Matt851
Full Member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2016
- Messages
- 2,128
You must be on the wind up, citing the winning goal against leicester as an achievement - maybe you should actually watch the goal. It was also his first premier league goal or assist in around 18 monthsFar from it. I have always believed he had the quality (to be a good player, not necessarily a great one), because even if it was just for a limited period, he showed it both for United and for England at the World Cup. That was surely no fluke, so even when he went off form, like Martial has now, you still know the player is in there. The three factors that were consistent during his best run of form were:
1. Playing his best position
2. Getting consistent gametime
3. Being a valued member of the team
I for one lost a bit of respect for Ole when he dropped him, simply because it seemed to me, Ole was playing to the gallery. Fine, he hadn't scored in a year or so at the time, but he was a critical part of the Ole's initial success, and everyone could see how much his injury (against Liverpool?) had an impact in changing the way the team played. He had also been a critical part of Mourinho's team before the signing of Sanchez which disrupted both himself and Martial. For that reason, it was obvious to me and should have been to Ole, that the player was going through a rough patch for whatever reason, and I do believe he (Ole) was thinking along these lines because he did persist with him until the media started going on about how Lingard had not scored in a year.
Isn't it remarkable that Ole dropped him the very next game, and then produced that infamous "one more time and you're off on-camera moment"? I think he dropped Lingard simply as a reaction to the press picking up on his failings, in order to boost his own standing. Otherwise, why did he stick with him for so long? And can anyone explain why Martial has not been given the same treatment? Ole, in this sense, treated Lingard unfairly, and I think Lingard has a chip on his shoulder about it.
Post lockdown, Lingard hasn't had a single bad game in the few chances he has gotten, beginning from his winning goal at Leicester last season. He showed he was looking sharp and back to his old levels, which meant he could at least bring something to the team. I am happy for him at West Ham and clearly staying there is best for him. He will go back to being a respected player and England interantional.
He is not good enough. Even if martial no longer looks good enough that doesn't make lingard a better player