FPL: Martinelli Vs Rashford – Who Is The Better FPL Pick?

Martinelli and Rashford have been two of the best FPL midfield options from the ‘big 6’ clubs this season, that are priced under £7m. Scoring 43 and 41 points respectively, the goal scoring midfielders often play as forwards for their clubs, making them terrific big-name budget options. But which one should FPL managers have in their teams this season?

Also read: Feature – How High Can Arsenal Fly?

In this FPL analytics article, we compare Martinelli and Rashford’s stats from the 2022/23 PL season so far to help you with your decision.

In terms of end product on the field, both Martinelli and Rashford have the same number of goals this season (3 G). However, the Arsenal midfielder has 1 more assist than Rashford (2A vs 1A).

Despite faring similarly on xG (2.1), Martinelli takes the cake when it comes to every other attacking stat. The Brazilian has an xA of 2.2 as opposed to Rashford’s 1.1. He also has a significantly higher GCA and SCA (4 & 34) count in comparison to the Manchester United man (2 & 13). This indicates a wider range of avenues through which Martinelli can obtain his points, due to his added creative threat.

Martinelli continues to trump Rashford in metrics like Shot, Shots On Target, and Ball Carries as well. Whilst the former has taken 24 shots, out of which 10 have been on target, the latter has has taken only 15 shots, out of which 4 have been on target.

He also has more than twice the number of Rashford’s progressive ball carries (312 vs 148). This shows that United play more on the counter, and based on Rashford’s game, he plays on the shoulder and relies on service to get shots on goal. In contrast, Arsenal’s dominant start to the season has seen them playing on the front foot, resulting in better attacking stats for Martinelli who is more involved in the build-up play.

However, when it comes purely to FPL based points stats, Rashford wins 2 out of 3 metrics. . Despite playing 113 minutes lesser than Martinelli, Rashford is only 2 points behind him, and hence has a better points per game score (5.4 vs 5.9) because of it. The Englishman has also scored more bonus points this season (4 vs 6).

Finally, due to Manchester United’s poor form early in the season where Rashford had blanked, his high ownership took a nosedive, leading to multiple price drops. His recent performances and points hauls before the 6-3 loss to rivals City have seen his ownership rise up again, along with his price.

But he is still owned by only 13.5% of managers. Meanwhile, Martinelli’s consistent form throughout has meant that he’s become a mainstay in FPL managers’ teams, with an ownership of 46.6%.

Conclusion

Overall, Martinelli seems to be the better option in the long run. His ICT index of 82.9 in comparison to Rashford’s 47.8 signifies that he’s had almost twice the influence, creativity, and threat in games.

However, fixtures must be taken into consideration for those looking only for a short-term option. Martinelli faces Liverpool in gameweek 10, and blanks in gameweek 12, while Rashford plays Everton, Newcastle, and Spurs in the next 3. This makes Rashford the better short term fix.

For those wildcarding in gameweek 12, Rashford would be the better player to bet on for the next 3 gameweeks. On the contrary, if you have already wildcarded and have Martinelli in your teams, then there is no need to sell him.