He's just fantastic.
17
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 56
- Clean sheets
- 22
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 4
- Yellow cards
- 3
- Status
Played the pass to Bojack and the pass to Mata for Rooneys. Such a tremendous player, the only one who will really force a pass forward alongside Carrick.
I've said before he gets far more focus and stick for tiny mistakes compared to Smallingbauer.
Future captain, first name on the sheet in a variety of positions and a top class CB partnership with Smalling, imo.
I've said before he gets far more focus and stick for tiny mistakes compared to Smallingbauer.
Future captain, first name on the sheet in a variety of positions and a top class CB partnership with Smalling, imo.
Yet another great performance from him today. Such a tidy, smart player.
His pass to Mata was sex.
His pass to Mata was sex.
Fantastic player.
When not under the pressure of one on ones you see his best game, very good tonight.
Playing constantly on not his nominal position but still being quite consistent.
He's a very good, stable & intelligent footballer, knows how to pick a pass, the pass to Mata for that third goal was lovely.
Don't worry lads, he's got this in the bag.
Looked fantastic tonight... I am sorry Blind that I thought you were rubbish.. Just great allround performance..
He is just such an intelligent footballer.
Does Danny Blind have any other children we can bring in?
If we can find a proper fecking center back, he's the Carrick successor we are after.
I disagree. I don't like him in midfield as he gets overrun to easily. I wasn't a fan at all last season. He has been one of my players of the season for us at centre back and I think he should continue there.
When he is allowed the space he can be a decent addition in midfield. However as you stated, in times of pressure he lacks the physical attributes to control that area.
Could well be. He's a good, intelligent passer of the ball.
He didn't show the positional discipline for the role when played there last season (he preferred to press the ball) but he seems intelligent enough to grow into the role.
His pace is a bit of issue but Carrick was never that mobile either, yet still coped.
He played DM when we were experimenting with a forward line of van Persie, di maria, Falcao and Rooney in a diamond. Even prime Keane would have trouble handling that.
Pretty sure he was still getting overrun long after we realised Falcao was finished. When he was dropped from midfield out fortunes immediately improved and we went on that good run.
He could be our Xavi and Herrera our Iniesta 
We were shit at defending this time last year and didn't have Schneiderlin or Schweinsteiger as midfield options. December aside, we're much improved in this area.
Blind will succeed at CB or CM.
Hes a good partner for somebody like Smalling. They compliment each other well. Smalling doesnt have the passing he has, Blind doesnt have the coverage he has, but he looks like a leader which helps.
I think him moving out to DM long term will be a good thing however.
I think him moving out to DM long term will be a good thing however.
He was very good last night. Defensively very solid as well often against players like Walters and arnautovic. He never got dominated. He was as good as Smalling if not better
He could be our Xavi and Herrera our Iniesta
Good one.No he's not. He's a better passer when playing in defence.
For a number of reasons, he's definitely not good enough as a midfielder.
I agree, coming out from the CB position into open grass allows him time on the ball to make his pass, I don't think he'd do that well in the hustle of midfield where he'd need to make his passes in a more crowded situation.
Exactly how I see it.
Not just in terms of the speed at which his own passes need to be executed, but I also felt that when he played in Carrick's role, he preferred to position himself deep in order to receive slow passes to feet - whereas, ideally, he should be positioning himself higher up, and should have the technique, quick feet, and dribbling to deal with it under pressure at any height/speed.
I don't feel he has that ability.
Like you say, at centre back he receives the ball almost always into feet, at a comfortable height and speed, and has space to play into without the fear of being pressed heavily or surrounded.
It's an unfair and early judgement based on his "first season" in a new league, in a different set up (mostly 4141, which offers far less help for the controlling midfielder than this 4231). I think if he had the same weaknesses exposed in his second season you could make that judgement, not when a new player, that has to acclamatide to a new much faster league, playing as the only controlling midfielder with Fellaini, Herrera, Mata and Young in front of him.
He was also a lot stronger than usual. Won back many balls where he would have lost the battle some time ago. Very good to see!
Based on our chase of Hummels and Ramos last summer, the plan must be for him to take Carrick's place in the squad after this season.
We'll still need someone else in there - I've been very disappointed for Herrera, but it seems he's just not a LVG player. If that's the case, he should move on and we need someone else like Gundogan in.
We'll still need someone else in there - I've been very disappointed for Herrera, but it seems he's just not a LVG player. If that's the case, he should move on and we need someone else like Gundogan in.
Based on what? Any time they get properly tested they usually crumble.
Agree with this, he's a capable CB but would like a more established CB to come in. Think he would be a good Carrick replacement and cover for CB/LB in the future.
We need a CB so we can play Blind in midfield when we are suffering with injuries there. His passing is wasted back there.
For the first goal ? That was Mata wasn't it ?
I love the guy, his passing isn't wasted in defence because a ball playing defender is an important ingredient of a successful team I feel. Those long passes over the defence, or intelligent passes in between the lines as we saw in the third goal yesterday, are what he brings from this position. He is also a perfect counterpart to Smalling, I for one don't see the need for a new centre back, unless the new one is bought as a backup.
Even if Pep came here, I still think he would be playing CB
Who tested them and when did they crumble? They've been our most effective partnership since Vidic and Ferdinand lost their legs.
He's been comfortably better than Stones and Otamendi this season, two £30m+ defenders. Credit to Blind for stepping up a level.
Wolfsburg? Newcastle? Arsenal? The three most noticeable games this season when the opposing team has actually tried to attack us instead of sitting back and using the counter? (Though granted the Arsenal one can be put down to a crap tactics in general as well as other things).
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With regards to him playing Carrick's role...
I think it's a little unfair to judge Blind as a midfielder when he plays there so little. When he has played there (more last season) it's usually been broken up by changing to left back or another position shortly after.
Carrick can look defensively/positionally wank plenty of times without a run of games so I do think it's harsh to rule out Blind's capable of playing that role without giving him 10-15 games in that slot.
Definitely one of our better footballers and you have to be a real scrooge to not appreciate him.
I think it's a little unfair to judge Blind as a midfielder when he plays there so little. When he has played there (more last season) it's usually been broken up by changing to left back or another position shortly after.
Carrick can look defensively/positionally wank plenty of times without a run of games so I do think it's harsh to rule out Blind's capable of playing that role without giving him 10-15 games in that slot.
Definitely one of our better footballers and you have to be a real scrooge to not appreciate him.
I'd actually say vs Arsenal and Newcastle, Smalling was the worst of the two.
He probably was actually. Both of them tend to look quite uncomfortable when they're actually tested, but I'd say that Blind can often look even weaker due to his lack of physicality. At the start of the season against Southampton, he struggled against pacey and physical players like Mane and Pelle respectively. It wasn't a game in which they dominated us, but when they did attack Blind looked very exposed.
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