What's his assist count for the season?
7
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 32
- Goals
- 4
- Assists
- 13
- Yellow cards
- 3
- Red cards
- 1
- Status
I think it's very obvious where the hype came from.
A British player, scoring world class goals week in week out in the Premier League is the media's wet dream, and there's no disputing that he did well. But he's not set the world on fire at Madrid in the slightest, they very obviously overpaid for him, and they'd demand the same sort of money back.
Put it this way, if Gareth Bale wasn't Welsh and we weren't a British club would we be talking about him at all? I doubt it.
@NL Max, I think that he can emulate Robben a little bit, but I have some doubts. The problem is not about the freedom but what he does with it, I have always liked his unpredictability but he was always playing for counter attacking teams, now he is in a possession and we need another type of unpredictability the kind who is based on great vision and great care.
Last season he scored 20+ goals and provided 15+ assists for Madrid, he could be Pakistani we would be talking about him.
21 goals in the EPL from the midfield is no fluke, 21 goals and 16 assists for Real Madrid from the midfield in his first season was quite impressive,he is having a bad season yet he has managed to score 14 goals and 6 assists, he would probably have more if he wasn't playing Robin to Ronaldo's batman.
The general consensus is that Di Maria specialises in assists, Gareth Bale does a whole lot more than that for a team.
His 1st season in La Liga was better than Neymar's first season, he is only 6 goals behind him this season and has more assists, if Gareth Bale was Spanish or Argentine or from any of those foreign countries that produces quality players and he had a foreign name, I am sure his stock would be higher than this, how many European midfielders can offer you 21 goals?
Regarding his record fee, I think everyone knows Perez overpaid for him, I don't think any player other than Messi and Ronaldo is worth more than £50m
@JPRouve Since pretty much nobody is allowed to dribble (with risk) he can certainly be a bit like Robben. He's a different player though, he's not much of a goalscorer, he never was. He gives more assists, if we were looking for goals we've bought the wrong player. He can run at players and make things happen, which is why I think he suits us. He can make things happen in a otherwise rigid and predictable 11. Of course he's wastefull (always was) but in van Gaal's system that shouldn't matter too much since it's calculated in. I do think he needs to improve, but I'm certain he will.
I don't think Bale would suit a possesion based team better then Di Maria. He's at his best when he gets to use his pace in space, he's much more suited to a counter attacking team I think.
I don't think Bale would suit a possesion based team better then Di Maria. He's at his best when he gets to use his pace in space, he's much more suited to a counter attacking team I think.
11. Ten PL, 1 Cup.
EDIT: Also, stats are in the header of the topic. Thou, Cafe has him on 12 assists.
We're not going to sell him. We just broke the British transfer free, 7 months ago, to bring an unwanted player from Real Madrid; who, at the time, stated his appreciation towards Man Utd for forking out a large amount of money. To me, di Maria looks like a player attempting to justify his price tag. A £60m player is almost a luxury player, and di Maria, definitely, acts that way, at times. When in possession of the ball, he's always trying to make something happen, as the biggest player in the team should, which involves risk and can result in a failed cross or pass. When not in possession of the ball, as he demonstrated last Sunday, he can be lazy; almost, acting as if, sometimes (mainly since the turn of the year), he's not required to fulfill his defensive responsibilities.
What he needs is a talking to from LvG to bring him back down to Earth. He may have seen us play very well without him over the last two games, which may have contributed towards his wayward, and worst, performance against Liverpool. LvG, also, needs to give the damn guy a proper role in the team, that's definitely not helping. He's our best player and, in my opinion, should be playing ahead of Young (harsh but di Maria is better).
With regards to selling him and/or him wanting to leave. Won't happen as we'd look like bigger fools than Liverpool, when they bought Andy Carroll for £35m. The whole body language reading is as pathetic and silly as a few ago when all the professionals were out analysing the relationship between LvG and Giggs and the infamous "slap" incident. The media will always put a negative spin on anything and everything.
What he needs is a talking to from LvG to bring him back down to Earth. He may have seen us play very well without him over the last two games, which may have contributed towards his wayward, and worst, performance against Liverpool. LvG, also, needs to give the damn guy a proper role in the team, that's definitely not helping. He's our best player and, in my opinion, should be playing ahead of Young (harsh but di Maria is better).
With regards to selling him and/or him wanting to leave. Won't happen as we'd look like bigger fools than Liverpool, when they bought Andy Carroll for £35m. The whole body language reading is as pathetic and silly as a few ago when all the professionals were out analysing the relationship between LvG and Giggs and the infamous "slap" incident. The media will always put a negative spin on anything and everything.
If Carrick - Herrera - Mata is the winning formula and Depay a dead cert signing, would he maintain a place in the first 11 next season?
As a winger, yes. But that midfield isn't going to happen. Fellaini is playing for a reason: Herrera isn't defensive enough next to Carrick. That's why we're also getting a CM. Van Gaal never plays with 2 attacking midfielders in a midfield 3, unless we play with 3 centrebacks.
One of Herrera/Mata/Memphis/Di Maria would be on the bench, unless Herrera dramatically improves his defending. He's done this already, but I'm not sure if he's done enough to be counted as a defensive player (which van Gaal always has 4 of).
I think he will.
I think he will too (he already has!) but it's not about me. Van Gaal said Herrera was a creative player, the role in midfield he currently has (box-to-box) is a risk-free role in the team. He can't lose the ball and is an important part of defending in van Gaal's system. He's 1 of the 4 defensive minded players.
Unless he changes van Gaal's opinion that midfield isn't going to happen. We're still going to buy that CM, as we're short on defensive minded midfielders anyways. So I think that if it's an option, it will only be used against teams that park the bus (and probably with Fellaini in the team).
That's why I also think we wont see Di Maria in midfield anytime soon. He's too wastefull and on the wings that isn't as much of a problem (calculated in). He will have the freedom to roam anywhere and cause confusion for the opponent. I don't think he was bought for a place in midfield.
Van Gaal is known for making players better. That's mostly learning them better and quicker decision making, because talent to control a football can not be learned. The good news is that the problem with DiMaria is not his touch or something, but entirely his decision making. But that doesn't mean it is going to be easy or a quick fix.
He's got to marry his instinct with his thinking, and he is a very instinctive player. So it might take him while, as it took him a while to get the rest of them thinking in this instinctive league. But it will be worth it, because DiMaria is very gifted.
He's got to marry his instinct with his thinking, and he is a very instinctive player. So it might take him while, as it took him a while to get the rest of them thinking in this instinctive league. But it will be worth it, because DiMaria is very gifted.
I agree with you except for this, you learn how to control a ball it has nothing to do with talent but thousands of repetitions, you can understand quicker but you will still need to repeat the movement.
From a £60m superstar signing to a player that we are genuinely debating whether he should start ahead of Ashley Young 
I think his point is more about professional players. Of course you can learn as a kid (though I'd say it comes more naturally to some than others.) But as a footballer in his 20s, your technique has a ceiling, so to speak. It can be improved, but there's a limit.
A players ability to control and turn and dribble is largely shaped by what's become of them before they even reach their 20s, in my opinion.
However this is probably only the case for the finesse parts of technique (turning, dribbling, killing a ball.) A striker can still learn a new striking technique (for example the Ronaldo free kick, or lacing a shot with more power) later on.
You still can learn after your 20s, the problem is that when you are a kid you play 4-5 hours a day, the number of repetitions is huge,,
professionals footballer don't train much.
If you want a better example you have tennis players or golf players, they train one specific moves a lot, and improves drastically during the course of their careers.
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Ah yes oops. God that stat is not too shabby. Even when his form is struggling he can just find goals for you like against arsenal and last weekend at anfield. Must not be sold imo.
Did you see the shove that ref got from Cesc (I think) the other day? compare that to the poke Di Maria gave him. I maintain that the ref was silly to give that red card. What Di MAria did wasnt that bad.
As for the throw in incident, what if he truly thought the ball had gone out and wanted to restart quickly? Players contest throw ins and corner kicks all the time, even when they know fully well that its not theirs. No one calls them stupid.
From a £60m superstar signing to a player that we are genuinely debating whether he should start ahead of Ashley Young
Hence the phrase "Football, bloody hell!"
This thread has become tedious - once he finds his best form we will read the same crap in another player's thread
Just seen it. You have a point. Michael Oliver's an absolute twat; this incident and the headbutt from Joe Hart prove so.
The thrown in incident shows one of two things:
a) wanted to get sent off as he doesn't want to be here
b) him wanting to get on with the game by forcing a quick attack
I think for the right price we'd be mad not to sell him. I was one of his biggest fans after last years performances, but it just doesn't seem like the right fit. First of all he was world class as free roaming 10 last year and had a front line of Benzema, Ronaldo and Bale he could assist. I just don't think we'll ever see that Di Maria, that was the best player in the CL final or destroyed Germany in the friendly ,because his heart doesn't seem to be completely into it. What was so amazing about him last season was his work rate, combined with his assists. He still got the assists in him, like we saw on Sunday, but his work rate simply isn't the same. As a pure winger, he never was THAT good, still very good, but certainly not worth the kind of money he cost.
Look at Fellaini for example, he was this close to getting sold and now is a core player. It can change very fast, but from the stories in the press, combined with the house story, I just don't think it will end well.
Look at Fellaini for example, he was this close to getting sold and now is a core player. It can change very fast, but from the stories in the press, combined with the house story, I just don't think it will end well.
Selling him this summer after one season doesn't sit well with me. He's such a damn good player, he showed it last season and when he started out for us. I'll never forget that game against QPR at home. That's the real Angel di Maria. He's bereft of confidence at the moment. We just need to be patient.
Nothing wrong with what Cesc did to be honest. Oliver's positioning was absolutely terrible and as far as Oliver knew Cesc ran into him and pushed him trying to get him out the way and attack the ball. If the Ref is going to stand in the middle of play, he's going to have to accept that he might get clouted, which to be fair to Oliver, he did accept it.
The example you provide seems to make the opposite point to the rest of your post. Seems like your point is, he'll never reach that level for us. The example you give shows such a prediction is impossible to make, his form could completely transform as Fellaini's did. Fellaini's example should be telling us to be patient, no? Anything is possible.
I don't know. To me, Cesc sees an opportunity to give to the referee and does so. What would Cesc gain from pushing Oliver out of the way? It's not as if he's getting to the ball.
Those two scenarios are completely different. If the ref had just booked Fabregas for diving and he did that immediately afterwards (while play was still stopped for the booking) does anyone think he wouldn't be sent off? Of course he would.
It's an act of petulance which shouldn't go unpunished. It's not his first time either, Fabregas is one yellow a way from a ban, I believe.
That would suggest that, as long as the ball is in play, you're entitled to needlessly and aggressively shove the referee. I don't see how it's any different from di Maria poking Oliver or Joe Hart headbutting him. All acts of stupidity, and if one is punishable, then all should be.
I can understand Oliver not doing anything at the time because as you say he probably just thought Cesc had ran into him accidentally. Watching the Youtube clip though I think he should be banned retrospectively. It looked very intentional to me.
Well, apart from anything else, we're talking about Di Maria in this thread. If another player gets away with being an idiot that has no bearing on whether or not he was acting like an idiot.
If we're interested in discussing relative idiocy then laying your hands on a referee when play is stopped after you just got booked for diving is clearly a level above Fabregas' actions in the video above.
Yeah, I don't disagree with anything you say.
However, what irritates me the most, having watched the Fabregas incident, is the fact that Oliver makes nothing of it, and the comparison to his reaction towards the poke from di Maria. Then, that headbutt from Joe Hart... Michael Oliver, what a guy.
What's done is done, and hopefully di Maria's learnt from his mistakes {both the needless fall (there was little contact) and the reaction).
A lot of people here constantly wanna spend money, then we do, the player is not performing and they wanna sell him again, failing to realize that we'd suffer a massive loss at this point. We can't just buy ourselves back into the spheres we once were in, we have to be patient and create a functioning team. Before Real was as good as they were know, they had years of stupid transfer business such as this one would be if we were to sell him.
I agree.
any truth in this or is it has I suspect bullshit.
http://thepeoplesperson.com/2015/03/25/angel-di-maria-louis-van-gaal-fall-out-report-84663/
http://thepeoplesperson.com/2015/03/25/angel-di-maria-louis-van-gaal-fall-out-report-84663/
He probably wasn't getting to the ball, but the ref there was the difference between Fabregas putting pressure on the Hull player and having him have time and space on the ball. I'd give him the benefit of the doubt there. He was in the mentality of challenging for the ball and the ref got in his way. No surprise he's pushed him off. I won't argue if Fabregas was retrospectively banned for it as he did appear to be over aggressive in that push, but Oliver made his decision without the help of having eyes on the back of his head.
Completely different situations between that and Di Maria. Di Maria's red was clear cut for me. He was arguing against the ref, and pulled at his shirt. I'd say he might have been demonstrating how he was pulled back but that's just stupidity. No one can blame the referee for sending him off there.
Great source! Sounds very likely
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