[bsCallout]

I think we have to start playing Rashford and Martial as a two up top.

Let Bruno/Donny/Pogba take up wide positions in attack but get Rashford and Martial in and around the box.

 

[Lentwood]

I think we have to start playing Rashford and Martial as a two up top.

Let Bruno/Donny/Pogba take up wide positions in attack but get Rashford and Martial in and around the box.

I think that would just make the problem worse to be honest. Neither has a strikers instincts so we would just end up with nobody in the penalty area and about 5 players on top of each other getting in the way

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

He was excellent, unlucky with the offside goal, won a penalty and some excellent skill for a chance in the first half. Considering he mostly played on the right wing he’s done so well.

 

[#07]

Rashford was better tonight. Made the right runs in behind and gave us that threat. Still doesn't look like he did before he did his back last season. I expect him to improve once he's fully fit.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

It was only 1x bad decision making but other than that moment he was superb in everything. He deserves to take the penalty since I thought the offside was close one and deserved a goal.

 

[Offside]

You know what you get with him moments of real quality and moments of utter crap. He needs to do the simple things better then he will be some player.

 

[Banana Republic]

A shame his goal was offside, as it was a great finish from a superb attacking move. Sadly we don’t see enough of that quality passing into the box these days.
Did brilliantly for winning the penalty.
Otherwise a 50/50 performance. Much much better than recent dire efforts, but still marred by a number of poor decisions and some slack passing. I don‘t think he got more than one or two forward passes, or any of his crosses, past the first defender. He just fires the ball straight into them.

 

[FrankDrebin]

That pass to Bruno was quality though.

 

[Devil may care]

He's looked good on the RW the last couple of times, very exciting in the role tonight, it's an interesting development that could be crucial.

 

[Web of Bissaka]

See, isn't he more dynamic/all-around when he's on the RW than the other side?
He already showed this enough number of times in past games albeit few but then football is going into this period of obsession in wingers cutting in so contrast dominant foot shall play in the contrasting positions.

It's against a shit team though, so need to see more against far decent teams.

 

[SadlerMUFC]

I've been calling for Rashford to be playing on the right for ages. Amazing how simple the game can be when you take your man wide. He is too predictable from the left. I prefer this front 3 as it was today. And from the right Rashford will still score a ton, especially if he starts making good runs as soon as he sees Telles with the ball...

 

[SadlerMUFC]

See, isn't he more dynamic/all-around when he's on the RW than the other side?
He already showed this enough number of times in past games albeit few but then football is going into this period of obsession in wingers cutting in so contrast dominant foot shall play in the contrasting positions.

It's against a shit team though, so need to see more against far decent teams.

This can take the pressure off AWB as well. Let him concentrate more on his defensive side of the game with the odd overlap while Telles supplies that FB attacking threat from the left. This makes so much more sense to me. I've never been a big fan of left footers on the right and vice versa. It's so predictable...

 

[jamesjimmybyrondean]

His movement on the right was really good. I think it's easier and straight forward making runs behind the line for a right footer on the right. He also doesn't lose the ball as much trying to cut in. His strength is in his pace. He ghosted past the defence playing on the right more than he has playing in the left. Keep him there.....until it doesn't work anymore in typical United fashion

 

[MadDogg]

See, isn't he more dynamic/all-around when he's on the RW than the other side?
He already showed this enough number of times in past games albeit few but then football is going into this period of obsession in wingers cutting in so contrast dominant foot shall play in the contrasting positions.

It's against a shit team though, so need to see more against far decent teams.

In the past he's had some good games on the right but more often than not he's been poor. He's looked decent there a few times lately though so it would be a huge help if he can become a real option on that side.

 

[hungrywing]

I've been calling for Rashford to be playing on the right for ages. Amazing how simple the game can be when you take your man wide. He is too predictable from the left. I prefer this front 3 as it was today. And from the right Rashford will still score a ton, especially if he starts making good runs as soon as he sees Telles with the ball...

His movement on the right was really good. I think it's easier and straight forward making runs behind the line for a right footer on the right. He also doesn't lose the ball as much trying to cut in. His strength is in his pace. He ghosted past the defence playing on the right more than he has playing in the left. Keep him there.....until it doesn't work anymore in typical United fashion

Hashtag defence-stretching things.

 

[kouroux]

See, isn't he more dynamic/all-around when he's on the RW than the other side?
He already showed this enough number of times in past games albeit few but then football is going into this period of obsession in wingers cutting in so contrast dominant foot shall play in the contrasting positions.

It's against a shit team though, so need to see more against far decent teams.

They really aren't shit.

 

[ghaliboy]

I don't think it was really the "he looks good on the right", I think it was just that he looks good with a capable number 9 who creates space with his movement. I thought it brought the best out of Rashford tonight and really gave him space and angles to cause damage with his movement. He looked much more free than when he has playing with Martial up front. I don't think AM/MR chemistry is very good, Cavani looked like a good foil for both players tonight which has promise.

 

[golden_blunder]

I don't think it was really the "he looks good on the right", I think it was just that he looks good with a capable number 9 who creates space with his movement. I thought it brought the best out of Rashford tonight and really gave him space and angles to cause damage with his movement. He looked much more free than when he has playing with Martial up front. I don't think AM/MR chemistry is very good, Cavani looked like a good foil for both players tonight which has promise.

Nail on head I think. Neither martial or Rashford look natural leading the line but with cavani they got much more space because he’s such a smart footballer. I know the opposition weren’t great but it’s promising and I hope we see it more in the league.

 

[DWelbz19]

Second top scorer in the CL this season. Only the goalscoring Cyborg has more.

 

[Rossa]

I think he looks good on the right because his best attribute is his speed. He basically runs away from defenders whilst carrying the ball. Not many can do that. On the left, however, he runs into traffic because he has to cut inside to be effective. On the right, once he outsprints his opponent, he is in acres of space, or if the left centreback chooses to go wide to defend, he can dribble past him as he is quite good one on one. From the left, he is too frequently congested by the opposition. Sometimes he manages to dribble past, but on the right, he will be awarded much more space. Martial is a far superior dribbler on the left, and arguably accelerates better into the box because he carries the ball much closer to his feet. Rashford sometimes loses the ball on the left because he has a heavy touch and gets too close to the byline where he cannot mange a good cross with his left. On the right, he can cross, and with Cavani in the box, we actually have a threat there.

 

[Highfather_24]

I don't think AM/MR chemistry is very good,

What? Martial and Rashford have a great partnership, they had so many goals last season where they assisted each other, or played 1-2s to create chances.

 

[ghaliboy]

What? Martial and Rashford have a great partnership, they had so many goals last season where they assisted each other, or played 1-2s to create chances.

Yeah, I just don't really agree. At the least their form this season is getting in the way of the argument but I don't really see great chemistry between them personally.

So for fidelity I crunched the numbers from Transfermarkt;
Martial 12 assists last season, assisted Rashford; 2 times. His main assists were Pens for Bruno and 3 for Greenwood.
Rashford 12 assists last season, assisted Martial; 5 times.

I mean, it looks better when you put Rashford's numbers in there but 7 assists out of a total of 24 assists isn't a huge number. A little food for thought but I don't think it really passes the eye test for me.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

When Rashford is good it completely transforms our team. We go from looking boring and unthreatening to... well the exact opposite.

Same for Martial too I suppose... basically us playing well and looking good as a team hinges on 2 out of 3 of Bruno/Martial/Rashford playing well.

 

[JJ12]

Want to see more of him down the right after last night. Him and Donny down the right would balance us out that’s for sure.

 

[FrankDrebin]

His movement on the right was really good. I think it's easier and straight forward making runs behind the line for a right footer on the right. He also doesn't lose the ball as much trying to cut in. His strength is in his pace. He ghosted past the defence playing on the right more than he has playing in the left. Keep him there.....until it doesn't work anymore in typical United fashion

That would be the next game then.

Anyway, alot continues to be said about Rashford but the simple fact for me is, like it or not, he's our 2nd most important offensive player after Bruno.

 

[simplyared]

It's a tie between him and Bruno for our best overall performer imo! Probably still our most valuable player.

 

[UncleBob]

His selfishness has reached new levels, i just wish his overall performances were on par.

 

[eire-red]

I'm going to make the same point I always make....once every 10/15 games Rashford will have a stormer. This almost exclusively happens against teams that play a high defensive line, giving him the opportunity to use his two key attributes - his pace and his direct runs. At about this time, a load of posters with nothing better to do trawl through the forums from the last 2/3 years ago and find quotes from posters who have criticised Rashford and attempt to shame us somehow with a snarky comment like 'not bad for the new Welbeck/a Championship player' or similar.

The trouble is, these games are the exceptions, not the norm. If I tagged all the pro-Rashford posters every time he was anonymous or had an outright stinker I'd be doing that 70/80% of the time after games.

I don't know why we never learn as Utd fans. We'll make every excuse in the book for a player. You've only got to look at the posts on this page...people blaming Ole...people saying 'try him at CF'...people comparing him to other players at a similar age...the fact is, I've seen all these excuses before made for other players and it never turns out well for us. In the case of Rashford, first it was LvGs fault...then Jose's...now Ole's. First it was because he was playing on the right, then it was that he was playing on the left...then he got a run of games at CF last Christmas time and it seemed to be almost universally agreed that he was horrendous and just not suited to the position. Guess what...slow start to this season and here we go again with the "try him at CF posts".

I've got to be clear - I am not saying Rashford is useless or isn't worth having as a squad player. What I am saying is that if posters think we're going to win titles or major trophies with Rashford as a regular starter I think they are sorely mistaken. He averages a goal about every four PL games (and some of those have been pens)...it's just nowhere near enough...and as I have said elsewhere, I wouldn't mind so much him not being prolific if his all-round game was better but at times his technique really does resemble a bottom-half PL player.

The majority of the time, United will face teams who deploy a low-block. When this is the case, we should be starting Mason, Cavani and Martial. These three are the best three finishers and the best at controlling and passing the ball in tight areas. We could then utilise Rashford as a fresh pair of legs around the hour mark as the opposition starts to tire. I think that would suit him down to the ground. It's no shame not to be good enough to start every week for Utd, plenty of players have made a career out of being good at coming on and impacting tight games...his current manager being a prime example!

Until we realise this, we will keep wondering why we are struggling to break teams down. I'm not pinning it all on Marcus but his being in the side impacts us negatively for two reasons. One, he isn't effective against a low-block. Two, it means Martial (who can be as an AMLF) is moved to CF to accommodate them both. I want to see Martial picking the ball up in wide/inside left positions and driving into the box, that's where he can be effective. against teams who sit deep.

Surely even the most pro-Rashford posters think it's worth a go? Rashford has been the one constant in this side that has failed to put away weaker teams at home. It's got to be time to give him a rest and try something a bit different for a handful of games at least.

Rashford delivers big goals in big games time and time again. Against PSG, who do you want that ball coming to outside the box? Surely not Martial and Greenwood.. Martial will try and dribble past the whole defence, and maybe go back and try and beat them again before he shoots.

Rashford had probably two or three solid months of consistent top performances before his injury last season, granted he has been inconsistent this season, but still the most consistent of our forward players with 8 goals.

I get your point that he's not as effective against low blocks, but neither are Martial and Greenwood, and both are equally as inconsistent as Rashford, if not more. Difference is, Rashford can win a game in a moment of brilliance, none of our other forwards have shown to have that in their locker. Martial is largely anonymous when not playing well, as is Greenwood. You can't say the same for Rashford, him and Bruno are always involved and more often than not most of our best attacking play involve those two.

 

[Apokalips]

Yeah, I just don't really agree. At the least their form this season is getting in the way of the argument but I don't really see great chemistry between them personally.

So for fidelity I crunched the numbers from Transfermarkt;
Martial 12 assists last season, assisted Rashford; 2 times. His main assists were Pens for Bruno and 3 for Greenwood.
Rashford 12 assists last season, assisted Martial; 5 times.

I mean, it looks better when you put Rashford's numbers in there but 7 assists out of a total of 24 assists isn't a huge number. A little food for thought but I don't think it really passes the eye test for me.

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It is literally more than any other combination we have had in a single PL season, but yeah they have no chemistry.

To be honest, they clearly have good chemistry and it is only our fans desperation to turn them into rivals and competitors that fuels any narrative outside of that.

 

[Sylar]

you can see, just by watching, his chemistry is there with Martial. Im surprised people would try to argue that.

As for Rashford, love seeing him play on the shoulder of defenders and using his pace. He was also smart for the penalty.
Just a shame the offside goal was offside. Brilliant team move.

 

[Andersons Dietician]

See in the first 5 mins of the game the difference in choices these two make was perfectly illustrated. When Rashord went inside and did that beautiful bit of skill to go past 2 just before that the pass to Martial is on who can bend one in the far corner and Rashford ignored it even though it was the better option. No doubt in my mind Martial passes that ball.

Then Martial finds himself in space at a pretty tight angle but he can probably muster a shot but then tries to find Rashford instead of taking it on. No doubt in my mind Rashford would have shot from that position And probably made something happen.

They both need a bit of what the other has but yeah when the passing is slick and smooth and we can get the ball to them they tend to have pretty good link up. Mind goes back to the back heal I think vs Norwich. Both just need a bit more experience to figure out what is the right choice but both I felt were pretty good last night.

 

[ghaliboy]

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It is literally more than any other combination we have had in a single PL season, but yeah they have no chemistry.

To be honest, they clearly have good chemistry and it is only our fans desperation to turn them into rivals and competitors that fuels any narrative outside of that.

Yeah I already said, 7 times out of their 24 total assists for the season. The most of any duo for United in the premier league? (Era I assume)... Fair enough, I guess. Still doesn't pass the eye test for me during 90mins.

 

[Borys]

To be honest considering the form he's in currently (which is poor) I don't see any difference when he plays on the left or in the right.
- great dribbling and no shot taken - check
- ruined counter attack - check
- some good runs and passing - check

I'd continue with him on the right. The way we play he'll get his chances to score anyway, plus he is stretching the defense. I also think his crosses are decent, and he is less predictable than on the left.

The only question is if he used all his luck with that nutmeg he did to Istanbul keeper.

 

[Plymouth Red]

This article on the performance of United’s different strike partnerships gives an interesting perspective on how effective we are today in front of goal.
https://www.football365.com/news/ra...rios-prolific-premier-league-rashford-martial
The conclusions I draw from it are that the chemistry factor is misnamed. It’s more about the combined football IQ of the front guys. In this respect, Rashford and Martial don’t match up to their predecessors.
Secondly, having a proper, natural number 9 instead of someone who is trying to adapt to a role they’re not equipped for produces far better end results. Neither Rashford nor Martial are penalty box specialists and this is definitely holding us back.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

 

[ghaliboy]

Watched this earlier today, some superb stuff in there.

 

[Schmeichel's Cartwheel]

The definition of a 0 or 100 player. He's either unplayable or he's woeful. You never see him have just a decent game. Needs more competition on the left. Might up his consistency if he's got a legit challenger to his position. We've seen that with Dave this season.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

 

[charlenefan]

The definition of a 0 or 100 player. He's either unplayable or he's woeful. You never see him have just a decent game. Needs more competition on the left. Might up his consistency if he's got a legit challenger to his position. We've seen that with Dave this season.

What an absolutely awful post. Honestly one of the worst I've ever seen on here. What was he Tuesday? Woeful or unplayable? Because whichever you say you'll be wrong

 

[Swiss_Red89]

Was bad but in the last moments he provides a skill of brilliance. (Finished by a true predator tbf)
Love Rashyyy!