[Cassidy]

Yeah. I said that because if you take a look at our line-ups this season you will see that LvG has tried almost everything. One thing he didn't try though is to play one striker formation. I know it's hard decision on probably 3 of our star players, but either that or we're out of top 4 (and he's out too, probably).

He played it vs Chelsea no? I'm sure he did and it worked quite well.

 

[Borys]

He played it vs Chelsea no? I'm sure he did and it worked quite well.

Yeah that was close, also because Fellaini wasn't a striker back then. Anyway, I hope to see it now that he has decided Falcao failed here and van Persie is injured.

 

[Cassidy]

Yeah that was close, also because Fellaini wasn't a striker back then. Anyway, I hope to see it now that he has decided Falcao failed here and van Persie is injured.

Hopefully he has, I'm not convinced just yet, but we'll find out soon enough.

 

[pacifictheme]

my thoughts on Herrera are does he really fit in a title winning team? If we play 4231 he can only play as a number 10. He's not strong enough to play in the two with the players we have. Is he good enough to play as a ten? Probably not for a team who wants to win the league.

If we play 433 can he really play effectively in the middle 3? Probably not as a deeper lying midfielder so he again would have to play higher up, as our main source of creativity. Not sure he is good enough for that.

If he plays deeper in a two then he needs someone stronger than him, more mobile than him, who can really boss a game. So not Blind basically. Are we going to replace Blind over Herrera? Probably not.

I honestly don't see where or how he fits into our team if we want to win the league.

I like him but i just don't think he fits at a club this size. If we stick with him i think we'll be accepting less than the best.

 

[Coxy]

....I honestly don't see where or how he fits into our team if we want to win the league....

Bizarre logic. Could he fit in your team if you weren't trying to win the league then? Would you somehow manage to squeeze him in then?

He is a great player - you guys should be playing him every week - but instead you play fellaini... Hoof ball united. Such a shame

Herrera played great earlier in the season - what formation were you in then and were you trying to win the league then??

 

[pacifictheme]

Bizarre logic. Could he fit in your team if you weren't trying to win the league then? Would you somehow manage to squeeze him in then?

you've missed my point. I don't think he is good enough to play for a team who wants to win the league. hes not a "great" player. Hes probably a good one who doesn't really excel at anything. He wouldn't get in Chelsea or Man Citys teams, not even close, so hes not good enough to play for a team who are serious about winning the league. He wouldn't get in Arsenals or Liverpools either probably.

 

[Cassidy]

my thoughts on Herrera are does he really fit in a title winning team? If we play 4231 he can only play as a number 10. He's not strong enough to play in the two with the players we have. Is he good enough to play as a ten? Probably not for a team who wants to win the league.

If we play 433 can he really play effectively in the middle 3? Probably not as a deeper lying midfielder so he again would have to play higher up, as our main source of creativity. Not sure he is good enough for that.

If he plays deeper in a two then he needs someone stronger than him, more mobile than him, who can really boss a game. So not Blind basically. Are we going to replace Blind over Herrera? Probably not.

I honestly don't see where or how he fits into our team if we want to win the league.

I like him but i just don't think he fits at a club this size. If we stick with him i think we'll be accepting less than the best.

Quite bizzare tbh. Out of our CMs he is the one that needs to be kept IMO. Him not being strong enough to play in the 2 I also don't buy. What makes him not strong enough but Blind strong enough?

 

[Borys]

my thoughts on Herrera are does he really fit in a title winning team? If we play 4231 he can only play as a number 10. He's not strong enough to play in the two with the players we have. Is he good enough to play as a ten? Probably not for a team who wants to win the league.

If we play 433 can he really play effectively in the middle 3? Probably not as a deeper lying midfielder so he again would have to play higher up, as our main source of creativity. Not sure he is good enough for that.

If he plays deeper in a two then he needs someone stronger than him, more mobile than him, who can really boss a game. So not Blind basically. Are we going to replace Blind over Herrera? Probably not.

I honestly don't see where or how he fits into our team if we want to win the league.

I like him but i just don't think he fits at a club this size. If we stick with him i think we'll be accepting less than the best.

He will be fine in midfield three, as long as we manage to play front three capable of creating something on their own. Right now our midfield has to both create and score it seems.

 

[jeff_goldblum]

Bizarre logic. Could he fit in your team if you weren't trying to win the league then? Would you somehow manage to squeeze him in then?

He is a great player - you guys should be playing him every week - but instead you play fellaini... Hoof ball united. Such a shame

Herrera played great earlier in the season - what formation were you in then and were you trying to win the league then??

Not sure where you're getting this from, neither of them have been starting that much recently, though both have had a big impact on the games they have played. By my reckoning in the 11 games we've played in 2015 Fellaini's started 4 and Herrera 3. In our 2 latest games they've both started.

Anyway it's clear as day that they're very different players with different strengths who play in different positions and that's why they've gotten different amounts of game time. This season Fellaini has been the only real box-to-box midfielder we've had whereas Herrera has been behind the likes of Mata and AdM to play in his preferred AM role. I think most would agree that Mata is a better pure #10, and Di Maria a better attacking midfielder so whilst it's disappointing to see Herrera being a marginal figure this season, I can understand why its happened.

 

[buckooo1978]

you've missed my point. I don't think he is good enough to play for a team who wants to win the league. hes not a "great" player. Hes probably a good one who doesn't really excel at anything. He wouldn't get in Chelsea or Man Citys teams, not even close, so hes not good enough to play for a team who are serious about winning the league. He wouldn't get in Arsenals or Liverpools either probably.

so only great players win the league then? silly notion

I'm not a great authority on Herrera from his days at Bilbao but in his time at United he has been very impressive and who knows what he can achieve

It's a wonder players like Butt, Anderson, Cleverley, Fletcher won PL medals

 

[jeff_goldblum]

I like Herrera and I think he's got a great future here but he's a strange player and I can sort of see where @nokillingmoths is coming from. He defends more than your average #10 but isn't as productive and he's more creative than your average CM but not as defensively capable. Normally I'd say give him an attacking role in a 3-man midfield but we have Di Maria there and Herrera isn't at that level. He's not comfortable enough defensively to be a staple as a box-to-box midfielder (except against weaker teams) and, coming from someone who's watched him at Athletic, he's not really shown anything thusfar in his career to suggest that he's capable of contributing as a #10 to anywhere near the extent Mata has in the past.

Having said that I definitely think he's good enough for a top team, but perhaps not as a nailed-on starter. I can see him filling in as needed in various midfield roles whilst never quite making any one position his own. Obviously I'd loved to be proven wrong though, if he keeps contributing like he is now he'll easily break his career best combined assists/goals tally (5 each) this season despite hardly playing. Maybe the confidence of coming to a huge club is going to see him take a step up.

 

[Gannicus]

my thoughts on Herrera are does he really fit in a title winning team? If we play 4231 he can only play as a number 10. He's not strong enough to play in the two with the players we have. Is he good enough to play as a ten? Probably not for a team who wants to win the league.

If we play 433 can he really play effectively in the middle 3? Probably not as a deeper lying midfielder so he again would have to play higher up, as our main source of creativity. Not sure he is good enough for that.

If he plays deeper in a two then he needs someone stronger than him, more mobile than him, who can really boss a game. So not Blind basically. Are we going to replace Blind over Herrera? Probably not.

I honestly don't see where or how he fits into our team if we want to win the league.

I like him but i just don't think he fits at a club this size. If we stick with him i think we'll be accepting less than the best.

I can't buy into your thinking here, nokillingmoths.

If you're trying to build the all world XI, you can go ahead and scoot past Ander Herrera.

But the truth is that most prem clubs will sit and counter on us, and having Herrera set up with Blind or Carrick in front of the back four makes perfect sense. Herrera can also play in the 10 position, although I really do like Rooney there, provided we someday have a proper striker.

Herrera is a shoe-in for almost formation we set up in, as he's actually pretty decent defensively. The more difficult question for this discussion is Mata, whom I rate highly but it may just not work out for him here -- unless Rooney somehow finds his pace and power again as a 9. I don't think that's going to happen but if it does we're suddenly a more intriguing side that's only a massive central defender and a RB (seems Louis has given up Rafael) away from competing for the prem trophy. And if today's renewed rumors of Bale to United have any truth in them, we're suddenly a favorite for the prem trophy.

De Gea
RB Hummels Rojo Shaw
Herrera Blind/Carrick
Bale Mata Di Maria
Rooney

Again, I don't think Rooney has it anymore to be a 20+ goal scorer but I could be wrong. I also don't see a Bale signing in the cards either. But the point is that Mata is a bigger question mark for us than Herrera.

Were we on the cusp of winning the CL trophy but were a player short, I could see the argument for an upgrade on Herrera. But it's pretty safe to say that we're not going to be on the cusp on winning the CL trophy next season. We have to improve on the greatest areas of need first before trying to upgrade on players who've actually been pretty productive for us this season. Those areas are:

Striker
Central Defender
Right Back
A second box to box midfielder.

I'd love to see us bring in a proven, all world midfielder like Pogba or Vidal, but I just don't see it happening. If Pogba or Vidal were possibilities but it would mean saying adios to Herrera or Mata, it would have to get done. But between the two Herrera would be the one I would keep.

 

[arthurka]

I would love for our tactics to play to his strengths..

Ddg

Rafael Rojo Smalling Shaw

Carrick

Herrera Blind

Di Maria Young
Rooney

But this will never happen..

 

[pacifictheme]

I like Herrera and I think he's got a great future here but he's a strange player and I can sort of see where @nokillingmoths is coming from. He defends more than your average #10 but isn't as productive and he's more creative than your average CM but not as defensively capable. Normally I'd say give him an attacking role in a 3-man midfield but we have Di Maria there and Herrera isn't at that level. He's not comfortable enough defensively to be a staple as a box-to-box midfielder (except against weaker teams) and, coming from someone who's watched him at Athletic, he's not really shown anything thusfar in his career to suggest that he's capable of contributing as a #10 to anywhere near the extent Mata has in the past.

Having said that I definitely think he's good enough for a top team, but perhaps not as a nailed-on starter. I can see him filling in as needed in various midfield roles whilst never quite making any one position his own. Obviously I'd loved to be proven wrong though, if he keeps contributing like he is now he'll easily break his career best combined assists/goals tally (5 each) this season despite hardly playing. Maybe the confidence of coming to a huge club is going to see him take a step up.

This is basically my point. I don't want a worlds best 11 like someone implied but we are Manchester United, we should be aiming higher than him in my opinion. Hope to be proven wrong though.

 

[DWelbz19]

He has what? 6 goals and 5 assists this season? He's definitely productive enough from the #10 role. He isn't a natural attacking midfield nor a central midfielder but he's sort of inbetween - akin to Oscar.

 

[NK86]

you've missed my point. I don't think he is good enough to play for a team who wants to win the league. hes not a "great" player. Hes probably a good one who doesn't really excel at anything. He wouldn't get in Chelsea or Man Citys teams, not even close, so hes not good enough to play for a team who are serious about winning the league. He wouldn't get in Arsenals or Liverpools either probably.

You must be joking, right? This is the same team which plays Jordan Henderson and Joe fkng Allen in midfield.

 

[itso 7]

my thoughts on Herrera are does he really fit in a title winning team? If we play 4231 he can only play as a number 10. He's not strong enough to play in the two with the players we have. Is he good enough to play as a ten? Probably not for a team who wants to win the league.

If we play 433 can he really play effectively in the middle 3? Probably not as a deeper lying midfielder so he again would have to play higher up, as our main source of creativity. Not sure he is good enough for that.

If he plays deeper in a two then he needs someone stronger than him, more mobile than him, who can really boss a game. So not Blind basically. Are we going to replace Blind over Herrera? Probably not.

I honestly don't see where or how he fits into our team if we want to win the league.

I like him but i just don't think he fits at a club this size. If we stick with him i think we'll be accepting less than the best.

Oscar! Chelsea are in the driving seat of a title challenge and he is been their No.10 for most of their games, what are his numbers? Ander can obviously be our No.10 and he would aid us in intangibles such as pressing, great link up play etc.

 

[jeff_goldblum]

This is basically my point. I don't want a worlds best 11 like someone implied but we are Manchester United, we should be aiming higher than him in my opinion. Hope to be proven wrong though.

I'd say we already have 'aimed higher', in the sense that we've signed Di Maria who is probably the best in the world in the role Herrera is most suited to (a dynamic and creative offensive midfielder). I actually think Herrera is perfect for our squad. At the very least he's a very good player who can fill in across the midfield, quality midfield depth is something we were desperately lacking until this season.

He has what? 6 goals and 5 assists this season? He's definitely productive enough from the #10 role. He isn't a natural attacking midfield nor a central midfielder but he's sort of inbetween - akin to Oscar.

I get where you're coming from but the kind of productivity Herrera's shown this season is far from the norm for him - prior to moving to United he'd assisted something like 20 goals in his last 170 league starts.Like I said above, I hope his improved productivity this season is a sign that the move to a bigger club is pushing him up to a higher level than he was at previously, but I'm not as convinced as the majority of the caf.

I've seen a lot of Athletic over the last few years and it's a little strange to see people saying he's more creative than the likes of Mata. Put it this way - many on here gave Mata stick last season for not being creative enough, but in 15 games for us he created exactly the same number of goals as Herrera did in the entire season as a #10 for Athletic.

 

[Lynk]

MOTM by a country mile. Set the tempo from which we got the result.

 

[HabeasC]

Really impressive in a fairly average performance (until the penalty) and it is good to see him proving that he was not overhyped whilst not in the team (a la Kagawa).

I hope to see him being a mainstay in the team now.

 

[Sied]

The only person more adventurous with their passing than Herrera is di Maria. He's like a breath of fresh air in a team of players permanently playing safe sideways balls.

That said, I think some on here overrate him just because he is the only player who passes forwards in the final third.

 

[Ballache]

The only person more adventurous with their passing than Herrera is di Maria. He's like a breath of fresh air in a team of players permanently playing safe sideways balls.

That said, I think some on here overrate him just because he is the only player who passes forwards in the final third.

He's not the best cm in the league, but I really believe he could turn out to be one of the best if he keeps on progressing in a stable team in a consistent position. My fear for him is that LvG might find him too adventurous and "wasteful"

 

[Raw]

Not MOTM for me, but played really well. Again he seems like the only player who's passing and moving.

I think it was Herrera who made that run where he passed it back and forth between 2 other players, I'm not too sure though.

 

[NotoriousISSY]

I think he's absolutely class. Feisty and adventurous.

 

[CantonaVeron]

Excellent again, always looking to move the ball and mostly forwards to. He has a bit of steal about him too, he's not the biggest but you're not going to brush him off the ball. I think he's key from now on if we're going to push on a get the champions league spot, great to watch.

 

[Kag]

We're a better team for having him in the side. A good albeit rather reserved performance. He can do the whole 'ball retention' thing if he wants, although I think that limits him somewhat.

 

[m1y2]

I think he was great today, in that deeper role, much better than Blind, simply because he's better footballer. He's faster, and his defensive abilities are really underrated. So many good little interceptions and tackles won as well as fantastic passing accuracy. No doubt by far our best midfielder.

I like his poaching as well, I guess if given full season he will get himself some good numbers in terms of goals and assists..

 

[Kakeru]

He's exactly what we love of a midfielder and he keeps on improving. Keep up the good work.

 

[izec]

Looked great today, total control in the 2nd half. Nice cross for the penalty. Kept it simple most of the time, i guess that is what Louis wants.

 

[Water Melon]

Cementing his place in the team. Needs a dynamic player like Di Maria to play next to him centrally
.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

His balance is superb, which is typical for a Spanish midfielder. The way he takes the ball in motion without breaking stride is excellent. He can keep the ball moving without slowing down play. He never seems to need to stop and take a touch, and he can take his first touch in almost any circumstance. Class. He did the role Rooney has been playing in midfield much, much better, and as a result our play was much quicker.

Seeemed to drop deeper than usual today, and looked very comfortable alternating with Blind considering how Sunderland's midfield often get at their opponents, they coped well and bossed the game.

 

[united_99]

Well done my sweet prince. We look so much better with him on the pitch. He gets involved in attack and defense and is not afraid to take risks either.

 

[bosnian_red]

Class. Best midfielder at the club by a mile. Arguably our best signing this summer as well, in terms the consistent high level he puts out when on the pitch actually. Close to scoring for the third match in a row!

 

[PlayerOne]

Another good game from him. Hopefully LVG keeps him in the team for the upcoming games.

 

[KiD MoYeS]

Good performance, looks like he'll be starting for the foreseeable future... Until he has a bad game or Mata has a brilliant substitute performance anyway. That's the trend this season with van Gaal's selection policy.

 

[Sam]

He's definitely adapting his game to suit what Van Gaal wants.

 

[pseudo_canadian]

Great player and a great performance today. I love him.

 

[Mystry]

I love the guy. Another good performance from him and he brings a great deal of balance to our midfield with his forward passing and pressing.

 

[Devil may care]

He was my MOTM pick, he played a very composed and measured game today and picked the right moments to go for the attacking pass. He and Blind set the tempo and we are clearly a better football team with him in the side.

 

[m1y2]

We're a better team for having him in the side. A good albeit rather reserved performance. He can do the whole 'ball retention' thing if he wants, although I think that limits him somewhat.

I think the same, I also think we have so many passengers in the team who can play good but with Herrera we finally have some player who raises our game.

Agree with the latter statement too, he showed he can retain the ball really well, better than Blind IMO if he wants but sometimes it's shame we stick to this possession tactics too much so he can't express himself thoroughly