Memphis Depay vs Anthony Martial

[Rich_H_1989]

Between the two I definitely think Martial is the one with the higher ceiling.

In a few years I think Martial will be right up there was one of the best players in the world. Sadly I'm not sure Memphis is going to reach those heights.

Both are very very good players but already Martial looks comfortable on the biggest stage. Memphis meanwhile is still finding it hard going. At times he looks quality whilst other times you find yourself screaming at him.

Martial though just seems to have this grace about him. He glides past people and everything he does is so effortless. He's strong but elegant.

 

[BAMSOLA]

I really hate the term "Ceiling".

 

[Litch]

Patience is a virtue. Seen Memphis against Spain and he was in a spell the best on the pitch. Outstanding talent, just needs time and needs to focus on the pitch not exploits off it...

 

[Acole9]

Apparently there's a report that Memphis will be dropped to the bench today.

 

[Stadjer]

Apparently there's a report that Memphis will be dropped to the bench today.

We can only hope..

 

[JPRouve]

I really hate the term "Ceiling".

Agreed no one cares about the ceiling, it's the roof that matters.

 

[Escobar]

Too early to say anything yet but to me the biggest difference seems to be the mental state and attitude. Until now, it seems that Martial is very grounded, calm and settled despite being much younger. Memphis is rather the "I made it lets go crazy" guy if you want so, who seems to lose focus quicker and needs to settle down first

Well, that's just my amateurish armchair analysis based on the last couple of months

 

[Someone]

Comparisons aside, while i prefer martial as our no 9, he did a good job today and memphis should be worried.

 

[Suedesi]

Memphis has shown a very flashy and cocky attitude, with little end product in the league. Needs to buckle down.

 

[Rezyuz]

Comparisons aside, while i prefer martial as our no 9, he did a good job today and memphis should be worried.

We should be worried if Rooney takes over the spot of Martial while Martial obviously performs better as a 9 then Rooney.

Depay dropped atm is no problem, Rooney not being dropped while Depay is resulting in Martial moving out of his spot to accommodate Rooney? Insane.

 

[Dion]

I think this was actually the type of game Depay would have enjoyed, he can have no complaints after Arsenal though. Just got to knuckle down and get on with it.

 

[Kakeru]

In any case, I think we have all the tools for a healthy competition on the left wing.

We should be worried if Rooney takes over the spot of Martial while Martial obviously performs better as a 9 then Rooney.

Depay dropped atm is no problem, Rooney not being dropped while Depay is resulting in Martial moving out of his spot to accommodate Rooney? Insane.

Rooney's time will come should another strong dip in performances arrive while Memphis picks himself up later on.

 

[Devil may care]

Martial just seems much more mature on and off the pitch right now.

 

[JPRouve]

Martial had the chance to be coached by Ranieri and Leonardo Jardim. A very good coach is invaluable.

 

[thepolice123]

It's quite obvious right now that Martial is the better player. He showed Depay how to do a job on the left today and the frightening thing about it was that he wasn't even playing in his natural position.

 

[pacifictheme]

I don't read much into Depay not playing. He'll probably start against Moscow and i wouldn't be surprised to see Martial rested. Its a long season and we need to rotate where we can.

 

[Adisa]

I don't read much into Depay not playing. He'll probably start against Moscow and i wouldn't be surprised to see Martial rested. Its a long season and we need to rotate where we can.

I don't think he's going to start for a while. Not until his attitude improves.

 

[Adisa]

I don't read much into Depay not playing. He'll probably start against Moscow and i wouldn't be surprised to see Martial rested. Its a long season and we need to rotate where we can.

I don't think he's going to start for a while. Not until his attitude improves.

 

[Sam]

Martial is just far more talented. Its as simple as that really.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Memphis criticism is way over done. He needs to work back harder but that's about it, otherwise he looks like exactly the same player as we all saw in holland. He's shown he's fast, strong, has good movement and is a good finisher. Looks like he can go by a player but that's not a big part of his game and hasn't ever been from what I can tell. He's a young and inexperienced goal scoring winger, and he's looked like exactly that so far

 

[Nik70]

Martial. Memphis will come right too, but Martial is a scary sight for defenders when he is running at them.

 

[Sam]

Memphis criticism is way over done. He needs to work back harder but that's about it, otherwise he looks like exactly the same player as we all saw in holland. He's shown he's fast, strong, has good movement and is a good finisher. Looks like he can go by a player but that's not a big part of his game and hasn't ever been from what I can tell. He's a young and inexperienced goal scoring winger, and he's looked like exactly that so far

Has he? I mean thats what we all thought he'd be, but in reality he's looked pretty slow and weak (for someone of his bulk), and his finishing (apart from the Brugge game) has been horrible. His movement has been excellent, I'll give you that.

 

[Sandikan]

I remember a time when Rooney was seen as the better of him and Ronaldo.

Things can change.

Although it does seem hard to see Memphis outdoing Martial, being 2 years older, and having made a slower start to things here.

 

[Oneunited26]

Its not that he is not more talented, its just Martial has developed at a far quicker speed than memphis has.

 

[kouroux]

It's quite obvious right now that Martial is the better player. He showed Depay how to do a job on the left today and the frightening thing about it was that he wasn't even playing in his natural position.

It is his natural position, or one of his natural positions. Martial didn't discover this role this season.

 

[RedorDead21]

Has he? I mean thats what we all thought he'd be, but in reality he's looked pretty slow and weak (for someone of his bulk), and his finishing (apart from the Brugge game) has been horrible. His movement has been excellent, I'll give you that.

But he's just a kid in his first season and we give them time at this club before such harsh judgements! Just look at Smalling today at 25 finally showing his worth and the benefit of extended patience.......laughable to be critical of Depay who basically got us into the CL proper correct.

 

[RRCE]

At the moment, the answer is obvious - Martial all day long. He's proven himself to be a much calmer, dynamic and effective player than Memphis. Moreover, he's clearly much more vital to the team, given our lack of strikers in the squad. Martial is roughly two years younger than Memphis. His potential is incredible. If you could only take one of them, there'd only be one choice.

That said, I'm very happy to have both of them. Memphis is also clearly a very talented young player, with bags of potential. I actually thought he started the season solidly enough. His form has dipped of late, and he was rightly dropped for today's match. Quite frankly, I wouldn't start him in either of our next two matches either. That doesn't mean for a second that he's a bust. It simply means that he's young. He'll have highs and lows as he progresses (as Martial is likely to, by the way). I don't necessarily believe that Memphis has a poor attitude, a poor work ethic or a sense of entitlement. He wouldn't be a United player if he did. Give him time.

 

[Crashoutcassius]

Has he? I mean thats what we all thought he'd be, but in reality he's looked pretty slow and weak (for someone of his bulk), and his finishing (apart from the Brugge game) has been horrible. His movement has been excellent, I'll give you that.

I don't think he's looked slow and weak and I don't know how you could conclude his finishing has been horrible when we aren't making chances.

I think the problem is likely people just thought we were signing a tricky winger and that's not really the reality

 

[Man of Leisure]

Martial had the chance to be coached by Ranieri and Leonardo Jardim. A very good coach is invaluable.

Fixed.

 

[NinjaZombie]

I think the difference is mentality. I'm no psychologist but Martial seems the more assured cool type while Memphis seems to put too much pressure on himself to be a top player.

Again, no degree in psychology, but maybe because Memphis has always had to fight his way up since a kid. Martial on the other hand, is settled down, has a wife and a kid etc. Fergie always wanted his players to marry early and he knew a thing or two about football.

 

[Dr. Funkenstein]

We should be worried if Rooney takes over the spot of Martial while Martial obviously performs better as a 9 then Rooney.

Depay dropped atm is no problem, Rooney not being dropped while Depay is resulting in Martial moving out of his spot to accommodate Rooney? Insane.

If the team performs better with Martial on the wing and Rooney in the center, I don't see how it is relevant that Martial performs better as a 9 than Rooney.

Too early to say anything yet but to me the biggest difference seems to be the mental state and attitude. Until now, it seems that Martial is very grounded, calm and settled despite being much younger. Memphis is rather the "I made it lets go crazy" guy if you want so, who seems to lose focus quicker and needs to settle down first

Well, that's just my amateurish armchair analysis based on the last couple of months

I think Depay is still quite immature, both on and off the pitch. He's not very sensible in his communication, allthough he's actually quite modest in everything but his long term ambitions, he comes across very cocky. And there are also unwritten rules like don't stand out with your fashion if you don't stand out on the pitch, this is of course a nonsense rule, but that's how it works. A more mature and sensible guy would keep a low profile in all the irrelevant things. I don't think Van Gaal has any complaints about how hard he works and his mentality in training, but hard work doesn't guarantee end product.

Martial is the more allround gifted player, he just has a superior ball control, very close control, and is very athletic. He had an excellent start, the pressure is off, and he can just use his general ability which is good enough to not lose possession, to beat defenders and score goals. Depay has never been and never will be a player who can keep the ball at his feet waiting for the defender to make a move and then dribble away from him. He's got his first touch and a sharp turn, but he's got to make it work at the higher pace of the PL, his timing is off, he can't relie on his tricks anymore and that's unsettling his game. Often he shakes off a defender, and then he's surprised there's another defender already or the first defender has another go at him, he still got to adjust his timing to the pace of the PL. If he manages that, his confidence and therefore his crosses and shots will come back. But this is the first difficult spell of his career, so he will have to show real character and mentality to get through.

Depay can become a very effective and valuable player, but he does not have the potential Martial has. Depay can become a star, Martial can become a superstar. Depay needs to be given time, Martial doesn't need time because he's so talented, but as a young player he will have some more difficult spells in the future to.

 

[JPRouve]

Fixed.

Thanks.

 

[Lewis.no.9]

We need to try a 3 of Memphis, Martial and Mata. Shame that Martial gets pushed back to LW to shoehorn in a relatively poor Rooney despite his goal yesterday. 3 good runs and 1 goal doesnt forgive the numerous games this season where his play has been pathetic. I hope we dont start to stifle Martial's development by still backing Wayne. Rooney needs to play great and score in the next game against City and contribute to us beating them before we start saying "Rooney is back" but a part of me thinks he wont do that and will struggle against City.

Lets hope he proves me wrong.

 

[kouroux]

If the team performs better with Martial on the wing and Rooney in the center, I don't see how it is relevant that Martial performs better as a 9 than Rooney.

You'll always have people with weird opinions like that, as long as the team wins, it doesn't matter where Martial plays. Some ridiculous crying over a tactical change which worked fantastically well by many posters.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Now that they're competing for the same spot I'd pick Martial, even though I am still bullish on Memphis' prospects.

Except maybe in the CL, where Memphis seems to wake up on the right side of bed.

 

[sunama]

Memphis, looks like he has the physical attributes to do well in the EPL.
His problem has been that when he gets the ball, he gets tackled/dispossesed/loses the ball, very quickly.
I think composure is a problem here.

Before the season started, I expected A.Young to be our No.1 LW, with Memphis filling in, when Young is unavailable.
I was surprised that LVG put Memphis straight in, namely because a young player can be shell-shocked by the pace and aggression of the EPL and that is what seems to have happened.
In any case, I think LVG needs to bring Memphis back, gradually as it will take a few months for him to adapt.

Remember guys, Di Maria, who is a top class, elite footballer, in good form, struggled to adjust to the EPL. He himself admitted this. The pace. The power. The aggression. The weather. Referees allowing fouls.
It takes time to adjust.
So, give Memphis time. I'm sure that in 18 months, this young player is going to be dynamite.

Right now: Martial vs Memphis. Martial, of course.
In 18 months: Memphis may eventually be the better player. Time will tell, though.

 

[Scorpy]

Now that they're competing for the same spot I'd pick Martial, even though I am still bullish on Memphis' prospects.

Except maybe in the CL, where Memphis seems to wake up on the right side of bed.

I don't think so. Martial starting on the left was circumstantial IMO. Van Gaal clearly wanted an extra body in midfield so he chose to play Herrera behind Rooney. Martial was the best option for the left wing as Rooney can't play there, Young is injured and Memphis is playing like shit.

 

[manufanatic]

To me it's simple you have to track back play defense martial did both yesterday and shearer highlighted on motd as well Memphis has to play this system or he will sit. Adm sat, Mata sat until he started to play defense. There was a reason that young and Valencia played several games last year. Not because they were the most talented but because they listened and played the way the coach wants them to play system wise. Some fans think that LVG is stifling Memphis but I don't see that at all. Memphis has tried to be himself but when you loses the ball he sulks, dives or jogs back on defense. That has to change. One of the greatest attributes that giggs and Becks had was always tracking back so many times giggs and Becks got a challenge in before a threat to the goal. Watch that 19 year martial doing that yesterday wonderful he is a bargain. Memphis can learn he is young and I still think that martial and Memphis is ronny and Rooney part 2. It took roony some time to play defense. When Memphis gets is head on right we will be contenders for the epl every year

 

[2mufc0]

Martial pretty much showed Memphis how to play LW yesterday, to actually run at the fullback which Memphis rarely does.

 

[Sam]

I don't think he's looked slow and weak and I don't know how you could conclude his finishing has been horrible when we aren't making chances.

I think the problem is likely people just thought we were signing a tricky winger and that's not really the reality

I don't think he's looked very fast at all, at least not for a winger. And he hasn't looked strong on the ball either, being knocked off easily.

And apart from the Brugge game his finishing has been poor. I don't see how you can think otherwise, he's missed every chance he's had, apart from the open goal against Sunderland.