17
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 29
- Clean sheets
- 9
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 3
- Yellow cards
- 4
Or if you have a player like Matic you don't need another player alongside him to allow him to work.
I feel he should definitely leave all of the offensive play through the middle to Herrera. On the ball in an advanced position, I feel he slows our play so much that it hurts, whereas Herrera has far more urgency.
Beaten way too easily in midfield too, but this wasn't much of a surprise given his pace.
Beaten way too easily in midfield too, but this wasn't much of a surprise given his pace.
That's why Mourinho plays Ramires next to him in big matches?
Mourinho likes to stink out the joint in big matches. I don't think that is a reflection on Matic. I just don't think there is any point in bringing another midfielder just to get the best out of Blind, I don't think he is worth it.
A 4-3-3 system in which he would be playing just in front of the centre backs, would suit him nicely. Then play Herrera/Carrick and di Maria in front, with Januzaj and Young on the wings and Rooney down the middle. 
Why should I? I just don't think his passing is on the level which would make up for his physical/defensive/movement stats.. He's no Pirlo with his passing but no Matic at all either who is the best defensive minded midfielder in Premier league, apart his defensive skills also very good and imo better passer than Blind but it's mostly overlooked..
And I stated many times that we need different kind of player for the position.. People see someone other than Cleverley there and already think the player's world class. For me I hope Blind will become some good reliable player in the future but for our push for the Premier league titles in the coming seasons and for the encounters with the best world's teams I guess we should aspire higher. And we may not find another Scholes in the future but Blind is certainly not the answer long term.
We set our standards too low here but I will let you think otherwise..
Because it just looks like another very loose statement from you to me. O well..
Like you really had something to say..
Think he is a very good midfield player, intelligent, good work ethic, good distribution and has scored a couple of important goals for us, he is a yard of pace shy of being a brilliant player but he is still certainly worth the money we paid for him.
You make a statement, I ask you to back it up and you dont want to, probably because it was made out of nothing. I already showed that one of your statements was crap, it just looks like you have an opinion on him, and therefore just blast out anything that comes to mind. Not saying Blind is a world beater, but some of your statements just look like they're based on dross.
I thought he was poor tonight, to soft and can't run. Good squad player but average in my opinion. We need better if we are going to win trophies!
I think Blind is better at passing than Matic, but there you go.
We will sign a top class defensive midfielder in the summer.
I struggle to understand how people don't see he's a good player. He's no world beater, sure, but he's still so very important.
He looked absolutely knackered tonight. I reckon the WC might be catching up on him.
Nope.Don't think its the world cup, He hasn't even played many games this season.
Totally agreed.
I understand why some feel theres drawbacks to his game, certainly his strength and mobility in general, but I feel like if we had more players like Blind we'd be better off each week, players who reliably give 7/10 each week despite not being a physical specimen or technical genius, just solid players that you can always rely upon to put in a good shift come hell or high water.
Hes running our midfield on his own which doesnt help. Id be interested to see his distance per game stats. He had a month off injured remember, so cant be the WC.
For a first season in the PL he is doing reasonably well. Of course he needs to adapt to the physical side as both he and Herrera are losing too many 50/50s. My concern is that he has a tendency to press high up the pitch on an individual basis, rather than as part of a clear team strategy. Fortunately for us, this season, opposing teams' have made a total mess of numerous inviting counter-attack positions. We really need to be more aware of the potential danger in various situations, and not leave ourselves quite so vulnerable. Blind needs to position himself so that he can limit the threat from the counter-attack when the likes of Di Maria give the ball away. If we are chasing the game in the last 20 mins then he can take more risks.
I agree, good player but like Rojo I see him more as a strong squad addition than a locked in starting 11 player for a title challenging United side.
Agreed on both, though they're both 24 and in a new league, so I think either or both could end up improving enough to start.
They're both versatile footballers who have good styles to play for a top club with Rojo's pace in defense being a good fit for a team that presses high and forces longer balls and Blind's passing skills being well ahead of most DM's, and many good teams prefer a passer at the base there.
That said, Blind got a bit lost on the Smalling penalty incident. Nothing horrific but bit spacy for a DM.
People talk about Blind like hes an experience premier league defensive midfielder... He's been playing in the dutch league. He's going to take time to come to grips in arguably the most physical position in the game in the fastest league.
He's done fantastically well considering it's a massive step up from where he's been playing and the other issues of joining a new team with new ideas. He will grow in his role and learn adapt far better in his second season. Wouldn't be surprised to see him buff up a bit over the off season to deal with it. Certainly not a player that you have to worry about losing speed with.
He's done fantastically well considering it's a massive step up from where he's been playing and the other issues of joining a new team with new ideas. He will grow in his role and learn adapt far better in his second season. Wouldn't be surprised to see him buff up a bit over the off season to deal with it. Certainly not a player that you have to worry about losing speed with.
Very true.
I don't Blind as a squad addition due to his versatility. He is a definite upgrade on the likes of Cleverley, Anderson and Fletcher.
Rojo, I am not sure about. Doesn't look a very bright footballer to me.
I agree Blind dictates from higher up compared to Carrick but no way is Carrick playing from "behind the central defence".
And never seen Carrick play a killer pass? I can recall plenty but the debate is pointless if you cannot remember any.
Our best player after Rooney and De Gea
I hope so as Blind is not good enough for a starter week in week out imo.
Clearly I didn't mean he's never played a killer pass but its hardly in his repertoire is it? Carrick often drops behind the back 4 or level with them, he does this when teams press high against him as he needs more space to operate than Blind. Personally, its why I think his best football so far has come from playing in the middle of a back 3, if we were to finish the season playing this formation he'd be an instant starter alongside Smalling for me.
No pace watch the game again for a defensive midfielder off the ball that's a performance we have been used to seeing a ill Fletcher make. On the ball very composed and keeps it ticking over very well. But not enough, we played with 10 men cause of Blind last night. We can't afford that (worrying times)
Its because we are massively open at the moment to the counter, we compress a midfield a little more and that openness goes, the same has happened to Carrick in the past, you leave either player isolated against pace and they're fecked. Its a tactical thing more than anything.
Agree he's done very well in general, though not so much the past month or two, in difficult circumstances (though helped having a manager he knew previously).
Where I'd disagree is the "far better in his second season" assumption, with regards to any player, not just him. Fans think this of just about every player in their early 20s and very rarely does it turn out the case to any significant degree (certainly not as much as we think it).
Ask Everton fans pre-season and they would have been sure McCarthy, Stones, Barkley and Lukaku would have built off last season. Paulinho and Chiriches were very good their first season (level with Blind and Rojo), but completely fell off the map and were swallowed up by other players emerging.
Bright footballer and team-player, so could probably do with beefing himself up if the pace already isn't there to begin with as you say. Still feel a physically gifted imperfect midfielder would be more likely to improve than Blind. Just not sure he has any higher steps to go to.
Overall, had an impressive first season given it's a difficult league and the physical qualities lacking aren't his fault. But the manager's forcing too much responsibility on him and he's not come up to it more recently, when teams look to counter attack.
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No Blind should be seeing things earlier and he ponders and does a lot of walking. Going through the motions shutting players down, never making his presence felt. He must be a very easy player to play against.
Sorry, each to their own but that's just nonsense, Blind works his arse off for this team.
Was talking about on top form. Yet, Blind's vision doesnt come close to Carrick's, neither his passing range
Was fine, needs to be a little more adventurous though. I mean even Valencia is happy to dink a ball over a defender.
Maybe he needs a bit of rest. I think we should start him and Carrick both in our big games.
I'm not meaning to say he doesn't if that comes across as that I put it wrong. I mean he is a mile of where he should be at times due to his severe lack of a burst of pace.