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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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It was probably his poorest game for us this season yet he still played a part in the equalizer. I'd happily have that.

It looked like he was labouring, probably felt the thigh strain accompanied with the fact that he is still getting the feel of the premiership. Was this not his first time going a full 90 minutes for us this season?
 
Needs to be involved more centrally. He's very much one footed so when he runs down a flank, you know where he's going to go and you can narrow the angle. Put him in the middle and he's got more green to run at and isn't as tightly marked.
 
I don't know why Van Gaal keeps playing him as a winger, he is amazing as a roaming midfielder and very inconsistent as a pure winger, and that's what I heard from most Madrid fans. Let's just hope Van Gaal sticks him into midfield against C$ty.
 
I really don't think its a coincidence that his worst two performances have come in the games he's out on the wing.

Put him centrally and build the team around him.
 
He should have been on the left all game.

Should not be moved around to accommodate Januzaj at all
 
Had an off day. Surprisingly it looked like he was lacking confidence, which is quite understandable when you look at the players we were missing going into the game. Hope he gets sharper and be ready for the Derby.
 
Was bad against West Ham and today. Didn't watch the WBA game so no idea about that one. Apart from those he has been fantastic.

Edit: Remembered it wrong.
 
Man-United said:
Has been bad both against Everton and today. Didn't watch the WBA game so no idea about that one.
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Huh? He was amazing against Everton.

The only bad games he had was against WBA and this one, but that's because he has been played on the wing.
 
Dumat12 said:
Huh? He was amazing against Everton.

The only bad games he had was against WBA and this one, but that's because he has been played on the wing.
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It was West Ham I was thinking of. Had to go back to check in this thread.
 
Really annoying that in other games Di Maria was putting in lovely crosses and there was no one getting on the end of them.Today we had Fellaini in the boxand Di Maria couldn't get a ball near him.The one time he did, we score a goal.

One of these days we're going to put it all together.Good luck to the unfortunate team up against us then.
 
Sam said:
I really don't think its a coincidence that his worst two performances have come in the games he's out on the wing.

Put him centrally and build the team around him.
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This is true. Di Maria isn't one of the best players in the world when playing out wide. He never was at Madrid either. As for the hybrid position, well we know exactly how good he is there. Like you say, we need to build around him in that role.

Great cross for the goal, though.
 
This performance was a very Nani-esque at his worst performance but like most top players do, he made a telling contribution at the end.
 
He was played out of position today, just like Januzaj was on Monday, neither can play from the right, only way to fit both in would be to play Di Maria as part of the midfield 3 in a 4-3-3
 
Needs to play more in the middle. Also please take him off set pieces, at least when Rooney is back. Still, we can't expect him to be a world beater every week.
 
He had a poor game BUT played the full 90 for the first time and provided what was essentially the assist for the goal. One moment of quality is sometimes all you need in these games.
 
He's going to have to get used to playing out wide and he's more than good enough to do that. I can see us using this "play him in the middle" excuse every time he has a bad game. We can't play him in the middle in big games because we need more defensively. I don't think it's any coincidence we've looked better defensively ever since we moved him out wide.
 
kps88 said:
He's going to have to get used to playing out wide and he's more than good enough to do that. I can see us using this "play him in the middle" excuse every time he has a bad game. We can't play him in the middle in big games because we need more defensively. I don't think it's any coincidence we've looked better defensively ever since we moved him out wide.
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Yeah, I agree we'll see this excuse thrown about a lot. He can be very effective from wide areas, so for me there is no issue with just branding it as an off day. His move the the wing has made us a bit more solid defensively and is slowly taking the defensive strain off Blind.

He was decent against West Brom, put in countless great crosses. Today he was just completely off his game with poor touches and panic passing. Not sure if he's 100% fit and how much the Chelsea athleticism had an impact. Sure he would probably play better in that midfield role (where he often drifts outwide anyway) but that is such an easy excuse. This isn't Kagawa, this is a top 10 player in the world.
 
Poor today in terms of his actual delivery, but it's positive that even in a poor game he's still getting involved as much, and also that he's doesn't do a Valencia and revert to a limited core of entirely pointless repetitive manoevres. He still expects to be able to do whatever he likes, and this is a good thing.
 
Dumat12 said:
I don't know why Van Gaal keeps playing him as a winger, he is amazing as a roaming midfielder and very inconsistent as a pure winger, and that's what I heard from most Madrid fans. Let's just hope Van Gaal sticks him into midfield against C$ty.
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Agree 100%
 
Shit happens.

I remember in the CL final in 99, becks had a shocker and his deliveries were generally awful. He ended up playing the 2 corners that turned the game around...
 
He's never been as effective from wide areas as he is centrally. That's where he's at his best so why on earth would we push our best player into a position where he's simply not as good? If we need more defesively then someone else should be sacrificed. Besides, I don't think he's all that much of a liability defensively anyway given his massive work rate.
 
Madrid didn't suffer defensively with Di Maria in the middle.
 
Wish he'd cut down his shots a bit though. The goals he's scored seem to make him think he can score from just about anywhere and that shows in some of his attempts.
 
wr8_utd said:
Wish he'd cut down his shots a bit though. The goals he's scored seem to make him think he can score from just about anywhere and that shows in some of his attempts.
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At least 3 of those wayward shots have resulted in goals anyway though
 
It obviously wasn't his best game but he didn't go hiding and was still screaming for the ball near the end. He's definitely wasted on the wings though.
 
Much prefer him on the left of the diamond. That system showed promise and it gets our best players in their best roles.

Di Maria's best form at Madrid came in that hybrid central role and he carried that into his early performances with us. You aren't getting the best out of Di Maria on the wing, whereas as an offensive central midfielder he's as good as they come.
 
sullydnl said:
He's never been as effective from wide areas as he is centrally. That's where he's at his best so why on earth would we push our best player into a position where he's simply not as good? If we need more defesively then someone else should be sacrificed. Besides, I don't think he's all that much of a liability defensively anyway given his massive work rate.
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He's always been effective wherever he plays, his actual productivity is quite consistent season after season. He offers less to the team in wide areas but it doesn't necessarily make him less effective.

It's an odd one overall though because when he plays centrally he manages to get himself outwide quite often anyway.
 
Like I said after West Brom, he needs a more central starting position. It should be obvious to any and all people how much his impact is reduced when you shunt him out wide. He thrives when picking up the ball deeper and more centrally, launching our counter attacks and catching the opponents on the back foot.

I'm not saying he's not a good player out wide, but you lose such an important aspect of his game that it's like buying a Ferrari and never going out of second gear. Sure, you still own a Ferrari, but why on earth would you do that?
 
Not very good today but I see people saying we can't play him centrally in the big games, really? People don't think he could have played the role Mata played today in the midfield 3?
 
Won the game with the delivery, but he was crap and he has to start using his fullback more. He is trying too hard and is trying to do everything on his own.

I don't get why Mata isn't taking the corners? He's good at them and ADM is more likely to win one than him.
 
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