I don't think so.
17
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 39
- Clean sheets
- 19
- Goals
- 1
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 4
- Status
Blind should have been brought into the midfield which would have allowed Fellaini to play up top. It wasn't like West Brom had any interest in attacking.
Well Young is garbage so you must not rate Blind at all.
The reason we stopped playing him at CM was because he had defensive lapses. At CB he did that less. He literally hasn't been given the chance to show his improvement & considering we had nearly 80 percent possession at one point today a player like him is clearly useful
I thought he could have offered us something on the left of a midfield three but that seems out of favour at the moment.
It's pretty clear Jose doesn't rate him as a CM/CB though and he's behind Young for LB. Don't see much of a future for him to be honest, he may survive the summer due to sheer fact he can play in a few positions but I wouldn't be surprised to see him gone either.
It's pretty clear Jose doesn't rate him as a CM/CB though and he's behind Young for LB. Don't see much of a future for him to be honest, he may survive the summer due to sheer fact he can play in a few positions but I wouldn't be surprised to see him gone either.
It's not that I don't rate him but I don't think he would have made a difference. He would have put a good cross or 2 and that's about it.
Him not playing wasn't the key at all.
He could have offered more in almost every position on the pitch compared with most today.
Daley
Daley
I actually rate Daley Blind as a first team player at Leicester or Southampton level only. But i can't quite understand how Blind is always touted as great replacement for M.Carrick.
I do not see where he got that supposed 'positioning, calm and composed,controling games, great passes".
For the few games he played at DM under Van Gaal, all he did was passing short around the midfield ala what Fellaini does on Sunday against West Brom. Ocassional 2 goals every season, occasional 2 cross/assist every season.
He most played by maintaining the team tempo, instead of controlling it like what M. Carrick does in his prime. M. Carrick can slow down the play, maintain possession or even switch a long pass to start the attack. Never seen Blind does that.
I do need see how good he at reading games also, if M. Carrick in his position would never allow De Bruyne skimp pass him earlier in the season.
I do not see where he got that supposed 'positioning, calm and composed,controling games, great passes".
For the few games he played at DM under Van Gaal, all he did was passing short around the midfield ala what Fellaini does on Sunday against West Brom. Ocassional 2 goals every season, occasional 2 cross/assist every season.
He most played by maintaining the team tempo, instead of controlling it like what M. Carrick does in his prime. M. Carrick can slow down the play, maintain possession or even switch a long pass to start the attack. Never seen Blind does that.
I do need see how good he at reading games also, if M. Carrick in his position would never allow De Bruyne skimp pass him earlier in the season.
He should be our first choice LB. And if there's absences in the midfield, he should play as a CDM.
either way, he should be starting every week in my opinion.
either way, he should be starting every week in my opinion.
Yeah because we have seen all and decided that he was not that at all after playing him about what 10 games in that position in his first season under new boss?
Not that I think he is as good as Carrick in his prime. Not many are. Carrick took awhile to be noticed like this as well because scholes was there to do all the jobs mostly.
If you do not see where he got 'calm and composed', well I suppose his team mates do because Rashford exactly said that. So we just have to trust his team mates I guess?
With him its the opposite of the usual caf-norm, the longer he hasnt played, the more shit he gets. He has been by far our best LB this season, albeit maybe still not good enough for what we are striving.
He has a level of sophistication and subtlety in defensive positions that Mourinho doesn't accept or recognize. Pep would kill to have him as his center back.
You havent seem much of him then. Along with Pogba he has the best long passing game in the team. His expulsion from midfield was down to immobility, it had nothing to do with how he uses the ball, which he does very well.
Blind would have brought creativity to the side, he has the range and balls to try penetrative passes that Carrick and Fellaini lack.
Different philosophy. One team relies heavily on playing out from the back, passing, controlling game with possession, space between lines were balanced. Other team is more toward transitioning meaning more space between positions at times = more reactive & physical capable ball winning defender. And not trying to control the game would mean more defending work in the box too. Defending in the box with short, physical weak players ain't very ideal.
Beside physical flaw, Blind's discipline as CB is not that great. Tend to put a foot wrong and play opposition players onside. Not sure how subtle is his defending work, but his weaknesses really stand out in my eyes. He can read the game well but the lack of physical attribute limit his options to intervene in certain situations. Not accustomed to CB position leading to awkward movement, positioning in defense at times.
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I don't think he gets his footing wrong, one or two bad games like the one at Chelsea tend to stay in people's minds compared to the many brilliant defensive performances he had over last season because people have always been uneasy and suspicious of him fecking up due to his physical limitations. He wouldn't have the kind of games he had against the likes of Lukaku if he couldn't get his positioning right. His best asset as a defender is showing the strikers where he wants them to go and then covering that intelligently without having to make the kind of tackles Bailly or Jones fly into.
Our biggest issue when Carrick is not playing is getting the ball to the forwards quickly, even in a quick transitioning game, that is vitally important. Blind picks out early passes better than anyone else bar Carrick and he can do it from the center back position. Even Jose recognized that well enough, which is why he started with Bailly and Blind as his defenders but that one game at Chelsea seems to have changed everything else for him with Blind, despite Bailly who had a worse game coming right into the team afterwards.
When we play against shit house teams like WBA at home, I'd rather have him in defense, contributing to the attack than a donkey like Smalling.
I know you have a thing for him, but he has shown time and time again that he is too slow for the lb position. The last match he played he made a great flick, had acres of space, "sprinted" forwards and was caught immediately by some average defender.
When he plays in midfield, he spends far too much time on the ball. As a CB, he is not good enough in the air or strong enough, and his positioning and pace will be problems as well. At LB, when he has time, he is an above average passer and links up very well, but he isn't great at bringing the ball out of defense either. He often has a habit of making players like Sissoko look world class.
Also, his awareness and contributions have not been close to Carrick. If they were, he would play there. He doesn't. He lacks the mobility of a 35 year old Carrick as well.
Completely disagree that Blind has better passing than Carrick. He has shown some brilliant passing over the top of defenses when playing from the back, but there is much less time in midfield and he hasn't shown it there. Blind spends too much time on the ball to make him anywhere near Carrick's level. Carrick tends to play a one-two game, and his long range passing is underrated. Blind has the ball at his feet much longer.
I am talking even into last season. It's quite some. Many incident he lost his man or played them onside with his strange movement vs West Ham away, West Brom away (look closely at the goal), vs Watford home, vs Tottenham away...
Lukaku ain't that impressive as messing up both CBs. Blind & Smalling mixed up and cancelled out Lukaku. When it comes to Diego Costa in worse form though, you could see Costa did enough to mess up our defensive unit. Or the forwards in the above games I listed. Lukaku until recently was kinda limited in his approach in leading the line. He stepped up now.
Blind can try to force an attacker into a situation, but some players with a strong attribute that far exceeded his ability, they can just brute force through his defense. I said earlier in the season in this thread after Blind had a flawless game against Hull that on his day, he can have performance that even experienced CB would be jelly about. But his weaknesses are too bold to be exploited by good players. World class CBs like Rio or Vida also had weaknesses, but to get to their weaknesses, it's much tougher since they much better covering their own weaknesses.
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Agree completely. He has had far more brainfarts than Smalling ever has, but because he has better hair and a more polished technique, he gets away with it. Also, the way he affords time and space to wingers when he has no recovery pace is quite baffling. He can play really well against some attackers, some even quick and some strong, but then he makes average attackers look world class.
I think he is much better suited to a LVG type of team than a Mourinho type of team, but he has a lot of defensive lapses no matter.
I wouldn't throw worse or better term around so easy. I would say in LVG's style, Blind was still more treasured than Smalling despite his flaw. Outside of it, like with Mourinho, he's far from ideal as a CB. Smalling being natural defender of course being better under Mourinho.
Carricks passing is massively overrated, what did he actually do with the ball against West Brom? It's a rarity to ever see him put a player through on goal. Hes good at forcing the ball through a busy area, but to actually play a teammate into a position where they can score? Blind is far superior in that department.
Carrick never takes the game by the scruff of the neck and says to himself I'm going to make things happen.
He is the kind of squad player I feel Manchester United should have. Great on the ball, good reading of the game and can be excellent for 2 or 3 games in a row.
But he has obvious flaws, and so he should not be used continuously and should never be a starter. We can however, mix it up with him there. He is the ideal player we can use to rest a first teamer or use when a player is injured, without a great drop in quality. He might also look better than the player he is replacing. But, when used constantly, his flaws start standing out.
Like, I felt that he could definitely have been used in the last match, when Carrick and Fellaini looked to be tiring, or even in the match against Middlesbrough where we needed some control. We can not disagree that his ball control and game intelligence are quite good. Also, I feel that, because of his game reading ability, he might have a good understanding of what needs to be done to influence a game, while sitting on the bench, and so he can definitely change things if brought on as a sub.
Players like him are very valuable. Capable of filling in for a number of positions, does not complain if benched, good work ethic and good quality. He did not cost that much too. If we just use him properly, to rotate the players or as an impact sub and not rely on him as a starter for any position, then we can stand to benefit a lot.
But he has obvious flaws, and so he should not be used continuously and should never be a starter. We can however, mix it up with him there. He is the ideal player we can use to rest a first teamer or use when a player is injured, without a great drop in quality. He might also look better than the player he is replacing. But, when used constantly, his flaws start standing out.
Like, I felt that he could definitely have been used in the last match, when Carrick and Fellaini looked to be tiring, or even in the match against Middlesbrough where we needed some control. We can not disagree that his ball control and game intelligence are quite good. Also, I feel that, because of his game reading ability, he might have a good understanding of what needs to be done to influence a game, while sitting on the bench, and so he can definitely change things if brought on as a sub.
Players like him are very valuable. Capable of filling in for a number of positions, does not complain if benched, good work ethic and good quality. He did not cost that much too. If we just use him properly, to rotate the players or as an impact sub and not rely on him as a starter for any position, then we can stand to benefit a lot.
Blind was playing possession football as a DM before the whole team knew how to keep possession. Now and even after LVG has gone we are still maintaining high possession compared to before.
Blind should be a starter.
He hardly put a foot wrong at CB so not playing him at CDM is very confusing to me.
Blind should be a starter.
He hardly put a foot wrong at CB so not playing him at CDM is very confusing to me.
Carrick was woeful against West Brom, so perhaps not the best game to talk about his strengths; surprisingly, he had ample time as well, but he was just poor. Carrick's passing is, however, generally very good. He sits back most of the team against teams that sit low; therefore, it is only natural that he doesn't contribute with many assists. He is quite often the catalyst of attacks, however. Blind being far superior is plain wrong. First of all, Blind hardly plays in that position - which is due to him not being as good - and the number of times he has played people through aren't all that many. If you try enough times, then you will succeed. Carrick makes the team tick and plays it rather safe, but some of his long range passes are pretty darn good, but they are mostly to wingers, although he can pin it behind defenses also.
Not sure I agree that Blind was more treasured. Even under LVG I thought Smalling had to do too much of Blind's work defensively. Against lesser opposition, he was, and still is, very useful because of his passing and composure from the back. With Mourinho stating that Rojo needs some rest, it would seem that playing Blind against West Brom would be wise as he could join the midfield when we were pressing.
Agreed, we play Fellaini in the middle who is not good enough to play possession football.
Really? Not much of a squad player if you think he should never start a game. Not sure how you can reconcile all the bolded.
His lack of playing time in midfield has nothing to do with his passing ability but with his physical shortcomings.
So do we need a player who will sit back against a team with no ambitions to attack whatsoever? Or do we need a midfielder capable of breaking down a defense with his passing ability? As I stated previously, he would've brought more to the game than Carrick did because of the type of player he is.
Carrick, on form, would have brought immensely more to the game than he did. I don't think Blind would have brought more to the game than a normal Carrick would, on the contrary. However, with Carrick being as crap as he was that day, Fellaini brought more to the table. Carrick is normally pretty good at dictating play and playing others in between midfield and defense, which Mata, in particular, is very good at exploiting, but with Carrick having an off day, Mhiki having an off game and Martial sound asleep for most of the game, then there isn't much Blind could have done either. He has a better long range shot, so maybe he could have put one past the goalie.
But you've just said Carrick is conservative with his passing? We didn't need someone to dictate play, there wasn't nothing to battle for, we literally needed someone to pick out a runner with a pass, that's all we needed from our midfielders and it's something Carrick hasn't done in years. Ignore any kind of debate about who's better, I'm not willing to discuss that. What we need to discuss is who would've been the better option to breakdown a team playing with a back 11. That's not Carrick, not now, not ever. Blind is better at picking holes in a stubborn defense when afforded time, that's it.
Carrick is pretty conservative in that he doesn't try fance stuff and thus risks losing the ball. However, he is the best player we have at getting the ball in between opposition midfield and defense, which takes a lot of skill. For that to work, however, Carrick needs to be playing well and our attackers need to be playing well. Against West Brom, both were awful. With as little space as West Brom gave us, I don't see Blind offering balls over the defense or anything like that. West Brom were extremely disciplined. Moreover, I don't see any evidence from Blind's time at United that he is able to break down a back 11. When he has played at CB and put balls over the defense, it has mostly been on a counter with both teams stretched. That never happened last match. When he played in midfield, he was below average. Neither proves your point. Pogba is our best asset at breaking down defenses, but very inconsistently.
I will say most opposition supporters I've spoken to this season are confused by Blind's lack of game time. Most of them believe he was our best centre back last season and can pick out particular games he impressed them in - a view that seems to be derided on here.
They also don't get the in/out nature of Miki given his performances at Dortmund to be fair.
They also don't get the in/out nature of Miki given his performances at Dortmund to be fair.
I meant that he should not be an automatic starter. I would love him to be, but he lacks a pace and this become a bigger problem when he has played a number of matches in a row and he is fatigued.
Think he should play today at LB though. Don't think Yong was that good at LB in the last match.
Tbf, they also say the same about Smalling. Moreover, I don't think most United fans understand the exlusion of Miki.
You can tell he's played little lately when my dad though he was Mata on the bench on Saturday.
There's ample evidence out there of his ability to split defenses, it's there for all to see.
Yes, when he has acres of space, not when he is midfield. Find Youtube compilations of Carrick doing the same as Blind is doing. Give Rooney enough time on the ball and he can make some sweet passes; that still doesn't make him a good midfielder. I fear the same for Blind, which is why he hasn't played there for a long time. Blind takes too long on the ball.
But he would have had acres of space! Are you honestly telling me there was no space against West Brom, seriously?
Sure there is space, but not much beyond the half way line, and because they sat so deep, there was little chance of long balls over the defense. Look at the video below of what Carrick does over and over again: Blind wouldn't improve on a normal Carrick.
Also the physicality thing is rubbish - we hardly get put in positions where they can dominate physically & we are playing with some really strong central defenders in bailey and Rojo - who have rightly become our partnership; compared to smalling & blind of last season. Our defense now has pace and strength - aswell as the ability to maintain possession.
Playing Blind at DM would allow us to have a 3rd centre back on the pitch on defensive situations & if our defense lacks anything it would be a bit of stability, calmness and intelligence. Strength is probably the last thing we need.
Playing Blind at DM would allow us to have a 3rd centre back on the pitch on defensive situations & if our defense lacks anything it would be a bit of stability, calmness and intelligence. Strength is probably the last thing we need.
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