For De Boer, Josef Martínez is like Luis Suárez and Inzaghi
Atlanta United's Dutch coach praised the mentality and quality of his striker, whom he hopes will soon emerge from his slump in the MLS.
Atlanta United are still the reigning MLS champions but the Five Stripes' squad has been unexpectedly struggling throughout the current season.
They are currently bottom of the Eastern Conference with five points after six games played, and their star player Josef Martínez is also going through a rough patch with just two goals to his name so far. However, Frank de Boer is confident the team and his striker will return to winning ways before too long.
The Dutch strategist analyzed Martínez's situation, saying that every striker faces barren times but once that goal comes the scoring touch is often recovered.
"The most important thing for me is that he has opportunities, and I'm convinced that when the first goal arrives, more will follow, so I'm not worried," De Boer said.
World Figures comparison
De Boer even compared Martínez's mentality with world-class players - something he is qualified to comment on after his playing career - and said the striker reminds him of Inzaghi and Suárez.
"He's so anxious. Maybe Filippo Inzaghi was such a player. He is so eager to score. His whole life is about scoring, and I think that's a fantastic feature for a striker, Luis Suárez is the same, that's the mentality that Josef has. It's fantastic to see it. I love that, "he said.
There's still time for Atlanta to get back on track and they have a competitve team that could be in the mix for the title but only time will tell how far they can go.
Atlanta's next game will be on Saturday, April 27, when they host Colorado Rapids at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.