Following on from a seemingly breakout 2019/20 season, where he registered an impressive 23 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, Anthony Martial failed to make any form of positive impression in the first team last season.
With the plethora of forward talent Manchester United have accrued in the last 12 months or so, including the likes of Cavani, Sancho, and Cristiano Ronaldo, alongside the ever-continuing rise of Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial is facing a difficult prospect in his attempt to reclaim any resemblance of a starting position, whether it is as a nine or a winger.
Whilst the level of talent ahead of him is certainly intimidating and could arguably form one of the best forward lines in the world, Anthony Martial’s issues don’t stem from the players around him, but himself.
In the 19/20 season he played primarily as a striker, and though he didn’t look 100% comfortable at the position still, his return speaks for itself. Alongside the numbers, he was beginning to pick up some of those smaller key characteristics that a striker does and develop those abilities. He looked physically stronger, and though he still retained his fondness for falling over despite the most minimal contact at times, he did notably improve his ability to hold the ball up. He was scoring more scrappy goals in the 6-yard box and whilst again those striker’s instinct runs weren’t perfect, there was clear improvement.
However, this all seemingly disappeared in the 20/21 season, and the elements that were always weak about his game began to look even worse. His development seemingly out of nowhere slipped from progression to regression. His passing has never been a strong point of his game, consistently playing it behind his man. His touches as well can be particularly poor, almost the opposite of Lukaku where it would ping off his foot, Martial is prone to letting the ball get stuck under him, which then in turn makes his passing worse and more likely to be short. Especially when you are moved to the striker spot and have a centre-back pressuring you consistently, you don’t have the time to get the ball out from under your feet to then pass, your first touch needs to be good. However, since Martial’s touch wasn’t, it meant he was forfeiting possession constantly because of it, whether it was a misplaced pass or the defender being able to snag it from under his feet.
So now the questions that require answering are what has caused this regression? And how can Martial fix these issues?
Regarding the first question this is obviously pure speculation, however, whether it is the initial issue that has caused Martial’s downfall, or is simply a compounding factor, it is apparent that Anthony Martial is low on confidence. The issue within that lies in the fact that Martial’s confidence seems to ‘coincidentally’ dip as soon as someone who could potentially challenge him for his position arrives in the squad. When Ibrahimovic came in, when Lukaku came in, and then when Cavani came in last season, it appeared like Martial’s confidence dipped, and as a result so did his performances.
In the 19/20 season, Martial was relied on as the main man up front and he delivered. However, with the introduction of Cristiano Ronaldo to Manchester United, Cavani still having a year on his contract and Mason Greenwood eyeing up more minutes at the striker position, the competition is more stacked than it has ever been for the Frenchman.
Perhaps it would make sense for Anthony Martial to move somewhere where he is a big fish in a smaller pond, and can reignite his confidence, somewhere like the club whose academy he developed in, Olympique Lyonnais? There were multiple reports that the French club were interested in the Manchester United striker around the transfer deadline. It was also a loan deal that was proposed, meaning Martial could have the chance to show he still has it and then fight for a place in the United squad the season after? It seemingly makes perfect sense on all fronts really!
Martial supposedly rejected the offer as he had no interest to return to France and wants to prove his worth to Manchester United…
The best and most realistic way he could have done that at this point is by tearing it up in Ligue 1, because he’s definitely not starting over Cristiano Ronaldo, and realistically probably shouldn’t be starting over Cavani when he’s fit as well based off of last season.
It is admittedly refreshing to hear that Anthony Martial is supposedly set on competing for his position and using that as motivation to elevate his game, after having previously failed to do so when competition has arrived at the club, with many believing his outward persona exuberated his lack of care for the challenge. It just seems his sense of timing for finally rising to this challenge is woeful and could potentially send his career hurtling further down the slope than he realises.
It’s safe to say we all want Martial to succeed at Manchester United. However, if he wants to reach the heights his potential has shown throughout the years, remaining at Manchester United at this time in order to do so may prove to be a foolish mistake, and represent an insurmountable task.