Couldnt agree more. He is extremely frustrating to watch and I cannot see the clear talent or upside that makes the frustrating parts worth it.
21
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 38
- Goals
- 3
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 6
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Aye I agree, because if the numbers were contributing to us scoring goals or winning games I'd put up with it, but it really isn't worth it. His right foot cannot be that fecking useless that he can't make a 10 yard pass behind a defender or swing at a cross? Unbelievable.
I have no idea and if I’m honest, I wouldn’t go to great lengths to find out as we have superior talent in Sancho and Amad whom I’d wish to invest all the time and effort into and try extract the best from.
You accused him of being a system player and it’s not an incorrect statement as he’s certainly no island, maverick who can go it alone. But until he is once again a cog in a well oiled machine, it’s apples being compared to oranges when he’s assessed; it’s really weird to take a player’s tools away and then blast him for not being the player he was. Well no shit he isn’t!
What I find most worriyng is when he actually decides to cross it or try a pass down behind the opponents defence the quality often is horrible. It seems so half-arsed when he actually tries to find a teammate with a cross. The level of decision making is incredibly bad for a supposed creative player like him.
Some of it may come down to our tactics and how the team is set up, but he certainly isn't one who plays his teammates better.
Think you misunderstood, I actually was saying I believed you were describing him as a system player and one that required optimal conditions at United to be successful.
I've not blasted him for not being what he was. I've simply said I don't believe he is good enough for United and I also said I don't believe he didn't have the required tools except for missing a proper no 9 to play off.
Yeah you're right, I've just said in another post about how can it be possible he can't pass the ball 10 yards with his right foot, behind a defender but when I think of it his distribution with his right is atrocious. I just don't see him getting any better or contributing to the side more, he will need to do a lot to change my mind on him now.
I outlined what he made his name in and what it provided him. He’s quite a limited player so he needs those things at his disposal.
Antony is a wrong buy, I would swap an older Mehez for this joker. Can't beat his man, not fast enough, completely useless right foot, always arguing with referees and most of his shot miss the target. His goals and assists is really poor for a 90mil players, I guess he will score 7-8 goals with 7-8 assists over 35-40 games. 100% that he will be out with injury this season a couple of times.
ETH must see him dribbling past Shaw everyday in training and think hes my man hes starting next game.
I think ETH forgets Shaw has the reaction time of a north sea ferry and any player wearing Mecurial Vapours dribble past him.
I think ETH forgets Shaw has the reaction time of a north sea ferry and any player wearing Mecurial Vapours dribble past him.
Nah if anything he’s been indulged too much.
I'm just so massively unconvinced. He works hard, that's a positive. But technically he's lacking in some many aspects which are crucial to excel in his position for a top team. We've got to see some progression and improvement from him and quickly, because what he currently offers, is nothing special in truth.
So only at Manchester United are players finished when they sign. Good to know.
I think he will live off that game for Ajax against Dortmund for that rest of his life. That was the one highlights reel that drove muppets into a frenzy, many of them asking us to "just pay up", and losing their collective minds when the deal wasn't moving as quickly as they wanted it to.
Didn't think he was all that looking at his highlights, and quickly made my mind up about him halfway through last season. Still I hope he at least reaches a level where he is serviceable for us a s club. Don't think he will ever become best player in the league category (think Hazard, Salah, Mahrez) or great wide player over a season (Pires, Nani, Mane, Sterling, Son), but hopefully good enough to help us along the way.
Didn't think he was all that looking at his highlights, and quickly made my mind up about him halfway through last season. Still I hope he at least reaches a level where he is serviceable for us a s club. Don't think he will ever become best player in the league category (think Hazard, Salah, Mahrez) or great wide player over a season (Pires, Nani, Mane, Sterling, Son), but hopefully good enough to help us along the way.
No but apparently only at United are you asked to back a player for 2+ years no matter what before being allowed to say they aren’t good enough.
Antony isn’t good enough, and he won’t become good enough magically anymore than Dan James was going to develop into a star for us.
*yawn*
All his touches vs Tottenham
Around 1:21 mark, I was so angry and confused at what he was doing there. Its almost like his brain shut down.
Gakpo is Right footed, I truly believe he'd have preferred to have Gakpo at RW so that we have someone who can actually cross the ball on that side. Our right side is embarrassingly week, Antony being very one dimensional doesn't help.
Gakpo could cross and cut in as his left foot isn't really a weakness.
Hell, ETH is reported to have spoken to Gakpo and told him he'd be a good replacement for CR7 - Gakpo can and has played across all 3 forward positions.
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he's the footballing version of adagio in g minor. he just makes me feel sad 
I think it’s best for all parties if he leaves with immediate effect.
Everyone seems to be on board now but I thought I was going crazy last season when I saw the praise he was getting.
I always had doubts about him because he's one of the few players whose highlight reel didn't impress me, not even a little bit. He did have that spectacular last game for Ajax where he scored and created a couple and that excited me.
He did relatively ok to start the season but the game that confirmed he was bobbins was the game at OT against League One Charlton. This was one of the games where he scored his 1 in 45 left foot curlers but it was his inability to get the better of a L1 fullback that had me speechless. I remember Nani and Memphis struggling as young wingers in the PL early on but whenever they got their chance in the smaller games or in the cups they shredded these inferior defenders and showed you what they were capable of. I realised very early it was a matter of ability with Antony and he just doesn't have it.
This was Antony against Charlton at home. It wasn't a terrible game but replace his goal with his trademark off target shot and its the same game he's had for 80% of his time here. Ineffective and a lack of threat.
I always had doubts about him because he's one of the few players whose highlight reel didn't impress me, not even a little bit. He did have that spectacular last game for Ajax where he scored and created a couple and that excited me.
He did relatively ok to start the season but the game that confirmed he was bobbins was the game at OT against League One Charlton. This was one of the games where he scored his 1 in 45 left foot curlers but it was his inability to get the better of a L1 fullback that had me speechless. I remember Nani and Memphis struggling as young wingers in the PL early on but whenever they got their chance in the smaller games or in the cups they shredded these inferior defenders and showed you what they were capable of. I realised very early it was a matter of ability with Antony and he just doesn't have it.
This was Antony against Charlton at home. It wasn't a terrible game but replace his goal with his trademark off target shot and its the same game he's had for 80% of his time here. Ineffective and a lack of threat.
I don't think he did. He was a good dribbler at 54%, but that was only 1.8 dribbles per game. Usually I would say someone who is taking people on left, right, and center is someone who averages about 3+ dribbles per game. That's more akin to Sancho, who averaged 3 dribbles per 90m twice in the Bundesliga. Sancho's first season with United in the PL had similar dribbling statistics to Antony in the Eredivisie. Which kind of tells you that Antony wasn't all that amazing a dribbler despite playing in the Eredivisie.
Excellent video. His decision making is woeful and constantly costs us.
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Tiny lone voice:
I still think he’ll come good.
I still think he’ll come good.
His last play before his sub was even worse as he had some great options around him. Instead of passing, he tried some fancy dribble as if he were still in the Eredivisie.
His main problem isn't the lack of a striker, his pace or his right foot. It's his brain, he just doesn't seem to be intelligent enough on the pitch to compensate for his flaws.
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I think the worrying part is that the Antony we have been seeing is the Antony riding off a positive start, scoring on his debut, without any off the field drama etc. Now he is entering his mentally unstable phase, dealing with off the field stuff, and he is entering this phase with the water already on his neck performance wise.
He is the Brazilian reincarnation of Bernardeschi - a left footed right winger with only one trick. Earns a big money transfer, puts in one world class CL performance in his career (vs Atletico), frustrates everyone for years and ends up in the MLS at 28.
Ha Bernadeschi is actually a good comparison haha
I bet Antony wishes that Harry was back in the starting side.
Why?I bet Antony wishes that Harry was back in the starting side.
And I forgot to add that both have coloured their hair blonde. It's too obvious.
Yep. That's the concern; he doesn't seem to process well, which is the antithesis of what a playmaking wideman is supposed to be about.
Just watching that Charlton game and I am so enraged. I genuinely dislike the guy. He falls in the Lukaku and Maguire category of players for me. They think they are world beaters but are absolutely awful on the eye. How can a professional player be so one dimentional and predictable? How does a football player at the top level make poor decisions time and time again? How did this guy scam his way to the top and how is he even a Brazilian? What happened to Brazil?
He finds himself with the ball in a lot of counter attack situations where could easily have either gotten an assist or he could have helped create a chance. Somehow more often than not he messes up. The sad part is Sancho on the other hand rarely gets himself in those situations but when he does he usually uses the ball right. If you could fuse them you would have a decent winger.
Richarlison, Fred, Antony etc known mostly for their hardwork than ball ability getting significant time for Brazil. Maybe street ballers are a dying breed over there.
Just compare him to what rival teams have there - Foden, Saka, Salah. Even Almiron and March. What's there more to say? Even on a good day he isn't even half the player some of these are, yet we are going to compete with them? Please...
Some of you really need to let off some steam and vent by burning his jersey and effigy outside Old Trafford. That will show him.
Salah & Foden both had quite a bad patch of form just last season, but their teams functioned without them - had the depth to rely on other players when they didn't perform.
I struggle with this one.
Contrary to popular belief, he's not slow. In fact, on the first five yards he's very quick. However, if/when he gets past his defender, he either doesn't sprint at full speed allowing the defender to catch up, or he goes on a walkabout without any decision made on what to do next. It's like he complicates things instead of playing a natural game.
He's not a great dribbler, but nor is he a poor one, but he struggles with what to do and when.
Is he a direct player? At times it seems like it, then he's in space and he shuts down, allowing the defenders to get back into position. Very strange.
Is he good in posession? I think so, but then he messes up so many easy short passes that he time and time disrupts the team balance and creates breaks for the opposition. Again, very strange.
He isn't an old school winger like Kanschelskis because he lacks a little in terms of pace, and he isn't close to being direct enough. He isn't the dribbler of a young, or even old Ryan Giggs. He isn't Robben because, let's be honest, most of his shots are a little wank, and he's not quite quick enough to get that yard that Robben always managed to get. He surely isn't a Ronaldo, and nor is he a Salah. He's his own little schizophrenic self, and he has the natural abilities to be quite good, but his decision making and lack of decisiveness are what is really holding him back, imo.
Contrary to popular belief, he's not slow. In fact, on the first five yards he's very quick. However, if/when he gets past his defender, he either doesn't sprint at full speed allowing the defender to catch up, or he goes on a walkabout without any decision made on what to do next. It's like he complicates things instead of playing a natural game.
He's not a great dribbler, but nor is he a poor one, but he struggles with what to do and when.
Is he a direct player? At times it seems like it, then he's in space and he shuts down, allowing the defenders to get back into position. Very strange.
Is he good in posession? I think so, but then he messes up so many easy short passes that he time and time disrupts the team balance and creates breaks for the opposition. Again, very strange.
He isn't an old school winger like Kanschelskis because he lacks a little in terms of pace, and he isn't close to being direct enough. He isn't the dribbler of a young, or even old Ryan Giggs. He isn't Robben because, let's be honest, most of his shots are a little wank, and he's not quite quick enough to get that yard that Robben always managed to get. He surely isn't a Ronaldo, and nor is he a Salah. He's his own little schizophrenic self, and he has the natural abilities to be quite good, but his decision making and lack of decisiveness are what is really holding him back, imo.