He had the glimpses of class whenever he drifted deeper, which is my point. He should play further back in midfield where he's one of the very best players in the world, a position which got him into the world 11 and rated as the 10th best player in the world. He's not a striker in any way, he doesn't hold up the ball and play with his back to goal, it's just not his game. He's made to run with the ball from deeper at defenders and through the midfield. The last 20 minutes he did really well too, made a few chances and just looked a completely different player.
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If we want pace upfront, use a fast striker. If we want creativity from midfield, use our most creative midfielder there instead of as a striker. How novel!
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?
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?
Looked better and more involved after the "Formation Switch."
He's not a striker [Not sure what LVG is thinking] and LVG isn't using hm properly now, but my word, he is terrible at the moment. Being played out of position should not affect your first touch, it shouldn't prompt you to give the ball away so easily like he did. He needs to pull out his finger, simple.
It looked sustainable. It also looked like he should always be played as a midfielder though.
Did He do a single thing right today? I did look away a few times.
£60m player? Someone call the police, we got scammed.
Not really. He's a creative attacking midfielder, not a striker. His performances in midfield early on were fantastic. 60 million is obviously excessive but that's what it takes to get a world class player off a world class team.
Yes, he did.
Sure he should be a midfield. But when he looses the ball, makes a poor touch or is all in all poor that isnt because he is playing out of position but because he is.. well.. poor.. and is having a bad game.
I think it's clear for all to see that he's not a striker and should be played in a position more familiar to him like in the second half where he was far more effective.
2 great crosses/passes for Falcao in the second half, set up Wilson for his goal.
First half was a shocker but once he played deeper he looked more like his old self.
Di Maria is our best midfielder, the only player in our squad you could remotely consider putting in a world XI, genuine world class attacking midfielder, and what do we do.
Play him continually out of position. Don't buy the pace excuse, if we want more pace in our attack line play Wilson instead of Falcao or Rooney.
Stop shoe horning players into positions.
Play him continually out of position. Don't buy the pace excuse, if we want more pace in our attack line play Wilson instead of Falcao or Rooney.
Stop shoe horning players into positions.
Once he moved further back or whenever he drifted deeper he did something good, found falcao brilliantly twice. He's clearly world class, just isn't a striker at all. He's being asked to play the completely opposite game to what he's used to.
60m for one of the best players in the world when played in his position coming off of an amazing season where he was one of Real Madrids top 3 players alongside Ronaldo and Modric, seems fair. As a striker he wouldn't be worth 20m, because he just isn't one. He's at his best running from deeper, running at defenders through the middle and making things happen, picking out through passes into forwards, no playing with his back to goal and holding the ball up.
Looked much better when played in midfield. He's so dangerous when he can turn and run at defenders, they're frightened of him. He has to be playing CM.
They were very sustainable, and he's shown that form whenever he's played in midfield for us really. It's where he is best at by far. Obviously everything about him will go to shit when he's asked to play a role he is completely unsuited to. It's just really harsh to judge him on these games he's played as a striker.
I'll admit I've never been able to keep track of all 11 players at the same time.
His passing in the first half was stunningly bad, but then he wasn't the only one.
He's obviously not a striker and so I understand that he isn't playing at his best. However he's still been poor. His head is constantly dropping and he is losing the ball a lot.
Two outstanding crosses for falcao. One which falcao hit the target from but couldn't score but should have anf the other where falcao almost tapped it in but missed. Also played the pass which led to the wilson goal.
I thought he was good whenever he wasn't too further forward.
We have a world class midfielder and we are using him as a striker lol.
Even though we have world class strikers yet no other world class midfielders.
feck me
Even though we have world class strikers yet no other world class midfielders.
feck me
Playing out of position isn't an excuse for the passes he made today. Losing the ball isn't what creativity is.
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.
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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Imagine he was losing the ball so much in a deeper position.
Definitely higher than he played previously, but he doesn't stay up top.
Exactly!
I bet that he's upset by the fact that Madrid are doing so well without him. He was regarded as a crucial part of their team, then he goes and they win 22 games on the trot. It may seem to be a minor detail but doubts may be creeping in his mind, particularly in the context of United's struggles in the Prem.
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Like most on here, I love nothing more than to see Di Maria get the ball from deep and run at the opposition. They can’t handle him. At the same time though I can see that his lack of positional discipline (you don’t want him rooted to one spot) might leave the fullbacks/wingbacks exposed when he plays in midfield, and the fact that he is quite likely to lose the ball in midfield when dribbling might cause us problems at the back. Admittedly we haven't found the perfect solution yet, but I can understand the concerns with him playing in a deeper position.
This and last season.
Loses the ball per match - Bale 8, Di Maria 10
Creates or scores during 10 full games - Bale 11, Di Maria 8
While Di Maria is prettier, Bale gives the ball away 20% less and scores or creates 40% more. That's including the best season of Di Maria's career.
Loses the ball per match - Bale 8, Di Maria 10
Creates or scores during 10 full games - Bale 11, Di Maria 8
While Di Maria is prettier, Bale gives the ball away 20% less and scores or creates 40% more. That's including the best season of Di Maria's career.
I always thought he was a hard working player at Madrid. But he seems to be a bit lazy here.
I just can't equate the bloke I've watched this season with the central midfielder he allegedly was last season. How the hell can anyone get away with being that careless in possession in central midfield? Alonso and co must have been constantly bailing him out.
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.
I only saw the highlights of yesterday, but on Match of the Day they particularly mentioned how his work rate was excellent yesterday (Although it was Phil Neville so its pretty meaningless).
On top of that he was playing on the left of the middle three in a 4-3-3 with Ronaldo on the left of the front three. It's hard to imagine either of them offering the LB much protection, but as you said Modric and Alonso would have to cover. I wonder if we could use Carrick and Blind similarly in midfield together, rather than midfield and the other in defence.
I would definitely play them both in central midfield. Seems a no-brainer. They're our two best central midfielders after all. Like many things this season, our manager seems reluctant to do the obvious.
During his four years at Madrid Di Maria always tracked back and defended both when he played on the right and in the middle on the left and not only was his work-rate impressive, his defending was too. He was very good at winning the ball back and shepherding it out of play and a lot of Madrid's counter-attacks were started by him winning the ball back and then either dribbling his way out of the back or by him passing it out. The team became much more balanced when he was put in midfield last year and the defence improved and kept a lot more clean sheets. That said, Madrid had the players around him to make it work when he was used in such a position and I am not sure that United do or if Van Gaal even wants to use him there. All I can say is that there shouldn't be much trouble with Di Maria in term of him not tracking back or working hard, wherever he is put. His attitude and flexibility is excellent and in the end they were what made Ancelotti want to keep him over the more talented but less diligent Ozil.
Real last season defended in a 442 with a flat midfield 4 of Di Maria, Alonso, Modric, Bale . The team struggled in the first half of last season with their 4-3-3. The move to that asymmetrical 4-4-2ish formation with Ronaldo as a free roaming 2nd striker and Di Maria as a left sided box to box midfielder really worked for them, especially in defense, where they were vulnerable before. But it was a very specific set-up with unique roles fit perfectly to the players available to Ancelotti.
Since they were both fit I have wanted to see Carrick and Blind in midfield together. It seems LvG is trying lots of things to try to address the lack of balance. Hopefully he eventually stumbles across the solution. Carlo Ancelotti had a similar issue last season when Bale came. I remember him trying a few different things (christmas tree, 4-4-2, diamond etc) before the 4-3-3 with Di Maria in midfield worked and they stuck with it. Forget the pictures with arrows, but Ancelotti's quotes in this article/blog about a lack of balance in the team in the first part of last season, echo van Gaal's from this season. I just hope we find the solution.
I remember. I hope we find that balance but we haven't yet.
So we put a player up top and he looked disinterested. As soon as he moved into midfield he came to life but lets ignore that and slate him.
I'd say that Phil's analysis on MOTD of what's going on with him (and what most of us can see) is spot on.
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