[Pace Abuser]

I wouldn't want to see him anywhere near the middle and it's something so often said on here like it's a solution. Blind is an excellent passer when he's bringing the ball out from defence on to an open green and is able to pick his pass out. Add midfield hustle and bustle to the game and he doesn't have anywhere near the quality to play 1-2s, deal with pressing, or pick forward passes out when pressurised to quicken his game up.

He's currently the best left back in our squad. Comparing him to Shaw is neither here nor there, it's based at best on hypothetical and at worst it's wishful thinking.

 

[SirMattBugsby]

I wouldn't want to see him anywhere near the middle and it's something so often said on here like it's a solution. Blind is an excellent passer when he's bringing the ball out from defence on to an open green and is able to pick his pass out. Add midfield hustle and bustle to the game and he doesn't have anywhere near the quality to play 1-2s, deal with pressing, or pick forward passes out when pressurised to quicken his game up.

He's currently the best left back in our squad. Comparing him to Shaw is neither here nor there, it's based at best on hypothetical and at worst it's wishful thinking.

Agreed. The time and space he got at CB under LvG, he now gets at LB in Mourinho's system. It's his best position under Mourinho.

The love for Shaw is annoying. Maybe that's because I'm a massive Blind fan, but it's also because the former hasn't had two months of consistent performances here, while the latter has had three consecutive seasons.

It seems to me that the languid, cerebral style of Blind is hard to appreciate for most PL followers, especially in a full-back. He's a bit of an acquired taste but even so, I'd say he's our best left-back. He makes up for his lack of pace with his intelligence better than Shaw makes up for his lack of intelligence with his pace.

 

[RC89]

Bit of a conundrum really, Blind is decent going forward due to being a nice passer and generally composed. But he is a bit iffy defensively due to being slow and a bit lightweight.

Darmian is the opposite - solid enough defensively, rubbish going forward.

If only Shaw could come good, he'd tick both boxes for the most part.

As it stands, I'd rather Blind ahead of Darmian.

At LB I really don't think he is. Any time a winger with any sort of pace is on that side, he gives them free reign on thw wing. Scareed he'll get beat so he just constantly backs into the box.

 

[Home&Away]

I wouldn't want to see him anywhere near the middle and it's something so often said on here like it's a solution. Blind is an excellent passer when he's bringing the ball out from defence on to an open green and is able to pick his pass out. Add midfield hustle and bustle to the game and he doesn't have anywhere near the quality to play 1-2s, deal with pressing, or pick forward passes out when pressurised to quicken his game up.

He's currently the best left back in our squad. Comparing him to Shaw is neither here nor there, it's based at best on hypothetical and at worst it's wishful thinking.

The game against Madrid in my opinion we had smalling in the centre covered by matic - everything was great defensively in central positions. Yet blind at LCB was a weak spot defensively but was generally good at bringing the ball out from the back.

If we play something like this
Bailey - Blind - smalling

Bailey and smalling on the sides should be able to play as a back two whilst blind from defence and matic in deep midfield acting as cover and pivots in the central area playing just in front of of the two central CB.

If we play 352- just by numbers alone it is a overly defensive formation with up to 5 people at the back without any midfielders proving cover.

Someone like blind is needed to bring the ball out to initiate counter attacks. The problem is with him at LCB- our strongest defenders are at RCB and the centre whilst our most attacking CB is shifted out to the left becoming an easier target to attack against - all the whilst making one of our best offensive CB (until one of lindelof and TFM improve) initiating attacks purely from one side of the pitch- making it easier to defend against too. Added to the problems that blind has with keeping the offside trap; him playing just in front of smalling & Bailey out wide are more capable and speedy.

The game against West ham - his crossing was sh*t; but I felt some of his passing directly upwards was really good- having that at CB is useful if we want to play counterattacking once in a whilst.

It's not much of a problem - the 352 doesn't need to be used whilst everything is all nice and rosey like against West ham - but I do feel like José is slightly shying away from not playing a more attacking game through a defensive structure.

 

[edcunited1878]

Awesome to know that John O'Shea still exists in the form of Daley Blind! Loved O'Shea and love Daley....need to see him in goal or lob an Arsenal keeper. Both scored against Liverpool however, good in my book!

 

[SirMattBugsby]

Can watch this all day

I still remember LvG insisting during that season, "But we are creating chances!" What he meant was that Blind was creating attacking opportunities for the attackers to convert into clear-cut chances and shots. The reason the latter part didn't happen was ultimately the reason LvG was sacked. Still, it's a shame because Blind did his part very well and I found it quite enjoyable.

Also, it must have been weird for him against Ajax. Not only because it's his former club but also because he was playing against a style which perhaps suits him best. Ajax with Blind at CDM would have been a different prospect altogether.

 

[Home&Away]

Can watch this all day

I still remember LvG insisting during that season, "But we are creating chances!" What he meant was that Blind was creating attacking opportunities for the attackers to convert into clear-cut chances and shots. The reason the latter part didn't happen was ultimately the reason LvG was sacked. Still, it's a shame because Blind did his part very well and I found it quite enjoyable.

Also, it must have been weird for him against Ajax. Not only because it's his former club but also because he was playing against a style which perhaps suits him best. Ajax with Blind at CDM would have been a different prospect altogether.

This is what I'm saying - his passing in central positions is beautiful to watch. He should be the player covered by Bailey and smalling - allowed to initiate attacks from the back line. Someone who can pass the ball like him and generally be a more than decent level CB is hard, near impossible to find. He is actually a good dribbler of the ball too.

Instead like the game against Madrid in the back 3; it was Bailey and blind playing off smalling - which only gave us more pronounced defensive capabilities in the centre which we would have anyway purely by the fact that there is 3 CB's covered by a CDMA with 2 wingbacks too.

Imagine wingbacks like valencia and perisic/someone else on the counter attack with blind playing cross diagonal balls from deep.

Blind should be the guy being protected in a back 3 with the freedom to roam just in front of the defence.

 

[ayushreddevil9]

He is really the 'common sense' football player every squad deserves. Why not try him in midfield against bus parked teams? We could do wonders with his brilliant passing range.

 

[unchanged_lineup]

Can watch this all day

I still remember LvG insisting during that season, "But we are creating chances!" What he meant was that Blind was creating attacking opportunities for the attackers to convert into clear-cut chances and shots. The reason the latter part didn't happen was ultimately the reason LvG was sacked. Still, it's a shame because Blind did his part very well and I found it quite enjoyable.

Also, it must have been weird for him against Ajax. Not only because it's his former club but also because he was playing against a style which perhaps suits him best. Ajax with Blind at CDM would have been a different prospect altogether.

Minute and a half in before Ajax actually score

 

[SirMattBugsby]

This is what I'm saying - his passing in central positions is beautiful to watch. He should be the player covered by Bailey and smalling - allowed to initiate attacks from the back line. Someone who can pass the ball like him and generally be a more than decent level CB is hard, near impossible to find. He is actually a good dribbler of the ball too.

Instead like the game against Madrid in the back 3; it was Bailey and blind playing off smalling - which only gave us more pronounced defensive capabilities in the centre which we would have anyway purely by the fact that there is 3 CB's covered by a CDMA with 2 wingbacks too.

Imagine wingbacks like valencia and perisic/someone else on the counter attack with blind playing cross diagonal balls from deep.

Blind should be the guy being protected in a back 3 with the freedom to roam just in front of the defence.

I agree wholeheartedly, but I'm afraid we won't get this under Mourinho. If he wanted, Mourinho could have replaced Carrick with Blind last season itself and bought a LB. Instead, he bought Matic.

Our style of play is very different from what you and I desire with Blind at CDM. This is probably blasphemous from me, but Blind would excel in that position under Pep at City.

 

[SirMattBugsby]

Minute and a half in before Ajax actually score

We know how that feels

 

[Home&Away]

I agree wholeheartedly, but I'm afraid we won't get this under Mourinho. If he wanted, Mourinho could have replaced Carrick with Blind last season itself and bought a LB. Instead, he bought Matic.

Our style of play is very different from what you and I desire with Blind at CDM. This is probably blasphemous from me, but Blind would excel in that position under Pep at City.

I'm okay with matic instead of Blind at CDM - what I want to see is blind in a back 3 in the middle so he can pass through the left and right lanes being protected defensively with our CB's allowing him to take the ball in to midfield when he wants to.

Though I agree - im sure José has thought about it but figure it might be just too much 'hassle' for him.

 

[SirMattBugsby]

I'm okay with matic instead of Blind at CDM - what I want to see is blind in a back 3 in the middle so he can pass through the left and right lanes being protected defensively with our CB's allowing him to take the ball in to midfield when he wants to.

Though I agree - im sure José has thought about it but figure it might be just too much 'hassle' for him.

If you want to see where Pep and José really differ in their approach to football, it's the central defensive areas. Even last weekend, Pep fielded Stones in the middle of a back three while against Sampdoria, José played Smalling in the middle and Blind on the left.

José wants security first and foremost in those areas, while Pep looks for creativity. (The only midfielder who met both their requirements was Xabi Alonso, which shows what a complete player Xabi was.) So in Mourinho's philosophy, Blind will be a liability in central areas. His best position will be wider, where he will get time and space to make forward passes and it won't be catastrophic if he gets beaten defensively.

Things like these are the reason why Mourinho said he and LvG were very different and it would take time for him to implement his principles on the team. Interestingly, the example he gave that time was complaining that the full-backs under LvG just passed sideways. Well, there you go!

 

[Litch]

If you want to see where Pep and José really differ in their approach to football, it's the central defensive areas. Even last weekend, Pep fielded Stones in the middle of a back three while against Sampdoria, José played Smalling in the middle and Blind on the left.

José wants security first and foremost in those areas, while Pep looks for creativity. (The only midfielder who met both their requirements was Xabi Alonso, which shows what a complete player Xabi was.) So in Mourinho's philosophy, Blind will be a liability in central areas. His best position will be wider, where he will get time and space to make forward passes and it won't be catastrophic if he gets beaten defensively.

Things like these are the reason why Mourinho said he and LvG were very different and it would take time for him to implement his principles on the team. Interestingly, the example he gave that time was complaining that the full-backs under LvG just passed sideways. Well, there you go!

Like you said, different principles and philosophy. Blind has a high football IQ, reads the game really well and Jose trusts him. Not sure what the stats are but he's played a lot football for Utd, which is influenced by the lack of football by Shaw and other injuries but nevertheless, he played and did well at times. Blind will be here as long as he wants as every team needs a Version on him. I don't think of him as the weak link but his form at present is poor.

 

[Epicurean]

One thing I have noticed from last season is how - generally - under appreciated Blind is. To some people it seems he can do no good and they are blind-sided (hehe) by his physical appearance.

To me Blind is a fantastic squad player. Never moans, plays where the boss tells him to play and I think he mostly carries out his duties quite well. He makes up for his lack of pace and physicality with great positional play and intelligence.

Some of Blind's games as a CB were better than the actual CB playing. I think his best position though would be as a DM.

 

[TheForgottenOne]

I agree wholeheartedly, but I'm afraid we won't get this under Mourinho. If he wanted, Mourinho could have replaced Carrick with Blind last season itself and bought a LB. Instead, he bought Matic.

Ofcourse he bought Matic. Blind was brought in as CDM by van Gaal. Van Gaal bought 2 new CDM's after his first season. That should tell you enough about Blind his performance as CDM in the Premier League. Blind is nowhere near the quality that Matic has as CDM.

Blind is a decent passer, but it's nothing exceptional either. His succes rate on long passes was below 50% last season. Not much better than our centre backs who supposedly cant pass a ball. Compare it to Carrick, who had 64% succes on long balls and Blind was miles behind. Last game Blind had the lowest passing rate from out outfield players, except Lukaku. Blind got 72% while Valencia got 93%, without any distinct difference in forward/backward pass distribution between those 2. He just makes to much errors defensively. Like last game, when he stept in far to late on Noble, only to let him roam completely free into the box afterwards. That presented a huge opportunity for West Ham, who luckily for us fired straight on the fists of de Gea.

 

[SirMattBugsby]

Ofcourse he bought Matic. Blind was brought in as CDM by van Gaal. Van Gaal bought 2 new CDM's after his first season. That should tell you enough about Blind his performance as CDM in the Premier League. Blind is nowhere near the quality that Matic has as CDM.

Blind is a decent passer, but it's nothing exceptional either. His succes rate on long passes was below 50% last season. Not much better than our centre backs who supposedly cant pass a ball. Compare it to Carrick, who had 64% succes on long balls and Blind was miles behind. Last game Blind had the lowest passing rate from out outfield players, except Lukaku. Blind got 72% while Valencia got 93%, without any distinct difference in forward/backward pass distribution between those 2. He just makes to much errors defensively. Like last game, when he stept in far to late on Noble, only to let him roam completely free into the box afterwards. That presented a huge opportunity for West Ham, who luckily for us fired straight on the fists of de Gea.

It seems to me that you haven't watched him beyond one season (even that I'm not sure of as you're only mentioning stats). Plus you're singling him out in one particular bad game he had. Not an objective analysis.

Anybody who watched 2015/16 knows Blind is a very good passer with even better vision. Since Mourinho's arrival, he's had to restrict his forward passing, esp while playing CB. To a minor extent, our present game doesn't bring out the best in him but even then, I'd argue he's our best left-back.

As for comparing passing rates with Valencia, that's hardly fair as well. Blind looks to create chances much more than Valencia, who plays it safe more often. It's like saying Pogba's passing rate is not as high as Matic's.

 

[SirMattBugsby]

One thing I have noticed from last season is how - generally - under appreciated Blind is. To some people it seems he can do no good and they are blind-sided (hehe) by his physical appearance.

To me Blind is a fantastic squad player. Never moans, plays where the boss tells him to play and I think he mostly carries out his duties quite well. He makes up for his lack of pace and physicality with great positional play and intelligence.

Some of Blind's games as a CB were better than the actual CB playing. I think his best position though would be as a DM.

Do you see him returning to Ajax at some point? I get the feeling he might have to leave next summer. He'd do great in Italy and Spain as well. I hope some up-and-coming club builds a possession-based team around him, same with Netherlands.

 

[roonster09]

It seems to me that you haven't watched him beyond one season (even that I'm not sure of as you're only mentioning stats). Plus you're singling him out in one particular bad game he had. Not an objective analysis.

Anybody who watched 2015/16 knows Blind is a very good passer with even better vision. Since Mourinho's arrival, he's had to restrict his forward passing, esp while playing CB. To a minor extent, our present game doesn't bring out the best in him but even then, I'd argue he's our best left-back.

As for comparing passing rates with Valencia, that's hardly fair as well. Blind looks to create chances much more than Valencia, who plays it safe more often. It's like saying Pogba's passing rate is not as high as Matic's.

Blind is a very good squad player, you make it sound like he is some Xavi or Pirlo. He did well in the midfield and then struggled, played his best football as CB for ManUtd.

He's had to restrict his forward passing is very wrong thing to say as Jose always prefer quick breaks, so playing long passes early is something Jose would approve of and something Van Gaal wouldn't.

 

[Lentwood]

I see absolutely no reason to ever considering selling Blind. These kind of utility players are absolutely crucial. Every title winning side we have ever had has contained 2/3 of these utility men who end up playing 20+ games in multiple positions

 

[Mickfoley]

He is not just a utility player. Against slower wingers he can easily be first choice but he has problems against pacey wingers. Fact is 30 games out of 38 he is a starter for me but another 10 games or another 8 games we need someone else to start in this position and Rojo, Shaw and Young has proven themselves to be capable of doing that.
I doubt Jose would play him that much as I think once Rojo and Shaw come back they'll be ahead in order of preference but I say he's a very good leftback unless he comes up against a Balesque winger, against who, most of the accomplished fullbacks have struggled (ask Maicon).

 

[SirMattBugsby]

Blind is a very good squad player, you make it sound like he is some Xavi or Pirlo. He did well in the midfield and then struggled, played his best football as CB for ManUtd.

He's had to restrict his forward passing is very wrong thing to say as Jose always prefer quick breaks, so playing long passes early is something Jose would approve of and something Van Gaal wouldn't.

I didn't say he should play in midfield. For me, his best position under Mourinho is left back.

What I said was Jose prefers him to make short passes to midfield rather than find attackers himself via long passes. This applies mainly in defensive areas or when Blind is playing CB. I remember our first game last season (against Bournemouth iirc) where he tried passing long once or twice and Jose told him to cut it out.

Under LvG, Blind had much more playmaking responsibility. That's no longer required under Mourinho because we have superior playmakers in midfield. So Blind's role in our quick transitions is simply to feed the midfield and let them take it from there. Either that or cross.

Simply speaking, he has to be more of a defender under Mourinho, and more of a reactive type than his natural proactive style. As for your last sentence, I don't think that's correct: LvG definitely approved of his long passes.

 

[roonster09]

I didn't say he should play in midfield. For me, his best position under Mourinho is left back.

What I said was Jose prefers him to make short passes to midfield rather than find attackers himself via long passes. This applies mainly in defensive areas or when Blind is playing CB. I remember our first game last season (against Bournemouth iirc) where he tried passing long once or twice and Jose told him to cut it out.

Under LvG, Blind had much more playmaking responsibility. That's no longer required under Mourinho because we have superior playmakers in midfield. So Blind's role in our quick transitions is simply to feed the midfield and let them take it from there. Either that or cross.

Simply speaking, he has to be more of a defender under Mourinho, and more of a reactive type than his natural proactive style. As for your last sentence, I don't think that's correct: LvG definitely approved of his long passes.

It depends on the game, for example against City Jose asked our CBs to play direct ball to Zlatan rather than passing the ball to midfielders.

Yeah Blind is better as a LB as his crossing used to be very good and also he can be involved in the attack.

Re long passes, Van Gaal would rather retain possession than playing it long quickly and lose possession. Which is completely opposite with Jose.

 

[TheForgottenOne]

It seems to me that you haven't watched him beyond one season (even that I'm not sure of as you're only mentioning stats). Plus you're singling him out in one particular bad game he had. Not an objective analysis.

Anybody who watched 2015/16 knows Blind is a very good passer with even better vision. Since Mourinho's arrival, he's had to restrict his forward passing, esp while playing CB. To a minor extent, our present game doesn't bring out the best in him but even then, I'd argue he's our best left-back.

Actually, I am from the Netherlands and have seen Blind play for many years. At Ajax, on loan to Groningen and in our national team. In our country, he is known to be a player who passes the ball around to the sides and to the back alot, while not producing many great forward passes. That does not mean he does not create great passes every now and then, but in general, it's not that special. The difference between Blind and Carrick in their passing as CDM was hugely visable. If someone plays it safe in their passing alot, it's Blind.

I am nog singling out a bad game, as people say he played well past sunday. As people tend to praise his passing ability and say he did great in the season opener, I do not think it's unfair to mention the difference in passing rates between our LB and RB in that match. A single game is nothing to take conclusions from, but a difference of 21% is alot. As a LB in an easy game with plenty of room to go forward, he should have done better on the ball. For someone with a supposedly great pass, it should have been easy to have whipped great crosses in, but most of them never got passed the first defender. This should be a thing he should excel in, compensating for the defensive weaknesses, but I just don't see it.

Bottom line in my opinion is that Blind is a very decent passer of the ball, but nowhere near the quality to be able to play in midfield at United. Defensively, his game has some serious flaws in it and that is something we can not overlook. This has been made painfully clear in plenty of matches, especially against stronger opponents. It's no coincidence that Blind got dropped from the starting 11 after about 10 games into the Premier League last season, only to be played against weaker opponents from there on. For instance, just search google for 'chelsea united 1 0 pedro'. It just hurts your eyes to see what he is doing. There are several examples of situations like that.

His passing style is more a playmaking style, and in my opinion that's not so valuable for the LB position. His crossing is, in my opinion, not that good either. Taking into regards that he has been taking corners and quite a few set pieces in the past few seasons, the amount of assists he produced with all those efforts is mediocre at best.

So, then comes the question if you should keep playing a player that is weak defensively and also not that great of a offensive threat as a LB. I would rather see a more talented player come in who can actually develop into a great LB for years to come, rather than sticking to 'meh' options like Darmian and Blind. In the case of Blind even more so since his versatility to play in several positions declined in value with the purchase of Lindelof, the upcoming of Tuanzebe and also Matic (for as far as Mourinho even saw Blind as an option for CDM).

I do not by any means think Blind is a worthless player. I just think he does not have the quality to be playing for Manchester United. Ofcourse he has and probably will still put in some good or maybe even great performances. Overal it is not good enough and his flaws are just to big for me to neglect. If we can only play him against weaker opponents, which Mourinho has done, bring in someone like Kieran Tierney who is young, shows a lot of talent going forward and might develop into a class player for us.

 

[Epicurean]

Do you see him returning to Ajax at some point? I get the feeling he might have to leave next summer. He'd do great in Italy and Spain as well. I hope some up-and-coming club builds a possession-based team around him, same with Netherlands.

I sure hope he does come back to Ajax at some point in his career. Because of his father's legacy, he is a through and through Ajax kid. I can see him do quite well in the Spanish or Italian league as well. However, first I want him to win the league title with United. He is a very intelligent player.
The EPL is obsessed with body mass, athlete features and tends to undervalue players like Blind (although he is 1.80m). If physicality was of the utmost importance Messi (1.70), Aguero (1.73), A. Sanchez (1.69) and many others wouldn't make the grade, yet here they are doing quite well.

 

[Epicurean]

I do not by any means think Blind is a worthless player. I just think he does not have the quality to be playing for Manchester United. Ofcourse he has and probably will still put in some good or maybe even great performances. Overal it is not good enough and his flaws are just to big for me to neglect. If we can only play him against weaker opponents, which Mourinho has done, bring in someone like Kieran Tierney who is young, shows a lot of talent going forward and might develop into a class player for us.

Well I am from The Netherlands too and I disagree with most of your assessment. As for the last bit. A team cannot be compromised of 11 super stars. I always hear people say Rojo, Shaw, Darmian are so much better than Blind, yet when push comes to shove it's Blind playing better than any one of them.

Shaw I have yet to see put in consistent performances. Rojo, also error prone. Darmian ditto.
I have seen Blind been lambasted for not being good enough against Aguero, yet world class LBs, RBs, CBs would struggle against players like these. It's just with Blind people are quicker to fault him, as they judge him mostly on his lanky physical features instead of his footballing brain.

 

[I Believe]

Have not seen much of Blind before he came to United, but I think the only thing he lacks for the PL is pace. As nominally he is more a defending player rather than offensive one, as such if you lack pace your concentration and positional sense has to be that much better, to see things before they happen and anticipate, rather than use speed to be able to react.

Daley has mostly a good concentration level and good positional sense, but occasionally he seems to 'go off piste' as it were and when he does it usually produces a significant problem. I think he is one of United's most useful and intelligent 'utility' players and think Jose will keep him around for sometime............................. of course that has probably 'put the mockers' on him and he will be sold next 'window'............ hope not!

 

[OldTrevil]

Can watch this all day

I still remember LvG insisting during that season, "But we are creating chances!" What he meant was that Blind was creating attacking opportunities for the attackers to convert into clear-cut chances and shots. The reason the latter part didn't happen was ultimately the reason LvG was sacked. Still, it's a shame because Blind did his part very well and I found it quite enjoyable.

Also, it must have been weird for him against Ajax. Not only because it's his former club but also because he was playing against a style which perhaps suits him best. Ajax with Blind at CDM would have been a different prospect altogether.

Sexy passing , that finishing at Ajax though . I still believe he would do a job at CDM but I'm not expecting Mourinho to ever play him there.

 

[Rossa]

He is not just a utility player. Against slower wingers he can easily be first choice but he has problems against pacey wingers. Fact is 30 games out of 38 he is a starter for me but another 10 games or another 8 games we need someone else to start in this position and Rojo, Shaw and Young has proven themselves to be capable of doing that.
I doubt Jose would play him that much as I think once Rojo and Shaw come back they'll be ahead in order of preference but I say he's a very good leftback unless he comes up against a Balesque winger, against who, most of the accomplished fullbacks have struggled (ask Maicon).

He made frickin Sissoko look Baleesque. He's a horrible defender against many types of wingers and forwards, but then he surprises and takes Lukaku out of the match, so he's a tough nut to crack.

I really don't get the love for him. His passing is decent, but not much more than that, and his technique and first touch quite often let him down. Just look at the number of times he loses the ball out for a throw in compared to Valencia.

Also, all this talk of him being a good midfielder - he hasn't shown that once for United, and I would imagine there are numerous reasons why Mourinho, and indeed also LVG who brought him to the club, doesn't fancy him in central midfield.

He's decent as back up, but even then I think we can do better. Going forwards, his crossing is worse than Valencia's, and when in space he is often, or pretty much always, outpaced so he isn't able to capitalize much on a through pass. I would think he could make Tony Hibbert look like a world class rb.

 

[Rossa]

Well I am from The Netherlands too and I disagree with most of your assessment. As for the last bit. A team cannot be compromised of 11 super stars. I always hear people say Rojo, Shaw, Darmian are so much better than Blind, yet when push comes to shove it's Blind playing better than any one of them.

Shaw I have yet to see put in consistent performances. Rojo, also error prone. Darmian ditto.
I have seen Blind been lambasted for not being good enough against Aguero, yet world class LBs, RBs, CBs would struggle against players like these. It's just with Blind people are quicker to fault him, as they judge him mostly on his lanky physical features instead of his footballing brain.

Blind makes at least as many mistakes as Rojo and more than Darmian! There's a reason why people don't trust him. He often rushes out to intercept and mistimes it, then he is too easily turned, easily dribbled past, loses his man in possession and often positions himself wrongly for crosses. In addition, he's not a very strong tackler, unlike both Rojo and Darmian. Blind isn't injury prone - I'll give you that.

 

[Mickfoley]

He made frickin Sissoko look Baleesque. He's a horrible defender against many types of wingers and forwards, but then he surprises and takes Lukaku out of the match, so he's a tough nut to crack.

I really don't get the love for him. His passing is decent, but not much more than that, and his technique and first touch quite often let him down. Just look at the number of times he loses the ball out for a throw in compared to Valencia.

Also, all this talk of him being a good midfielder - he hasn't shown that once for United, and I would imagine there are numerous reasons why Mourinho, and indeed also LVG who brought him to the club, doesn't fancy him in central midfield.

He's decent as back up, but even then I think we can do better. Going forwards, his crossing is worse than Valencia's, and when in space he is often, or pretty much always, outpaced so he isn't able to capitalize much on a through pass. I would think he could make Tony Hibbert look like a world class rb.

With due respect, this is BS.

 

[Rossa]

With due respect, this is BS.

He quite often loses the ball over the line, so it's not BS. His touch is not close to that of Valencia, for instance, who hardly ever gives the ball away.

 

[Kazi]

Gun player.

 

[SirMattBugsby]

His passing style is more a playmaking style, and in my opinion that's not so valuable for the LB position. His crossing is, in my opinion, not that good either. Taking into regards that he has been taking corners and quite a few set pieces in the past few seasons, the amount of assists he produced with all those efforts is mediocre at best.

While I appreciate the rest of your arguments (and apologies for underestimating your knowledge, fellow Blind follower ), this one doesn't seem right to me.

Full-backs like Lahm, Maxwell, Baines and now Kimmich are midfielders by nature. Not all of them need to be wingers, there can be different interpretations of a position and playmaking from full-back can be very useful in build-up as well as attacking areas.

But yes, I'll agree that Blind needs to improve his corners. He tends to find gaps better in open play due to his in-game intelligence but, for some reason, takes corners carelessly.

I sure hope he does come back to Ajax at some point in his career. Because of his father's legacy, he is a through and through Ajax kid. I can see him do quite well in the Spanish or Italian league as well. However, first I want him to win the league title with United. He is a very intelligent player.
The EPL is obsessed with body mass, athlete features and tends to undervalue players like Blind (although he is 1.80m). If physicality was of the utmost importance Messi (1.70), Aguero (1.73), A. Sanchez (1.69) and many others wouldn't make the grade, yet here they are doing quite well.

The way I see it, we need more Coffeeshops in England. Problem solved

Sexy passing , that finishing at Ajax though . I still believe he would do a job at CDM but I'm not expecting Mourinho to ever play him there.

Don't worry, he'll do what he does, from LB. Look out for those diagonal balls for Lukaku running in right channels!

 

[Epicurean]

Blind makes at least as many mistakes as Rojo and more than Darmian! There's a reason why people don't trust him. He often rushes out to intercept and mistimes it, then he is too easily turned, easily dribbled past, loses his man in possession and often positions himself wrongly for crosses. In addition, he's not a very strong tackler, unlike both Rojo and Darmian. Blind isn't injury prone - I'll give you that.

We really watch a different player then. His positional sense is very good. Of course he makes mistakes, every player does. But with Blind it's somehow always a reason to single him out for a goal we conceded. He plays CB, LB, DM and always does a decent job. For me he is so much better on LB than Shaw. I know Shaw had a horrible injury and it might have affect d him really bad, but I have yet to see Shaw put in the consistency that Blind has shown.

 

[TheForgottenOne]

While I appreciate the rest of your arguments (and apologies for underestimating your knowledge, fellow Blind follower ), this one doesn't seem right to me.
Full-backs like Lahm, Maxwell, Baines and now Kimmich are midfielders by nature. Not all of them need to be wingers, there can be different interpretations of a position and playmaking from full-back can be very useful in build-up as well as attacking areas.
But yes, I'll agree that Blind needs to improve his corners. He tends to find gaps better in open play due to his in-game intelligence but, for some reason, takes corners carelessly.

It also has to do with the playing style and players in the specific teame ofcourse, so there will always be exceptions. I don't agree with your examples really. Lahm was quite offensive, dribbled up front alot and also had the quality to skip past defenders. I would not class him as a playmaker type of back as he was very well rounded in all the aspects. Kimmich does not play as RB often. Blind is a player who can pass around when he is given some time, has a decent ball deep over the defence of the opponents but does not really posses the ability to create something when there is less space. As you also acknowledge, his crossing is rather poor considering he is supposed to be a good passer.

In our case, it is my strong opinion we absolutely do need a LB who is able to charge up front, take on a defender every now and then and whip in a good cross. You named Baines, who used to be exactly that. Goes up front often, skips past a defender and is able to whip in a very good cross. He has declined though, and is not the same Baines as he was a few seasons back, but you get the idea. We would have benefitted hugely if we had a LB like the Baines from 14/15 or before.

Like I said before. I have lots of respect for Blind. Works hard, very decent player but in term of quality not a LB, CB or CDM at the level we need at United. To many 'brain farts' and I do not see him progressing any further. That's why I have been and will keep saying that it's better to let him go to a club where he is a big shot and can play weekly, so we can get a more talented LB with the potential to be our LB for years to come. It's a win/win situation.

 

[Rozay]

Bit of a conundrum really, Blind is decent going forward due to being a nice passer and generally composed. But he is a bit iffy defensively due to being slow and a bit lightweight.

Darmian is the opposite - solid enough defensively, rubbish going forward.

If only Shaw could come good, he'd tick both boxes for the most part.

As it stands, I'd rather Blind ahead of Darmian.

No, he isn't. This is one of those footballing myths I think that have become fact due to repetition, and because some sort of logic would suggest that it 'should' be true, despite there being little to no evidence of it ever being true.

Blind is an excellent defender. He may be 'iffy' or make a mistake here and there just because he's a human being and he makes the odd mistake. He's had plenty of runs as a regular centre half and acquitted himself very well all the time. He's never been really physically bullied at all. And there have been loads of top centre halves with a similar physical profile to him.

 

[Home&Away]

This video perfectly represents why blind should be the central man in type 1; only providing to be an additional man in defence and not a traditional CB.

In my own - normally hated opinion; this is why one day LVG's first season tactics will come back to United again without the overwhelming control of ball possession and positionining.

We saw very well that two upfront can play well recently & the primary difference between chelsea playing 343 and us playing 352 is that our wingbacks and attacking midfielder can all attack - providing pressure causing the oposition defenders having to move out from their position.

I can't wait - but this type of change would only be suitable after José has won titles with his tactics and should be used when those tactics are no longer viable(as seen in his previous jobs, it happens).

These top clubs using the same formation will be great for the national team too.

 

[MUFC OK]

Valuable squad player, his best position is CB in my opinion. At Left back I just think hes a bit slow, though he possesses great delivery. He reads the game tremendously well and could be suited to LCB in a 3-5-2.

 

[Kag]

Blind is a brilliant member of the squad and only a fool would question it.