My memory is not great so please correct me if I'm wrong. IIRC Carrick, Herrera, Fetcher, and Mata have been sat on the bench whist Fellaini has been getting games. A player who was not deemed good enough just 4 games ago, and would have not been at the club had it not been for an injury during the transfer window.
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Also right footed. Rightly or wrongly, we weren't in for a right footed one.
I think Felliani is getting games partly because of our lack of defenders, when we're playing someone like Blind at centreback we obviously need all the height and presence we can get for corners and set pieces. From open play though I do think he slows down our play and his lack of movement doesn't provide the defenders with an outlet often enough (compared to say Blind who is always an option for a pass no matter where he plays). It's swings and roundabouts, I don't think Palace at home is a game we needed Fellaini for though.
Carrick and Herrera both returning from injury. So if I had to choose I wouldn't have played either from the start.
I'd play Fellaini ahead of Fletcher. And I wouldn't consider Mata for the same type of role, especially not against Chelsea and City.
Mata is infinitely a better player as is Fletcher. If Carrick and Herrera were on the subs bench then they would have been fit.
Which pays testament to Fellaini's attitude that he has kept his head up, impressed Van Gaal, got an opportunity and took it - another 7/10 yesterday from him - this is what we need..... True competition
If players want to play they have to perform and I was delighted to see Mata's frustration in the post match interview
Mata isn't a central midfielder though. We've seen that it doesnt work. And no, Fletcher isn't better at all, especially having barely played this season. Herrera had a stinker last time he played and Carrick is a 33 year old coming back from injury.
It seems to me that Fellaini just can't escape criticism, even though he's been doing nothing wrong. The real culprits for our bluntness in attack are...well, our attacking players.
7/10 really?
Why are we putting Mata and Fellaini in the same bracket now anyway? It's not Fellaini that's blocking Mata's spot in the team. If Fellaini's blocking anybody then it's Herrera.
Mata is a better player, I'll give you that. I don't think he's a better central midfielder though. I don't think Fletcher is up to it anymore, sadly. Obviously better at his peak, but that was a few years ago.
And surely we can agree that players returning from injury aren't ready to go straight back in, let alone against two of the strongest teams in the league? And add to that that Fellaini has done well (Yes, I'll maintain that).
Have to agree to disagree then. Not how I saw the game at all.
Except for a few games with Moyes experimenting with Fellaini as a defensive midfielder I've hardly seen him play as a central midfielder. Even in his Everton days his best displays were somewhere between being an attacking midfielder and a striker.
I am pretty sure Lvg can see that Fellaini slows down our play and against teams like Palace we need people like Mata or Herrera but think he had no options because of defensive injuries. Palace are pretty good on set pieces and Fellaini did very well in helping out the defenders on set pieces and goal kicks. In the long run against lesser teams I am pretty sure that he won't play Fellaini
Oh come on. He's been playing as a central midfielder in each of our last three game. I know you don't rate the bloke but surely you can see what position he's playing?
Naah, agree with Sults here. He was playing behind RVP yesterday with Rooney in CM.
Fellaini was blatantly playing in central midfield. Same as the last two games. One CM anchoring midfield (Blind or Carrick) two more ahead of him (Rooney and Fellaini)
It's always difficult discussing things when you can't agree on a fundamental level.You think that the current version of Fletcher is better than Fellaini?
Yes - kept it simple, kept the ball well, was composed in possession, almost scored from a header, helped us dominate posession (albeit against a very poor Palace side)- I don't actually recall him him giving the ball away
What would your rating be?
Yeah 07/08 was pretty unremarkable attacking fluidity wise. Trophies made up for it.
In comparison to 06/07 it was a step down despite the improvement in Europe.
I'm amazed at how people fail to understand the distinction between saying LvG has failed so far and saying he's a complete failure - I am certainly not saying the latter. But we've dropped points against Swansea, Sunderland, Burnley and Leicester, which is frankly crap.
He's chopped and changed when it's come to tactics, while he left us woefully under-stocked at the back. The running joke on the Caf during the summer was how threadbare we'd be at the back if we failed to sufficiently strengthen. A lot of posters also questioned the wisdom of Rojo being the centre half signing.
All the chaos comes from the defensive disorder, but we can't sit here and cry bad luck - it comes down to crap planning and the buck stops with LvG.
Yes!
I think if we can either sign or god help us, our defenders can actually stay fit/not get sent off for more than two games in a row, we will then be able to be more expansive in midfield. At the moment as everyone is saying the defence needs defending. That has meant Fellaini has to play to help Blind. I look forward to the day where that isn't necessary and the likes of ADM/Mata and Herrera get the chance to show more of what we saw earlier in the season. Problem is that all the defenders we get linked with are as injury prone as the ones we already have.
He wins a lot of aerial duels for us though and is playing like a proper midfielder. Also, he is not playing a lot more forward as you claim he does. I think he only does as he's told except for the occasional brain fart, e.g. against Everton.
The players' average position from yesterday's match:
It's incredible that people are still ignoring this and still going away with the myth that Fellaini played in an advanced position.
True. The best I've seen us play was the 06/07 season.
You don't think we would be better off if we could field the same back four every weekend? Not that it'll happen with the current crop.
Actually, no. Full backs, ok, but central defenders? Who could you put your hand on your heart and say could be relied on to perform week in week out? Jones? Smalling? Evans?
Look, I'm feed up with them tbh but, if they had managed to play consistently I also think they'd been better and more reliable players.
Well that's obvious yeah.
Hell, Carrick and McNair would be solid if they played 38 games straight.
I think the influence a manager has over every match is overly exaggerated. Yesterday was not a great performance but i put that down to the players being a bit shit yesterday!
On another day they win 3-0 on a separate occasion they'd lose 0-1
On another day they win 3-0 on a separate occasion they'd lose 0-1
I think the influence a manager has over every match is overly exaggerated. Yesterday was not a great performance but i put that down to the players being a bit shit yesterday!
On another day they win 3-0 on a separate occasion they'd lose 0-1
Wish posters wrote that in Moyes era
We have the whole defence out basically, with a 6th choice youth team CB, by the end of the game out of 10 outfield players on the pitch only 1, ONE(!) was actually a recognised defender.... and the Mail are suggesting we should be upset with LvG in adopting a slightly more conservative approach?
What a load of bollocks.
What a load of bollocks.
exactly...
I think the influence a manager has over every match is overly exaggerated. Yesterday was not a great performance but i put that down to the players being a bit shit yesterday!
On another day they win 3-0 on a separate occasion they'd lose 0-1
Our players were regularly attacked in the media last season, told on MOTD etc that they need to help their manager out, they need to have a 'long hard look at themselves' etc. Giggs was encouraged by a post match interviewer to 'dedicate this victory to the manager' (which he didn't).
Pundits would regularly go out of their way to actively state 'this is the players NOT the manager'.
And on the internet it was no different from what I remember reading - our players were attacked more than Moyes was.
And all the morons who said the players were fine, the squad was great, they just had a bad manager, has been completely shown up by this season, especially the first few games before Van Gaal could clear out some of the crap.
On here? Hardly. Moyes was treated very, let's say, politely by the media in general - but on here, not a chance.
IF there was to be a concern I'd say it would be in how often he's just ripped up his plans and moved to something else. The 352, around which much of our summer business seemed to be based; the diamond etc. Being strong enough to admit something isn't working is a strength, once it isn't simply because you keep making choices that are destined not to work.
Right now I'm inclined to think he's the victim of a really tough job, as well as circumstances, but if we're still ripping up plans like this in a year or so then I think it's time to be legitimately worried, or at least to believe that there are certain things he needs to improve on.
Toward the end, I'm sure it evened itself out, but for the majority of his reign the players took more abuse than he did. "Lazy feckers, not playing for the shirt etc".
None of 'em - clearly not.
When LVG arrived we had those three plus the kids. Many pointed out that this was very light if the three of 'em kept up their injury records. I wonder what Giggs had to say regarding these players. I mean, to an outsider it seems plain as day - they have been injury prone for several seasons running now. Them being injured to an annoying degree yet again is hardly surprising.
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