The bold decision of coach Erik ten Hag helped striker Anthony Martial shine in MU’s draw against Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals this morning.
Martial made his 10th start this season when he started in MU’s 2-2 draw against Sevilla in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals. In this match, Martial was deployed by coach Ten Hag in a slightly different role, acting as a “virtual 9” and dropping deep to recover the ball. That allows teammates like Antony, Jadon Sancho and Marcel Sabitzer to rise up, disrupting Sevilla’s backline.

In the situation leading to Man United’s second goal, Martial dropped deep to receive the ball. He edged past a defender before handing the ball to Sabitzer with a beautiful pass over the top of the defence, allowing the Austrian to double the lead. That goal made the Red Devils fans admire the sharp tactics of coach Ten Hag.

Many people praised the Dutch strategist for giving Martial a “virtual 9”, while the French player could have been placed on the wing because of Marcus Rashford’s injury. Coach Ten Hag chose Martial as a striker instead of Wout Weghorst. Fans have been full of praise for this bold decision.

One said: “Ten Hag is a genius. Bruno deep down, Martial kicks a false 9 and Sabitzer above. Mental tactics.” Another added: “Martial makes football look so easy, Sabitzer? Sign him! Ten Hag is the best!”.

The third said: “Martial is the missing link of Ten Hag”.

Coach Ten Hag showed great confidence in the French striker. He is confident that Martial will continue to score as long as he is fit: “When he (Martial) is on the pitch, he will score. He is playing well. Martial needs to stay fit. very important to us.”