I meant more for Madrid to be fair, I remembered one World Cup where he was really good, so that's why I threw that in there.
7
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 32
- Goals
- 4
- Assists
- 13
- Yellow cards
- 3
- Red cards
- 1
- Status
I meant more for Madrid to be fair, I remembered one World Cup where he was really good, so that's why I threw that in there.
It is clear for me that at Real, he was performing better in that particular aspect. He wasn't bought for his defensive qualities indeed but there is a minimum to expect from any player, like make a little effort when you get stupidly dispossessed.
I think it goes back to the believing his own hype theory... now he's not the wheel in a cog of stars anymore, he's the star himself (or he thinks he is) - thus doesn't need to track back.
He always seems to take the fanny option. Rather than running at his man and risking getting hurt, he prefers to take an unnecessary touch out of harms way or play a Hollywood ball. When it works it's brilliant, but far too often it doesn't.
He needs to either bulk up or grow a pair. It's incredibly obvious that he's shit scared of English football at the moment.
He needs to either bulk up or grow a pair. It's incredibly obvious that he's shit scared of English football at the moment.
He was great on the left of a the middle three featuring two of the best midfielders in the world. he was also pretty damn good there when he first came here, then he got injured, then LvG decided to use him up front, which didn't work, so he used him on the left, which didn't work, so now he's on the right, which isn't working. All the while his confidence is getting more and more shot, we're playing worse and worse, and he's, unsurprisingly, becoming more and more frustrating to watch again.
LvG logic, buy a player for 60m that you say you need, use him correctly, he plays well, then decide, feck this, I don't like him here, so err .. I'll play him everywhere but here, and he goes to shit.
That's the system though, that's how LvG does it. Di Maria is one of the special four who have creative freedom. I don't believe he's suddenly decided not to make the effort anymore. I think that's just people making excuses to get pissed off at him for his poor form.
He was certainly talked up as an incredibly hard worker when we signed him.
Going forward, yes, he definitely is. Tracking back? Not really. That's never been his role. Though when he was being used more so 'box to box' at Real he was pretty damn good at it. He's not being used in that role here though.
Obviously no player will decide "I'll stop running back to defend" but it is obvious to see, it is happening though. I don't think it has anything to do with the system because ADM is seen as a midfielder/winger like any other at the club, LVG doesn't hesitate to sub him. For a player who would have special treatment, that's weird.
The same LvG who makes the weirdest decisions known to mankind in pretty much every single game we play, you mean? The LvG that bought Di Maria because he said we really needed a great player like him and then actually didn't have a fecking clue how to use him or where to play him once we bought him.
Personally, and this may sound odd, I think the main reason LvG is subbing him here is cause he wants it to look like Di Maria's the underperforming twat in this situation and it's not down to shambolic management by he himself that his form has dropped to such a terrible level.
Like I said, I'll forgive any player a bad performance. Being stupid and/or lazy is unforgiveable though. Especially a lack of effort, which is the bare minimum we should expect from every footballer. Nothing boils my piss like laziness.
I think you're blinded by dislike if you think there was a lack of effort on his behalf last night.
His red card was inexcusable though.
His red card was inexcusable though.
He has been an underperforming twat though. A reputation he's earned all on his own.
He didn't make much of an effort to get back and defend for their first goal to be fair.
no it's not, as I've already said, LvG is very heavily responsible for his form turning to shit. not completely, but heavily. I also don't see, how aside from that moment of idiocy last night, he's been a 'twat'? Certainly not enough to warrant the abuse you're giving him.
He wouldn't have needed to if the three players covering Monreal and The Ox weren't so fecking awful defensively. It's not like there wasn't enough cover to stop the ball going in. *cough* Valencia.
Not that he shouldn't have tracked back or anything, but I still think the defenders should've dealt with that goal pretty easily.
Persistent diving and exaggerated "injuries" got my goat up but what really wound me up was him making zero effort to do any defensive work (even fecking Mezut Ozil did more to help out his fullback) and the way he would lose the ball and make very little effort to win it back.
I think that was more of a lack of awareness to the danger than lack of effort tbh.
Aside from the goal (which our defenders should've dealt with comfortably) I don't believe that's true.
There was no cover because he was doing his job. Standing within a couple of yards of the player he was supposed to mark. A pity this is evidently an alien concept to Di Maria, what with his man making the most of the acres of space he had to score, under no pressure whatsoever.
Do you know where to get stats for FA cup games? Would be interesting to compare his defensive efforts to Sanchez, Young and Ozil.
Whut? Valencia was right beside Monreal and he inexplicably decided to fly in on Ox instead leaving him wide open.
Look, Di Maria should definitely have tracked back here, no doubt, but all of their players were still marked, it's not like Monreal was free, he wasn't, not until Valencia had a moment of idiocy.
Good first half, but I'm really annoyed with him for what he did in the second half. Stupid bastard.
Lets be fair, the first goal was a combined effort of shitness from many players... starting with 4 players not wanting to tackle Chamberlain, and then to Valencia/Di Maria.
Our entire front four wasn't defending much most of the game, we were defending with 6 men and after 10s the front four was strolling from the corner of my screen without any urgency, I ended up asking myself if it wasn't an instruction.
Sanchez was Valencia's man. He was following him when he drifted infield. You should never have a situation where a fullback is marking his opposite number.
The defensive shape was also messed up by Smalling charging out of defense on the initial ball and cocking it up. He actually fouls / blocks off Monreal as they run back to the box, then seems to totally forget about his existence and leaves the Arsenal player alone whilst he runs blindly back towards his position, not noticing Valencia has dropped into the centre to cover for his absence so no one is left to defend where a right-back should be.
So he is a player who can play only one position good, right?
If that's the case he's not very good.
And he's excused of tracking back too.
If that's the case he's not very good.
And he's excused of tracking back too.
Di Maria should have covered Monreal, but it wasn't actually his man. Smalling was with him, then he left him alone. Its lack of communication Monreal makes the move on the Blind side of Di Maria at first, then Di Maria is slow to react to the danger when he sees him. In honest I don't really think Valencia was at fault, Smalling was out of position and Valencia covered him, Smaling then leaves Monreal on his own to get back to the center, doesn't give Di Maria the shout to cover, Di Maria when he eventually sees Monreal is slow to react.
Its a cluster feck, its not something that you can lay on one player, its lack of defensive organasation and absolutely no commincation between the players there.
Yeah, there was a cluster of errors from United players. The two most heinous were the woeful efforts to tackle Ox at the edge of our box and Di Maria failing to track Monreal. You'd need a serious agenda to try and stick that goal on Valencia.
This is all true but I just think a winger should always know where the opposition fullback is. That's one of the most basic jobs for any winger. Just keep an eye on him. It's not a big ask.
I agree. Out of all of the players involved, Valencia is the least at fault, if at all. He moves into the centre to mark Sanchez and cover for Smalling. Frankly, it comes down to both Smalling and Di Maria totally ignoring Monreal's presence, and the utter lack of defensive communication to let that happen.
You're right, he went to sleep, he was watching the ball rather than looking for Monreal, when he eventually saw him, he was slow to react.
He was at fault, but he wasn't soley at fault is what I was saying. Smalling is as much responsible as he was, why would Smalling run away from Monreal and not shout to Di Maria that he was doing so for instance?
In the first minute he ran at full pelt from one side of the pitch to the other chasing the ball down, and was doing an awful lot of pressing high up the pitch. His tracking back was poor and he is useless at winning the ball back but accusing him of being lazy overall in this game is a strange thing to throw at him.
There were actually a few small positives to build on from last night: he had our 3rd highest passing percentage after Herrera and Jones (something you wouldn't really expect from him), 3 key passes (most on our team), 6/6 accurate long balls and 4 out of 6 crosses found a United head (obviously the assist and a couple of nice ones to Fellaini).
It was a much better performance than we'd seen in recent weeks from him until the craziness of the sending off. Frustrating how easily he hits the deck obviously but he's always been like that.
There were actually a few small positives to build on from last night: he had our 3rd highest passing percentage after Herrera and Jones (something you wouldn't really expect from him), 3 key passes (most on our team), 6/6 accurate long balls and 4 out of 6 crosses found a United head (obviously the assist and a couple of nice ones to Fellaini).
It was a much better performance than we'd seen in recent weeks from him until the craziness of the sending off. Frustrating how easily he hits the deck obviously but he's always been like that.
I believe that moment of madness would be good for him in the long run, at least it showed passion (as stupid as it was), maybe i'm being optimistic but i still think Angel Di Maria will be terrorising defences next season and will go on to become a great player for us
or a flop who will end up in Estudiantes
or a flop who will end up in Estudiantes
They were all out of positions, one player was covering another and in the end it was a disaster. They played defense like I play with my friends on weekend. No communication, just run around to get the first attacking player.
How much games he will get cause of the red and that transforms to the league right?
How much games he will get cause of the red and that transforms to the league right?
Talent is there, but needs to improve his attitude. I know it's been hard for him, but we really need to seen an improvement.
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