[Craig Ward]

Looked pretty good to me. We need players like him who do the basics well. Completely different to Bruno who takes risks in everything he does but it’s great to have two options like that. Compare that to a year ago where we had Pereria and Lingard as the options in that position and it’s hard to support the argument that we aren’t making progress under Ole.

Completely agree.

From Ole's 1st transfer window it was clear his intention is to shape the squad with quality not only the first x11. He's doing that - it was always going to be a long job given how poor the squad was when he took over.

Credit to Ole.

On Donny - he's a great player. So calm, so technically gifted, so aware of space and always in space. What an asset to our midfield.

Doesnt hit 60 yard cross field passes, but does all the basics to such a high standard - which in today's game is a real skill as so many dont.

Stand out performance from him and Fred in midfield - fair play to him.

 

[SomeRandomPerson]

Lots of praise for the players in other threads - and rightly so - but I thought he played very well in this game; he's just unfortunate he plays in the same position as our talisman.

Tell you what, he’s got bloody quick feet. Very nice dribbling out of presses

I feel we will see the best of him when the others learn to see his movements better. Promising

His close control, short passing and short dribbling are brilliant. He'll be an excellent player in time, no doubt. Would say he just needs to get more involved, can drift out of games too often when his talent and physique should dominate them.

There was a little passage early in the first half that summed his game up. He was under pressure, worked hard and then had to dribble out of a tight spot. Shook his man and played a ball to the CB and you could tell everyone around him all relaxed and went "nice, we can play through this pressure" and we started to move the ball with a lot more confidence. He's going to be an important player for us over the next 5 years.

Around the time he signed, this journalist who covers Dutch football said this about the signing and you can kinda see her point about Van de Beek being the type of player you notice when he's not there.





Even just watching him last night, he has just such an excellent first touch and is so good at retaining possession when pressed - RB Leipzig's game is obviously based heavily on their ability to get the ball in dangerous areas by pressing their opponents and they just couldn't get the ball off him. He's a player who's noticeably very well coached in this respect. Also felt a lot of his off-the-ball work is getting under appreciated. He's not as high octane as Bruno but he makes a lot of smart decisions defensively: like if Rashford or Martial got dragged out of position pressing a player, he just plugged a lot of gaps, plus he has that hint of Carrick about him where he's very good at closing off spaces and passing angles when defending.

9.3 km distance covered despite only playing 68min

To put this into perspective, assuming 90 mins for Fred (i.e. discounting stoppage time), he covered 117.33 m per minute. Assuming 68 mins for Donny (again not counting first half stoppage time), he covered 137.2 m per minute - which considering Fred is an absolute duracell bunny of a player, is genuinely incredible.

 

[Bobski]

Last year vs PSG

Spoiler

Last year vs Barca

Spoiler

2 years ago vs Juve - home and away

Spoiler

Very similar then, not enough of a difference to make any conclusions about fitness.

 

[Zlatans Knee]

Looks like Jesse Lingard without the extra gear, with a fraction of the intensity and a fraction of the energy.

Tidy and looks to keep it going rather than take responsibility with the ball, and not the type to exert himself in games.

He's been exactly what I expected so far, unspectacular and on the periphery most times.

You know nothing Jon Snow. I honestly can't understand how people can not see how much he contributed to the team in his 68 minutes on the pitch. He was calm in possession among the chaos around him, he covered the most distance on the pitch from either team, he created space for others, he created 2 chances. Great debut.

 

[DWelbz19]

Vdb will be very useful against lower and compact blocks where space will be more scarce
His work in tight area will be valuable

Yep. He’s just a really smart player and you can see the Ajax coaching and philosophy has been innately drilled into him. Kind of like an attacking midfielder variant of what Daley Blind had.

 

[Josh 76]

Looks a class player.
Will play an important role this season.

 

[Cypriot]

I think he's class. I find myself saying "tidy" a lot whilst watching him. He reminds me of a younger, quicker and more agile Mata. Does all the simple things beautifully well and consistently.

He'll be really important for us I think.

 

[Adam-Utd]

You know nothing Jon Snow. I honestly can't understand how people can not see how much he contributed to the team in his 68 minutes on the pitch. He was calm in possession among the chaos around him, he covered the most distance on the pitch from either team, he created space for others, he created 2 chances. Great debut.

Agreed. Some people find players hard to judge when they play with less touches.

DVB is the type of player who will play 1 touch and move if possible, he won't take 5/6 touches and attempt a hollywood pass or try to dribble somebody.

IMO he really knitted the play well, and without him in the 1st half we wouldn't have got passed their press as many times as we did.

He showed off his quick feet in the centre of the pitch and played some lovely first time passes to switch play. Considering that's his first start this year I thought it was a good solid performance against a very good team.

I have no idea why people are so quick to write him off, perhaps they just aren't used to this type of player.

 

[klayton88]

 

[Grande]

Agreed. Some people find players hard to judge when they play with less touches.

DVB is the type of player who will play 1 touch and move if possible, he won't take 5/6 touches and attempt a hollywood pass or try to dribble somebody.

IMO he really knitted the play well, and without him in the 1st half we wouldn't have got passed their press as many times as we did.

He showed off his quick feet in the centre of the pitch and played some lovely first time passes to switch play. Considering that's his first start this year I thought it was a good solid performance against a very good team.

I have no idea why people are so quick to write him off, perhaps they just aren't used to this type of player.

Yes. The way he plays is will make other players more efficient and give them more time on the ball. When we have players like Bruno, Pogba and Martial, who likes to take a touch too many, but are able to play a quick passing game, Van de Beek looks a very handy player to throw into the mix.

 

[romufc]

He is exactly the player we need against top clubs who press, he can keep the ball in tight spaces and play simple passes. Ole used him perfectly, Bruno is good but he doesnt do what Donny can do and vice versa. I can see Donny coming in for these big games alot more and Bruno on the bench.

 

[Bebestation]

I think in a diamond he becomes an important player because his movement covers the lack of width we might have from playing a diamond and having a CAM that sticks purely to a central position.

He runs and makes moves to LM and RM with the intention of making a quick short pass to a player who is running in to the space he has left behind.

 

[acnumber9]

He completed a grand total of three forward passes in that game. Our full backs would be getting slaughtered for keeping it that safe. He was tidy enough but you need a lot more in that position.

 

[Adam-Utd]

He completed a grand total of three forward passes in that game. Our full backs would be getting slaughtered for keeping it that safe. He was tidy enough but you need a lot more in that position.

Massively out of context. Hard to make forward passes when you're already the furthest forward.

He did his job in that role absolutely fine.

 

[acnumber9]

Massively out of context. Hard to make forward passes when you're already the furthest forward.

He did his job in that role absolutely fine.

It’s in context of what happened. Which puts it firmly in context. Bruno instantly had no such issue. Fine is as good a description as you can give for that performance. Van de Beek still has that new player sheen to him. He won’t start regularly in that position because we have somebody much better at it. Decent backup but needs to do more.

 

[Bebestation]

I wouldnt have thought so before the transfer happened but does the guy seem better than Havertz so far this season?

 

[Adam-Utd]

It’s in context of what happened. Which puts it firmly in context. Bruno instantly had no such issue. Fine is as good a description as you can give for that performance. Van de Beek still has that new player sheen to him. He won’t start regularly in that position because we have somebody much better at it. Decent backup but needs to do more.

Fernandes came into a much more open match, yet again missing context.

 

[georgipep]

It’s in context of what happened. Which puts it firmly in context. Bruno instantly had no such issue. Fine is as good a description as you can give for that performance. Van de Beek still has that new player sheen to him. He won’t start regularly in that position because we have somebody much better at it. Decent backup but needs to do more.

The fact that you were comparing fullbacks to the AM in a diamond kind of tells the whole story about your perception of context, doesn't it?

When Bruno came on we were hitting them massively on the counter because Leipzig pushed more bodies to get goals. And we switched to 4-2-3-1 afterwards with Cavani up top, Rash and Martial on the wings.

 

[GregtheRed_]

This lad is a wonderful player. So tidy, intelligent and calm. Both him and Pogba were brilliant at absorbing Leipzig's press and were able to make space, keeping the ball moving forward on multiple occasions. Fred, McTominay, Matic and Bruno added to that - our midfield was such a joy to watch.

We've finally got a talented midfield to match our lethal front line. OGS is really working toward something spectacular.

 

[Hughes35]

I think he's a good signing and a good footballer. I think some of the statements on here about how good he is are over the top though..... I hope I'm wrong and he is the second coming. I'd be quite happy if we was just a good decent player though, which he looks to be.

 

[Mcking]

You know nothing Jon Snow. I honestly can't understand how people can not see how much he contributed to the team in his 68 minutes on the pitch. He was calm in possession among the chaos around him, he covered the most distance on the pitch from either team, he created space for others, he created 2 chances. Great debut.

That's what Lingard does too, just that Lingard does it at a higher pace, with more intensity. It wasn't Van de Beek's debut too.

 

[lex talionis]

A very impressive performance. Not “Dutch master” stuff but he proved his class against a top Buli club while they still had belief. His passing and movement off the ball were smart and despite this being his first extended outing he didn’t try to prove too much and thus put his mates in trouble.

There’s better to come from Donny but he made a stellar case for himself last night.

 

[Handré1990]

That's what Lingard does too, just that Lingard does it at a higher pace, with more intensity. It wasn't Van de Beek's debut too.

Must be a wum?

 

[Djemba-Djemba]

Must be a wum?

Yeah he's been posting nonsense about Lingard for years.

 

[tenpoless]

Lingard is comparable to Pereira, not vDB.

 

[KennyBurner]

I thought he was average yesterday. He is very good with his feet but what I was expecting from him in terms of creativity I never got. He doesn't take command with any forward passes but rather takes the safer option passing back. Thats not what we want from a good number attacking midfielder. All this talk about his great movement should be secondary. I need to see more passing creativity or he will never be first team quality for us.

 

[Foxbatt]

I would like to see him play with Bruno to see how they can play together. I think they will have a very good understanding on how to play good football. Arsenal like to play thru the middle a lot. I hope Ole doesn't revert to a three man attack.

 

[Foxbatt]

I thought he was average yesterday. He is very good with his feet but what I was expecting from him in terms of creativity I never got. He doesn't take command with any forward passes but rather takes the safer option passing back. Thats not what we want from a good number attacking midfielder. All this talk about his great movement should be secondary. I need to see more passing creativity or he will never be first team quality for us.

That probably was tactical. Don't let Leipzig attack us. Keep it tight and compact.

 

[Handré1990]

Yeah he's been posting nonsense about Lingard for years.

Has to be. Look at how he beats the press with croquetas, don’t think Lingard ever beat a press, never mind channeling Iniesta!

 

[KennyBurner]

That probably was tactical. Don't let Leipzig attack us. Keep it tight and compact.

I honestly think he is a general purpose CM. The way bruno came in and just took command was very telling. We need to see a lot more of him pulling the strings.

 

[Hoof the ball]

Very weird player.

When he's on the ball, he makes very good use of it. A team of Donnys would've had 99%of possession.

The problem is... he isn't involved much. And off the ball doesn't exist, his pressing is very, very soft. But maybe I've just seen too much of Fred lately.

Definitely not a central midfielder though.

This statement confuses me, since off the ball is the one thing he's notoriously recognised for; his runs into the box, for example, and scoring goals.

 

[Bwuk]

Covered a ridiculous amount of ground too.

 

[acnumber9]

Fernandes came into a much more open match, yet again missing context.

Instantly more open? He lifted it within seconds. It was more open because his introduction made it more open. Van de Beek would not have played that pass in behind for Rashford to make it 2-0.

 

[acnumber9]

The fact that you were comparing fullbacks to the AM in a diamond kind of tells the whole story about your perception of context, doesn't it?

When Bruno came on we were hitting them massively on the counter because Leipzig pushed more bodies to get goals. And we switched to 4-2-3-1 afterwards with Cavani up top, Rash and Martial on the wings.

Because players in that position should be taking more chances with their passing than full backs. feck me. I know he’s new and trendy but come on. I didn’t know attacking midfielders weren’t expected to pass the ball forward occasionally.

It changed the minute Bruno came on. That is not coincidence.

 

[georgipep]

Because players in that position should be taking more chances with their passing than full backs. feck me. I know he’s new and trendy but come on. I didn’t know attacking midfielders weren’t expected to pass the ball forward occasionally.

It changed the minute Bruno came on. That is not coincidence.

It really isn't a coincidence. Here's a very simple and brief explanation:

This image represents our players' average positions in the first and second halves:

Do you notice how much more players we had in the opponent's half of the pitch during the second half? You know, that helps when you want to pass forward and not sideways or backwards...

 

[acnumber9]

It really isn't a coincidence. Here's a very simple and brief explanation:

This image represents our players' average positions in the first and second halves:

Do you notice how much more players we had in the opponent's half of the pitch during the second half? You know, that helps when you want to pass forward and not sideways or backwards...

You think Bruno playing forward passes helps us get forward more maybe?

 

[georgipep]

You think Bruno playing forward passes helps us get forward more maybe?

So, it's not about having the players to play those passes to, I guess? I love Bruno and I don't understand why this has to be a comparison between the two. I think Donny did fantastically yesterday when he had to be part of us playing from the back. He execute simple, quick passes to move the pack forward and his role was more about absorbing the pressure from Leipzig's pressing than the role Bruno played when he came on.

I'm sure van de Beek will play quite a lot of games and I advise you to spend some time noticing his passing options when he has the ball and what decisions he makes. He is definitely a progressive player and tries to advance our play whenever possible but if your criteria is entirely based on Bruno, he will always fall behind because Bruno tries crazy passes while Donny has a much different style of play.

 

[romufc]

Because players in that position should be taking more chances with their passing than full backs. feck me. I know he’s new and trendy but come on. I didn’t know attacking midfielders weren’t expected to pass the ball forward occasionally.

It changed the minute Bruno came on. That is not coincidence.

Donny was brilliant yesterday, his job was to retain possession against a team that presses really well. We kept the ball better because Donny was in the team.

Bruno, brilliant player but is always looking to do something with the ball, which is good when we need goals and playing lesser teams but in a tight game, which the first half was, we need to keep the ball.

Donny did exactly that, kept the ball moving to a Manchester United player.

 

[romufc]

So, it's not about having the players to play those passes to, I guess? I love Bruno and I don't understand why this has to be a comparison between the two. I think Donny did fantastically yesterday when he had to be part of us playing from the back. He execute simple, quick passes to move the pack forward and his role was more about absorbing the pressure from Leipzig's pressing than the role Bruno played when he came on.

I'm sure van de Beek will play quite a lot of games and I advise you to spend some time noticing his passing options when he has the ball and what decisions he makes. He is definitely a progressive player and tries to advance our play whenever possible but if your criteria is entirely based on Bruno, he will always fall behind because Bruno tries crazy passes while Donny has a much different style of play.

Some fans keep falling into this trap.
Rashford v Martial
Pogba v Bruno
Matic v Fred

Now Bruno v Donny.

What some fail to understand is each and every one of those players give us something different. Martial and Pogba gave us fantastic link up play yesterday.
Donny gave us the opportunity to retain possession, every time our LB/RB got the ball he was there in midfield, giving the line option, taking a nice touch and playing simple balls into spaces beating the press.

However good Bruno's qualities are, its not something that he offers which is why Donny is suited to this kind of game and Bruno is suited to games where we need to make openings.

They all have a role to play and I love the fact that for different games, we can bring in different players, which will make us very difficult to play against.

 

[georgipep]

You think Bruno playing forward passes helps us get forward more maybe?

Further to my other reply, just look at their passing stats:
Donny: 29 passes, 2 key passes, 89.7% passing accuracy (68 minutes on the pitch)
Bruno: 16 passes, 1 key pass, 62.5% passing accuracy (22 minutes on the pitch)

They have different roles under different tactical instructions.