Should be dropped along with Falcao. Januzaj and Mata in.
7
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 32
- Goals
- 4
- Assists
- 13
- Yellow cards
- 3
- Red cards
- 1
- Status
There were glimpses of his quality and class in this match, but overall, he wasn't that good. He did deliver in some sweet, dangerous crosses that our players didn't convert, and his movement was also quite good, but he was consistently failing to beat van Aanholt whilst Januzaj bettered him, and his deliveries, whilst pretty good, were quite inconsistent. I think the moment when he didn't pass to Young in the first half decided it for van Gaal.
He can still be a great attacking threat and chance creator for us, but his reckless style of play won't make him as consistent as Hazard at the moment. I think what van Gaal's trying to do is to refine di Maria's game so that he isn't reckless and inconsistent, and this will take time. Initially, I believe van Gaal wanted to give him all of the freedom to play his natural game, but after seeing how inconsistent he's been, he's trying to control di Maria's recklessness and convert it to ruthlessness. This is similar to what van Gaal tried to do with Ribery at Bayern Munich, I feel.
Even if he is inconsistent, you could see the quality and class in his game. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?
That's interesting.
However, I wonder if this is an open indictment to all the Real Madrid managers he had, including Mourinho. By his current age (27), you would expect someone out there would have channeled his reckless style into ruthlessness. I'm really surprised that all of that time with Mourinho and then Ancelotti didn't leave a lasting mark on Di Maria's career in terms of consistency.
Think he's looked significantly better in a central position as opposed to a wide position this season to be honest. Don't think it's any secret.
I believe that's because di Maria is so fast-paced and direct in his game that trying to suppress that wild playing style could make him less effective. Look at how his influence decreased when he was playing as a rigid left winger during October when we were playing the 4-1-4-1. Then again, you could see how Ancelotti shaped him up as a roaming, energetic, pseudo-central midfielder, and that made him quite consistent.
I do believe van Gaal can make di Maria more consistent. He did have an influence in making Ribery a very consistent, ruthless wide player. I'm sure he can do the same with di Maria.
His best performances in the last 3 or 4 months have all been out wide.
Yeah, when we first got him I was fully behind the idea of him playing as a LCM/LW hybrid as that second half of last season he had for Real was the best, most consistent football of his career. However I think myself and others forgot to factor in the different league style and the quality of the CM's behind him and forwards in front of him that helped with his success in that role at Real.
I think the one place we can't play him is the left wing, he's utterly useless if all you're using him for is to run down the wing and cross it. He plays much better from the right where he can whip crosses in on the cut back and also drive inwards and look for through balls or one-twos with the striker or AM.
He has the look of a player who has given up a bit at the moment.
I think both him and Falcao are still getting caught out by how much more physical this league is than Spain and how much more tolerant the referees are of strong challenges.
I think both him and Falcao are still getting caught out by how much more physical this league is than Spain and how much more tolerant the referees are of strong challenges.
It would be interesting to see how this develops in the summer, hopefully PSG (his first choice destination?) may come sniffing and offer up a large amount or maybe a player swap, honestly at this point I'd take verratti and lucas for ADM
Not that a swap would happen and I am very much backing Di Maria (even after that woeful display) but I would be taking Matuidi from that squad every day.
He can be very good on the right, has been earlier in his career too. But he'l always be ridiculously inconsistent. His most consistent and devastating season was last year when he played centrally. The Nani comparisons will always be there if he plays out wide.
Forgot all about him, yeah a matuidi and verratti swap would sort our midfield out for years. Then if we brought in other youngsters we are linked with like clyne, dyBala and depay then we would be building a properly good young team. At this point we should be doing that, the club needs to go through a proper transition where we shift all the past it players and deadwood
Marquinhos, Verrati and Lucas in a straight swap.
Somewhat agree but I don't think that starts with Di Maria leaving. Willing to give him time. If we make the Champions League, we will need the quality of the likes of Di Maria.
Swaps rarely happen.
Do you not think Marquinhos is a little lightweight for our league? we would need to bulk him up bigtime if he ever came to the prem, Andy Carroll would make him his bitch. De Gea was the same though when he first signed he was like a rake but now he's built up some muscle.
Yeah true that but one can dream.
He's 20, I think he's too talented not to go in for.
So Van Gaal's been getting stick for continuing to pick RvP when he was playing badly. Has the time come to drop Di Maria? Young and Januzaj were both far superior to him yesterday. Seems harsh to drop either of them in order to start Di Maria.
It's a difficult one for me, mainly down to money. It apparently doesn't matter to LVG who costs what and earns what but you surely have to give a £60m signing every chance to settle in to the side and surely games will help that.
I'd play him over Januzaj again on the prevision that he will be hauled off again if he doesn't step it up. Januzaj is still young so managing his play time and using him as an impact player can still benefit him.
He actually started quite brightly for us. Peaking in the early parts of the Leicester game. I dont think the problem lies in him finding it hard to adapt to the PL like LVG said. I think the opponents found a way to stop him from being effective. One of it is by simply pushing him while he's running with or even without the ball. He's just another Luke Chadwick in this sense.
Can't agree mate, he is far far above Chadwick, in another dimension altogether. The problem lies in LVG's discipline and system. When ADM arrived there were great moments of free flowing footy. Now he is forced into positions that tie him up strange places with what looks like an even stranger role. I get LVG trying to turn Rooney into a Schweinesteiger type role but what he's doing with AdM is unclear.
The opponents are all pressing us in our area and this has made it difficult in so many ways. We struggle at times to even reach the half way line. The consequences are that by the time the ball reaches ADM or Falcao they are man marked or boxed in. Until LVG gets motion and mobility from the half way line forward these problems will continue. ADM yesterday was a shadow of the player who arrived with dazzling runs and cheeky goals. He runs into boxes on either flank and is stifled in the middle. His long passes have often gone into orbit. He looks lost for a solution.
LVG needs to rethink his game. Personally I would let ADM take out 2 or 3 defenders and let someone like Ander capitalise on it. However at times we look so square for fear of taking a risk we just end up in a box or losing the ball. We need to get more running off the ball forward, creative pass and movement to speed up our game. Only when we do that will we see ADM's value restored.
He played quite bad yesterday but I think some people are over-reacting a bit. Wouldn't surprise me if he get's dropped for the midweek game against Newcastle.
Not saying that he is similar to Chadwick's quality. Just similar body strength. Easily pushed off the ball.
You want him to get past 2-3 players but he cant do it consistently. He is good at running fast into free spaces but once the opponents manmarked him, he is easily dispossessed at times. I noticed that he was given lots of space and time in the beginning of the season. He should just play one touch passes first to get him enough space to run into. Like the penalty he won at Burnley.
Ok, I misunderstood you. Agree with the rest. He had lots of time because sides hadn't started to press us in our own half. I first noticed it at Spurs, second half. Now everyone's doing it but LVG has only plan B to resolve it. We're too predictable and this has undermined ADM AND Falcao's impact. We need to restore the rapid pass and movement that's really our game to relieve the pressure all round.
I really can't see PSG selling Veratti easy. Don't they rate him as their best player or one of the best? If we wanted all 3 of them it'd be ADM and £40 at least I think. I would go all out for Veratti though, always said it, the guy oozes class he's just quality.
It's too early to write ADM off. His present play is a reflection of the overall squad/system/games. Things will change and his class will be restored. Quality players don't just become pumpkins in a season.
I actually felt he suffers from the same problem as Falcao. He is trying too hard atm to make something happen. He needs to relax a bit and don't try to make a dribbling, fancy pass or impossible shot with every opportunity he gets.
I can't say I watched him loads at Real so I could be wrong but I just think at the moment he's got too much freedom.
Some players despite great qualities aren't suited to that Ronaldo type role where you do what you want. It's hard to do that and make sure you end up in the right place at the right times. They're better in a more fixed role.
Looking at ADM he to me needs to be doing something specific. Earlier in the season he knew his role was to get the ball and run. He opened things up, pushed teams back etc.
Now he's allowed to drift or ends up on the last shoulder and he doesn't look like he knows what to do. When he goes deep the other team often has the chance to get organised and so its harder to start running at them. He's not caching them on a counter. His crossing is to varied some of that is because he himself has been sloppy and some of it is getting the ball too deep.
For me so far, despite his superstar price tag it doesn't mean we need to play him in such a free role. He earned his price tag being in a more specific role, that's what we need him to do.
Some players despite great qualities aren't suited to that Ronaldo type role where you do what you want. It's hard to do that and make sure you end up in the right place at the right times. They're better in a more fixed role.
Looking at ADM he to me needs to be doing something specific. Earlier in the season he knew his role was to get the ball and run. He opened things up, pushed teams back etc.
Now he's allowed to drift or ends up on the last shoulder and he doesn't look like he knows what to do. When he goes deep the other team often has the chance to get organised and so its harder to start running at them. He's not caching them on a counter. His crossing is to varied some of that is because he himself has been sloppy and some of it is getting the ball too deep.
For me so far, despite his superstar price tag it doesn't mean we need to play him in such a free role. He earned his price tag being in a more specific role, that's what we need him to do.
Yeah, agree with this. Hererra's had similar issues in his first few games but seems to have adapted quicker than the other two.
Have to say I'm amazed at the lengths people will go to try and blame everyone but Di Maria for his poor form.
What do you mean by that ?
And besides not many young CBs look like physical beasts at that age.
I didn't not blame ADM i think he's been sloppy in his play and selfish in his decisions. I think as part of that he's demonstrating that we shouldn't be treating him as a Ronaldo type, allowed to just play where he wants, which I think is definitely reducing his impact on games.
The way so many comments are excuses based on his position or how he's being used. When he's proven capable of being crap in almost every possible attacking role. IMO the only valid excuse is the fact he's new to the league.
A good thing about him is that he can handle his own inconsistency. He can waste the ball 4 times in a row, and just try something difficult again with the same enthousiasm and conviction. Of course in his current poor form, that doesn't work out but his form is a different problem. Still he had one absolutely brilliant cross yesterday, few players can play a ball like that when in great form.
He will keep overdoing it and wasting the ball every now and then, but there's a time and place were he really shouldn't. I'm sure Van Gaal will work on his decision making in this aspect.
He's looking less and less like a Premier League player. Is he strong enough for the hustle and bustle of English football? Gets brushed off the ball so easily, kinda like a teenage player that you hope will one day toughen up.
For all the stick he's getting, and rightly so because he's been rubbish recently, but it is worth noting that he's still got the most number of assists for us this season, and is joint second in the overall PL list. That deserves to be mentioned.
I honestly think he just needs to play in midfield, as the left side of a 3, and let him get on with it. Thats where he'll be at his best. He'll still be inconsistent at times, because he's just one of those flair players that will have games where nothing comes off, but he's going to be far more inconsistent on the wing. His best performances, by a mile, were his early ones where he was playing in midfield. He also seemed to be coming back into a bit more form a few games ago, then was moved back to the wing. The Madrid fans all warned us, that he's is inconsistent as feck on the wing. He's best in midfield, so just play him there.
I honestly think he just needs to play in midfield, as the left side of a 3, and let him get on with it. Thats where he'll be at his best. He'll still be inconsistent at times, because he's just one of those flair players that will have games where nothing comes off, but he's going to be far more inconsistent on the wing. His best performances, by a mile, were his early ones where he was playing in midfield. He also seemed to be coming back into a bit more form a few games ago, then was moved back to the wing. The Madrid fans all warned us, that he's is inconsistent as feck on the wing. He's best in midfield, so just play him there.
I'd like Januzaj get a start against Newcastle. He did very well once he came on and caused Sunderland all sorts of problems.
With Di Maria - he would get the ball, start dribbling and then get easily dispossessed. There were times where I felt that even I could dispossess him - he really wasn't up to much and rightfully, got subbed off.
I realise that some people in here want us to give him a chance because we spent £60M, but we must remember that we need to win games and if that means playing Januzaj (or any other player) in his place, to ensure we win games, then so be it.
I have also read lots of excuses being made on behalf of ADM - this is wrong. He is a £60M player, who should now be at the peak of his powers and he needs to perform as such.
With Di Maria - he would get the ball, start dribbling and then get easily dispossessed. There were times where I felt that even I could dispossess him - he really wasn't up to much and rightfully, got subbed off.
I realise that some people in here want us to give him a chance because we spent £60M, but we must remember that we need to win games and if that means playing Januzaj (or any other player) in his place, to ensure we win games, then so be it.
I have also read lots of excuses being made on behalf of ADM - this is wrong. He is a £60M player, who should now be at the peak of his powers and he needs to perform as such.
meh - not good , not bad.
Nope. The return to form came when he was moved to the wing. In fact, it was half way through the game (against Preston, I think?) when he was shifted to the right wing - after underwhelming in the centre - and finally started looking like a threat.
He's in poor form, and players in poor form make rubbish decisions. Part of the blame for the poor form has to be shared by the manager, no question about that. All that said, it's far far too early to even consider selling him. He's still settling in as far as I'm concerned and LvG has said the same yesterday
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