finish from penalty spot area
OR
- unconditional love - Love you Tony!
Come on. Give it a go. What have you got to lose?!
John Stones has scored the same amount of goals in the league with him. There is your answer for the thread title
I would take Antonio, Vardy, DCL, Kane, Auba, Watkins, Jesus over him. I can't be bothered going further down in the league table to consider their strikers. We have more or less played the entire season without a main striker apart from a couple of games where Cavani has played quite well. We need to sort this in the summer. Rashford is not capable of playing that position and I am not convinced that Greenwood is either.
For whatever reason(s) Martial has not produced the goals required of a #9. It doesn't matter if he's a slacker or if he's trying his best because the end result is the same: not enough goals. The #9 position is a vacancy that needs to be filled.
It's a two-fold problem for me:
1. We dont create anywhere near enough, particularly this season. In Cavani we have one of the best strikers of the decade, renown for his brilliant movement... currently feeding off of one or two half chances a game.
2. Martial doesn't have the anticipation, if not the desire to get on to even the half chances that Cavani gets on to.
It really is a crap combo
1. We dont create anywhere near enough, particularly this season. In Cavani we have one of the best strikers of the decade, renown for his brilliant movement... currently feeding off of one or two half chances a game.
2. Martial doesn't have the anticipation, if not the desire to get on to even the half chances that Cavani gets on to.
It really is a crap combo
I think the game's up for him sadly. He's a confidence player and I've hoped for a lot of this season that he would get a goal and improve, but he just hasn't. What's worse, he seems to have not learned anything in terms of his off the ball movement, as others have frequently pointed out.
I think it's time we try to mould Greenwood up front, and look to find a buyer for Martial over the next 6-12 months.
I think it's time we try to mould Greenwood up front, and look to find a buyer for Martial over the next 6-12 months.
Nope hes been here 6 years, displayed the odd touches of brilliance, we know he has ability and talent BUT it's seldom shown on the pitch and never when the going gets tough. He's no more a number 9 centre forward than Ole is a master tactician. Get shut finally!