This isn’t aimed at you in particular, but this is something fans are actually very mediocre at. EtH made a point on multiple occasions to praise Martial for his pressing ability, but reading this forum for years, the common refrain is he is lazy or bad at it. He copped an unholy amount of shit for the 1st half against City in the matchday thread and his player performance thread, but the moment he went off for the outwardly more hardworking, frenetic Antony, they walked all over us until the introduction of Garnacho. A player not busting a gut, running around like a headless chicken all the time is not necessarily lazy, even though the other style is more endearing to the fans, everybody loves a trier and all that.
Which is why I brought up the 17/18 Rashford v Martial comparison, two players with nearly identical offensive and defensive output, but one is praised for his energy while the other is lambasted for his demeanor/effort.
But sometimes, when a player looks lazy, its because he is.
If you doubt eyes and brains I'm pretty sure the stats are there on Martial to back this
up. He's a lazy player statistically as well as on the eye test.
As well as a bit of brain pressing requires hard running. Its a prerequisite.
That's madness. There is nothing that suggests he is fault for being injury prone. If someone is truly privy to what he's been doing 24/7 then thay assessment would make sense but to just blame him for something he's the one who suffers the most from is crazy talk.
The amount of fans who talk as if they have special insights on players will always amuse me.
It's based on 8 years watching the guy week in week out. I've watched him lose a yard of pace by the time he was 23, before the injuries. Only one explanation for that.
I can't remember the last time I saw him and thought that's a top level athlete at peak fitness. Again only one explanation.
I've watched him mope on the pitch, put in minimal effort, only come alive when he thinks there's something on offer. Be the very opposote of alert.
For sure this is just an opinion, I could be wrong.
But none of the above says to me this is a player who really puts it in onbthe trainimg pitch. A player determined to do what it takes to get his body in the best shape it can be.
And just to finish, for many years, I was a big fan of his.