Luis Nani | 2010/11 Performances

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Pogue Mahone said:
Yeah, that's a good point and I've no idea why that would be. Leggy defenders at the end of a long season?
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Seems a logical explanation but in Nani's case his turn-around in mental state and attitude just happened to be in January, he could easily have started the season on this form if that was worked out in the summer.

Similarly, Gareth Bale had a bit of a turnaround and Redknapp talked about how his mental strength had improved after a tough period, he didn't start one game outside of the Carling Cup until January and he never looked back since then.

And then with Malouda there was a new manager finding his best team, formation etc. and the wingers were always going to suffer in that case.

All in all seems like a massive coincidence really!
 
Nani is the poster boy of a confidence player.

I thought in pre-season he did well. He was tearing Chelshit apart in the Charity Shield (on the left) till he got injured. Then the game against opening game against Brum, started off really well he setup Rooney's goal (headed against the post then took his own rebound - so Nani didn't get the assist)

He started off having a couple of mediocre games and both fans got on his back and he kept getting yanked in place of Goggs who came on and did well and that had a bit of impact on Nani. Then he had that story about him "whinging" and that seemed to knock him further out the team - though he wasn't doing too bad for Portugal but, still probably shook his confidence.

I actually thought his turn around started in the game where he picked up his injury - the Wolfsburg away game when he played wing-back. Recall reading people giving him a hard time because there were one or two passes that game that he did mess up and Obertan came on and had that magical assist - that people started bigging up Obertan as a starter and Nani on his way out. That game though is where I saw him change his play up - there was more than one occasion where he could have run down a blind alley but, he kept things simple, didn't try overdo things but, maybe once or twice.

Overall though there seemed to have been some sort of revelation he's had that doing the simple things, much like Valencia, has made his undoubted ability shine through.

Hopefully a good world cup for him (not enough to make him over confident though because I still see that as something that will trip him up) will have him in the right frame for next season. I do think with him and Valencia on the wings, with the form/progress they've made and a good pre-season - they are going to rip teams to shreds next season.

Giggs will be used where he was intended for this season - as a more attacking midfielder rather than the wing (and if you notice, more so even when Giggs is on the wing, we see him more in the middle of the park now).

Nani probably will be the most feared wingers in the prem next season.
 
How about Bellamy? Fast, great work ethic, good goal scorer and seems to have managed or at least harnessed his anger.

Not getting along with City management, could be had for the right price? A great option on the left allowing Nani to play on the right (his favoured position) more often.
 
Malouda was the best this season. In terms of talent I'd put Nani second but Actim really rates Valencia as well.

All in all it's been a good winger season in the PL. Some class and consistency been shown out there.
 
Grunge said:
How about Bellamy? Fast, great work ethic, good goal scorer and seems to have managed or at least harnessed his anger.

Not getting along with City management, could be had for the right price? A great option on the left allowing Nani to play on the right (his favoured position) more often.
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Which would lead to Valencia playing on the right(his favoured position) less often.

Don't really see that as a big step forward.
 
Grunge said:
How about Bellamy? Fast, great work ethic, good goal scorer and seems to have managed or at least harnessed his anger.

Not getting along with City management, could be had for the right price? A great option on the left allowing Nani to play on the right (his favoured position) more often.
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I can't see us forcing Nani to the right and Valencia to the bench simply to accommodate 31 year old Bellamy on the left. Nani and Valencia are the future on their respective wings and we need to continue to develop them there - ideally in interchangeable roles if Valencia can develop his left foot.
 
He has the potential to be the best winger in the league but he still hasn't proven he is consistent enough. Valencia was better than him over the course of the season. I do believe however in Valencia and Nani we have some of the best classic and flair wingers in the league.
 
Premier League

Malouda - 12 goals 8 assists

Nani - 4 goals 3 assists

Personally I'm surprised. I didn't realize that Malouda had doubled his goal tally this season from last. He went from an average winger who disappeared in the big games to a major contributor to Chelsea's success.

If Nani can improve next season like Malouda has done, then he might be in the conversation as the best winger in the Premiership, but not before.

Of course Malouda is 29, and Nani is still only 23. It's all about continuing to get better.
 
No, Nani is not the best in the league, yet. Malouda has been a revelation this season and he is the most outstanding wide player. Im surprised he has become this good all of a sudden. But Nani is definitely on the rise again and his potential can take him to the top.

Ruben said:
We have the best set of wingers in the League anyway.
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We can agree on this
 
Nani's come on fantastically since January and if he carries on in the same vein he will be the winger to watch next season.

At the moment I wouldn't swap him for any other winger anywhere, he's our best "flair player" by far plus he's fast, with skill in abundance and now he's finally putting it all together nicely.

The lad's come of age with a resounding shout. Next season will be his season.
 
Now that Valencia is injured yes, Nani is the best winger in the league.
 
For me Nani is better then Malouda. Malouda had far more to work with and even if his crosses weren't the best, he still had Didier in the box who can finish as good as anyone. Plus, Malouda is left footed and playing on the left which makes him look better than Nani on the left. When Nani is on the right he is a totally different player but he is forced to the left to make way for Valencia because we have no other real cover.

Nani is far more versatile as well, being that he can play wings. Ive watched Malouda play on the right and he is terrible and more 1 footed than Valencia.
 
RedDevil [NC] said:
For me Nani is better then Malouda. Malouda had far more to work with and even if his crosses weren't the best, he still had Didier in the box who can finish as good as anyone. Plus, Malouda is left footed and playing on the left which makes him look better than Nani on the left. When Nani is on the right he is a totally different player but he is forced to the left to make way for Valencia because we have no other real cover.

Nani is far more versatile as well, being that he can play wings. Ive watched Malouda play on the right and he is terrible and more 1 footed than Valencia.
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True, but saying that and judging by the whole season, both players have been more consistent than Nani. Nani totally changed after he was injured and after becoming " Avatar Nani ( It's a funny name from the most popular Thai forum )" from the Le'Arse match everything has been going pretty good for him.

Hope he can keep this sort of form for next season.
 
Nani is the best winger in the country for me. Still young, but he clearly have matured a lot, because he looks more confident and make less mistakes than before. Without the mistakes all the time, his talent can take him as high as he want imo. Could become one of the worlds best players.
 
Malouda probably still shades it, but if Nani can continue his improvement, then the title will be his.
 
Malouda is the better player at the moment, but at the moment I wouldn't swap Nani for him. They were as good as each other from February and on but Malouda edges it on consistency. If he keeps up his late season form Nani will eclipse Malouda and another factor is that he is younger.
 
Raoul said:
I can't see us forcing Nani to the right and Valencia to the bench simply to accommodate 31 year old Bellamy on the left. Nani and Valencia are the future on their respective wings and we need to continue to develop them there - ideally in interchangeable roles if Valencia can develop his left foot.
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Nani only really stepped up his game (imho) around the time Valencia had to miss a couple of games through injury this season and Nani got his chance to play on his (preferred) right side. If he hadn't got sent off against Villa (would love to have those 2 points back) he might have finished the season there and Valencia's chances to start would have been reduced.

Nani would be 1st choice right winger for every week assuming we had a someone like Belamy on the left. And yes, being able to rotate Valencia in and out would strengthen the team. Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of Valencia but given a choice, I'd start Nani before him.

To Belamy's defence, he's a) experienced, b) still faster than almost every RB in the league as well as most fowards half his age, tenacious (hard), has a great shot, a desire to win (much admired by SAF) and at 31 might be "good value" (relatively "cheap") and willing to play on multi-1yr contracts like most players over 30 should be willing to do.
 
Grunge said:
Nani only really stepped up his game (imho) around the time Valencia had to miss a couple of games through injury this season and Nani got his chance to play on his (preferred) right side. If he hadn't got sent off against Villa (would love to have those 2 points back) he might have finished the season there and Valencia's chances to start would have been reduced.

Nani would be 1st choice right winger for every week assuming we had a someone like Belamy on the left. And yes, being able to rotate Valencia in and out would strengthen the team. Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of Valencia but given a choice, I'd start Nani before him.

To Belamy's defence, he's a) experienced, b) still faster than almost every RB in the league as well as most fowards half his age, tenacious (hard), has a great shot, a desire to win (much admired by SAF) and at 31 might be "good value" (relatively "cheap") and willing to play on multi-1yr contracts like most players over 30 should be willing to do.
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I agree with this.
 
Grunge said:
Nani only really stepped up his game (imho) around the time Valencia had to miss a couple of games through injury this season and Nani got his chance to play on his (preferred) right side. If he hadn't got sent off against Villa (would love to have those 2 points back) he might have finished the season there and Valencia's chances to start would have been reduced.

Nani would be 1st choice right winger for every week assuming we had a someone like Belamy on the left. And yes, being able to rotate Valencia in and out would strengthen the team. Don't get me wrong I'm a big fan of Valencia but given a choice, I'd start Nani before him.

To Belamy's defence, he's a) experienced, b) still faster than almost every RB in the league as well as most fowards half his age, tenacious (hard), has a great shot, a desire to win (much admired by SAF) and at 31 might be "good value" (relatively "cheap") and willing to play on multi-1yr contracts like most players over 30 should be willing to do.
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I'm not sure i see in Bellamy, the value of disrupting the rhythm Nani and Valencia have established this year. Sending one of them to the bench would be quite wasteful imo. I also have high expectations for Gabriel Obertan, who i think is going to be a fantastic player who can provide wing cover.
 
I would say Malouda this season. Malouda reminds me of Valencia with his pace and strong running, though Valencia tends to stay closer to the touchline while Malouda gets in the box and is more of a goal threat.

Having said that I wouldn't swap Nani. He is capable of doing something special in any game and providing a match winning moment. Him and Valencia are a good combination to have. Valencia is a consistent threat, durable, strong and will work his full back hard for the entire match. Nani on the other hand is less consistent in what he does with the ball but has alot of flair and can be the deciding factor in a game.

If possible, it would be nice to add another wide player capable of playing on the left, preferably left footed, to pose the same consistent threat Valencia does on the right. This would allow us to rotate, giving Nani games on both wings without weakening the side.

Not a massive priority though
 
If he continues his club form, Nani could be one of the World Cup's stars, and Ferdinand believes the sky is the limit for the 23-year-old. “Nani’s got the potential to do what he wants,” he adds. “He’s one of the sharpest players around, has a great strike with both feet - he’s got the potential to be a top, top player. If he continues the way he’s going he’ll be a great weapon for next season.”

Nani's knuckled down - Manchester United Official Web Site
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Seems Rio's impressed with Nani.
 
Laphroaig said:
That's nonsense.
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No it's not. His signature runs down the line were getting more and more predictable to where defenders knew exactly what was going to happen next and were positioning themselves accordingly. Something to work on for next year.
 
Valencia was more than one trick, but yes his lack of a left foot makes him very predictable
 
Alex said:
Valencia was more than one trick, but yes his lack of a left foot makes him very predictable
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He's shown that he's got the agility and pace to cut inside and run at defenders. Hopefully we'll see more of that next year, as well as more shots on goal.
 
So what if Valenica's main trick was predictable? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. He has enough raw power to pull it off most times anyway, and mixes it up often enough by cutting inside as well.
 
Im Amazed just how underrated Valencia is on here by some especially after the season hes just given us.....hes been outstanding this season and when you consider it was his debut year with us its remarkable how well hes done, hes easily been one of our top 3 performers this year hes been that consistent along with Rooney and Evra to downplay how good hes been is criminal.......down that right hand side his pace and power to get past full backs was unmatched and added to that his delivery from wide was consistently excellent, just how many of Rooneys goals especially the headers came via Valencia crosses? Hes a far more consistent crosser than Nani or anyone else in our squad for that matter.

Nani is just fine on the left, his best performance in my opinion was against Bayern Munich at OT in the second leg where he bagged 2 goals and ran them ragged, playing, from the left....with Valencia on the right setting up both his goals interestingly enough.

We have 2 of the very best wingers in Europe, why on earth people say we should consider dropping one i dont know, we should be thrilled and consider ourselves extremely fortunate to be in such a position, instead of nitpicking where one may or may not play better, id much rather have Nani and Valencia in tandem than have only 1 on the pitch, they are a devastating wing duo and one we are lucky to have.
 
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