Anthony Martial: Is the Manchester United forward better out wide?
Saturday 19 March 2016 17:54, UK
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has been criticised for not using Anthony Martial as a striker, but is he more effective on the wing? The statistics throw up some interesting results…
Anthony Martial has been one of the most talked-about players in the Premier League since Manchester United made him the most expensive teenager in football history on the final day of the summer transfer window.
At first, the discussion centred on how the little-known Frenchman could possibly justify a transfer fee that could reportedly rise as high as £61.5m. Louis van Gaal and the player himself called it "crazy" money, and many observers saw it as a desperate move by United after missing out on bigger names.
Martial, though, didn't take long to silence his doubters. He marked his Premier League debut by coming off the bench to score an unforgettable solo goal in a 3-1 win over Liverpool on September 12, and a week later netted a clinical brace in a 3-2 victory over Southampton at St Mary's Stadium.
Suddenly, the "crazy" transfer fee looked like a shrewd piece of business for a side desperately lacking spark in the final third. Martial's emergence has been one of few bright spots in United's disappointing season, and with the 20-year-old's talent no longer up for debate, the discussion has turned to where exactly he is at his most effective.
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Van Gaal has provoked the ire of many Manchester United supporters by fielding Martial on the left flank for much of the campaign. The frustration is understandable. The former Monaco man is routinely their most threatening attacking player, after all, and with seven Premier League goals he is also joint-top of their scoring charts.
So is Martial wasted out wide? Sky Sports pundit Thierry Henry is among the leading voices to have said so, but Van Gaal has refused to bow to external pressure. The United boss has explained his stance by saying he puts the team's needs before those of any individual, but he might have been better off pointing to the stats.
According to Opta, Martial has begun nine Premier League games as a striker and 13 out wide, and the stats show his starts on the flanks have been more productive in all attacking departments. There, Martial has averaged more goals, more assists, more shots, more chances created and more dribbles per 90 minutes than he has up front.
His two-goal performance against Southampton in September was an early indication of just how devastating he can be through the middle, but eight Premier League starts as a striker since have yielded no goals and only a single assist. Even more damningly, Martial has only mustered one shot on target in his last five starts up front combined. In those 450 minutes, the Red Devils claimed just two points and only managed to score twice.
It is equally significant that United's results have been notably better with Martial stationed out wide. With the Frenchman starting through the middle, they have recorded three wins, two draws and four defeats, giving them an average of just 1.22 points per game. With Martial on the flank, however, their record of five wins, five draws and three defeats equates to 1.54 points per game.
In the continued absence of the injured Wayne Rooney, it remains to be seen whether Van Gaal will keep faith with youngster Marcus Rashford or opt for Martial to lead the line in United's Europa League return-leg with Liverpool and the Manchester derby at the Etihad Stadium on Super Sunday.
But with the stats in mind, perhaps it wouldn't be too much of a surprise to see Martial finish the season on the flank. And for a reminder of what he can do when cutting in from the left, you only have to cast your mind back to the last time Liverpool visited Old Trafford…
