A wonderful player who benefits a team rather than a collection of individualists.
Individually; Blind can be viewed as a poor player to the naked eye in comparison to the likes of Bailey or even the much worse than blind play Lindelof etc. However, in a unit, a defensive unit and within a team - Blind is a player that can make a big difference.
Whilst Jose needs 11 players individually superior to get results- many managers do not and would have viewed the way that Blind managed to get the best out of Smalling; forming one of the best defensive partnerships we have seen post SAF.
What Blind added to smalling, and would add to Rojo, Baily, Lindelof, tuenzebe is composure on the ball, a step ahead by using the brain and the eyes and giving the oppurtunity for the partner to play reactively.
Teams targeted him but didnt get the best out of him & the best step would have been to turn us to a back 3.
Bailly- Blind- Smalling.
A defensive unit rather than a collection of individuals that gets the best out of everybody. Blind provides a step ahead for both rash defenders whilst proving the ability to break the midfield with passes from deep and out wide whilst the pace and strength of Bailly and Smalling allows them to play reactively.
Unfortunately we have a manager who prefers the first type- individualists.
Check the video by Ibrahimovic - He prefers Jose over Pep - because Jose has the ability to get the best out of people who are individualists with individual goals and targets on the field to make. Ibrahimovic was too individualist for Pep in a team that was built to play as a collection of players and as a unit.
Blind is there for the second type of manager and a team & I hope he does move to that type of team because ultimately he is a fantastic player to watch that individually has people blind folded.
Respect Daley Blind
- been a great player for in our Finals and cup wins thus far!