Rival Watch

In the last two days, there have been reports of Arsenal and Barca linked to Martial. It would be such a blow to lose him to anyone at only 21. It is sad that we can't find a permanent place for him in the line-up.

 

I don't think it's a case of finding a permanent place for him, as much as him needing to improve to justify a permanent place, or at least a starting place. He's scored three league goals this season, all late polish after coming off the bench in games we'd already won. He hasn't made any real impact in the games he has started.

I can't see us selling him, this is just the usual paper talk (Barca are apparently buying Coutinho, Alli, Martial, Kane, Griezmann, Pulisic and Goretzka with the leftover Neymar cash). But he needs to improve if he's going to start most of the games. Hopefully he can get and take a chance against Liverpool with Pogba and Fellaini out.

 

Swarbs, I would personally start Martial over Rashford on the left side. That's how much I enjoy watching him play. I believe he has better ball-to-feet technique than most of our forward players. If we are not playing him consistently, then I how would be justify starting? However, from what I've seen, I would say that he definitely deserves a starting place in the team. But hey, I admit I can't exactly say that I know more than the manager especially when we are doing so well. Maybe start Rash on right over Mata and use Martial on the left and give that a good run with Lukaku as diamond formation. That's a lot of pace and skills. If they click, we would have two very young players established in the team.

 

He's started four games this season, and in those he has only scored against Burton from open play. He's easy on the eye, but until he starts scoring important goals, like Rashford's against Leicester and Stoke, we can't afford to carry him in too many games.

For me he's in a similar situation to Ronaldo in 2005 - looking good but not delivering enough of an end product yet. He needs to step up and be more consistent if he's going to deliver on his potential. He'll get his chance at some point this season as the schedule gets more demanding, but it's up to him to take it.

 

Martial seems to have everything but an end product. That might have been forgivable in the seasons when we had nobody forward to join up with him, but now - when almost the entire team seems to be flying forwarding to give him passing options, it's not good enough. He has to have more to his game than getting past defenders and winning corners.

 

Kane to UTD for 170M. so the papers say, so may be he will be sold to fund that (if true)

 

You're right, he's not naive.

He's just ****e.

 

I think he's laughing about the use of 'naiveness' rather than 'naivety'

Although somewhat naive of him to think we actually care

 

Arsed

Anyway, what sort of ****ing performance was that from the team that "plays with one defender and nine strikers"?

 

Hey at least we player with a striker for the whole game. We didn't wait until the 79th minute to bring one on, in the process taking off our only source of creativity!

Everyone knows Mourinho is first and foremost cautious in the big games. But come on, almost four years without a league win against us, you can't say you aren't disappointed with Klopp's negative substitutions late on in that game. I honestly thought it was going to end with a result until Klopp took off Coutinho and Salah, and with them all your attacking intent.

 

I think he had a view on the long journey back from Chile and the euro game last night. We haven't really got an outright striker any more. Sturridge doesn't really count these days! And yes, I'm totally ****ing frustrated with the stat you refer to

 

The ex RS Brendan Rodgers has claimed that Celtic was a good team that could match top Premiership teams after they went hundreds of matches without defeat in Scotland.

Well it is now being confirmed that in European football the CL in particular Celtic are mere whipping boys and there only to make up the numbers. Thrashed and humiliated by the big boys such as Bayern and PSG. Their equivalent in international football would be Malta or Luxembourg. Only realistic ambition is to come third and play in the Europa.

 

If we're going by CL performances then they'd be around the level of Arsenal. A 3-0 humping compares quite favourably to back to back 5-1 humpings after all.

Guess we'll get the chance to compare them directly when they both end up in the EL knockout rounds.

 

Wouldnt it be hilarious if Bayern finished 3rd and got knocked into Europa and ended up playing, and thrashing Arsenal again,.

 

Real Madrid have offered Benzema as part of a deal to sign Kane, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

 

Its probably BS anyway, but why would you not want Kane to leave Spurs?
I'd much rather he went to a foreign league instead of stay at Spurs.

 

Good match coming up: Spurs vs RS

I can see a Spurs win but they seem to have a mental block when meeting the RS.

BTW has the deluded ex RS Lawrenson ever predicted a defeat for the RS in any match? I don't think reading the BBC football pages over the years, I've ever read a predicted RS defeat. Certainly not last season. Has anyone over the years ? If it exists can the person who unearthes that rarity post a link?