THREAD:

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are seen to be two sides of the workrate coin with the former being praised and the latter be criticised in that regard.

However, are we missing something? Is there more to it? UtdArena delves into the off-ball numbers.

The seven sections in discussion will be:

✰ off-ball runs
✰ pressing opposition
✰ challenging for the ball
✰ tracking back due to runners
✰ recoveries made
✰ one-on-one defending
✰ loose-ball challenges

NOTE: I have taken figures from this season only. This is with the idea that both players have reached an upper level in goal productivity and, yet, the narrative of their workrate has remained with some fans even advocating the view that Martial should be replaced.

The thread will seek to explain whether this polar-opposite exists between them and how the numbers can highlights aspects of both that are often overlooked for one reason or another.

Let us begin.

Off-Ball Runs

The first idea conveyed through this binary perspective is not that Rashford makes runs off the ball but that Martial does not or does so very little. However, Rashford (12.41) — praised for his runs — only averages 1.57 more per 90 than Martial (10.84).

A general rule is that a team's centre forward should lead the team in off-ball runs. However, Martial's game is focused on coming short and facilitating for Rashford and others. Yet, he still makes 10+ runs per game. This highlights his workrate in that he plays both ways.

If Rashford had an archtype akin to Neymar and Martial akin to Mbappé then Martial would comfortably make more runs than Rashford even with their current workrate. Yet, with opposing archtypes Martial is still only slightly behind Rashford.

Lastly, Martial often does not receive an attempted pass after his run and this usually stems from a lack of quality. However, the numbers before Bruno (16.56%) and after Bruno (38.49%) are drastically different. The same will be the case once Pogba returns.

Pressing

Another aspect Rashford is heavily praised for is his pressing off the ball. Yet, he does not attempt more presses (4.77) than Martial (6.65) who presses at a higher rate. The centre forward should set the tone and Martial does yet, again, he is not given credit for it.

This 1.88 difference is somewhat significant as Rashford's 4.77 puts him in the 77th percentile for left wingers around Europe whereas Martial's rate puts him in the 89th percentile for centre forwards. However, we find the former being praised and the latter being criticised.

Challenging Opposition

Rashford (2.69) averages more off-ball challenges than Martial (2.36) which is a theme seen around Europe when comparing teams’ wingers to their centre forwards. Yet, the difference is only 0.33.

0.33 is a somewhat significant difference yet the point of this thread is not to highlight that Rashford works more off the ball — this is known — but it is to show Martial's workrate is considerably higher than what people given him credit for.

Tracking Back

Rashford (1.79) tracks back significantly more than Martial (0.98) but, again, Martial's 0.98 — effectively once a game — is largely made up of tracking full backs (87.81%) whilst he is a centre forward.

A comparison with Firmino (1.37) shows that Martial tracks back only 0.39 times less per 90 than one of the best off-ball forwards in the world. However, Liverpool fans appreciate their forward whilst United fans unjustly criticise theirs.

In addition, Firmino ranks in the 94th percentile for centre forwards in Europe whilst Martial ranks 81st. For wingers, Rashford ranks 83rd. The difference is inconsequential between the latter two. However, the narrative that Martial is lazy continues.

One-on-One Defending

Rashford (0.93) averages more than Martial (0.47) in this regard which is to be expected as Rashford, a winger, will have to duel with full backs whereas Martial is not tasked with this. Yet, Martial still averages 0.47 a game. Why?

The answer is that 87.6% of Martial's one-on-one defending comes against full backs, too, and 76.8% of those is when he is playing as a centre forward but covering for wingers both left and right. However, this goes unseen by fans who claim “he is lazy.”

Chasing Loose Balls

Loose balls occur mostly amongst offensive-minded players due to them playing in tighter areas and, thus, increasing the likelihood of a loose ball. Consequently, those who challenge most for loose balls are defenders and midfielders.

Also, the pitch can loosely be separated into three thirds: offensive; midfield; and defensive. The defensive third is a high-retention zone (HR), the midfield third is a medium-retention zone (MR) and the offensive third is a low-retention zone (LR).

Martial operates in a high-retention zone which means possession is kept and less opportunities for loose balls occur. Yet, he (2.53) effectively averages the same as Rashford (2.65). This is because 45.38% of his occurs in his own half and 67.39% of them come from midfield.

To summarise:

Marcus Rashford's workrate exceeds Anthony Martial's and there is no doubting that. However, the narrative that Rashford works hard for the team whereas Martial is lazy is, by all accounts, not true. Rather, the opposite is true in that Martial works hard, too.

The data is conclusive in this regard. The reason I chose Martial's numbers as a centre forward was to highlight that even in a position that requires less workrate than a winger Martial's numbers either exceed, match or are slightly below Rashford's.

Fans who accuse Martial of laziness are, in fact, being lazy in their analysis of his off-ball game. This is because not only is the fact different to their narrative but it actually opposes their narrative. Despite that, a large amount of them promote this narrative as a fact.

Another discussion that will take place concerns how players are genetically built specifically detailing fibres. I will delve into this topic in another thread at a later time. It will be a somewhat continuation of this thread.

To conclude:

Anthony Martial is an upper-tier good to low-tier excellent player. However, his potential is that of a world class player. If he can remain fit for a season — this is his biggest problem — he will illustrate that class for all to see.

End of thread.