Not saying they will - but in a team with Barca where they rarely are put under pressure. A player like Blind would be perfect.
17
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Not saying they will - but in a team with Barca where they rarely are put under pressure. A player like Blind would be perfect.
You said 3 blatant chances, he was beaten hands down on that occasion, what were the other two blatant chances he gave away yesterday?
The best chances were by Smalling. He almost scored two self goals one of which luckily went through his legs.
It's really embarassing how our own fans hold double standards for our players, just because they wrote them off earlier and never want to admit that they were wrong.
When did that happen?
That second one wasn't lucky. Watch it again, he actually shows some clever quick thinking there.
He had no idea what happened. Thankfully neither did lukaku.
Man Utd 1:1 Leicester
He's been really driving us forward today. Great to see that kind of boldness in possession against such a strong team
He's playing somewhere between CB and FC and I like it.
If we buy a CB next season, wouldnt mind him in a DM type position (again). Maybe him behind Herrera and Morgan would be a good thing to try.
Battled hard and looked physically a match for Leicester's grafters. He drove us forward more than our CM's in the second half.
My MOTM today
If Carrick does leave in the summer Blind should definitely take his place in midfield
If Carrick does leave in the summer Blind should definitely take his place in midfield
That's what I've been thinking as well. He clearly has vision, can read the game and has awesome passing accuracy. Let's play with the thought that we got Varane or some other cb that would walk straight into the starting lineup. Wouldn't Blind be a nice deep lying playmaker or something like that?
Don't know. I feel that his ability to affect the game is increased by playing in defence.
More space to gallop into, more of the pitch in his sight, more players to pass to, the opportunity to choose to speed things up or slow them down, less pressure from opposition.
Whereas in midfield... He has less space to carry the ball into, less of the pitch in his sight, fewer players to pass to, and the speed he'd need to play at (release the ball, turn, dribble) would mostly be dictated by the opposition and not him.
He benefits from the added time and space in the deep role, in my opinion.
A good back-up deep lying midfielder, though.
Actually, if you pay attention when he gets pressed, he can pass pretty quick.
There were a few quick passes from him to Depay earlier this season which led to a goal or two. He is capable of passing quick if needed. He could just pass around 5 or 10 yards passes like everyone else quickly. Why can't he with his ability of passing?
It is just that his job in defense is to make sure to open up the other team defense with his long passes and our slow tempo and the other teams camping their half does not help him to do his job quickly. You can only pass forwards if your forwards have spaces and making a run to make things easier.
Even scholes would be a tad shit with the team current style and he even said he would not be able to play. Carrick has been largely shit too this season because he can't use his strongest ability which is forward passing.
The whole system is built around it being the case in my opinion. It would just be moving it into midfield. For what it is worth he is good at harassing the ball and I like that when we aren't in possession but if we are going to continue to amass loads of possession then we have to focus the attack to circulate the ball in the opposition half. I think he could play that QB role in a 4-1-4-1 while in the opponents half (as in, 5 attackers in front of him playing as the QB around the circle) but I am just not really sure how good his all-round game would be from the #6 position.
Nothing I've seen from this season say we shouldn't try it next season but I think we'd have to open the play up a lot more and almost play a 4-3-3 transitioning to 3-5-2 in the opponents half and on the counter, as opposed to a 4-3-3 that turns to 4-5-1 in the opponents half and on the counter. I am not sure which would provide more protection to the defense and if we are still being managed by LVG then you know he'll make decisions based around that.
Also people have to remember that we have no right wing. Blind being left footed would be great to pass into right side channel more. But to who?
I don't really get how the bit in bold disproves anything I said. Being pressed as a defender is different to being pressed as a midfielder. As a defender, the pressing is usually only from one angle, for starters.
Like I also said: He can see more of the pitch. In midfield, he'd have less space, more pressure and less of the pitch to pass, turn, run into.
As for the "He is capable of passing quick if needed. He could just pass around 5 or 10 yards passes like everyone else quickly. Why can't he with his ability of passing?" but...
I'm pretty sure I never said he can't make those passes. Just that he wont affect the game and drive the team forward anything like he currently does from the more comfortable centre back position. He's a bit of a trudger, a bit flat-footed. Playing deeper cancels out some of those negatives quite a bit, because of the added space and time. He can play on his own terms and at his own pace, so to speak.
One thing I disliked about Blind in midfield was how he seemed to demand the ball rolled into his path. And it slowed the game down loads and affected his positioning. He didn't look like one of the elite midfielders, who could/can control the ball under pressure at all heights and speeds.
I don't see what Scholes has got to do with anything. But anyway... Scholes turned miles better with the ball, had a great drop of the shoulder, was a better dribbler, was generally a more agile player with quicker feet, who got the ball out of his feet with more ease. It's night and day. Scholes wouldn't be shit at all. He'd improve the team, not drop closer to their level.
Carrick is like half way between the two (Scholes and Blind), but it's ridiculous to talk about a declining Carrick. He's nearly 35! And I'm not even talking about the current state of the rest of the team. I'm only talking about Blind and his weakness (in my eyes).
They're weaknesses because they're weaknesses, and not because of his team-mates.
I was simply replying to your assumption that Blind would be too slow and need more time to pass in the midfield because he has less space and time. If you didn't mean it, forget about my reply.
But if you did mean it, I explained why he could be tried in midfield again since his passing accuracy and ranges are very good and can beat the pressing.
The scholes you just described was probably 97 - 2004 or so. He had no legs in late 2000 to do half of the things you said regularly. In fact, people complaining about how our mid was getting overrun and couldn't handle of being pressed happened when he was in there.
Carrick is declining on his mobility, not his passing. He still showed it once in awhile when he could find a space ahead of him. He struggle to show it more this season because we can't find much of spaces ahead or not create them enough.
I am not saying Blind is as good as scholes. I am merely pointing out that the tactic we use to play now simply would not suit midfielders whose strengths are mainly passing who usually don't move as much as the likes of fletcher, morgan, ander etc.
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Good post - just about my thoughts on Blind in midfield too. However one thing I would add is this is opinion has primarily being developed by him playing in midfield in his first season at United. I would hope that he has gotten used to the pace of the league better now and can actually perform much better than the first season (which admittedly wasn't but, just that it wasn't good either). The other issue could be his tendency to leave a lot of gaps in midfield due to keenness to press too high.
Even Roy Keane would struggle to play behind Di maria and Rooney and ahead of Rojo, Jone, mcnair, smalling switching every other games due to either totally being shit or injuried.
We signed 2nd best DM in EPL and he is hardly pulling up trees even with solid CB pair behind him.
playing in midfield with much less time to act is certainly different to have all the time in the world from a center back position. I kinda got to like him as CB, he offer something from the back but we are never gonna be as solid as if we bought actual defender. Id actually gamble on him next season, he might turn out our Koscielny, cant see getting rid of Jones/Rojo who could somehow staying fit fill in that position as well but Id rather see someone like Tuanzebe to step up, not mentioning Williams, Poole or TFM. We have so many top prospects that we shouldnt kill their potential by buying another "proven" youngster from abroad and a lot of established players yet to step up. Think Bind might benefit from this
I previously believed that we needed to replace Blind at CB but can we sign someone better than him as he has done well this season. His ability to spot a pass is a massive advantage for the team.
West Ham 3:2 Man Utd
He has no brain.
Because smalling left his man and charged up out of random?! LOL
he's quite slow isn't he.
That was definitely on ball-playing voetbal Daley.
Our worst player atm.
Dopey fecker. It's not only Carroll that he's playing on-side.
Useless.
Nuff said
He was shocking for the first goal... Lost his man in the box, then made himself really small when closing down and turned his back on the shot.
It's basic defending.
It's basic defending.
There was a game a while ago where it looked like he was on a one man mission to lose us the game. He's having a good go at it again.
Wait so our defense is almost at the half way line then Smalling just charged up without looking at anyone in less than 1 sec and it is Blind's fault for not being a psychic?
I am confused.
Not to mentioned smalling pressing/closing down a guy who morgan would have covered in their half while leaving his man?
I am confused.
Not to mentioned smalling pressing/closing down a guy who morgan would have covered in their half while leaving his man?
Not to mention Schneiderlin was standing next to the player Smalling was charging at and that Smalling does this continuously. Just a shit show all around, garbage from Blind and Smalling.
It's Smalling showing a lack of football intelligence again. How on earth can people blame Blind for that.
Well no. I mean if smalling had a shout or look at blind and did it, you can blame on blind for not being clever. Smalling just charged up on a guy who he HAD nothing to do with.
If you look at the camera from above in slow motion, blind was ready to play offside on their right winger in case their midfield has a long pass coz he had a look right before the ball was going to come out.
Smalling charging into THEIR OWN HALF with 2 of our midfielders around to press the guy who he ran into was pretty ridiculous. But somehow, blind is shit and useless and brainless.
Sorry meant the game as a whole they've both been garbage. On that specific play, yeah I haven't a clue what the feck Smalling is thinking.
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