admin The controversy surrounding Marcus Rashford’s evolution to No. 9 is nothing new.
But after a season in which he scored his 30th goal and was named Sir Matt Busby’s Player of the Year, it’s time to revisit the controversy over his best position and see what he has accomplished this season. The time has come to fully acknowledge the progress that has been made.
There were questions about how Eric ten Haag would use the England international in his early years, whether he would be in the squad for the Three Lions World Cup and if he could find his best form again. In fact, once domestic football resumes, he’ll do just that, winning not only the country’s top player in fan voting, but perhaps an equally obvious Player of the Year award. deaf. Annual award from his teammates.
After the Reds got off to a losing streak, Marcus never looked back with a decisive win against eventual winners Liverpool. The 3-1 victory that gave Arsenal their first defeat in the match further proved that the player is a Rashford who can finish calmly thanks to his sharp speed and direct dribbling.
And how much Old Trafford appreciated it.
Forwards are always judged by goals, that’s a fact of football life. While our local hero was primarily deployed on the sides, he was clearly seen as a center weapon as well, and would even switch between those roles during the match.
However, transfermarkt.co.uk estimates he played 31 times on the left, 4 on the right and 19 times in the centre. He made 19 appearances as a forward and was very impressive with 11 goals and 5 assists. There are signs that he is developing into an all-around forward capable of scoring many types of goals.
Just look at the fact that he’s headed back-to-back games against Sheriff Tiraspoli and West Ham United in October, and against Leeds United in February, both home and away. Serving as an air hazard is an important part of leadership and his hard work with Benny McCarthy and other trainers at Carrington has paid off and he is clearly growing in this area. .
And we are all too familiar with his ferocious marksmanship. Speaking recently with goalkeepers Jack Butland and Nathan Bishop, they described Rashford as being ‘reckless’ when it came to finishing and taking one of the most difficult shots in training.
“I always stay away from people who don’t want to be punched in the face,” Bishop said.
Rashford shines at the World Championships and is even more confident. A renewed celebration of his mental strength saw him equal Dennis Violet’s record of nine home games in a row in the Emirates FA Cup fourth round against Reading. had not been dubiously ruled out by VAR for a run-up infraction, he would have scored in double figures. He has scored in five consecutive games, including a goal, and was arguably one of the standout individual performances of the season in the Europa League play-off first leg against Barcelona, which ended in a 2-2 draw, and he represents world football. That he is one of the strikers to do. A frenetic performance at the Camp Nou included a shot close to the post, a superb assist for Jules Kunde’s own goal, and a goal that would have resulted in a red card for the latter. Moreover, the opponent was a team with the best defensive record in Europe.
After all, he scored the second in the Carabao Cup, beating Newcastle United shortly afterwards, but he was often the star of the big scene after that. Goals against memorable derby winners Liverpool, Arsenal (home & away) and Manchester City spurred this. When he scored the winning goal for the second time against Chelsea, he secured Champions League qualification and reached 30 goals.
In an revealing interview with Gary Lineker, who perfected the
scoring technique, BBC No.10 shared his progress under Ten Hague.
“I think he has a clear identity and a clear plan of how he wants to play,” said Rashford. “You learn quickly when you train with him. He makes it very clear what he expects from you. He quickly nips that bud in the bud, and now I’ve reached a point where it may seem like I’m annoyed, but in my head, I
Of the pivotal role, he added. I think I’m playing much better now as a No. 9. ” I always felt like the goal was on the left flank. He can create chances on the left flank. Sometimes I feel like I’m trying too hard to get to the ball when I’m in the middle, but patience as a forward is probably my greatest skill.
“There was always the urge to score. That’s what it takes to play No. 9 because that’s what frustrated me the most.” I don’t mind missing an opportunity. I think it’s better to miss an opportunity than to miss an opportunity. When I was ninth, I was too impatient. But it can definitely be taught. It just takes time. I remember talking to ‘Waza’ (Wayne Rooney) many years ago and he always said ‘you’ll understand when you grow up’. That’s how I feel now.
These comments tell us in 2020 Academy coach Colin Little about how Rashford has been honing his game since then and becoming a more rounded forward with a bit of edge. It reflects the content of “If you look at how many goals you’ve scored, you can see that the strikers are growing. ‘From the head, from the left foot, from the right foot,'” Little said. “If you actually look at his goals, he’s scored a lot of different goals.” Add in penalties and free kicks and the numbers really go up [Note: Marcus’ only penalty this season was against Everton in the FA Cup third round, where Bruno Fernandes showed his talent as a top goalscorer from the penalty spot.
“Marcus probably wanted to emulate a player like Ronaldo, the dribbler, but all kids do. But we always said to him, ‘You score great goals, No other goals can be scored.” When you are in the back post and the ball is going through the crowd and it is tapped in or something. falls in front of you. We need to be able to take advantage of these opportunities.
Ten Hag has said throughout the season that he needs Rashford to be in the right place and he will focus on making the right timing, taking advantage of opportunities that come his way and making it to the end. He said the Dutchman’s first term paid off as Marcus embraced that philosophy.
In an interview with Lineker, Rashford admitted that after feeling angry and disillusioned over the past few seasons, he now enjoys football again, which was evident throughout the 2022/23 season.
“There are probably a few different factors, but to be honest I wasn’t happy,” he admitted. “If you’ve been at United for a long time, you won’t be happy fighting for sixth or seventh place. It’s normal to do your best, fight your way out of the situation and move up by two or three goals. That style of play was not what I was used to seeing or playing for United. I’ve been arguing with myself about it instead of just continuing with what I always do. why are we playing like this?
“Today, I approach football with the same anticipation as when I was a child. ‘If I had had a good day, I would have played football all day until dark.'”
So I am generally optimistic and excited about what 2023/24 will bring to Rashford and United. His manager has already set him a target of 40 goals, and while that might have seemed crazy a year ago, it’s not now.
In an interview, Little expressed frustration with television pundits’ claims that Lassie could not be a 20-goal striker this season because he is not a natural goalscorer. As someone who knows our Academy product inside and out, he was right. By evolving his mindset, working tirelessly on the training grounds, getting a manager and coach to hone his talents, and once again becoming an integral part of a successful team, Marcus will lead this team even further. became the most important person who could contribute to Heights.
