That's what I was saying initially. Blind is a good player and him and Smalling are our best pairing at the minute but we need a more natural CB to partner Smalling if we want to challenge for trophies. Laporte or Stones would be the best options.
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Season Average Rating
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He really isn't a centre back though. He's a good player and would be an excellent squad player but should never be starting regularly at CB for us. He's done a good job considering we haven't had a settled back 4 most of the season but our defence has been carried by De Gea and Smalling.
He's been better than Smalling since christmas. I think thats a notable time frame in its own right, because he's out performed Smalling at a time when we've moved away from as possession orientated a system, one which, it was said, was the only system he could do well in.
Infant, he's been perfectly good all season. All this nonsense about him back there is because people are afraid to it admit that Van Gaal got this one right, he can play there, and he can play there perfectly well.
Frankly, this desire to replace him is a little odd to me. Its been shown time and time again that systems make defenders and simply signing a 'big name' centre-half doesn't guarantee they'll strike up any sort of partnership with what you've got.
Will never be a top centre half but I think we all realize that. But my God if anyone deserves a freebie it's Blind. Has been brilliant mainly in trying circumstances, could do with a rest.
He has now played more games at CB in his career than in midfield.
But why? It really seems to me that people are generally simply uncomfortable with what is perceived to be not natural. After the CL final last year, Souness was still criticizing Barcelona about how they can improve by replacing Mascherano with a more natural CB. This is the same Mascherano that was a mainstay in one of in not the most successful club in history. In my view, defence more than at any time in history is no longer about the individuals. Not a single modern defender can make the difference as they could in the past and that is not because there are not any good defenders any more but simply because managers are working more towards team oriented exercises to stop conceding possession and or chances. What this means is that we can no longer apply the traditional criteria by which we judge defenders especially at a team that plays or attempts to play in a more modern way. I have no idea if Blind is the best we can have or not because I am not educated enough in modern tactics and modern demands but what I know is just because we had Rio and Vida producing some of the best defensive displays seen in the PL, doesn't mean that all football teams function the same or need the same set of skills.
No, not a knee-jerk reaction. He started the season very well I thought but only in relation to the very low expectations of him. He did well in defense despite his physical limitations (surprisingly well I thought). More importantly he was an important source of creativity in the team even as we struggled to create chances, but again only in relation to the initial expectations of him. If he is to be a mainstay of our starting 11 as he has been, then our expectations of him have to be higher. However throughout the season he has been highly inconsistent both in his defensive performance and his passing from the back. He has regularly had howlers in defense and his passing often deserts him at crucial times. He certainly is well below in passing ability of people like Carrick etc. This is a big problem in my opinion as this is supposed to be his key strength. If he can't help us in dealing with opposition pressing our defense (like Watford did in the other game), then what exactly is the point of having him?
Don't get me wrong. He has been an important player for us this season (definitely above average - although that's not saying much). But I was hoping that he would kind of grow in performances over time. But he hasn't. And plus he can sometimes be opposite of a dependable player, highly inconsistent and prone to unexpected mistakes. Therefore as it stands I would rather buy a new CB (or promote from academy!) and keep him as a squad player for the CB, LB and CM position.
He's not a CB, I agree, but he's done more than a good job there. I think he's the player with the most minutes in the squad and he might be tired (he's only missed two league games), it happens. Lets not forget however that Blind has looked better as Smalling's partner than anyone else, and let's not forget that he's been a mainstay in a defence that is the second best in the PL as we speak. Passing wise Blind is as good as Carrick and statistically he's blown Carrick out of the water in every passing stat except for pass completion (Carrick is at 87, Blind at 85). He's also one of the most comfortable players on the ball. A few bad performances doesn't change that.
You have to compare stats per 90 minutes, not per game. When an appearance is 89 minutes for Blind but Carrick's avg appearance is only 67 minutes then stats per appearance comparison is pretty meaningless.
Pretty pointless comparing forward passes as well when Blind is playing further back so will obviously be playing forward passes more
Blind is not a CB. He is small and slow which is two features that a lot of strikers would love playing against. Ighalo is a good example. A big and strong ST that would of had five goals or more if he had his shooting boots on. Blind has done well this season playing there though but we can't go into next season with him at CB imo. I'm a fan of Blind's though and hope he is given opportunities at CDM but not at CB.
But that is only a problem if you invite teams and let them have a go at you. The idea is to not do that and control games through possession and winning the ball back as quickly as possible. That is why you see a lot of managers deploying defenders like that. Of course it is a system that has its limitations when for example as you point out, you do have to defend. But every system has shortcomings and the only measure is how often do you concede chances. When we have Smalling in and are in control of possession, we do not concede chances and that's reason enough to suggest that the defensive side of our game with Blind in it works. It is different than what we are traditionally used defensively but it is equally if not more efficient.
Blind's pretty quick for a centre back.
I like Blind but his physical limitations have been unmasked by Ighalo and Pelle pretty badly this season. He can't be a first XI CB.
Stop comparing him to Mascherano.
Mascherano if he was taller would be the best defender in the world. Mascherano is better defensively, more aggressive and positioning wise miles better.
Mascherano if he was taller would be the best defender in the world. Mascherano is better defensively, more aggressive and positioning wise miles better.
I get what your saying but I would want a more natural CB to pair Smalling for next season.
If he gets his head out of his arse and realise that he is a senior figure in the squad then he will be fine but he plays with such a deference to everyone else around him.
I love Blind, he's such an intelligent player and the best passer in our team. His physical limitations are greatly exaggerated in this place, any time he loses a header you get 'told you so comments', like other defenders don't get outpaced or lose out physically, ever.
That being said I would like us to bring in another central defender to partner Smalling next season. Blind is more than capable of covering at centreback, he can also play back up to left back and central midfield, he'll still see more than enough time at this club due to his versatility to want to stick around. He's essentially O'shea 2.0.
That being said I would like us to bring in another central defender to partner Smalling next season. Blind is more than capable of covering at centreback, he can also play back up to left back and central midfield, he'll still see more than enough time at this club due to his versatility to want to stick around. He's essentially O'shea 2.0.
No he isn't. He's very slow. The modern CB is not only very good with the ball but relatively fast these days too.
How the feck he survived the Watford game and starts today is a mystery. Should have played Mensah with Smalling, Blind needed a dropping and a rest.
Small and slow are also two thing stopping him from being a decent CDM. He presses forwards when nobody else then we've got a massive gap in front of our defence where he should be because he can't get back into position quick enough, plus he gets bullied off the ball by other centre midfielders.
Rondon and Berahino are gonna have fun against him today I think.
are you serious? Even compared to a GK he is slow.
No, he's slow for a midfielder, that much is obvious, but compared to other players even 'modern CBs' he's by no means slow, its the slowest position on the pitch by far.
I'm not saying he'd comfortably out-sprint him, but he's definitely not slower than Nemanja Vidic was, and his speed was never a problem for him.
It's a far bigger issue for him in midfield than it is at centre-back.
Vidic didn't need speed when he was winning every header and let Rio worry about the speed.
Blind doesn't win every header. He's hardly commanding.
What even is your point? Vidic's only real limitation in his game was dealing with speedy players. I'm sure you don't need explaining why Vidic was a far superior defender to Blind, either.
And his pace is just as detrimental to him in midfield as it is at CB. Players can get the run on him in either position, and he lacks the physicality to do anything about it. That much was painstakingly obvious against Watford just last match.
And his pace is just as detrimental to him in midfield as it is at CB. Players can get the run on him in either position, and he lacks the physicality to do anything about it. That much was painstakingly obvious against Watford just last match.
He has got 'dominated' in a handful of games. He dealt with Kane, Benteke and many other forwards well.
Surely the point is obvious? I don't understand how you don't get it.
You're probably aware of the fact that centre backs are rarely blessed with pace. Thats as true in the modern game as it was 50 years ago. It's the position on the pitch where you regularly find the slowest players.
In comparison to other CBs, and I mentioned Vidic because he's probably the best player defensively any of us have seen, Blind is really not slow. Concerns about his pace as a centre back, are largely misplaced.
There's clearly legitimate reasons to worry about his height, heck even his strength, but if and when Blind is replaced in the summer whoever comes in is not going to be a significant improvement over him in terms of pace and, if anything, may well be slower. Of course he may get outpaced from time to time, every defender does because, invariably, the oppositions fastest players play up front. A lack of pace is a stupid criticism to level against Blind at centre-back. Even more so when the same people citing that as a reason why he should not play there advocate moving him into midfield.
Also, can we just forget about the Watford game please? He had probably the worst game of his United career, theres no reason to draw conclusions from it unless it becomes a habit. He also wasn't really, I don't, think bothered at all by Igahlo's physicality he just spent all game passing to him.
West Brom 1:0 Man Utd
Needs to stop running up the pitch and trying to put pressure on always. His positioning is crap.
He did the same last year in midfield.
He did the same last year in midfield.
Except that he had the one omost interceptions in the league last season. Kind of hard to achieve that if your positioning is crap
So you thought he was good in midfield? He was rushing forward as CDM. Why do you think we signed Schneiderlin and Schweinsteiger?
Why is this guy considered an 'intelligent' player? Utterly brainless.
Agreed, his positioning is just terrible, he just chases random players all around the pitch leaving lots of space.
because he is calm on the ball, this days this is enough to be "intelligent"....our left defensive side is utterly brainless, him and Rojo are a joy to watch
Because he was the only one to cover Carrick. And he also covers LB and CB. And Carrick was injured most of last season so obviously he can't be relied upon.
Hipsters.
Because he has the vision to see and execute a good pass as we have seen multiple times this season and last.
He can make a pass of two when under no pressure. He is the philosophy mascot.
No don't say that because @prath92 has the stats to show that's not true!
Don't watch the game. Read the stats.
Another poor showing thus far, he's looking really jaded to me.
and whats that got to do with football intelligence?
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