How would you use Fellaini?

How would you use Fellaini?

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Walters_19_MuFc

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There seems to be a split decision on how we should be using Fellaini to get the best out of him. Some say defensive midfielder, while others say box to box midfielder. Now, although some might not like it, I can imagine Moyes will be looking for a midfielder who will compliment Fellaini. After all, he cost us 27.5M, so I personally think we should be looking at players who will, or at least attempt, to bring the best our of him.

The advantages of having Fellaini is that he is pretty versatile and can play both, box to box and defensive midfielder pretty well, however, where would mainly use him, defensive midfielder or a box to box midfielder?

Box to box midfielder

Recently, since Fellaini has come back, he's been deployed next to Carrick as a box to box midfielder.

Now, the advantages of this would be that he'd get into good goalscoring positions and be a goal threat, especially aerially if we throw a few crosses in. He'd be a nightmare for any team. He also has the ability to get back and break up play. However, because he's not the quickest, along with Carrick, teams who are good on the counter could hurt us as the both lack.

Next season, if we were to use him there, we'd need a more mobile Carrick behind him. Someone who can dictate the game from deep, but has also got the dynamism to break up any counters.

Defensive midfielder (enforcer)

He's played in this position a few times for us this season. More notably, against Everton and Real Sociedad, where I personally thought he had a decent game, despite his red card against Sociedad.

So far this season, Fellaini has averaged 2.5 tackles per game (best out of all our midfielders) and 2.1 interceptions per game.

The advantages of Fellaini playing as a defensive midfielder is his ability to break up play and probably solidify our team. Again, aerially, you'd expect him to sweep up more or less anything. The disadvantages, however, is when pressed high, Fellaini is not the best on the ball. This means that if we were to play Fellaini in defensive midfield, surely we'd need a player of Scholesy's ilk to dictate the game and start the play for us. Maybe this is why we're supposedly linked with Kroos?


How would everyone use Fellaini to get the best out of him? And don't say the bench!

Personally, I think next season, I'd like to see Fellaini being tried as a defensive midfielder. Unfortunately, that'll mean Carrick being a squad player, however, he'll be 33 this year.

While Fellaini's not the most elegant on the ball, since he's come back, he'shown that he play the ball forward. I think, like I mentioned above, if we can get a similar player to Scholesy next to Fellaini, it'll hopefully bring the best out of him.

Opinions?
 
Box to Box. I think he has something to offer both in attack and defence, so I think we should make the most of that. His passing needs to sharpen up, but I think he looks classy on the ball alot of the time.
 
I'd say it all completely depends on his partner honestly. With Carrick/Fletcher/Carvalho etc he can be box to box, with Cleverley or a possible Kroos/Gundogan type he would need to be more defensive.
 
gza the genius said:
I'd say it all completely depends on his partner honestly. With Carrick/Fletcher/Carvalho etc he can be box to box, with Cleverley or a possible Kroos/Gundogan type he would need to be more defensive.
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Think it's time to start grooming him for the Carrick role.

Don't see Fellaini's use a pure defensive midfielder. Positioning is suspect and he loves to foul. It would be also a waste of his heading and shot taking ability.
 
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I'd cut his head off and use him as a Brillo pad.

On the pitch, its difficult to decide. I like the idea of him as an enforcer in a 3 man midfield with Mata and Carrick.
 
He could become an excellent defensive midfielder, particularly in Europe, if he could be more disciplined.

We should use him as a box to box midfielder at the moment, all the power to him if he shines in that role. We've feck all else in midfield anyway.
 
I have to admit that I had my doubts about how he'd cope in a box-to-box role, despite rating him pretty highly as a footballer. As it is I'm still reserving my judgement until we see him in that role against better opposition. I thought he was great in the West Brom game in that box-to-box role but then West Brom weren't particularly rapid going forward so his ability to react to danger and get back to defend wasn't really tested. If he can put in a similar performance against Liverpool as he did against WBA I'd not have any reservations about his abilities to cover the ground at speed.
 
What are the advantages of playing him as a box-to-box midfielder other than him getting into the box to get on the end of crosses or long balls forwards?

Can we not play him as the most defensive midfielder but still give him the license to get into the box on occasion? Yes teams would hit us on the counter so we'd need our other players to cover for it, but it would open the game up - too often it's easy for teams to park the bus against us. I guess this would require the other CM to be capable defensively and recognize when he needs to cover, even if his primary function is that of an attacking playmaker. Not an easy player to find but not impossible in my opinion. Additionally, you'd need at least one if not two or three of the AMs (assuming we are playing a 4231 kinda thing) to be willing to do some defensive work. We know that Rooney in particular is more than willing in this regard. Another reason that I think it would work well having Fellaini push forwards even as the most defensive midfielder, is that players like Rooney, Januzaj and Mata like to come deep to collect the ball. Often they end up standing right next to our CMs anyway, which is wasteful of space. If they are happy to drop deep then it's fine for the DM to push forwards, rather than just standing next to them like a muppet.
 
How would I use Fellaini? Hmmmm. With his afro, brow and awkward demeanour he'd make a good character for an Adam Sandler movie.

Since he loves to elbow anyone/anything that comes within touching distance. I think he'd be a great missile defence system. Elbowing nuclear warheads when the Ukraine thing turns to WW3.

I think he'd be good in front of the defence in a 3 man midfield or diamond formation.
 
KiD MoYeS said:
He could become an excellent defensive midfielder, particularly in Europe, if he could be more disciplined.

We should use him as a box to box midfielder at the moment, all the power to him if he shines in that role. We've feck all else in midfield anyway.
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I think that when you look at the players who have really been top level at that role then they're all incredibly intelligent footballers like Busquets, Makelele, Redondo, Martinez, Deschamps, Matthaus etc.. all extremely smart football players who read the game brilliantly.

I don't think Fellaini is particularly smart or reads the game any better than any Premiership football would be expected to. Those aren't really skills you just learn which is why I don't ever see him being top level at that position.
 
Blasphemy said:
I don't think Fellaini is particularly smart or reads the game any better than any Premiership football would be expected to. Those aren't really skills you just learn which is why I don't ever see him being top level at that position.
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What exactly do you base this on?
 
I'd start him on Sunday, no question.

Hopefully within the first five minutes he boots Suarez, Sturridge and Coutinho six feet into the air. Legitimately, of course.
 
Blasphemy said:
I think that when you look at the players who have really been top level at that role then they're all incredibly intelligent footballers like Busquets, Makelele, Redondo, Martinez, Deschamps, Matthaus etc.. all extremely smart football players who read the game brilliantly.

I don't think Fellaini is particularly smart or reads the game any better than any Premiership football would be expected to. Those aren't really skills you just learn which is why I don't ever see him being top level at that position.
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Agreed. He's almost always a step behind the play in the defensive phase. In the last game he was working his arse off to get up in support and then get back into position again, but when he did get back into position he just didn't seem to know where exactly to be. I just don't think he has the defensive instincts and awareness to be any kind of specialist defensive midfielder. Over time he'll get better defensively which is why I expect him to be a very useful all-round centre mid long-term, but I don't think he has it in him to be a particularly useful defensive midfielder.
 
Perhaps he doesn't read the game as well as martinez /carrick / busquets etc but he's a lot stronger than them and 40x better in the air, lets keep him
 
Brwned said:
Agreed. He's almost always a step behind the play in the defensive phase. In the last game he was working his arse off to get up in support and then get back into position again, but when he did get back into position he just didn't seem to know where exactly to be. I just don't think he has the defensive instincts and awareness to be any kind of specialist defensive midfielder. Over time he'll get better defensively which is why I expect him to be a very useful all-round centre mid long-term, but I don't think he has it in him to be a particularly useful defensive midfielder.
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What was he doing that makes you think this?
 
kouroux said:
B2B yo' but whatever his position he has to have a mobile partner and that means not Carrick unfortunately
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I kind of agree, but in Carrick's favour, when I looked at the distances covered by the players in the Arsenal v United game, Carrick was at the top with 12 km covered (Rooney was just behind). I think he is slow rather than being immobile.
 
I would use Fellaini the way he's been successfully used since returning.

Offering some legs for Carrick and opening up space with his runs and size.
 
Stack said:
What was he doing that makes you think this?
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Standing in a position which made him unable to affect the play in any way either by blocking off any passing channels or getting tight to his man on multiple occasions, being close to his man but the wrong side on multiple occasions...you know, the usual stuff. Is this just another one of your "I'm an experienced coach and I didn't see it that way so it can't be true" pretend-questions?
 
Brwned said:
Standing in a position which made him unable to affect the play in any way either by blocking off any passing channels or getting tight to his man on multiple occasions, being close to his man but the wrong side on multiple occasions...you know, the usual stuff. Is this just another one of your "I'm an experienced coach and I didn't see it that way so it can't be true" pretend-questions?
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No not a pretend question. Just i see those sorts of answers but nobody ever quantifies them.
 
Well defending is a very basic thing so generally when you say someone is defensively suspect it is because they don't do those basic things to a consistently high level. I don't see why saying something like "Gerrard isn't a great holding midfielder because he lacks the defensive awareness and positional discipline to really excel there" would need to be quantified because it's displayed on multiple occasions in every game. It's just things you pick up on while watching the game and over time you see a pattern developing and you comment on it later, it's not something you take a mental note of it each and every time it happens. Quantifying it with specific examples then takes the fun out of watching and discussing football because you're then dissecting it rather than discussing it. I could quite easily go through the United game at the weekend and find a dozen or so examples of what I would describe as Fellaini looking like he didn't know where he was meant to be and we could analyse it in great depth, but that wouldn't be a remotely enjoyable experience for me. So I'd rather just make a simple comment on it and people can decide themselves whether they noticed the same pattern or brush it off as nonsense. The difference is I make the assumption that people can make these same (or directly opposing) observations because I don't think football is a very complex game and I think people are just as capable of understanding the basic concepts of it as I am. You take a different point of view.
 
I'd use him as part of a funny sketch about looking up at him and looking down at someone shorter to make a point about class.
 
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