[Ekeke]

Had over 100 touches, the most passes on the pitch as well as making 9 tackles, 4 interceptions and 3 clearances today. Good to see him get a chance away from leftback and a good performance from him.

 

[mu4c_20le]

LCB seems to be his best position, looked solid there today.

 

[Rossa]

Good today. He started off excellent and then faded a bit before a very good second half. Nice to see!

 

[Kostov]

Good game from Blind, he is a very useful squad player to have.

 

[Home&Away]

I really hope he doesn't leave & hope he one day manages to play in the centre of defence where Smalling plays.

A player like him should be protected to allow him to do his thing. Plenty times today I saw him making pushes forward from defence in to Midfield, he took the ball up in to midfield & attempted some long range passes.

Even though for many - some of our CB's are better; I wouldn't sell him because we have 5 or 6 defenders who are good at the same exact job whilst Blind is a bit different. May be a problem to some but it is a benefit to our squad for me.

I find it really enjoyable to watch him play aswell.

 

[Devil may care]

Good performance, I thought he played some good balls from deep.

 

[Bwuk]

Always been far better centrally than wide.

His lack of pace doesn't get shown as much in the middle and he can play a pass as good as anyone in the squad.

 

[The United]

People still wonder who is the best ball playing defender here. Look at how he passes the ball in any situation. Very composed and seems super easy.

It would be nice to let him play in that LCB for a few matches in a row and see how he does in long term. Having one or two who can pass all game is vital for 3 5 2 system. Rojo is pretty decent as well.

Otherwise, the back 3 will be contributing pretty much nothing when we attack in our current 3 5 2 system.

 

[Kazi]

Mourinho needs to let fate take over and start playing Blind as our Libero.

 

[Oldham]

I like him

 

[Home&Away]

Mourinho needs to let fate take over and start playing Blind as our Libero.

Man don't do it to me - it gets me excited just thinking about it

In all honesty - do you see this element of fate with blind playing their? I have & it's like one of the major things I am just patiently waiting to happen. I am biased of course because I think he is a fine player as well as the 352 being a wonderful formation; but then I see things like this consistently:

1) Smalling as the centre sweeper is too defensive of a player to play among 2 other central defenders. If I am being honest I think Smalling is a fantastic sweeper who I have been impressed with- yet again it's the need for that type of player that is not there for me with 3 at the back already.
2) whilst on the subject of Smalling & not trying to dampen his performance because agin I thought he was quite good but he played someone off from the deepest position today- this should not happen & I think someone like blind who has to use his brain than on instinct is perfect in the heart of that defence
3) apart from the passes &a bringing the ball forward to midfield - I noticed how whenever the space opens up say between smalling & shaw - blind does this thing where he judges the distance between the two defenders in anticipation to be in the right spot at the right time & sets himself to be bang right in the middle. That to me is the perfect CB to play in between 2 rock like defenders; blind can judge the space in between the two defenders and help to widen the back line or shrink it by his movement alone.

He is a better LCB than LB every day of the week but as a LCB - the last line of defence behind him are all on the right hand side; becoming a tad easier to get past him. He is made for the ability to play a combination of SW/CB/CDM all through positioning alone & getting past him would not lead to lopsided defenders due to stalwart defenders on either side.

Let's hope that fate shines sooner than later.

 

[criticalanalysis]

Classy performance.

Great reading of the game means he challenges/nudges players so they don't get a chance to get a hold of the ball comfortably and run at our goal.

His anticipation/standing tackles are really underrated. Not to mention it's actually great to see some build up play from the back.

 

[SATA]

He was pure good tonight. I would start him over Rojo for the derby. Rojo isn't really sharp enough yet to start in such a big game, gave a number of silly fouls in his last two appearances including the penalty at Watford

 

[K2K]

I'd never sell him.

 

[Epicurean]

Glad to see some praise for Blind pour into this thread for once.

I think many other CL clubs out there will happily snatch him up in summer.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

That's his monthly appearance in the bag.

 

[Pexbo]

That's his monthly appearance in the bag.

He's dependable. His performances for me are generally mostly 6's and 7's out of 10's with the odd 8 thrown in there every few games. There's this idea that because he's slow and relatively slightly built that he will get bullied or exposed for pace regularly but it really doesn't happen any more often than any other player. In fact I think player's like Walker who know they can fall back on their pace probably get caught out more often through over confidence.

The reality is that if you get caught out of position or a bit flat footed and the attacker gains an advantage over you, it's such short distances that you are dealing with (5-30 metre sprints) that the likely hood of you getting back into position to make a challenge is incredibly slim. Blind plays the game in his head and knows his limitations so he rarely exposes himself like that.

 

[Home&Away]

Looks like Barcelona are interested according to Spanish newspapers! Really hope it's true because I love watching him & if our manager is playing ancient football - he deserves to go to a club where he is respected & able to play actual football.

Will go down as one my most enjoyable players to watch at United. Really brought something else to CB compared to all the other CB'S at the club who do the exact same thing as each other.

 

[haram]

 

[Sgeorge]

When the opposition doesn't have pacey players and we are sure to dominate he is an excellent choice. In the end he is a bit slow and doesn't win a lot of headers either, so I guess he is not quite the right fit for premier league.

 

[Home&Away]

When the opposition doesn't have pacey players and we are sure to dominate he is an excellent choice. In the end he is a bit slow and doesn't win a lot of headers either, so I guess he is not quite the right fit for premier league.

Think about this way

In a back 2 of
Bailey Roj0

What does smalling offer as an extra CB? Nothing much more to a back 2 couldn't do by themselves. Blind on the other hand would be able to link the defence & midfield, be an extra man in defence & midfield when needed, be a ball playing defender on every pass he does which he always does, positions himself well to be in front of the defence or behind the defence.

Playing 3 of pure CB's is a complete neanderthal like mistake by Jose - the reason we consistently invite more pressure than needed when playing 3 at the back & why there is a humongous gap between midfield & defence constantly.

Not even Italian teams play a back 3 of straight CB's there is always a ball playing defender guarded by other CB's

Blind may be not right for Jose but that doesn't mean he isn't suited to the Premier league - maybe not in the 90's but he is a consistent defender that doesn't get dominated by speed or strength especially if he played in the heart of the back 3 - he has benefits to offer us that not a lot of other defenders don't.

 

[Roboc7]

Think about this way

In a back 2 of
Bailey Roj0

What does smalling offer as an extra CB? Nothing much more to a back 2 couldn't do by themselves. Blind on the other hand would be able to link the defence & midfield, be an extra man in defence & midfield when needed, be a ball playing defender on every pass he does which he always does, positions himself well to be in front of the defence or behind the defence.

Playing 3 of pure CB's is a complete neanderthal like mistake by Jose - the reason we consistently invite more pressure than needed when playing 3 at the back & why there is a humongous gap between midfield & defence constantly.

Not even Italian teams play a back 3 of straight CB's there is always a ball playing defender guarded by other CB's

Blind may be not right for Jose but that doesn't mean he isn't suited to the Premier league - maybe not in the 90's but he is a consistent defender that doesn't get dominated by speed or strength especially if he played in the heart of the back 3 - he has benefits to offer us that not a lot of other defenders don't.

No manager rates Blind enough in that role to play him there, LVG certainly didn’t so it’s not a surprise Mourinho doesn’t either. Even in a very ordinary Dutch team Blind is seen as a jack of all trades but master of none.

He isn’t the answer to any position long term but he will continue to be a very good utility player either here or elsewhere.

 

[Home&Away]

No manager rates Blind enough in that role to play him there, LVG certainly didn’t so it’s not a surprise Mourinho doesn’t either. Even in a very ordinary Dutch team Blind is seen as a jack of all trades but master of none.

He isn’t the answer to any position long term but he will continue to be a very good utility player either here or elsewhere.

You just made that up. LVG played 352 before he became a ball playing defender. Jose prefers generic CB's.

Furthermore your comment about Blind being a jack of all trades & a master of none says more about how we have utilised him rather than his ability. If we can play him as a ball playing defender covered by 2 CB's then he could be up around the best in the world doing just that.

That's as real as the stuff you just made up.

 

[Roboc7]

You just made that up. LVG played 352 before he became a ball playing defender. Jose prefers generic CB's.

Furthermore your comment about Blind being a jack of all trades & a master of none says more about how we have utilised him rather than his ability. If we can play him as a ball playing defender covered by 2 CB's then he could be up around the best in the world doing just that.

That's as real as the stuff you just made up.

Not at all just stating the facts, LVG didn’t play him in back three very often, neither did Ajax, Holland don’t either and every team and manager uses him as a utility player not just Jose.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

Not at all just stating the facts, LVG didn’t play him in back three very often, neither did Ajax, Holland don’t either and every team and manager uses him as a utility player not just Jose.

True. At the World Cup, the back 3 was Martins Indi, De Vrij and Vlaar. Blind was LWB, and occasionally midfield.

Remember how we were constantly linked with all 3 of them immediately after the World Cup?

Is Ron Vlaar still alive?

 

[Bojan11]

Surely can’t be worse than Herrera is currently in midfield?

Yeah I didn’t trust him as the sole holding midfielder because he’d roam too much for my liking. But he’d have more license with Matic there.

With the Bailly injury and don’t know what is going on with Carrick, I wouldn’t sell him in January. Darmian should go though.

 

[Bastian]

Surely can’t be worse than Herrera is currently in midfield?

Yeah I didn’t trust him as the sole holding midfielder because he’d roam too much for my liking. But he’d have more license with Matic there.

With the Bailly injury and don’t know what is going on with Carrick, I wouldn’t sell him in January. Darmian should go though.

It's not only that he lacks pace, he's not agile/mobile enough. He can't really beat a man, whereas for all of Ander's shortcomings this season, he does that fake turn and moves in the opposite direction which buys him time and shakes off defenders. In reality, we really do need another capable midfielder.

 

[Home&Away]

Don't know when he said this but when explaining why mkhitarayan was ruled out he said :

"I can only have six [outfield] players on the bench and I try to have some balance on the bench," Mourinho said in a more measured assessment after the Bournemouth match.

"I had two defenders and [Daley] Blind who can play in different areas. I had Ashley Young to cover me all the wings and the wing-back position.

Hopefully means even though he might be a last option - that he still see's his most generic uses.

 

[Axkiko]

Mourinho should give Blind a chance to preforms on DM position. I think he would be a great backup for Matic as they have a lot of similarity. Blind played really well on DM for Holland on last NT occasion.

 

[el3mel]

Mourinho should give Blind a chance to preforms on DM position. I think he would be a great backup for Matic as they have a lot of similarity. Blind played really well on DM for Holland on last NT occasion.

He doesn't have the same physicality as Matic, and Matic uses his physicality a lot.

 

[Home&Away]

He doesn't have the same physicality as Matic, and Matic uses his physicality a lot.

Physicality is something we have all across the pitch & it's not something we are deficient in to be fair

 

[el3mel]

Physicality is something we have all across the pitch & it's not something we are deficient in to be fair

Strange logic, so if we have a full back or a striker that's strong physically there's no problem of having a weak player in DMF ? Blind will get bullied by anyone in this position. Even the mighty City have a strong played in this position.

 

[Home&Away]

Strange logic, so if we have a full back or a striker that's strong physically there's no problem of having a weak player in DMF ? Blind will get bullied by anyone in this position. Even the mighty City have a strong played in this position.

But he was saying to play blind in midfield when resting matic. 11 players don't need to be all strong; it's not like we only have one or two - especially when he would probably either be playing alongside one of mctominay, matic or Pogba then I'd say it's not an issue. It's a very Jose/90's type logic to do just worry about strength. Either way his best position is at CB or a very deep CDM at best.

 

[el3mel]

But he was saying to play blind in midfield when resting matic. 11 players don't need to be all strong; it's not like we only have one or two - especially when he would probably either be playing alongside one of mctominay, matic or Pogba then I'd say it's not an issue. It's a very Jose/90's type logic to do just worry about strength. Either way his best position is at CB or a very deep CDM at best.

Physicality is a must for a DMF. There are some positions that players can succeed without being strong, as strikers, wingers or number 10, but if you're playing as a DMF you need to be strong otherwise you'll get bullied. Again you didn't really to the fact that even the mighty are using a strong player in this position. Real Madrid have been using Casemiro in this position ..etc. Does Madrid play 90's type football also or what ?

 

[Home&Away]

Physicality is a must for a DMF. There are some positions that players can succeed without being strong, as strikers, wingers or number 10, but if you're playing as a DMF you need to be strong otherwise you'll get bullied. Again you didn't really to the fact that even the mighty are using a strong player in this position. Real Madrid have been using Casemiro in this position ..etc. Are RM plays 90's type football also or what ?

But again we have physicality everywhere & we haven't played a CDM all season - we are playing with 2 CM's & Blind can play the most defensive one - pretty much like matic has. Matic hasn't been a CDM for us

 

[el3mel]

But again we have physicality everywhere & we haven't played a CDM all season - we are playing with 2 CM's & Blind can play the most defensive one - pretty much like matic has. Matic hasn't been a CDM for us

And I told you that's a strange logic, having other player that's strong physically doesn't mean the DMF shouldn't. Each on their own.

Matic win most of the challenges using his body, something that Blind won't be able to do so.

I don't think Blind has a favorable position. He's a jack of all trades but master at none. He's able to provide average 6/10 performance in each season but he'll never be a starter at any, because he has problems in each position.

 

[Home&Away]

And I told you that's a strange logic, having other player that's strong physically doesn't mean the DMF shouldn't. Each on their own.

Matic win most of the challenges using his body, something that Blind won't be able to do so.

I don't think Blind has a favorable position. He's a jack of all trades but master at none. He's able to provide average 6/10 performance in each season but he'll never be a starter at any, because he has problems in each position.

Name me some 6 out of 10 performances at CB? Looked more than average there & hardly outs a foot wrong & been our CB for most of our cup winning games. The only reason he isn't a master at CB is because Jose has his preferences of having 5 CB's good at the exact same thing

 

[el3mel]

Name me some 6 out of 10 performances at CB? Looked more than average there & hardly outs a foot wrong & been our CB for most of our cup winning games. The only reason he isn't a master at CB is because Jose has his preferences of having 5 CB's good at the exact same thing

Seems you forgot the WHU game that costed us the 4th spot in LVG's last season. He had some other terrible games there as well as City home game and Celta Vigo at home during last season.

He's decent, and can put 6/10, max 7 if it's his day but really nothing more. Each time he was given a run in the team he plays some good games followed by a disaster.

 

[Home&Away]

Seems you forgot the WHU game that costed us the 4th spot in LVG's last season. He had some other terrible games there as well as City home game and Celta Vigo at home during last season.

He's decent, and can put 6/10, max 7 if it's his day but really nothing more. Each time he was given a run in the team he plays some good games followed by a disaster.

In 2 of those 3 games Bailey missed 2 headers that led to goals & the left back was consistently awful too with Roj0 playing at LB & Darmian making wrong positioning too. Blind may make mistakes but he shouldn't be played as a CB in a back two & not even as a LCB in a back 3. He needs to play centrally in the back 3 protected by two central defenders to give the balance between midfield & defence. That's the type of defender he is & a lot of ball playing defenders have that protection either by playing just in front of the defence or the furthest back.
For example bonnuci is much better in a back 3 than a back two because he can reposition himself as well as find free spaces across the defensive line to pass the ball forward.

He is more than just a 6/10 player if utilised correctly & should be treated as a CDM/CB hybrid. When we do play 3 at the back we end up playing an extra defender though as a sweeper. Which defeats the purpose of playing that formation in the first place. Play him as the furthest forward defender & I'm sure he won't be just a jack of all trades - he has the ability to be consistent and quality there; if that's what the manager wants.

 

[el3mel]

In 2 of those 3 games Bailey missed 2 headers that led to goals & the left back was consistently awful too with Roj0 playing at LB & Darmian making wrong positioning too. Blind may make mistakes but he shouldn't be played as a CB in a back two & not even as a LCB in a back 3. He needs to play centrally in the back 3 protected by two central defenders to give the balance between midfield & defence. That's the type of defender he is & a lot of ball playing defenders have that protection either by playing just in front of the defence or the furthest back.
For example bonnuci is much better in a back 3 than a back two because he can reposition himself as well as find free spaces across the defensive line to pass the ball forward.

He is more than just a 6/10 player if utilised correctly & should be treated as a CDM/CB hybrid. When we do play 3 at the back we end up playing an extra defender though as a sweeper. Which defeats the purpose of playing that formation in the first place. Play him as the furthest forward defender & I'm sure he won't be just a jack of all trades - he has the ability to be consistent and quality there; if that's what the manager wants.

Other players making mistakes doesn't excuse him doing his. If you talk about him playing the David Luiz rule at Chelsea, then I have to ask when did you see him playing this rule to prove he's that good in it ? Sure LVG who was his manager in Netherlands NT would have known if he can or not, right ?

I'm not sure about the bold part considering our last 2 games played with 3-5-2 formation we used Lindelof who's supposed to be good with his feet. Can you explain why we bought Lindelof if we just want 3 pure defenders anyway ?