Great tackle aside, hes not a midfielder (anymore?)
he looked at times like he couldnt move, like he was frozen.
he looked at times like he couldnt move, like he was frozen.
17
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 17
- Clean sheets
- 12
- Goals
- 1
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 2
- Status
He played well for the first 5-10 minutes, but after that the game passed him by (except for that one great tackle).
As ever - a good squad player but would get nowhere near the starting XI of our rivals. PL is too fast and too physical for him (turns out so is the Championship after that).
One positive.....it should finally end the "Blind needs to get a chance in midfield" talk.
I doubt we will see him in midfield or any other role for a while now. 3rd choice lb, 6th choice cb and unlikely to be given another chance in midfield unless there is an injury crisis.
I didn't realize he was going to be playing in midfield, bar that great tackle he wasn't very effective.
Maybe it would work better in a 3. Even then, don't think it would be good enough.
When we play 352 there is a space directly in front of Lingard where he can attack or choose to press. This is why he is effective as he can play as a tertiary CF when the time is right & it ended up finding all the right positions but ultimately he plays a withdrawn role at AM.
The 352 is a symmetrical formation of
2-1-4-1-2
This space is the same space in front of our defence which no one shields or no one attacks making our defence & midfield incredibly flat. This is the perfect space for Blind; Whilst Lingard plays inbetween 2 strikers giving him the option to find the spaces; blind can do the exact same from CB giving him the option to find spaces.
Blind in midfield has to run way too much arpubd to be effective in dictating anything.
The 352 is a symmetrical formation of
2-1-4-1-2
This space is the same space in front of our defence which no one shields or no one attacks making our defence & midfield incredibly flat. This is the perfect space for Blind; Whilst Lingard plays inbetween 2 strikers giving him the option to find the spaces; blind can do the exact same from CB giving him the option to find spaces.
Blind in midfield has to run way too much arpubd to be effective in dictating anything.
Although I think a bit like Mata we all know these guys are probably some of the best technicians in our team both get exposed physically. Blind especially in midfield tonight. I always remember one game where someone gets beaten Blind is the nearest man, he looks like he is treading water trying to catch up and Rooney runs past Blind and gets back at the guy then turns round and gives Blind a mouthful.
I think at CB his intelligence and ability covers his weakness of pace but midfield is a harsher environment when you ain’t at least got a modicum of pace.
I think at CB his intelligence and ability covers his weakness of pace but midfield is a harsher environment when you ain’t at least got a modicum of pace.
Exactly - he needs the game to be in front of him both off the ball and on the ball for him to work. His tackle today is something he can do easily because it's part of his normal game to find spaces inbetween the defence & cover but for that he needs to start in defence & have the game happen in front of him.
If he is guarded by 2 CB's & allowed to shift in to midfield when there is space - there is some serious player there.
Unfortunately I think this is something more common in the Italian league- to protect your ball carrier/player
I am surprised Jose has not played Matic and Blind as two defensive pivots and let the front 4 run havoc. Matic and Blind both can pick a pass or two also.
One of the worst performances I've seen forom a United player.
Made one good tackle all night and the only reason he had to make the tackle is because he came back and then was too lazy or too busy daydreaming to track his runner.
Did exactly the samme thing on their first goal. Chased shadows all night. SO many times the game just went past him and he made no effort to do anything about it. Whenever he did try to get near a Bristol player, they were just flicking it over his head or running round him like he wasn't there. They were actually taking the piss out of him.
Did nothing all night to suggest he's a professional footballer.
Made one good tackle all night and the only reason he had to make the tackle is because he came back and then was too lazy or too busy daydreaming to track his runner.
Did exactly the samme thing on their first goal. Chased shadows all night. SO many times the game just went past him and he made no effort to do anything about it. Whenever he did try to get near a Bristol player, they were just flicking it over his head or running round him like he wasn't there. They were actually taking the piss out of him.
Did nothing all night to suggest he's a professional footballer.
No he REALLY was that bad. It's not even funny. I actually can't believe a professional footballer can play like that. You see shit like that from teams who get relegated, while they're imploding 6-0 at home to Stoke.Just before the manager gets sacked and every pundit on tv lables them a "disgrace".
I dont think he'll appear in a United shirt again barring a LOT of injuries.
Pfft, well I didn't even think United played badly so I'm hardly going to think Blind put in the worst United player performance ever as well.
He's not a midfielder anymore & been ages since he played there. You can't just pick that stuff up overnight especially since he isn't our main midfielder so I doubt he even got to practice there in training all that much either.
He is a good player playing under a manager that doesn't understand his game & doesn't utilise that type of player.
Experiment failed.
The question is : does he have the high ceiling worth utilizing for starting role? Even under LVG and at Ajax where the style is tailor made for him, he's not stand out, and was better suited as defender.
Dier is the only player who can do what Blind could do in a central back 3 in the PL anyway; what Dier has in strength & pace- blind has in possession & positioning. To me the 352 has been our best formation other than the first 3 games & it suits our squad the most ; yet we need someone from that defensive back 3 to move in to midfield when the space opens as much as on the other side we have Lingard who joins the strikers when the space opens up. Lingards good performances have come due to the space that was in front of him due to 2 strikers; likewise blind has the ability to attack the space in front of him created by 2 defenders.
Blind needs the game in front of him & needs protection from the back for him to play both an attacking & defensive game; because like Dier in the back 3 - that is what we want from any additional CB playing alongside a back 2.
His role is a niche role; yet a role that is vital whenever we play 3 at the back - I personally don't think we can find much better. You have seen the free space that arsenal attacked when smalling played in the centre of defence - shielding 2 sturdy CB's as a sweeper added nothing to our game but ability to handle attacking pressure.
To me; its less to do about blind's ceiling as much as it is to do with the fluidity because the back 3 must be capable of playing in a back 5, a back 2 and a back 4 - a lot of that is done by the positioning of the central defender & his ability to attack or defend the space in front of him.
Today he was deployed more like essien at Chelsea where he runs around everywhere defending in front and behind being the main defensive ability of the team; blind simply can't do that - it's not his style nor Jose's style to play a player like him
Last edited:
While I kinda understand & agree with you to some extend about the 3 at back tactic, I reserve my opinion on Blind as core player for this system. You still need physicality to be at the heart of 3 at back, which Blind severely lacks. Dier can slot in as middle man of the defense has big part with his physicality, aggressiveness, given he is not the best when it come to reading situation or best passer among Tottenham CBs. Lindelof let's hope he can fulfil his promise is and upgrade and the key. He is not controlling the game from the back, but he is good enough with his use of passing to create chance while stepping out of defense. Blind's strong point is yet among the best so the question remains: is it worth it to build around him. For all we know we can build alternative tactics with different player may become available: Weigl, SMS, Pjanic... may becom available
Last edited:
He was as bad in midfield as I expected/remember. Hands down Tuanzebe is a better player and would have done better in that role, just as he did against palace last season.
Just reading back thorough the thread and it seems some have lost their minds, talking as though we should build a team round him. Coming up with really strange ways of trying to show how he is just a misunderstood genius.
The guy is slow as treacle and is Dutch, so he's basically been given this tag as a technician. He's fecking average on the ball. His passing is so inconsistent, especially when trying something remotely progressive. I can believe the rumours about players complaining about service from him.
The guy is slow as treacle and is Dutch, so he's basically been given this tag as a technician. He's fecking average on the ball. His passing is so inconsistent, especially when trying something remotely progressive. I can believe the rumours about players complaining about service from him.
There is 100% better players in midfield we could build around in nearly every formation but the 352, its Dier & blind is the only one that comes to mind & probably the reason there was rumours about Jose going after Dier in the summer.
The only reason I am fixated with the 352 is because it automatically puts all our players in the best positions. Rashford & martial are strikers & not wingers, Lingard, mata, mkhitarayan are all CAM, Valencia & Young are wingbacks shown by their goal scoring performances when playing there, Ppgba has more freedom with extra man shielding the defence.
I don't think say buying pjanic & building around him is as easy as it sounds even though it would be beneficial - 3/4 of our squad will be playing in positions that they will be filling rather than being particularly excellent at. I don't think Jose can do that without a lot of money but more likely time.
It isn't about building a team around him - it's the space that is automatically there whenever we play 352. Blind is as natural there to play inbetween CDM & CB as Lingard is natural to play SS/CAM which again happens whenever we play 352 because of the 2 strikers in front of him.
There's no building a team around him as much as nothing was built around Lingard - who is very good at utilising that free space.
Definitely, I don't really expect him to return to the first team after this performance. It really reminded me of Mata in which he plays as if he hopes nobody notices that his legs are completely gone and that he can barely run anymore. I have no idea what he was doing for the first goal running out over half way to press and then completely not getting back at all. Really awful stuff.
I'm not sure what he is for us, but I would not be surprised if that was his last game as a guaranteed starter for this club. He simply isn't at the required level.
I thought it was a mistake to take him off. He's no Matic, but disciplined and I thought we looked weaker when he went off. Still think his best best position is in a back 3 though.
Pogba is 15 yards further forward than Blind and doesnt try to get back anymore than Blind does. McTominay is back and lets his player turn and play the pass through. The defence is completely out of position because Darmian isnt back so somehow our LCB is appearing on the edge of the right side of our box and isnt able to stop the player shooting.
Sounds like agenda blaming to me. No, Blind isnt running back like a madman and closing people down properly. Neither did 3 of our defenders and the 2 other midfielders. So that makes 6 of them.
A horrendous evening for Blind besides the tackle to save a certain goal.
This is false - blind was never a CDM who could do the job like essien would do at Chelsea & that's what Jose wants. Blind at best is a link between defense and midfield type of defensive midfielder that could do a job if the whole team knew how to retain possession & positions; which we obviously don't do anymore.
He isn't the style of player that Jose goes for more so than losing legs he never had trying to chase down players.
How is that a positive? Now all we will hear is how he is not a midfielder but a bleedin good centre back. When he's moved to centre back and plays utter shite, we will hear how he is not a centre back, but a bleedin good left back, and so the cycle continues.
He is just so bad, so awfully bad. He can't run, he can't stretch his legs; he has the agility of my dead grandmother, and he takes frickin ages to move the ball on. He may be good in a different league playing for a different team, but for this current United side, he is just downright awful.
Great tackle, mind.
Still defending him, eh? Do you think he was good yesterday?
Do you think Pogba, McTominay, Lindelof, Rojo and Darmian were good defensively yesterday? Blind was playing alongside a young player and Pogba who is often far up the pitch, and then a defence where at least 3 of them were very suspect. He wasnt particularly good but neither were the rest. But its just typical to blame 1 person who is unfashionable at the time. I guess Smalling wasnt on the pitch so its Blind's turn
Ok Luis
Aww am I stuck in your head?
You ruined football for me Luis, you sucked away the soul and set us back 5 years
No I'm not defending him because it wasn't a good performance & neither was the rest of the squad.
1) Blind isn't a destroyer, if what Jose wants is that then he is never going to be good enough; if he wants someone to dictate play he'd have been better with either Matic or Scott playing beside him doing the dirty work
2)Blind is a bettee defender than a midfielder with the capability of playing in between both roles rather than playing both roles to a maximum. Again to understand this watch Lingard play - he is not a pure Am & will struggle when playing with only one striker up top compared to the spaces he can operate as a SS/Am when playing behind 2 strikers.
Last week I said that blind in midfield won't work - was a bad day at the office for him made worse by a manager who doesn't understand him as a player. Want him to dictate the game better? Then play a destroyer next to him.
Noob like mistakes from the special one.
Cute whilst the special one is making martial & Rashford (who burst on to the scene as strikers) play as wingers to supply strikers like ibrahimpvic & lukaku. The man is as outdated as LVG was whilst admittedly being a better manager. We will always end up blaming the previous manager but that does not excuse the baby like mistakes that Jose shows of not being able to utilise the players at his disposal because he is ultimately a tumescent manager with one style of play.
As I said before if this was Chelsea & he had the freedom to do what he wants one of Rashford or martial would be sold right now because it simply isn't his type of player just like salah & de bryune. Very tumescent.
Thank god this isn't Chelsea or inter because he would do the same after winning trophies for himself & set us back another 5 years. He sucking on the soul as we speek mate; let's not be so deluded.
The thing that let's him down is his concentration / tracking of runners, which is strange as at CB he was a really good marker.
Against Bristol though he was awful in that regard, he struggled with knowing when to mark a man or screen. So many times he let players run passed him off the ball, the only reason he made that "great tackle" was because he let the midfielder run passed him in the first place, so he had to quickly follow him.
he's got the technique to play as a midfielder but lacks other qualities. Unfortunately for him I think his time here is numbered, he's 2nd/3rd choice in all his positions, and I don't really trust him anymore.
He and Darmian need to be sold and replaced.
Against Bristol though he was awful in that regard, he struggled with knowing when to mark a man or screen. So many times he let players run passed him off the ball, the only reason he made that "great tackle" was because he let the midfielder run passed him in the first place, so he had to quickly follow him.
he's got the technique to play as a midfielder but lacks other qualities. Unfortunately for him I think his time here is numbered, he's 2nd/3rd choice in all his positions, and I don't really trust him anymore.
He and Darmian need to be sold and replaced.
Well if Jose sets us back 5 years then I revise my estimate for Luis to 10 years. We’re not going to win the league for an awful long time. Thanks Luis
- Status