Definitely Van Gaal's best signing IMO.
Hard to believe at the time he would be so influential.
Hard to believe at the time he would be so influential.
17
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 56
- Clean sheets
- 22
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 4
- Yellow cards
- 3
- Status
If you're going to defend by keeping the ball I can't think of many I'd rather have at the back. He's not the natural defender Pique is but he's doing the same job for us.
I hold my hands up, I was the one who thought playing him at CB was just one of those weird pre-season experiments and badly wanted LVG to stop it after the friendlies. He's performing way better than I could've ever expected. Love the guy!
He's been great so far but I don't think he's our long term solution at CB. We tend to keep Smalling (and one of the fullbacks when defending) close to him most of the time due to his obvious lack of pace. In my opinion, he's the perfect backup defensive midfielder to Schneiderlin. In fact, on current form he should play there instead of him. I would be interested to see a Blind-BFS or Blind-Carrick combo at the heart of our midfield.
His passes in the final third have been absolutely class!! Been the player of the season along with Smalling for me so far. He is going to keep getting better. I have to keep reminding myself that he is only 25!! 
Superb ball to Mata for our second goal. Always has that eyes for a good pass.
First, He's do dreamy
Second, with the way that the majority of teams set up against us it'll always be the cbs that are the spare man so there's an emphasis on them to move forward and open the play. We've seen mighty Mike making a lot of runs from deep this year attacking the space whilst Daley often find loads of time on the ball now and he's got such beautiful eyes.... for a pass I mean, that he'll make chances for us. It's got potential to be a great partnership this season
Third, seriously how sexy is this man, might get the wife a shirt with his name on
Second, with the way that the majority of teams set up against us it'll always be the cbs that are the spare man so there's an emphasis on them to move forward and open the play. We've seen mighty Mike making a lot of runs from deep this year attacking the space
whilst Daley often find loads of time on the ball now and he's got such beautiful eyes.... for a pass I mean, that he'll make chances for us. It's got potential to be a great partnership this season Third, seriously how sexy is this man, might get the wife a shirt with his name on
I'm more impressed with him every game. One of our most improved players since LVG took over for sure. Great to see.
He's becoming a serious dilemma for teams, sit back against us and you're just offering up time and territory for Blind to exploit with his superb passing. Choose to press him and you'll leave space for the midfield to work in further forward. He's an absolutely essential play for us now and is as important in an attacking sense for us than any other player.
Do you think he's worked it out yet? Or should we give him a couple more months to get on the same page as you?
LvG deserves serious credit for this. Majority of the people weren't convinced by him when it started but I think his performances this season have proved a lot of people wrong.
What's funny is that he's not allowed to have a below average game on here. One mistake and the moan brigade will be out in full force.
What's funny is that he's not allowed to have a below average game on here. One mistake and the moan brigade will be out in full force.
You say that though, but he clearly is a natural defender. He reads the game like the best and intercepts extremely well, if he wasn't there is no chance he would do so well at CB. obviously his limitations are his pace but because he reads the game so well he makes up for that difference, and he is actually stronger than we all thought, he rarely gets muscled off the ball.
In pre season I really did dread the idea of him being our main CB, but now I couldn't imagine us without him at the back, he just gives us a completely different option, almost like a quarterback.
Smalling also does a great job of covering him, in the 1 striker systems they both work extremely well together.
The truth is he could play any position on the pitch to a high standard purely on the fact that he has perfect reading of the game. He's going to be a great manager.
Every game there is at least a goal that starts with him or where he plays an important part. He is very important to the buildup. I had my doubts like everyone else, but it looks like this LVG chap knows what he's doing after all.
This also shows why we weren't interested in the likes of Otamendi this summer, we needed a ball playing CB. If we could have got Ramos, Hummels or some other CB with excellent passing they would have been invaluable to us, like having Blind on steroids.
This also shows why we weren't interested in the likes of Otamendi this summer, we needed a ball playing CB. If we could have got Ramos, Hummels or some other CB with excellent passing they would have been invaluable to us, like having Blind on steroids.
Nice comparison mate haha!
Absolutely, he has to win every header, every physical challenge, no striker is allowed to get in behind him or we will hear he hasn't got the pace or strength to play there. It happens to every defender, if they perfect then nobody would score any goals.
I think it's a little telling that if you look at the caf's average he is clearly below Darmian, Smalling and Shaw despite scoring a great goal, three assists and helping keep 6 clean sheets. He is judged more harshly than those others because certain people were convinced he couldn't do a job and every thing he does at CB is under the microscope.
I think he's been largely excellent at CB. So far he's proved me and countless others wrong.
He's been excellent at centre back, which is kudos to Van Gaal, as most people thought he'd be a nightmare there.
He's excellent on the ball, which is probably the main reason why he's being played there, but as well as that, he reads the game superbly well. Doing really well. That ball he played to Mata for the first goal was fantastic.
He's excellent on the ball, which is probably the main reason why he's being played there, but as well as that, he reads the game superbly well. Doing really well. That ball he played to Mata for the first goal was fantastic.
He plays a similar role to what Rijkaard played for ajax in 1994/95 imo
Such an asset to have someone with his passing playing at CB. LVG masterstroke.
Its the internet..many people do not want to be wrong..and will stick to an opinion no matter what..I thought playing him there was a ridiculous decision , considering his pace and strength, but I think I failed to consider his other strengths in making that judgement. His ball playing abilities fit our defense to the t and he fits the formation well. I was wrong.
However, what I think will happen now is the same thing that happened with Valencia last season at RB. He may play well for the majority of the season, but one mistake and they will be people coming out of the woodwork with I told you so. There is a desperation to be right on here, even if it means the team doing badly.
Yeah but I'd sooner draw the comparison with Frank de Boer. In many ways a very similar player to Daley. Same height, fairly slow, but great vision and passing.
I think you're being extremely generous there.
His best form for us was in his first few months here. I think he won one or two player of the months back then and until february or march people were calling him our player of the season so I have no idea how did you come up with that.
The management team and Daley himself deserve immense credit for this so far.
He's proving a lot of us wrong so far. Apart from that first half against Pelle, he's looked very good. Long may it continue.
His great games at the start of last season were always against teams that had 10 behind the ball, put no pressure on us and let us have all the possession. But he always struggled in high intensity physical games.
This season he had no problems marking the likes of Benteke and Gestede, I don't understand how you can't see the improvement?
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If he wasn't a good natural defender how would be look so solid all the time? Arguably Phil Jones isn't a natural defender in my eyes, everything he does is rushed or panicked.
He is playing completely different position this year, and it's not like he is outmuscling big players now. I really like Blind, but it's really stupid to say that he made an improvement when he played different position last year and he was actually more than decent last year too, especially at the start.
I would still be nervous playing him vs better teams and better (and bigger) strikers, but he's done very well so far.
CB seems to be his best position.
Master stroke by LVG.
Master stroke by LVG.
No bigger strikers in PL then Gestede and Benteke and he has handled both of them quite comfortably.
Ouch! You're cruel.
Yet he struggled vs the size of Gomis and against the pace of Mane.
It was our midfield that failed to deal with Mane appropriately. He was getting far too much space in the final third when Blind was occupied with Pelle. It seems to be that if a player scores a goal against a defence with Blind in it, it must be Blind's fault and therefore exposes him as not good enough at CB. Even top class centre halves get beaten, and sometimes by not very good players.
Been immense for us, together with Smalling. Great partnership.
You can see how intelligent he is just by watching him play. Always takes the space if the other team drop off and is a fantastic passer those comparing him to De Boer, I agree with.
I would be willing to bet he will someday lead Holland in a World Cup as manager.
I would be willing to bet he will someday lead Holland in a World Cup as manager.
Check out the replay of the first goal, he clearly loses Mane and is an a bad position when the cross comes in.
Re-watching the game our first two goals were initiated from precise long passes by him bypassing the midfield and right into the forwards' stride. It was beautiful, almost Scholes-like.
- Status