Why Anthony Martial v Joel Ward Will Be Key Manchester United v Palace Battle

When Manchester United drew 0-0 against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in October 2015, Eagles manager Alan Pardew was full of praise for Anthony Martial. In his post-match press conference, he suggested keeping Martial quiet was key to containing United's attack.

Pardew said, "It was a big target for us to stop him, and we felt that if we could stop him, we could stop their creative angle."

At the time, it seemed a fairly remarkable statement. The France international had only been at the club for just shy of two months and was still just 19 years old. As the season progressed, Pardew's words grew increasingly closer to the mark.

Assuming the likely tactical setup comes to pass, the man tasked with stopping Martial in Saturday's FA Cup final will be Crystal Palace right-back Joel Ward.

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When speaking about the game, Ward said, per Giuseppe Muro of the Evening Standard, "We know it is going to be a tough game. We are playing against Manchester United so it is never going to be easy."

In truth, playing against Manchester United does not mean what it once did. In the last three seasons, they have finished seventh, fourth and fifth in the Premier League. But for Ward, the test will be on the kind of level faced by United's opposition when the Red Devils were pretty much guaranteed to finish in the league's top two every season.

Ward was absent when the two sides met at Old Trafford in April. That game fell on the Wednesday before the semi-final weekend. Palace were already safe from relegation, and United enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 win, the visitors clearly looking ahead to their forthcoming game at Wembley Stadium. 

An exception to the generally lacklustre performance by Pardew's men came in the form of United old boy Wilfried Zaha. His busy and effective presence forced Martial to get more involved defensively, and the Frenchman ended the game with three tackles and an interception.

He also ended the game with three key passes. As well as his obvious skill when dribbling the ball into the box and the kind of movement that has allowed him to be an effective presence when others bring the ball into the area, Martial's ability to create chances has been important all season.

It has been particularly important to United during their FA Cup run—he has four assists in the competition. And, of course, it was his goal at Old Trafford against West Ham United that ensured a replay at the Boleyn Ground in the quarter-finals. It was also his injury-time winner at Wembley in the semi-final that booked the Red Devils' place in the final.

Indeed, while Martial has been generally crucial to United's attack—as Pardew spotted back in October—nowhere has this been more keenly felt than in the FA Cup. The Red Devils have scored 12 goals on the road to Wembley, and Martial scored or assisted half of them.

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Trying to stop Martial means getting the ball off him. Ward has been a little vulnerable to being dribbled past this season. He made a successful tackle with just over two out of the three challenges he attempted per 90 minutes of league football in 2015/16, meaning just under one in three attempts to dribble past him succeeded.

Martial attempted 6.2 dribbles per 90 minutes in the league. Statistically, it seems likely he will beat Ward on occasion.

One of the most effective ways to set up against United for most of this season has been to defend in deep and narrow banks, denying space and inviting the Red Devils to retain possession in relatively safe areas. That would mean even if Martial dribbles the ball past his man, there would be little room available for him to do much with it.

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That has become much less effective since the emergence of Marcus Rashford, meaning the Frenchman has a partner in crime when it comes to stretching deep-lying defences. Having Rashford's mobility to occupy centre-backs means Martial's successful battles with full-backs are more likely to result in chances.

That has been augmented by the switch in formation from 4-2-3-1 to 4-1-4-1, with two advanced midfielders. When Martial and Juan Mata combined on the edge of the area against Bournemouth on Tuesday, Rashford was able to step over a Martial cross, allowing a straightforward finish for Wayne Rooney.

The left-hand flank will likely be pivotal to the Red Devils attack on Saturday, and Ward will be the first line of defence. As Pardew said, if you stop Martial, you stop United.

Quotations obtained firsthand where not otherwise stated.

Advanced data per WhoScored.com.