[Lentwood]

This is a nonsense point. Literally 71% of those goals have come in 29% of the games, so reputations are fine. Add in the totally different defensive partnerships between those games and it couldn’t mean any less.

I don't understand what you're talking about? How did you interpret my post? We defended awfully as a unit last season, our defensive record was awful, we got multiple hammerings and Maguire and Lindelof got the brunt of it.

This season we have already conceded 16 goals. We had 6 put past us today by City and four put past us by Brentford. Do you think it's normal for a team of our calibre to consistently get hammered like that? I haven't got the time or inclination to run back through all of last season's fixtures but I reckon that between last season and the first few games this season, we must have conceded 3 or more 10+ times in the league.

The problem is half of our team can't/won't defend and we have a very poor/throwback goalkeeper and yet inevitably, since people's football knowledge usually limits them to "team concede goal, defence man bad", I fear it won't be long before Varane and Martinez have had their reputations ruined.

At the moment, they both have an element of goodwill. That won't last if we keep getting drubbed.

 

[Ekeke]

Best of our backline today for sure but he could have done better on the 5th goal. Still things to improve on but at least he was twice as good as his CB partner

 

[klayton88]

Would we have won 10-0 if he'd have ate his greens as a child?

 

[Mercurial]

Haaland is really sneaky, instead of targeting Martínez like we all thought he targeted the other 10 players.

4D chess, vibrating anal beads (I hope that reference is understood)

We didn't leave after three moves though

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

He lost Haaland for his hatty for a split second.

We've conceded so many goals this season, but I think Martinez will be a good signing.

 

[Luka Mora]

Would we have won 10-0 if he'd have ate his greens as a child?

He missed out on Popeye's spinach

 

[Bondi77]

Not much he could do really when the opposition were just walking through our midfield but any team that concedes six goals is highly unlikely to have a defender that played well.

 

[Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber]

We were over run in midfield. Defence was over exposed and over extended

 

[croadyman]

He lost Haaland for his hatty for a split second.

We've conceded so many goals this season, but I think Martinez will be a good signing.

Yeah not blaming him for being blown away

 

[bosnian_red]

I can see him becoming our captain eventually tbh. Has that dog in him with how he plays, consistency in technique and his performances, you can tell he's a leader and organizer... It's early days but I honestly see it happening.

 

[GueRed]

We just didnt defend properly as a team again.

The midfield and attack pushed up high with some kind of half-press (Sancho and Antony were poor) with the defensive line dropping and hanging too deep.

Leaving a huge vacuum in front of the back four open to be exposed.

Also again a lack of leadership was evident on the pitch
Hopefully when Martinez fully settles into the club and premier league football he can grow into that role...we shall see, time will tell.

He and Varane looked shit scared facing up to Haaland , i thought they'd be a bit more aggressive tbh.

Must add Martinez' passing in the second half was excellent.

 

[lex talionis]

Best to let it all go. Erling and City were freakish, much like we were against Arsenal and Roma a decade or more ago on those nights.

 

[Globule]

I love him.

 

[sullydnl]

Class.

 

[Ekeke]

Our best passer

 

[Zoo]

Holding the defence together.

 

[flameinthesun]

He is a quality quality player on and off the ball.

 

[HookedOnAPhelan]

The Argentinian Chihuahua is our best player.

 

[V.O.]

Was going to say he's out best defender on the ball by miles... but realistically he's pretty much our best player overall on the ball full stop, isn't he?

MOTM as well if it wasn't for Rashford's storming second half.

 

[the_cliff]

Brilliant performance today.
If our attackers were more clinical he could've been involved in at least 3 goals. Cut Omonia open with one long ball time after time.

 

[calodo2003]

Love his line breaking passes.

 

[Ekeke]

Was going to say he's out best defender on the ball by miles... but realistically he's pretty much our best player overall on the ball full stop, isn't he?

MOTM as well if it wasn't for Rashford's storming second half.

He tends to play longer, harder and more creative passes than our midfield. So yeah

 

[Mmm-Qatarian]

Was an impressive performance from him considering he basically didn't have a centre back partner.

 

[mu4c_20le]

Was going to say he's out best defender on the ball by miles... but realistically he's pretty much our best player overall on the ball full stop, isn't he?

MOTM as well if it wasn't for Rashford's storming second half.

Don't think he's better than Eriksen. But he's a very composed passer and it shows.

 

[DarkXaero]

It's either between him or Eriksen for our best passer. Everyone else is nowhere near.

 

[DJ Jeff]

I have never been so impressed with a center backs ground passing ability

 

[Raven]

Fantastic player, unbelievable on the ball.

 

[calodo2003]

I have never been so impressed with a center backs ground passing ability

And they’re hit with decisiveness & pace.

 

[criticalanalysis]

Feck the posters who said he wasn't anything special passing wise from the first few games when it was obvious he possessed superior technical quality and range even if it was in spurts.

When he takes off his shirt tonight, you will find Lindelof on his back as he carried him defensively, passing wise and positionally.

 

[Van Piorsing]

Initiator of everything, not the first time coolest player on the pitch.

 

[Ludens the Red]

His passing is ridiculous. Not to kick Maguire when he’s down but it’s funny how he was considered a strong ball playing defender when he can’t play most of the passes Martinez can.

 

[V.O.]

And they’re hit with decisiveness & pace.

The difference between him and Maguire is night and day. Maguire dithers on the ball for fifteen years and lofts a floaty little nothing pass to the wings that the opposition can have their whole defence parked behind before it gets there.

Martinez takes half a second to spot a gap between three opposition players and fires a laser beam into the feet of the centre forward before the opposition realise what's happening.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

he is either a playmaker pretending to be a defender or a defender pretending to be a playmaker.

Either way he is good at both.

 

[Prodigy24]

He's the real deal. Can't believe that we actually signed a player that turned out to be class. Seems ages ago that we managed to do that.

Long may it continue, absolutely love watching him play.

 

[Hugh Jass]

Man of the match for me.

 

[Ekeke]

The difference between him and Maguire is night and day. Maguire dithers on the ball for fifteen years and lofts a floaty little nothing pass to the wings that the opposition can have their whole defence parked behind before it gets there.

Martinez takes half a second to spot a gap between three opposition players and fires a laser beam into the feet of the centre forward before the opposition realise what's happening.

I think the same difference is there with all our other CBs to be honest. Lindelof dithers as much with his short passing game, although he can play a lovely long ball over the top. And Varane has a very ungainly dribble where the ball looks out of his control and then he plays a short pass with the foot that makes the least sense in the situation to a teammate. Its like he has his boots on the wrong feet.

 

[bosnian_red]

He's brilliant

 

[Andre Kagawa]

Our best player?

 

[Relevated]

Without his buddy were conceding loads. Gotta get new defenders in

 

[MadDogg]

So many of our best chances came directly from his passing.

Lindelof has the long ball over the top. Maguire has the ball out to the left. Both can be very useful at times and have created goals themselves, but Martinez has the ability to consistently get us into dangerous positions multiple times every match.