Manchester United (Red Devils) | Special Thread

Anthony Martial's debut goal for Manchester United against Liverpool








Anthony Martial came off the bench to score on his Manchester United debut in a 3-1 win over Liverpool

After all the hype, Anthony Martial delivered a debut goal to savour in Manchester United's 3-1 win over Liverpool, writes Adam Bate.
"Manchester United fans, I've not heard them cheer as loud as that - I know it's against Liverpool but there was a huge relief around the stadium. It was a big, big moment for a player making his debut. He'd been written off, almost, in some quarters in the last couple of weeks, before he'd started." - Gary Neville
They'd sent the cameras to his Paris banlieue and interviewed his old coaches. Number crunchers had busily worked out how many world-class players you could assemble in one dressing room in exchange for that hefty fee for his services. Social commentators were even speculating about what his arrival says about the state of our national game.









Martial came on as a substitute for Juan Mata midway through the second half

All that remained was for Premier League audiences to see young Anthony Martial in action. A hint of Lionel Messi with a dash of Cristiano Ronaldo and, ideally, a bit of fancy footwork for the vine generation would do nicely. Anything less would surely be underwhelming. This is a player who is supposed to be the new Thierry Henry, after all.
"I don't think he'll want that tag," said Neville on co-commentary, determinedly bringing a sense of reality to the hype as Martial came on. "He's a young player trying to make his way in the game. It's not his fault, the price tag. But a lot of pressure comes with that."


Martial gave early glimpses that he could handle the physical side of the game

Martial certainly wasn't perpetual motion when he came on. This was not the panicky performance of a man bounding about without thought. In fact, he didn't see much of the ball and, according to the Premier League tracking data, finished with the lowest average speed of the 26 outfield players to feature.
For a time it seemed as though United fans would be left searching for something to take from his 25 minutes. A clue, nothing more. The sight of him holding off Dejan Lovren on the flank was a start. It was perhaps this passage of play to which Louis van Gaal was referring when he said afterwards: "I also saw physically he can play in the Premier League."







Louis van Gaal spoke about Martial's performance in his post-match interview

But then came the moment when the world had a fuller explanation. Cutting in from the left, Martial ran at Martin Skrtel with purpose and that was more than enough. There was an element of fortune but it was immediately followed by a more telling sign of quality as he produced a finish of real class to kill the contest.
Thirteen minutes to get his first touch; just 21 minutes to produce one of the great Premier League moments. The world's most expensive teenager scoring with his first shot. And in a 3-1 Manchester United win over Liverpool in front of the Stretford End. Astonishing.


Martial slots the ball past Simon Mignolet

That finish. Passed low into the far corner of the net, it was not the actions of a man eager to end those Henry comparisons. In the Sky Sports studio, the man himself was impressed. Henry had little interest in focusing on Skrtel's unconvincing attempts to dispossess the debutant. It was all about the finish. "I call it freezing the goalkeeper," he explained.
The first of many or a one-off memory? Henry's natural successor or the new Federico Macheda? For now, who cares? Slow starts can be crippling when the weight of expectation is unfairly loaded on young shoulders and there's no precedent when it comes to shoulders of the £36m variety. But this ought to be enough to ensure the momentum is with Martial.


Anthony Martial celebrates scoring for Manchester United against Liverpool

Putting the fee to one side, if he does little else this season, this was an encouraging contribution for a 19-year-old from Monaco with only 11 league goals to his name prior to Saturday. Martial has already done in one substitute appearance what, say, Danny Welbeck, has so far been unable to come up with in a dozen matches against Liverpool. A goal.
"That will settle him down," Neville told The Gary Neville Podcast afterwards. "It'll give him the confidence to think that actually 'that's what I can do'. Over the next couple of months Manchester United fans will be thinking of nothing more than Anthony Martial's goal against Liverpool, and they'll give him some time - that'll give him some breathing space.


Martial celebrated scoring with his first shot as a Manchester United player

"Even if he misses one next week in the Champions League or against Southampton, he'll still have that feeling that he's scored a massive goal, he's taken his opportunity, and it buys him some time which I think for a young player is so important. It's a huge moment for him, make no mistake about that." Others preferred to downplay it.
"He did alright," said Van Gaal, his smile giving away the attempt at studied understatement, before adding: "He scored a marvellous goal." An earlier Van Gaal line had been in reference to the tactical state of the game when the youngster was introduced but seemed to sum the evening up even better. "It was a match for him." Martial's match.


Bastian Schweinsteiger had words of advice for Martial during the game
 
Memphis: "I played for PSV for 10 years so
it's a special feeling to see my old team-
mates."

Memphis: "Celebrate if I score? I have
respect for PSV but I will celebrate.
Football is a game and scoring is special."

Memphis: "I speak to Luke Shaw a lot. He
has played more than me in the Premier
League so I ask him questions. We can all
help each other."

Memphis on being subbed: "It was not
good but I will work in training and keep
my head up so I can do better."
#GGMU
 
Huyu Dogo mechi ya kesho hata asianze.....atokeee sub.
 
Manager's Press
Conference: PSV
Eindhoven vs Manchester
United




WOULD MEMPHIS CELEBRATE?

The final question of the press
conference is put to Memphis, who is
asked if he would celebrate tomorrow if
he scored. "A lot of people ask me that,"
he says. "I have respect for PSV but I will
celebrate. Football is a game and scoring
is special."





VAN GAAL ON PHILLIP COCU

"Not every player thinks about the game.
But Phillip Cocu and Frank de Boer did
and I thought they would become trainer-
coaches. I am very happy that they and
Giovanni van Bronckhorst are doing the
job that I have done. It is nice to see and
I will follow their progress."





VAN GAAL EYES VICTORY

The manager feels that an away draw is
"always a good result" but adds: "I want to
win. The first match is always very
important and the same is also true for PSV






MEMPHIS ON MARTIAL

"We are both young so we can help each
other. The same is for Luke Shaw, I speak
to him a lot and he has played more than
me in the Premier League, so I ask him a
lot of questions. We can all help each
other."





MEMPHIS ON MARTIAL

"We are both young so we can help each
other. The same is for Luke Shaw, I speak
to him a lot and he has played more than
me in the Premier League, so I ask him a
lot of questions. We can all help each
other."
More from Memphis: "I learned so much
at PSV. But the competition is on a
different level in the English Premier
League. So I have to learn again at
United."





MEMPHIS BACK AT PSV

Memphis is looking forward to the game
against his old club. "I played 10 years for
PSV before joining United," he says. "So
it's a special feeling for me to see my old
team-mates again and play against them."




Quizzed on how Wayne Rooney's absence
would affect his selection, van Gaal said:

"You are always looking to your own
team, and the qualities of your opponent.
Then you decide your team."


The boss says Memphis is doing well at
the start of his Reds career, but he is
never satisfied. "There is a huge rhythm
in the Premier League and he has to
adapt," he says. "He will improve, I think.
He has played every game so far. You
have to accept that players of 21 years old
are not consistent."



VAN GAAL ON PSV

For me it's a difficult ground. I didn't
win so much here. Also when I was
manager of Barcelona, I didn't win here.
I didn't win here much with Ajax. Maybe
I won here with AZ?
#GGMU
 
JOAQUEM said:
Huyu Dogo mechi ya kesho hata asianze.....atokeee sub.
Click to expand...

dogo ubishoo una mharibu, ange concentrate na mpira angekua anafanya vema, tatzo akipata mpira anawaza kupiga chenga ligi yenyewe EPL. kesho ningependa aanze young huyu dogo achome maindi benchi ili ajifunze
 
wadau tumepotea kidogo jukwaani si unajua kazi za watu tena. sikupata bahati ya kuangalia mechi live but nimeangalia full match marudio vs liverpool.... dah nimeshangilia goli ya kijana martial kama live vile mpaka nimejishangaa... ni mapema sana kupima uwezo wa huyu kijana but he looks promising.... ashley young hapapendi benchi naona kaleta uhai sana, playing big fella kama lonely striker ni kupotezeana muda tu. Blind anafanya vyema sana.... kumreplace sasa ivi ni kama kuua spirit yake tu. bastian na carrick wanafanya kazi yao vyema sana... herrera always do what herrera does,... darmian what a show, shaw anaimprove sana. lastly welcome back de gea....... benteke goal though,,,,what a beast. pamoja wadau
 
For so long tym....hatuna consistent kwny performance na matokeo kw ujumla.....hope today tutamantain performance ya last match!!#GGMU
 

Young anafanya kile watu wanapenda, haya mbwebwe kama Memphis....imefikia kipindi sasa Memphis anzie bench kwanza apate adabu......
 
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