[m1y2]

he does a solid job that's it, Van Gaal likes him as he is experienced and is professional as much as player can be - the fact that he doesn't smile makes him look even more professional. He has got good strength and athleticism, it's harsh to say he's not footballer as this is also part of football, technically he's not bad, depends on what act we are talking about, he can dribble quite well his crossing is worse.. apart everything said, he's always fit which makes him even more dependable, Van Gaal wants a dependable player and overall dependable defense who plays as many games together as possible, he won't change it now until Tony V gets injured or has a really bad game, that's pretty much how Van Gaal did it all season.

Rafael will get his chance next year I guess - more games more rotations, less risks - right now we just need to snatch the top four and the team is going well now so why would you change it? Thats's Van Gaal's thinking

My thinking would be: Tony, you'r sitting on the bench next weekend, I'm getting sick of your 6/10 performances.. you need to fight more for your place.

Rafael wouldn't have a worse game than Valencia, he's better defender and better going forward, this Herrera-Mata link up would be utilized even better with him in the side as he's certainly more intelligent player and is not preprogrammed as robot as Valencia is.

But I'm not mad at LVG now, I'm saving my anger for when he starts picking RVP straight away and not playing him in reserves a single game...

 

[Sandikan]

occasionally he remembers he has terrific pace and strength, and just goes for it down the wing, and it normally goes well.

But hi signature move is still "the statue", of just stopping dead with it for no apparent reason.

Tidy job and keeps possession well. A paint by numbers performance.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

He's about as shite as ever. We've had to put up with him for so long now though that he has effectively managed to lower expectations everyone has to the point where a mediocre display is seen as solid. Well done to him for that I suppose.

Eh?

I think he is a good right back. How many times during a game does a fullback put a chance on a plate like he did for Fellani today? If Fellani does what he is supposed to do and score that I bet the whole assessment of Valencia's performance would change for you. I think that expectations are skewed beyond reason these days.

 

[the hea]

If he could take a decent cross he would be very good in the current system. Mata and Herrera kept on playing him into good crossing positions today but Tony kept on mishitting them.

 

[thepolice123]

His a fecking tank on the wing. Runs non-stop and nigh-impossible to barge off the ball.

 

[Amir]

It's always difficult to accept that a player has mastered a new position and not see him as a temporary stand in. To be fair, Valencia's transition has gone very well. He's very solid defensively and it's not a worry to see him start at the back. It's the attacking part that's, well, still the old Valencia. Not very clever and not good enough.

Since Rafael is done here () and we'll need two right backs there's no reason why Valencia shouldn't stay. But we should be looking for an upgrade.

 

[Timdbro]

He's just not very smart as a footballer, is he... It shows up all the more clearly when he's around Mata, Herrera, Carrick, Blind and Rooney (Young and Fellaini seem to me to be somewhere in the middle in this regard).

His movement is a bit linear (up and down), which can work fine because he's got so much pace and strength. But his passing is so very frustrating, he's almost always got options to pass to as soon as he receives it, and yet opts to stand still for several seconds before executing the pass he should have played first time, by which point the defenders are all back in position.

As others have said, I don't blame LVG for not messing with a combination that's working, but one does wonder how much more fluid we could look with Rafael in there instead.

Still, you have to admit he's adapted very well to the position (full time) an has been very solid.

 

[Sam]

Its genuinely quite hard to believe this guy used to be a winger, and was our main creative outlet for a season or two.

He's now a better defender then he is an attacker. Its quite bizzare.

 

[Isotope]

The 2nd dumbest player we have in the team, by this season performance (Jones takes the crown, when Anderson left). Such a contrast with his opposite side in defence.

 

[Raoul]

Its genuinely quite hard to believe this guy used to be a winger, and was our main creative outlet for a season or two.

He's now a better defender then he is an attacker. Its quite bizzare.

Its a tribute to his versatility. He made a few cameos at RB a couple of years ago and did very well, which is probably why LvG is using him. He's a capable defender with a lot of RW experience.

 

[snk123]

That pass to Fellani before the Rooney penalty shout was . He has everything in his locker, short, long passes, shot, pace but he doesn't try that often which is the problem. Crossing was off on 2-3 occasions today but still created three chances (Rooney penalty, overhead and Fellani header).

 

[MDFC Manager]

He's become a very confident passer now. I don't know how that's happened!

 

[Lawman]

The 2nd dumbest player we have in the team, by this season performance (Jones takes the crown, when Anderson left). Such a contrast with his opposite side in defence.

Agree totally but then Valencia has everything Blind lacks. If we can get this guy playing to a set of instructions he could be brilliant. Was sitting next to a fan yesterday that all he done was shout "run you lazy twat" I don't know what game he was watching as Valencia covered some amount of ground yesterday albeit his crossing was off. But there was one incident where the lack of brains was apparent with the Herrera pass and Mata and Herrera looked at Tony who just didn't see he should have continued his run and gave him some stick.

 

[Hit It]

He's about as shite as ever. We've had to put up with him for so long now though that he has effectively managed to lower expectations everyone has to the point where a mediocre display is seen as solid. Well done to him for that I suppose.

I've been critical of him in the past but to say he hasn't made any improvement over this season is a bit off the mark. When he held the right winger position, my impression was he was not doing enough to aid our attacks on a regular basis as his delivery was poor. At right back you get more out of him, he uses his strength and pace to his advantage and very rarely do I seem beaten by the opposition attacker. He still offers some attacking threat I mean he does have a couple of assists to his name playing mostly at RB so give him credit when its due.

 

[justboy68]

Oh

I've been critical of him in the past but to say he hasn't made any improvement over this season is a bit off the mark. When he held the right winger position, my impression was he was not doing enough to aid our attacks on a regular basis as his delivery was poor. At right back you get more out of him, he uses his strength and pace to his advantage and very rarely do I seem beaten by the opposition attacker. He still offers some attacking threat I mean he does have a couple of assists to his name playing mostly at RB so give him credit when its due.

Oh he's much better at right back this season than his last few seasons as right winger, no doubt about that. Shite was overly harsh, but we definitely need an upgrade there if we aren't going to play Rafael. He's still prone to lapses in concentration defensively and his hesitation and lack of end product going forward is just excruciating to me. I admit i'm overly harsh on him these days because I am just totally fed up of him.

 

[acnumber9]

I don't get why people are complaining about his crossing yesterday when he actually created two chance from crosses. Did anyone create more?

 

[Isotope]

Agree totally but then Valencia has everything Blind lacks. If we can get this guy playing to a set of instructions he could be brilliant. Was sitting next to a fan yesterday that all he done was shout "run you lazy twat" I don't know what game he was watching as Valencia covered some amount of ground yesterday albeit his crossing was off. But there was one incident where the lack of brains was apparent with the Herrera pass and Mata and Herrera looked at Tony who just didn't see he should have continued his run and gave him some stick.

I've never questioned his work rate, skill, mentality and his willingness to get stuck in. Valencia has the skill, speed, and ability to do much much better with the ability he has. But he does not. It's like he is the opposite of Lampard.

 

[NinjaFletch]

Valencia's understanding with Mata and Herrera is fantastic. I love that trio.

Valencia did hit a few awful crosses today, but he still made a couple of chances. Like one for Fellaini to head and I think he also tied up Rooney for that over-head kick attempt.

He had a bad day at crossing, but I still think people are being too harsh on him. He's an effective player for us.

I don't think it actually is that good.

I was watching it yesterday and he's basically just a body. Mata and Herrara seem to intuitively link up but Valencia just stands around passes the ball on and then overlaps when Mata points and tells him to.

I mean its not like they trip up each other or get in each others way, but its hardly breathtaking.

 

[Acole9]

Just watching Saturdays match again, I gave him a 6 at the time but thinking about it now it should've been a 7.

 

[Nighteyes]

I don't think it actually is that good.

I was watching it yesterday and he's basically just a body. Mata and Herrara seem to intuitively link up but Valencia just stands around passes the ball on and then overlaps when Mata points and tells him to.

I mean its not like they trip up each other or get in each others way, but its hardly breathtaking.

You're being harsh.

Valencia's final ball lets him down but his movement is very good imo.

 

[Fergies Formula]

Anyone else noticed that he almost commits a foul throw every time he takes a throwing? Surprised he hasn't been penalised for it before, but he has a very peculiar way of tossing the ball and I cant put my finger on whats strange about it. Any ideas?!

 

[amolbhatia50k]

The best he does is a decent job. I'd keep him for sure given he can put solid peformances, is hard working and every squad needs such plauers, but we really do need someone with actual quality in that position.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Agree totally but then Valencia has everything Blind lacks. If we can get this guy playing to a set of instructions he could be brilliant. Was sitting next to a fan yesterday that all he done was shout "run you lazy twat" I don't know what game he was watching as Valencia covered some amount of ground yesterday albeit his crossing was off. But there was one incident where the lack of brains was apparent with the Herrera pass and Mata and Herrera looked at Tony who just didn't see he should have continued his run and gave him some stick.

I had to chuckle at that one. They had done it almost to perfection a few minutes earlier.

 

[Lawman]

I had to chuckle at that one. They had done it almost to perfection a few minutes earlier.

I know he totally switched off I remember Berbatov used to tell Tony to just fecking run lol

 

[justboy68]

Anyone else noticed that he almost commits a foul throw every time he takes a throwing? Surprised he hasn't been penalised for it before, but he has a very peculiar way of tossing the ball and I cant put my finger on whats strange about it. Any ideas?!

Yeah he chucks it from in front of his face rather than take a legal throw in. There must have been a malfunction in his programming when he was manufactured.

 

[Dr. Dwayne]

Yeah he chucks it from in front of his face rather than take a legal throw in. There must have been a malfunction in his programming when he was manufactured.

Meh. Much like how officials in the NBA never blow the whistle for travelling violations, football officiating at the highest level seems to (rightly, imho) ignore foul throws.

 

[mazhar13]

He's become a very confident passer now. I don't know how that's happened!

I'm not too surprised about that, to be honest. He was always a very good passer of the ball who frequently made the right passes, and this is what helped him link up with Rafael, Rooney, Berbatov, Nani, etc., so well. In a way, he's quite a dependable player going forward because you know that he'll frequently make the right decisions.

However...

I've never questioned his work rate, skill, mentality and his willingness to get stuck in. Valencia has the skill, speed, and ability to do much much better with the ability he has. But he does not. It's like he is the opposite of Lampard.

I also concur with this statement. Ever since the 2011/12 season, Valencia regressed. His confidence seemed to seep out of him, and he seemed to play slower, safer, and more cautiously than he ever did. We've seen how often he would just stop, jink around without really troubling the opponent, and hit the ball hard hoping that the ball either goes into the box or out for a corner/throw-in. He never seemed to take on the opposing marker anymore, and he never seemed to direct his crosses to players. He did seem to fix those issues with some of his good attacking performances this season, but he still shows his more conservative nature several times when he holds onto the ball for too long or doesn't make a run into space when Herrera/Mata are looking for it. This is where I feel Rafael can be an upgrade over Valencia along with him being better, overall, but I guess van Gaal prefer's Valencia's cautiousness going forward than Rafael's more adventurous attacking style.

 

[WR10]

He just understands Mata and Herrara so well. Beautiful to watch. I should note that the group on the left - Blind, Fellaini and Young - understand each other pretty well too.

 

[mazhar13]

He just understands Mata and Herrara so well. Beautiful to watch. I should note that the group on the left - Blind, Fellaini and Young - understand each other pretty well too.

It's not just them, though. Remember him + Rooney, Berbatov, and Nani during the 2009/10 season?

 

[Pexbo]

The only thing he's not doing well enough right now is putting a decent ball in.

Considering we have both Mata and Herrera already working that right hand side and have good service from Blind and Young on the opposite side, I'd say it's really not at the top of his priorities.

What is important is that he supports Mata and Herrera (arguably two of our weakest players defensively) and facilitates them which he does very well.

 

[Rykker_4united]

He can't cross but I don't understand the criticism he's receiving here. He's been great defensively and he acts as a great foil for Herrera and Mata's moving about on that side.

 

[2mufc0]

Since that howler against the Arse he hasn't done much wrong to be honest

 

[m1y2]

He just understands Mata and Herrara so well. Beautiful to watch. I should note that the group on the left - Blind, Fellaini and Young - understand each other pretty well too.

If you think, I guess not, he's good combinations with them from time to time but it could be better considering the potential Mattera offers. Valencia is one way player. Rafael plays with his head up and actually think about what he's doing. His flair is on different level to Valencia. I guess we will have to wait for it but once it is Mata, Herrera and Rafael on the right hand side we will completely destroy opponent.

Till now Valencia has been solid but you don't want to have too many solid players in your team.. we will see..

 

[mufcwarm92]

He's basically been brilliant for weeks but he's the whipping boy so people won't accept it. A couple of poor mistakes against the Arse but his form extends beyond that too.

Hard to see how he could have done better in his role over the last month or so.

 

[ottosec]

He's done well this season, but we should aim higher. His position is probably the first we must improve in the summer.

 

[Striker10]

Brilliant? No. I'd rather see Rafa get games. However Valencia is dependable. He's a strong lad. Offers great support, just needs a better final ball. Rafa would do just as well up that wing when we play with some fluidity. It looks a bit ominous however.

 

[WR10]

If you think, I guess not, he's good combinations with them from time to time but it could be better considering the potential Mattera offers. Valencia is one way player. Rafael plays with his head up and actually think about what he's doing. His flair is on different level to Valencia. I guess we will have to wait for it but once it is Mata, Herrera and Rafael on the right hand side we will completely destroy opponent.

Till now Valencia has been solid but you don't want to have too many solid players in your team.. we will see..

I agree. Rafa gives us a whole new dimension by himself and I'd love to see him with Mattera. The thing is Rafa can't last more than 3 games and that's not good when you're looking to build understanding and defensive stability. Valencia gives us an all round balance. If Rafa can stay as fit as Valencia then by all means!

 

[Nobby style]

It´s getting to the point that those slating him for his play against Villa are just being wankers. Even his crossing was quite good in that match.

 

[Di Maria's angel]

It´s getting to the point that those slating him for his play against Villa are just being wankers. Even his crossing was quite good in that match.

Agreed. It's odd because I feel as if Valencia's been far better than Young, over the past few games, yet the latter has been receiving a ridiculous amount of praise, whereas the former seems only to attract criticism... At least the man in charge of the club doesn't see it that way and has Valencia starting every game, and rightly so. He's been one of our most consistent performers this season and well done to him.

Oh and 0.50 seconds into the video... my word, that was an incredible pass.

 

[Isotope]

Valencia is solid. But there's always this niggling feeling that even a slight improvement on the quality of RB, will resonance twice to the quality of our overall attacking play on the right. It just seems like Valencia is not only lessen the input from RB, but also shackled Herrera and Mata quality to truly shine that right side of the field.