He is an utility player but if he becomes a first choice CB (as LVG mentioned) then I feel we will have even bigger problems in our defense
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If he's going to insist on having Blind play CB, isn't having 2 of Carrick, Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger sitting so deep redundant? Blind is no slouch on the ball and doesn't need 2 midfielders within 5 feet of him at all times. Blind is more than capable of picking a forward pass on his own.
i was at the gate last night in Chicago and would give his CB performance a very mixed review.
Pros- He has excellent composure on the ball and his passing is superior to any of our current cb's.
Cons- Pretty much everything related to actual defending. His spatial awareness is poor. A couple times he stepped out to track Ibra when he dropped into midfield and left large gaps for midfield runners from PSG to exploit. As well his lack of height and pace is a major concern. I can't remember him winning any balls in the air and he struggled at times with PSG's pace in behind. Him and Jones did not seem to have a good understanding with each other and their skill sets don't complament each other either.
All in all IMO the sooner Van Gaal drops this expirement the better as I don't think Daley can handle the physicality and pace of PL strikers.
Pros- He has excellent composure on the ball and his passing is superior to any of our current cb's.
Cons- Pretty much everything related to actual defending. His spatial awareness is poor. A couple times he stepped out to track Ibra when he dropped into midfield and left large gaps for midfield runners from PSG to exploit. As well his lack of height and pace is a major concern. I can't remember him winning any balls in the air and he struggled at times with PSG's pace in behind. Him and Jones did not seem to have a good understanding with each other and their skill sets don't complament each other either.
All in all IMO the sooner Van Gaal drops this expirement the better as I don't think Daley can handle the physicality and pace of PL strikers.
If he is good enough to become first choice then we likely have less, not more problems, as he will have outperformed the others.
Big if for me. I don't see it mainly due to his lack of physicality - he would struggle in the EPL imo
He's going to get absolutely destroyed at centre back in the PL. He struggled in midfield against strong pacy players, so God knows what he'll be like at the back.
Genuinely, no other team in the top 10 would swap their starting centre backs for Blind.
Genuinely, no other team in the top 10 would swap their starting centre backs for Blind.
I think it'll largely depend on who we're against. He'll be fine in games where the opposition doesn't pose much of a threat and we're okay to pass it out from the back without too much difficulty, but he'll struggle against more powerful, dominant players who can beat him in the air. I don't imagine he'll be LVG's long-term solution at CB, though. He's probably just more of a utility option to play there when needed to, since he's fairly versatile.
Basically he'll be fine if we play against teams with slow, weak, short strikers, other than that he's a big bloody pork leg in the water for the Sharks.
I suppose there's consolation that if he gets absolutely embarrassed by the PL's strikers then LVG will surely drop him. As mad as he seems, he's not going to be as stupid enough to keep selecting him if he's getting turnt week in week out.
I know it is hindsight from the PSG game, but even before that I have never thought he would make a good centre-back. He is a natural at performing his defensive duties, but if his lack of physicality was an issue for him to be regarded as a first-choice midfielder, then how could he possibly play centre-back? It could probably work against a team like Spurs, or Arsenal (when Giroud isn't on), but any other team in the Premier League would have their CF ruin him. It's not even to do with his height (there are many short players who have excelled at CB, see Cannavaro) - he is simply too easy to bully. He has no pace at all, and has also showed little aerial ability.
I'm not criticising Blind, but more Van Gaal. Blind is an excellent player to have - he won POTY playing as the #6 for Ajax, and his combination with Young, when he played left-back, contributed to our best run of last season. It is clear to see he is not a real centre-back, though. All that having been said, I do think that playing him at LCB will benefit us massively in the moments where we are chasing a game, with the opponents pressed back in their own half. Because of LVG's possession style (that sees the other team without the ball and penned back for most of the game), having a centre-back (and more-so in our case, a left-footed one) that can pass the ball will make a difference. I don't think it's essential, and I feel that being able to defend is the #1 priority for our CBs (as we cannot afford such luxuries against better teams), but he may improve in this position. I think he will have his uses at CB, but the idea of him being a first-choice central defender scares me a little bit.
I'm not criticising Blind, but more Van Gaal. Blind is an excellent player to have - he won POTY playing as the #6 for Ajax, and his combination with Young, when he played left-back, contributed to our best run of last season. It is clear to see he is not a real centre-back, though. All that having been said, I do think that playing him at LCB will benefit us massively in the moments where we are chasing a game, with the opponents pressed back in their own half. Because of LVG's possession style (that sees the other team without the ball and penned back for most of the game), having a centre-back (and more-so in our case, a left-footed one) that can pass the ball will make a difference. I don't think it's essential, and I feel that being able to defend is the #1 priority for our CBs (as we cannot afford such luxuries against better teams), but he may improve in this position. I think he will have his uses at CB, but the idea of him being a first-choice central defender scares me a little bit.
Does that even exist?
Well it took him half the season to realise the 3-5-2 and shoehorning Rooney/RVP/Falcao in the team wasn't working, so lets see how long it takes him to work this one out. Probably at least 3 months.
Not in the PL.
Exactly.
As much as I think LvG is occasionally nuts I do think Blind could be a good solution against only the weaker opposition. This season the defence will be well shielded with Two defensive midfielders. The weaker teams will generally come to defend. I suppose it does make sense to go with a ball player who could add numbers in midfield whilst midfielders ghost into the opposition Third.
Ideally we need to buy a defender who can play out of the defence. This was the reason why we were linked with Hummels and Ramos who have both these attributes.
We all wanted a new centre back and we've ended up with Blind 
I think anyone suggesting this last season would have been laughed off here so I don't see any value in trying to rationalise the decision. Hopefully he's just testing his ability to cover that position and Rojo will be assuming the role very quickly.
I like Blind but I can't see him securing a position for himself, he's a bloody good utility player though
I think anyone suggesting this last season would have been laughed off here so I don't see any value in trying to rationalise the decision. Hopefully he's just testing his ability to cover that position and Rojo will be assuming the role very quickly.
I like Blind but I can't see him securing a position for himself, he's a bloody good utility player though
We all wanted a new centre back and we've ended up with Blind
I think anyone suggesting this last season would have been laughed off here so I don't see any value in trying to rationalise the decision. Hopefully he's just testing his ability to cover that position and Rojo will be assuming the role very quickly.
I like Blind but I can't see him securing a position for himself, he's a bloody good utility player though
Pretty certain thats it. Smalling he knows is up to the job. Jones he wanted to see more of. Rojo couldn't play pre-season and Jones is right footed so Blind was the only real option to go in at LCB.
Looking at the Audi Cup when LVG first started at Bayern he was playing people all over the place in pre season. It's obviously his thing.
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So those of you who've watched Bayern..Has he always had a left-footed LCB?
Badstuber
Badstuber played at LB in van Gaal's first season at Bayern I think.
I wonder why Blind seems to play with much more energy when at LB or CB than when playing in midfield. Also he tends to pass better and have a bigger drive moving forward from the back. He should do that in midfield. Yet when he plays in midfield he to often plays like he wants everyone to fall asleep or something.
Hasn't he mentioned that he only does exactly what LvG tells him to do? He's not supposed to take a single risk while playing in midfield, it seems.
Correct
I doubt that Blind has been getting big praises from LVG all season and then LVG buys Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger and moves Blind out of midfield. But maybe you are right. Find it very weird that the same player shows so much less energy in midfield than when he plays in defense. Especially because his strengths better suit playing in midfield.
He hasn't played much in midfield in his professional carreer. He played there at times in his youth, but broke trough as a left back. Only in his last season at Ajax did he play as a midfielder, he took a little while to adapt but was generally good there. For us he barely started half his games there so he's not the most experienced midfielder, I actually think it's his best position if he develops more. He has the attributes as he's a smart defender and also has a good pass in him, if only he used it a bit more.
I don't mind Blind as an option against the weaker teams, much like we have used Carrick at CB in the past (although mostly due to injuries), but he shouldn't be starting the majority of games there.
I agree, but LvG doesn't seem to see things the same way. He clearly loves Blind and seems to want to shoehorn him into the team as much as possible, even if it means playing him out of position.
Actually I'm not even sure what his best position is, I guess his best form last season was at left-back?
This thread is likely to be the most active for our first 5 games odd.
From what ive seen of him i still think he is best in midfield, even taking into account the WC and playing next to Young at LB. He got left completely high and dry at times last season as team mates abandoned their positions, otherwise he looked very capable there.
Hes one of the names that causes no worry whatsoever when I see him on the teamsheet.
Shouldn't Shaw and Blind be competing for LB spot rather than Shaw getting a permanent spot?
I think they will be, but there weren't many times when they were and Carrick were all fit, so often times when Shaw was fit Blind was already needed in DM. That's where Blind will be fighting for this season imo, and he is a more than adequate backup if he ends up losing that competition.
I'm not sold he will ever be a United quality central midfielder - he looks a bit too cautious on the ball and the game looks too quick for him at times. Mind you, those words could've been (and were, loudly) spoken about a certain Mr Carrick a few years ago, and look how important he became for us. There's also the possibility that he is much more comfortable playing as part of a holding two, rather than being responsible for holding on his own; we've certainly had worse CM duos than Blind and Schweinsteiger or Blind and Schneiderlin over the years!
I honestly think he's one of the best footballers in the squad. His first touch is great, he can pass and he can defend. It's no wonder LVG wants to shoehorn him into the team.
But he is no CB. Anyhow, I can see LVG starting him on Saturday
The only way he could ever work as a CB would be in a three-man central defence, protected by two better defenders, with prime job to distribute the ball which would virtually mean that he'd still be a defensive midfielder more than a center half. He's not shown anything to prove that he could be a good center half, in fact he's been mostly disappointing whenever he played there. He was very good last season and he's one of my favourite new players here but I don't think trying to find him a position he's not that familiar with and frankly not good enough at is the best way to accomodate him in the team.
He's being shoehorned into the team
Struggling to see the reasoning behind signing him and Rojo last season - the latter was for an extortionate amount of money aswell when you add in the Nani loan and wages we paid. Niether of them are good enough for the positions we bought them in just 12 months down the line. Blind is okay back up for CM and LB but Rojo hasn't cemented himself at centre back at all, so much so we're already desperate for a new CB to play with Smalling or Jones and at £25+mill we spent on getting him here it looks like a complete waste. Would be just as happy Evans playing instead of him, he doesn't look much better in my opinion. Hoping time will prove me wrong.
Blind was absolutely vital at the start of last season. Carrick was injured, Fletcher couldn't reproduce his preseason form and Blind covered for the LB and CDM spot well, he was one of the few players who didn't need much adapting to van Gaal but only to the league. He kept things ticking whilst our centrebacks were struggling to bring the ball out of the defence and our midfield struggled to keep possesion. He got loads of praise on here untill he got injured and rushed back because we needed him, after that his performances dropped a bit as he seemed tired and the team around him got better.
He's a player who can cover for 2 positions without much trouble and centreback too. The Dutch league player of the year and not very expensive who did well for us, why shouldn't we have signed him? We needed a midfielder and as last season showed we needed a leftback and centreback too because of injuries, Blind really helped with his versatality and I'm sure he will continue to do so.
Excellently put, I completely agree. Carrick has generally been awful at CB for us and Blind is a shorter, weaker, less talented clone of him. As an emergency option, as in like 5th choice then he'd be fine. Can't see how he'd be anything like as useful as is in CDM or LBMaybe this is some sort of strategy where in possession we end up playing a back 3 again. blind moves to the left as shaw pushes on almost as a lwb and carrick/schweinsteiger moves into the middle almost like a CB. So you have Smalling/Jones - Carrick- Blind back 3 in possession. It would be risky to play that against big teams especially if we get pick pocketed in midfield
Edit- Or maybe its a move to still play 4-4-2 but in possession helping shaw and darmian (esp shaw) play further up the pitch. Lvg seems to trust blinds passing over any other CB which is a shame.
Edit- Or maybe its a move to still play 4-4-2 but in possession helping shaw and darmian (esp shaw) play further up the pitch. Lvg seems to trust blinds passing over any other CB which is a shame.
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They'll be a meltdown on here if Blind has a good game on Saturday. Yes, a good game. That is assuming he'll start at centre back, of course.
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