Luis Nani | 2010/11 Performances

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The respect opposition players are showing him tells its own story. Alot of the improvements im seeing are very much on the bread and butter side of the game but thats been the most frustrating aspect with Nani thus far imo.
 
Another assist yesterday as well, what does that take his tally to?

Edit - The stupid tally which is high up in double figures, both goals and assists.
 
Did well on the left but I felt his danger was clearly restricted there. He's not a player I personally want to be spending his time mainly passing the ball into Evra, putting him into dangerous positions and then putting in a poor ball.

I want Nani getting forward, delivering the ball into the box or shooting.
 
I don't know Ekeke, the majority of our good attacking play in the first half came from those two and the inter-play between them, they were running Chelsea ragged. Evra just needs to either cut it back when he gets to the byline or give it to Nani to deliver in.

Their partnership reminded me of how awesome Ronaldo and Evra were. Chelsea were at a complete loss on how to deal with them.
 
Hectic said:
I don't know Ekeke, the majority of our good attacking play in the first half came from those two and the inter-play between them, they were running Chelsea ragged. Evra just needs to either cut it back when he gets to the byline or give it to Nani to deliver in.

Their partnership reminded me of how awesome Ronaldo and Evra were. Chelsea were at a complete loss on how to deal with them.
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Oh I know, they played well as I said. But could we not have someone else playing one twos and putting Evra through, only to hit the first man or put it nowhere near a player?

Could we perhaps have Nani on the other side, putting in the delivery Evra cant and to some extent, making up for Evra's delivery?

I mean, thats what I like about having Giggs on the left. He can no doubt do any of the passing Nani managed and he can put a good ball into the box.

And we can have Nani on the right where he can play his more direct game thats harder to defend against

However, I do feel that moving him to the left recently is to pave the way for Valencia's return on the right
 
Ekeke said:
Oh I know, they played well as I said. But could we not have someone else playing one twos and putting Evra through, only to hit the first man or put it nowhere near a player?

Could we perhaps have Nani on the other side, putting in the delivery Evra cant and to some extent, making up for Evra's delivery?

I mean, thats what I like about having Giggs on the left. He can no doubt do any of the passing Nani managed and he can put a good ball into the box.

And we can have Nani on the right where he can play his more direct game thats harder to defend against

However, I do feel that moving him to the left recently is to pave the way for Valencia's return on the right
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That's what I was saying, Evra is fantastic at getting behind defences and gets a bit flustered when putting his cross in. He should either cut it back to the edge of the box as we usually have players covering there, or play it back into Nani for the cross, who will have more space after his run.

If we have Nani on the right, the same thing will happen anyway, Evra will still take it down the left, to the byline and put his crosses in. I think you're right though, we will be seeing Valencia back soon in his natural position, so it might be a sense of getting Nani back to how he was on the left.

I see what you mean with Giggs, but even he still plays Evra though, because he always makes the runs in behind. I don't think it matters too much who you put on the left, Evra will still be crossing in as he's often our most advanced player after the one-two's on that side. He just needs to either learn how to cross better, or play it back to someone.
 
Yeah, he was 'effective' on the left, but why settle for effective on the left when he can be world class on the right? Rooney is effective on the left, but there is always uproar when he is played there. Nani's game just seems blunted on the left, he's still very good but it's not instinctual. His off the ball movement and running wasn't nearly as troublesome for the Chelsea defence as it would have been if he played on the right- I remember a period around the 25th minute when Fletch had made a very good run through the centre of the park and Ivanovic had gone missing. If Nani had burst forward he had the entire left side of the pitch to himself, but he was static. I don't really remember him trying to take on the fullback very often- only when he had been pushed up against the touchline and had to link up with Evra, but taking on a fullback at pace and skinning them is an entirely different thing to jinking past them with a bit of skill from a stand still. Also did he even have a shot all night?

He's good on the left, but I would rather have him be brilliant on the right to be honest.
 
Hectic said:
That's what I was saying, Evra is fantastic at getting behind defences and gets a bit flustered when putting his cross in. He should either cut it back to the edge of the box as we usually have players covering there, or play it back into Nani for the cross, who will have more space after his run.

If we have Nani on the right, the same thing will happen anyway, Evra will still take it down the left, to the byline and put his crosses in. I think you're right though, we will be seeing Valencia back soon in his natural position, so it might be a sense of getting Nani back to how he was on the left.

I see what you mean with Giggs, but even he still plays Evra though, because he always makes the runs in behind. I don't think it matters too much who you put on the left, Evra will still be crossing in as he's often our most advanced player after the one-two's on that side. He just needs to either learn how to cross better, or play it back to someone.
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Yeah but I think we'll miss Giggs crossing a lot less than Nani's crossing. This is what I mean, just have someone, anyone, on the left doing the job of getting Evra in behind and leave Nani on the right where he does the most damage individually.

And that goes for this summer too, if we do get another winger I'd like it to be someone to play on the left who will be comfortable playing Evra through as we do, leaving Nani to play on the right.

But I've always maintained that once Valencia comes back he'll be picked on the right and Nani on the left as it had usually been in the past. I just think thats Sir Alex's prefered setup
 
SmashedHombre said:
Yeah, he was 'effective' on the left, but why settle for effective on the left when he can be world class on the right? Rooney is effective on the left, but there is always uproar when he is played there. Nani's game just seems blunted on the left, he's still very good but it's not instinctual. His off the ball movement and running wasn't nearly as troublesome for the Chelsea defence as it would have been if he played on the right- I remember a period around the 25th minute when Fletch had made a very good run through the centre of the park and Ivanovic had gone missing. If Nani had burst forward he had the entire left side of the pitch to himself, but he was static. I don't really remember him trying to take on the fullback very often- only when he had been pushed up against the touchline and had to link up with Evra, but taking on a fullback at pace and skinning them is an entirely different thing to jinking past them with a bit of skill from a stand still. Also did he even have a shot all night?

He's good on the left, but I would rather have him be brilliant on the right to be honest.
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This "Left = good" and "Right = brilliant" hypothesis is a gross over-simplification and doesn't really reflect what actually happens on the pitch.

Last night, his biggest challenge was being constantly doubled-up on. Despite this, he caused them problems by linking up really well with Evra, as well as getting in some dangerous crosses of his own (including a peach right onto Rooney's head - well, shoulder)

There's been plenty of occasions this season when he's started on the right and really struggled to cope with being doubled up on. Most recently against Marseille, where he really contributed very little in the final third despite their left-back being slow, Argentinian and a twat.

In both of his last two games he's been heavily involved in all our best attacking play and looked like developing a really good understanding with Evra. Bearing in mind we've got a craking right winger just about to come back into our team, I don't see why we shouldn't persist with Nani on the left. He certainly looks no less comfortable there than he does on the right. Two assists, in the last two games and could easily have been on the score-sheet himself.
 
Red Defence said:
One blocked shot only, according to the stats. Most unusual for Nani that.
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:mad:
 
Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber said:
I was kinda disappointed we switched him back to the right in the end. I thought he was doing a number on Ivanovic.
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To begin with, he was getting a lot of joy out of Ivanovic. Who should have been booked in the first half after a few fouls.. After that incident where they squared up to each other in the corner though - he got nothing. I think it would have been a different story in the second half though had Ivanovic been booked.
 
Manchester United Official Web Site

You’ve scored and created a lot of goals this season. Are you pleased with your form?
I’m really happy but it’s what I do from now until the end of the season that really counts. Everything I do now has the potential to be very important, to play a big role in helping us to hopefully win the league. I want to give my best and keep performing. I feel great that, so far this season, I’ve been able to help my team a lot but that won’t mean anything if we’re not successful. Some people are saying I’m one of the most important players in the team, somebody who can provide a bit of magic, but I still think I can improve certain aspects of my game and I’d like to score more goals and create more chances.

What’s better: scoring or assisting?
When I help my team-mates score I feel just the same as when I score myself. The main thing is that we win and lift trophies at the end of the season. I don’t care who scores or sets the goals up.

You’ve scored 10 this term – eight with your left foot. That’s phenomenal for a right-footer…
When I was very young I used to go to the local square where we played football and practice alone. Sometimes I’d spend all afternoon there on my own, practicing with my right foot and then with my left foot. I’d practice curling the ball, hitting it hard… I always wanted to improve. And now, when I hear statistics like that, I feel very proud because I know that all my hard work has paid off.

Mostly you’ve played on the right wing in Antonio Valencia's absence. Is that your preferred position?
To tell you the truth, it’s no easier for me on the right than it is on the left. When I play on the left everybody expects me to cut inside onto my right foot. Because they expect me to do that it means that sometimes I can surprise them and go on the outside and use my left foot to cross. It doesn’t matter to me which side I play on because I’m confident of beating my opponent on either side and I can cross and shoot with both feet.

So you’re not worried that if Valencia regains fitness soon you might find yourself back on the left?
No, not at all. Antonio’s return will be fantastic for the team because at this stage of the season we need all our big players fit. Also, he will be another option going forward. In recent months, I’ve often been the only wide player in the team so a lot of our play ends up going through me and I create a lot of chances for the team. Sometimes that’s difficult: some days not everything works for me and on other days the opposition might double up on me. The more players we have that can produce a little bit of skill or a great cross for the strikers, the better that is for the team. Antonio adds another wide option.

Another winger, Ji-sung Park, is also nearing fitness. He’s not played since December…
Ji was very unlucky to get injured after he came back from the Asian Cup. We really need him back in the team because he’s an important player for us. He gives us another attacking option and I think we missed him in the side. Also, the more players who are fit the better the team plays because those who are in the starting XI know that there is somebody else right behind you waiting to take your place. In those situations you know that in order to play more often you have to do more on the pitch. That’s good for the team.

Our attack often gets the headlines, but how important has the defence been?
Our defenders have been fantastic and that makes everybody else confident. It helps the attackers relax and play with freedom when we know we're unlikely to concede. The defenders help in more ways than just defending.

So, how many trophies will United win this season?
All of them, I hope! I think we’re in a good position in the Premier League and we’ll do our best to win the Champions League and FA Cup as well.

You’ve already won the league twice with United. Do you really have the same desire to win it again?
Of course. We want to win the league every season. You don’t get tired of winning trophies. Last season, when I went on my holidays, the first week I couldn’t stop thinking about how we lost out in the league to Chelsea. Thankfully there was the World Cup soon afterwards so I had something else to look forward to. This year, there’s no World Cup, so I know it could be a very long summer. I don’t want that to happen. I want to be on holiday with a big smile because I’ve won at least one trophy.

And finally, what everybody wants to know is how you manage to wear your socks back to front?
[laughs] Ha! I’ll be honest with you: the first time it happened was an accident. It was a new kit and I didn’t know which way I was meant to put them on. I realised I had got it wrong when I saw everybody else had the Nike tick facing the front. But then when it came to the next game, I thought: ‘No, I might wear mine like this again’. Since then it’s become something of a superstition.
 
Really good interview, to be fair. You've obviously got your standard generic bollocks by both interviewer and player as usual, but it's still good.

Interesting to hear his views on Valencia's return. Makes you realise how much he's been missed at times.
 
Good interview.

He's become such an important player for us and I think he's happy take the responsibility. Reading about how hard he's worked on his weaker foot is enough to inspire any young player. It really does make such a difference to your game.
 
Best attacker in the league.

And a very good interview as well. Great point about the benefits of Valencia coming back. Pretty much everything has been going through Nani and while it's so difficult to stop him, it will give us so much more potency to have multiple threats from wide positions.

Also, I think he looks a better big game player than Ronaldo IMO. He is a better dribbler than post 2007 Ronaldo and seems harder to mark out of games because of that. Barring that goal in the CL I don't remember ever troubling Chelsea the way he did the other day. Add to that the habit he has of making Arsenal look a bit useless.
 
He is actually impossible to defend. The only player that can stop him is himself and his selfishness and poor decision making. Luckily his decision making has improved a great deal.

We need a player like this though. Rooney and Berbatov are guilty of not shoooting enough. Carrick doesn't shoot enough too. Anderson can't shoot. Scholes plays too deep.

Imagine having to defend a player who is fast as hell, tricky as feck, and can use both feet to shoot;pass;and dribble with. feck me.

And I'm not concerned about Nani's form on the left when Valencia get's back. If you think Nani can cut in and shoot well from the right side, he is even better at doing it on the left side. See his goals against Spurs and M'boro in his first season.
 
Thats a very clever statement there; the only person that can stop him is himself. He still has a slight tendency to do that extra step over when he could just cross the ball.
 
MacMUFC said:
Thats a very clever statement there; the only person that can stop him is himself. He still has a slight tendency to do that extra step over when he could just cross the ball.
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I agree but the stock reply is:

'feck off, you know nothing about football, he's a great player.'

It seems unless you're ridiculously negative about a player or overtly sycophantic, your opinion counts for nothing.
 
RedDevilCanuck said:
He is actually impossible to defend. The only player that can stop him is himself and his selfishness and poor decision making. Luckily his decision making has improved a great deal.

We need a player like this though. Rooney and Berbatov are guilty of not shoooting enough. Carrick doesn't shoot enough too. Anderson can't shoot. Scholes plays too deep.

Imagine having to defend a player who is fast as hell, tricky as feck, and can use both feet to shoot;pass;and dribble with. feck me.

And I'm not concerned about Nani's form on the left when Valencia get's back. If you think Nani can cut in and shoot well from the right side, he is even better at doing it on the left side. See his goals against Spurs and M'boro in his first season.
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Even better from the left side? He's scored most goals with his left this season, 8 I think it was, and he's been playing on the right the whole season.

I'd rather have him on the right. You saw how centrally Valencia played in the second half. It was like they both had a free role. Didn't work half badly. But I'd want Nani on the right. He's our most dangerous player and therefor we should keep him where he is at his best. His assist/goal ratio speaks for itself. We don't do much without him.
 
I think sometimes him being impossible to defend can explain why, from the perspective of a team mate of his, he is impossible sometimes to play with. Trying to anticipate what he's going to do with the ball or where it's going to come from is sometimes a bit like picking a card out of a well-shuffled deck and hoping it to be the ace of spades every time.

Complete unpredictability isn't always necessarily a positive thing, especially if it's you're primary objective to deliver.
 
Both wingers looked better when they switched sides today, nice that they can both due that, it was nice how Nani forced a great shot with his left foot and then came right back with his right and it led to the goal
 
Aaron said:
I think sometimes him being impossible to defend can explain why, from the perspective of a team mate of his, he is impossible sometimes to play with. Trying to anticipate what he's going to do with the ball or where it's going to come from is sometimes a bit like picking a card out of a well-shuffled deck and hoping it to be the ace of spades every time.

Complete unpredictability isn't always necessarily a positive thing, especially if it's you're primary objective to deliver.
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That analogy falls flat on it's arse when you tot up his assists this season

Either that or his team-mates should get down the casinos, pronto.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
That analogy falls flat on it's arse when you tot up his assists this season

Either that or his team-mates should get down the casinos, pronto.
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I agree, the only thing annoying about playing with Nani si that at times he can be extremely selfish
 
Aaron said:
I think sometimes him being impossible to defend can explain why, from the perspective of a team mate of his, he is impossible sometimes to play with. Trying to anticipate what he's going to do with the ball or where it's going to come from is sometimes a bit like picking a card out of a well-shuffled deck and hoping it to be the ace of spades every time.

Complete unpredictability isn't always necessarily a positive thing, especially if it's you're primary objective to deliver.
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So which team mate of his has this perspective then?
 
To me, for about five minutes before and of course the goal, it was as if he said "I'm going to win this game"

I thought the whole team's character was brilliant, but to me watching it was as if he said he wasn't going to let the points drop and was going to do what it took to win the game
 
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