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2014-15 Performances

View full 2014-15 profile

5.7 Season Average Rating
Appearances
32
Goals
4
Assists
13
Yellow cards
3
Red cards
1
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DiMaria started the season brilliantly when he was in midfield, he looked every part the player we expected for that money.
He then gets and injury and is stuck on the wing when he comes back, now he is being played upfront and he hasn't looked the same player since.

Can anyone explain to me why Van Gaal doesn't see this?, i mean you can't just say because our injured midfielders are fit now because its freaking DiMaria we are talking about, he's better than our other midfielders imo.
 
RetroStu said:
DiMaria started the season brilliantly when he was in midfield, he looked every part the player we expected for that money.
He then gets and injury and is stuck on the wing when he comes back, now he is being played upfront and he hasn't looked the same player since.

Can anyone explain to me why Van Gaal doesn't see this?, i mean you can't just say because our injured midfielders are fit now because its freaking DiMaria we are talking about, he's better than our other midfielders imo.
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Been said by me numerous times, he's probably a £50m midfielder, a £20m winger (£30m at his absolute best) and a £10m striker (at best). If we're going to play him anywhere outside midfield we've basically wasted our money.
 
Sarni said:
Been said by me numerous times, he's probably a £50m midfielder, a £20m winger (£30m at his absolute best) and a £10m striker (at best). If we're going to play him anywhere outside midfield we've basically wasted our money.
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Simple, but spot on.
 
I'll add that I found him annoying on the wing for Real Madrid whenever I watched him, he seemed wasteful and inconsistent and would dive all over the place. I saw his a few times in midfield last season and he was marvelous on all occasions, home game versus Barcelona and Champions League final being prime examples of his level there. If he had another ordinary season on the wing last year (had they not signed Bale he would have been deployed on the wing) we would be buying him for £25m last Summer.

He was a joy to watch in his first few games for us, ever since we changed his position he has been a pain to watch really. One of the least exciting players on the pitch which is some achievement in our current side.
 
Sarni said:
I'll add that I found him annoying on the wing for Real Madrid whenever I watched him, he seemed wasteful and inconsistent and would dive all over the place. I saw his a few times in midfield last season and he was marvelous on all occasions, home game versus Barcelona and Champions League final being prime examples of his level there. If he had another ordinary season on the wing last year (had they not signed Bale he would have been deployed on the wing) we would be buying him for £25m last Summer.

He was a joy to watch in his first few games for us, ever since we changed his position he has been a pain to watch really. One of the least exciting players on the pitch which is some achievement in our current side.
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Pretty much spot on imo. For Real on the wing he was basically what Nani was for us, a lot of talent but only with like 1 good game out of 10 and more frustrating than anything. Only last season he found consitency and was definitely Reals second best player after Ronaldo while before that he wasn't even a certain starter for them.
 
Speak said:
I didn't see that much of him last year.

Did his performances actually look sustainable, or (being honest) did it just look like a guy in his very best form in a very well-suited team/system?
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He looked very good in every game he was playing in midfield. Even if he started on wing and played poorly, he instantly improved after moving to LCM (in a single game).

Pogue Mahone said:
Is he actually playing as a striker?

Could Van Gaal not argue that he's giving Di Maria a free role behind Falcao? An attacking midfielder with no defensive responsibilities. Should be a good chance to showcase his skills.

We played him out wide and the caf declared he can't play out wide. We're playing him centrally and the problem is what? He's playing too far forward? Is he really so limited a footballer that he turns to shite unless he's in a specific small area of the pitch?

Sorry but this bloke's been a crushing disappointment. I don't usually hold transfer fees against signings but you can't ignore the fact he's the most expensive player signed by any Premier League club ever. About time he started looking like it.
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I wanted to reply to you but it seems you’ve already found an answer I agree with:
Pogue Mahone said:
Nah, not even close. He's a very unusual type of central midfielder, with attributes that are atypical for the role and has worked in a specific team that got the best out of him due in no small part to having two genuinely world class central midfielders alongside/behind him.

I agree he's world class at his best but he's an odd player who a lot of very good managers have struggled to get the best out of. So it's no great surprise that Van Gaal seems to find him a conundrum too. His signing has arguably created as many problems as it's solved.
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Especially the bolded part is spot on. He is extremely unique, I can’t think of any other players like him right now. Overall he’s nothing special- one footed, inconsistent touch and poor shooting. However, if you let him run at opponents from the deep he can be very useful and in a way he provides what we lack at the moment, the drive in midfield. There’s a risk he will lose the ball every now and then, and it might be the reason LvG’s been trying him upfront (I have never seen him in such role before TBH). What he does requires special conditions and in my opinion, there is no point in buying Di Maria if you’re not going to use him in this “special role” because he’s not even remotely that good in any other position.

luckyspurs said:
He was giving the ball away almost exactly as often last season. Modric and Alonso are fantastic at slowing a counter attack down though (not necessarily tackling, but slowing things down).

Alonso places himself brilliantly (like an extra-special Carrick) and Modric has phenomenal workrate for someone with that much natural ability.

Also, Ramos and Pepe are quite assertive to say the least as centre backs. So you end up with a thicket of intelligent or aggressive players between the player on the ball and penalty box. Not many teams in La Liga can get through that without going wide and crossing isn't the most effective route to take when counter attacking.
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That’s also important, obviously he won’t be getting the same numbers as he did last year for Madrid.
 
Without wanting to resort to 'But can he do it on a wet Wednesday night at Stoke?' cliches, I wonder if the brutal northern British winters and the gruelling fixture schedule that accompanies them is coming as a bit of a culture shock to him. And that he does just need time to adapt to his surroundings.
 
NessunDorma said:
Without wanting to resort to 'But can he do it on a wet Wednesday night at Stoke?' cliches, I wonder if the brutal northern British winters and the gruelling fixture schedule that accompanies them is coming as a bit of a culture shock to him. And that he does just need time to adapt to his surroundings.
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You make it sound like he's a furry animal, lost from his furry animal brothers and sisters, in the harsh wilderness :)

Maybe he should wear gloves? :cool:
 
RedFish said:
You make it sound like he's a furry animal, lost from his furry animal brothers and sisters, in the harsh wilderness :)

Maybe he should wear gloves? :cool:
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Didn't Silva struggle somewhat - relatively speaking - in his first season with City?

Lots of players take time to adapt to a new league and a new country. But I do wonder if the Premier League at this time of year might seem especially harsh for those who've never known anything but warmer climes. I've lived in northern Britain my whole life, for example, and some of these winter mornings still knock me sick.
 
NessunDorma said:
Didn't Silva struggle somewhat - relatively speaking - in his first season with City?

Lots of players take time to adapt to a new league and a new country. But I do wonder if the Premier League at this time of year might seem especially harsh for those who've never known anything but warmer climes. I've lived in northern Britain my whole life, for example, and some of these winter mornings still knock me sick.
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Yeah fair point. Problem is, no one is afforded any kind of adaptation period nowadays......(the Caf is ample evidence for that!)
 
Maybe its just me but sometimes it looks like we have some kind of fetish for changing players position.Even when we buy new player,"He is AM but he could also do the trick as CM(even he is 50% better player in his natural position).
 
Silva came from Valencia, Di Maria came from Real Madrid, along with starring in a CL final and winning the league as a key player for them. There's a stark difference in expectation there IMO.

Ander Hererra for example has far more of a case than Di Maria regarding adaptation.
 
Shark said:
Silva came from Valencia, Di Maria came from Real Madrid, along with starring in a CL final and winning the league as a key player for them. There's a stark difference in expectation there IMO.

Ander Hererra for example has far more of a case than Di Maria regarding adaptation.
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I'm not sure why prior success should necessarily make it easier to adapt to a new country, new climate, and new league?

(Besides which, Silva arrived at City a World Cup and European Championships winner)
 
NessunDorma said:
I'm not sure why prior success should necessarily make it easier to adapt to a new country, new climate, and new league?

(Besides which, Silva arrived at City a World Cup and European Championships winner)
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Some players are expected to come in and deliver, and that's the way it's always been. Do you reckon SAF signed Veron with the opinion that he'd need a season or two to adapt? I don't think so, he brought him in for an instant impact and he didn't get that. Silva was also in the 'young player' category when he arrived at City. What was he, 23/24?

Di Maria is 26, which is in or around the prime time of any midfielder. The club didn't fork out 60m(following a season outside the top four) for a player that needs time to adapt. I bet you that.
 
He obviously hasn't really needed time to adapt though, seeing as he was excellent earlier on, when, funnily enough, he was used in his best fecking position.

It's only since LvG bafflingly started using him in every position other than his best position that he's not looked up to it.

I reckon it won't be long until we're no longer using any of our players in their natural positions, I mean Jones is already on corners so he'll probably be up front for us soon at this rate. LvG seems to enjoy doing the opposite of what's obviously the correct thing to do, just, well, because, feck it it's his philosophy and he does what he damn well wants.
 
Saw the highlights of the QPR game and his workrate was brilliant. Closing down players even late on. I really hope we find his best position and he is happy there. He is the type of player we need to bring us back to the top level.
 
4-4-2 diamond worked for him because it allowed him to occupy the left side. We got way too easily bypassed still. He's not good enough to work in a CM pair in the Premier League at the present moment. In fact for the talk about him excelling in CM for Madrid:

1. He had an awesome, fully functioning team to let him play freely.
2. He wasn't really a central midfielder. Ronaldo went towards the middle, essentially freeing up the left wing for him to run from deep and occupy.

Unless we go to 4-5-1 where he can be compensated by two other midfielders to play his natural, attacking game, we won't see him there.
 
R'hllor said:
Maybe its just me but sometimes it looks like we have some kind of fetish for changing players position.Even when we buy new player,"He is AM but he could also do the trick as CM(even he is 50% better player in his natural position).
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It's the single biggest problem we have as a club, in my opinion at least.
 
How van gaal is using him lately, I would not be surprised if he makes him into an Anderson or Nani. He needs to be the center of our style of football like how Wenger is utilizing Sanchez at Arsenal. So far, Di maria looks like a shadow of his former self and that is definitely down to our management team.

What I would like to see is my 1-4-2-2-2 I kept talking about early this season with Di maria alternating between both lam/ram role.

De Gea
Defenders
Carrick/Blind ---- Herrera/Fellaini
Januzaj/Mata - Di Maria
Rooney/rvp - Wilson/Falcao
 
The thing I find with Di Maria is that he'll try something that requires a high level of technical ability most of the time he receives the ball. Left of the diamond, it allowed him to run at players from deep and get out wide to whip the ball in, his two best traits. However, he's incredibly one footed so if he doesn't have that space to break onto his stronger foot under pressure, he struggles. He also has no idea when a pass is not on, if a striker makes a run over the top he generally tries to play it. It's incredibly frustrating because it's not his actual ability that's the problem, because when it is on he has the talent to find his man.

Anyway, if you take away from being left of a pivot 3 in midfield, you take away the two main qualities he possesses and experience more of the inconsistent Hollywood passes and longe range shots, as he's not entirely sure what to do.
 
If you decide to spend 60 mil on a player, then you don't change his position all the time, but play him in his best position and build the team around him or at least make it play to his strength. And if you don't want to do that, then why buy him?

I just hope LvG is doing some experiments and not really thinking permanently keeping him out of position. But then I'd rather he would do his experiments once we have top 4 guaranteed. Really don't know what he is doing right now.
 
Maybe because when he played in midfield early this season, he got tired easily, then eventually got injured often. I think by shifting him to the wing or in attack, LvG is planning to introduce him slowly to the pace of the league while get his fitness improved.

Contrary to some in here, I think he did fairly well as second striker. It just seems like his best combo is with Rooney. I definitely would like to see him more in that position before judging him only by the last game.
 
Isotope said:
Contrary to some in here, I think he did fairly well as second striker. It just seems like his best combo is with Rooney. I definitely would like to see him more in that position before judging him only by the last game.
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Wasn't a threat, didn't dribble at or past people, didn't link the play, couldn't hold it up, provided no service for the main striker and basically did nothing at all whilst sulking and looking uncomfortable in an unfamiliar role.

Perhaps you'd like to say what he did well?
 
matherto said:
Wasn't a threat, didn't dribble at or past people, didn't link the play, couldn't hold it up, provided no service for the main striker and basically did nothing at all whilst sulking and looking uncomfortable in an unfamiliar role.

Perhaps you'd like to say what he did well?
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His pace at least pinned their defence back deep. Also his movement created several chances for his partner (Falcao) that fluffed some good ones.
 
Isotope said:
His pace at least pinned their defence back deep. Also his movement created several chances for his partner (Falcao) that fluffed some good ones.
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Correct me if I'm wrong but if that's all he can do (I don't really see those movements that you've mentioned at all) then I would rather play Wilson.Playing him as striker only weaken the team as a whole.Midfielder any day of the week for me.

I would also like him to take less shots from outside of the box.It's so obvious that it's not his forte.
 
just play him on the left side of the diamond midfield formation. obviously his best position for us.

would not mind to put him furthest forward in the last 5-10 minutes of a game though. his pace will get us a few counter attacking goals (yeovil, QPR to mind)
 
wonnie said:
If that's what he is being used for in that role, that's a criminal waste and misuse of his abilities.
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In this same page...
Isotope said:
Maybe because when he played in midfield early this season, he got tired easily, then eventually got injured often. I think by shifting him to the wing or in attack, LvG is planning to introduce him slowly to the pace of the league while get his fitness improved.
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Isotope said:
In this same page...
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That just seems like you're trying to justify and make excuses LvG's actions.

Given he is also playing Rooney out of position and experimenting tactically formation wise I'd say supporters are within reason to become frustrated with his tactical 'philosophy'.
 
wonnie said:
That just seems like you're trying to justify and make excuses LvG's actions.

Given he is also playing Rooney out of position and experimenting tactically formation wise I'd say supporters are within reason to become frustrated with his tactical 'philosophy'.
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I'm not sure why you make it sound like I did a wrong thing with that. Surely LvG decision to the best of players and the team. I don't say I agreed, but I'm trying to understand why LvG made that decision, based on my observation.

Are you giving up on LvG already, or else?
 
Isotope said:
I'm not sure why you make it sound like I did a wrong thing with that. Surely LvG decision to the best of players and the team. I don't say I agreed, but I'm trying to understand why LvG made that decision, based on my observation.

Are you giving up on LvG already, or else?
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Haven't given up on LvG, clearly needs more time.

But don't agree with the notion that he is playing ADM up top to 'regain his fitness and adjust to the league'. Seems like a clear tactical approach which is failing and based on ADM's qualities one he is not suited too.

I know that our squad was heavily unbalanced prior to his arrival and one transfer window is hardly going to fix that, but he did have those six weeks in the summer to, in his own words, 'assess the squad' and make signings as necessary. Surely he could've envisaged that we were short on full backs, and had too many similar central attacking players with similar qualities (RvP, Rooney, Falcao, Mata).

In that respect, I'm fairly disappointed with LvG thus far. I don't believe he is going to persist with Di Maria up top any longer, surely not.
 
Isotope said:
Maybe because when he played in midfield early this season, he got tired easily, then eventually got injured often. I think by shifting him to the wing or in attack, LvG is planning to introduce him slowly to the pace of the league while get his fitness improved.

Contrary to some in here, I think he did fairly well as second striker. It just seems like his best combo is with Rooney. I definitely would like to see him more in that position before judging him only by the last game.
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He has played in Champions League and at two different World Cup tournaments, I know it is a popular opinion to think that Premier League is above everything else but honestly, he should have absolutely no problem adapting to the pace of the game because it doesn't really differ much fron what he is used to. If anything he has impressed the most when the pace of the game was insane (against Barca last season, I can assure you it wasn't like Hull v Palace).
 
wonnie said:
Haven't given up on LvG, clearly needs more time.

But don't agree with the notion that he is playing ADM up top to 'regain his fitness and adjust to the league'. Seems like a clear tactical approach which is failing and based on ADM's qualities one he is not suited too.

I know that our squad was heavily unbalanced prior to his arrival and one transfer window is hardly going to fix that, but he did have those six weeks in the summer to, in his own words, 'assess the squad' and make signings as necessary. Surely he could've envisaged that we were short on full backs, and had too many similar central attacking players with similar qualities (RvP, Rooney, Falcao, Mata).

In that respect, I'm fairly disappointed with LvG thus far. I don't believe he is going to persist with Di Maria up top any longer, surely not.
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He has been trying to make him his Robben at United, problem is they are completely different players who serve different purposes. The sooner he realises that the better.
 
Cambridge 0:0 Man Utd
He is a conundrum, he's not a #10 but I think LvG has concerns over playing him on the left of the diamond and he's looked poor playing wide in a forward position. He cost so much money that who we buy next has to be a CM that allows him to play in a midfield 3 if that's possible in English football for him.
 
He's not playing in the correct position, but for £60m he should be playing so much better. I suppose the same could be said for most of our renowned players though. He's struggling in a poorly performing side.
 
If Lamela had his performance today, I'd be disappointed, and I give Lamela a huge amount of leeway.

That heavy touch when the left back was caught out of position was the worst. That's his game and he made so just about anyone on this forum could have got the ball off him.
 
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