Agreed.
One of his other greatest games for United was vs. Bayern at home, also on the left.
Luis Nani | 2011/12 Performances
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Agreed.
One of his other greatest games for United was vs. Bayern at home, also on the left.
Yeah, they'd be my top two.
The one counter-example would be the game against Arsenal where he got his shit together after a long time out of favour. That would be the third in his top three.
This season, though, he's definitely looked better on the left than the right. Not really sure why but there you go.
That would definitely help, Kinky. For someone who has such great "tekkers", he damn well puts in some poor poor crosses, which is frustrating.
Last season was his best season and he was almost always on the right.
Anyway, it's a pointless debate, and to be fair I probably shouldn't have brought it up.
Anyway, it's a pointless debate, and to be fair I probably shouldn't have brought it up.
He also puts in some utterly amazing crosses that arguably Giggsy can't even put in.
I agree Giggs and Valencia are probably more accurate with standard crosses but some of the ones Nani puts in are unreal at times. I think it's the only slightly inconsistent part of his game now.
For a right footed player, playing on the right, it is more natural to stayby the byline, try to beat your man and put in a cross.
A right footed player playing on the left, it is more natural to cut inside and try to create space, an opening, make a through ball or give it off to a fullback on the overlap.
It's natural Nani would be getting better playing at the left, it's playing to his strengths since he cant cross a ball.
This is my reading on this anyway, I used to play left midfield as well for just this reason.
A right footed player playing on the left, it is more natural to cut inside and try to create space, an opening, make a through ball or give it off to a fullback on the overlap.
It's natural Nani would be getting better playing at the left, it's playing to his strengths since he cant cross a ball.
This is my reading on this anyway, I used to play left midfield as well for just this reason.
Cina: Giggs has always been a bit dodgy with crossing - I remember a long time back Fergie saying something about his "very narrow foot" - having said that, he occasionally puts some feckin crackers over. As Valencia would've no doubt acknowledged the other day.
Nani can't cross a ball? What a lot of rubbish.
How'd you figure that one out?
A new low.Sometimes a slightly exaggerated phrase / poor choice of words can get you into a lot of trouble around here and detract from what is a valid point of view.
Replace the words "he cant cross a ball" with "crossing is not his greatest strength" and that seems reasonable enough to me.
Not saying I necessarily agree or disagree but its a fair enough point.
Replace the words "he cant cross a ball" with "crossing is not his greatest strength" and that seems reasonable enough to me.
Not saying I necessarily agree or disagree but its a fair enough point.
Can't cross a ball?
Why are some of you on here so unfathomably retarded? fecks sake.
Anyway if he's broken his metatarsal it's a big blow, needed him in this run of games coming up. the price he pays for outpacing Koscielney, weird huh.
Why are some of you on here so unfathomably retarded? fecks sake.
Anyway if he's broken his metatarsal it's a big blow, needed him in this run of games coming up. the price he pays for outpacing Koscielney, weird huh.
How the feck is it a fair point?
You're basically saying that if he completely changed his statement around that it would be a valid point then.
"he cant cross a ball" and "crossing is not his greatest strength" have nothing in common apart from the fact that they involve crossing.
You're basically saying that if he completely changed his statement around that it would be a valid point then.
"he cant cross a ball" and "crossing is not his greatest strength" have nothing in common apart from the fact that they involve crossing.
I'd disagree with that, too. He's inconsistent with his crossing, but every match he'll invariably put in three or four (or more) great balls. And when he gets it right, my god does he get it right. Other than Beckham, we haven't had anyone since I started watching who can cross as well as Nani does. The only problem is that for every awesome cross he puts in, he'll hit the first man three or four times.
Something that I think seems to go unnoticed with some when is comes to Nani is just how good his interplay has become and how integral he has become to our attacking play he is. See the short example below.
A far cry from the man "without a football brain" that used to be talked about around here.
A far cry from the man "without a football brain" that used to be talked about around here.
OK if he meant crossing is not his greatest strength then I think it is a fair point.
If he meant he cant cross a ball then I think he is overstating his case.
I suspect he doesnt mean he cant cross a ball, because clearly he can. Mind you, maybe I should let him clarify his own comments.
I see a similarity between this situation and a comment I made a week or so ago, when, in a post that must have been 200 or more words long, a had about 20 responses calling me a muppet for describing Nani is "decent". Which was a poor choice of word.
If he meant he cant cross a ball then I think he is overstating his case.
I suspect he doesnt mean he cant cross a ball, because clearly he can. Mind you, maybe I should let him clarify his own comments.
I see a similarity between this situation and a comment I made a week or so ago, when, in a post that must have been 200 or more words long, a had about 20 responses calling me a muppet for describing Nani is "decent". Which was a poor choice of word.
A lot of people on here (me included) used to question Ronaldo's football brain when he was young. It all comes back to the point that has been made before that wingers do tend to get better with age (maturity), up until that point when they lose their pace, anyway.
maybe because he played on the right most of the time this season. just a thought.
I think that's the point being made. For every 4 or 5 opportunities to put a cross into the box, he's hit maybe 1 or 2 good ones. Of course, one of those will probably be really really really good but he'd probably get more assists if his average cross was a bit better.
Look at Valencia, I don't think he has the ability to hit a cross as well as one of Nani's very best efforts. What he does do, though, is get the ball in early and get the ball in accurately and he does this consistently. I'm sure our strikers would prefer that kind of consistency, which is why you hardly ever see Rooney losing the rag with Valencia. There's a bit of a trend on here to moan about Rooney and Berbatov repeatedly taking a pop at Nani during games but I think people need to appreciate why they get so irritated.
I'm not sure even now that Ronaldo's football brain is his best feature, tbh.
Not that that has anything to do with Nani's development, mind.
I get the impression Rooney LOVES playing with Valencia. It must be a dream for a player like him. You just know what is coming and you know where you need to be and goals will come.
Someone said it earlier and it made me nod furiously: simplicity is underrated at times. It is true that Nani has more talent and is more likely to be a match winner in a tight game where we are struggling to open a team up. But I love Valencia's style.
Someone said it earlier and it made me nod furiously: simplicity is underrated at times. It is true that Nani has more talent and is more likely to be a match winner in a tight game where we are struggling to open a team up. But I love Valencia's style.
Nah, I think it's more than a poor choice of words it's just a simple lack of appreciation for a really impressive side of his game IMO. That cross at 0:57 v Villa and the absolute peach he put in against Benfica earlier this year are surely up there with some of the best crosses we've seen since Beckham left. This cross at 8:20 isn't half bad either.
Valencia can take an age to get the ball into the box too mind, I've seen him do that plenty of times. Nani is unpredictable, he'll take his man on then get the ball into the box so theres a difference in styles. I can understand why players can get frustrated but you wouldn't want to take out Nani's best attributes just so he can be one dimensional and cross a ball into the box quickly. I can recall times where he's hit in beauties and the strikers have wasted them. It works both ways.
I'm sorry, Pogue but from everything I have read, you seem to have something that is blocking your 20-20 when it comes to Nani. The guy is probably the best with the ball at his feet at the club. He can dribble, has a fair bit of pace, can cross very well, can hold the ball under pressure and produces some great goals. He can also leave defenders on their asses which is a great joy to watch.
He is, like other footballers, prone to losing form too. But he is quite consistent and if you look at his stats over the past year, it'll show you so. He can also be helpless if the team is having a stinker as he is less of a one man army as say Rooney or a Ronaldo.
It seems like the problem which people have with him is that he isn't some sort of a demi god superstar like Ronaldo given his ability, which is unfair.
The only downside to his play which I can say bothers me a bit is his style of holding the ball a bit longer than necessary or fannying around as you'd call it. But its the way he plays and he does use his pace ending in a direct cross once every while too.
I think he is probably up there with the best wingers in the world.
He is, like other footballers, prone to losing form too. But he is quite consistent and if you look at his stats over the past year, it'll show you so. He can also be helpless if the team is having a stinker as he is less of a one man army as say Rooney or a Ronaldo.
It seems like the problem which people have with him is that he isn't some sort of a demi god superstar like Ronaldo given his ability, which is unfair.
The only downside to his play which I can say bothers me a bit is his style of holding the ball a bit longer than necessary or fannying around as you'd call it. But its the way he plays and he does use his pace ending in a direct cross once every while too.
I think he is probably up there with the best wingers in the world.
Why would you assume he meant that. I think saying "he can't cross a bit" is pretty self explanatory.
it's not like he's been short on assists the last 2 years, if you're saying that every time he crossed the ball it'd be a brilliant cross (something no winger can do) then he'd have an insane amount of assists.
That's been obvious for a long time tbf. I think even Pogue himself would admit it.
He struggled to appreciate Ronaldo too in all fairness.
On the topic of Nani's best games this season, the Chelsea one has to be up there where he scored the screamer and hit the bar.
That's not what I'm saying at all.
At least Brwned has the balls to admit he's not a big fan of the lad, unlike Simon, for example.
Yes. He was excellent in that game.
He's our most creative player after Giggs, and look how many times he gives the ball away during a game.
I get what you're saying, he needs to be more consistent with his crossing, like Valencia, but have you considered that may limit his brilliant crosses if he just went for the safer ones instead?
Different wingers have different styles, Valencia and Nani are very prime examples of it, both lethal in their very own way.
I thought I said.
Because he clearly can cross a ball. All the people who have posted links to all his various crosses, good and bad, attest to that. I am assuming this guy has watched at least a handful of games in which Nani has featured, and has in fact seen him cross.
You think those two statements are completely unrelated. I think they are related. I think one is a more extreme version of the other. One is what you would say if you were getting a bit carried away, being flippant with your choice of words. Maybe you are not prone to exaggerating or overstating a point, ever. Its something I do from time to time so I allow for it in others.
If you tone that statement down a little - accept he can cross but maybe doesnt do it as well as some of the other things he does - then the logic of his argument stands up: He isnt as great at crossing as he is at dribbling. Right footed players playing on the left often cut in and dribble rather than cross. So Nani plays better on the left. That was the essence of his argument, was it not? Sounds like a reasonable theory.
On the other hand, if you would like to be very literal minded and dismiss everything that someone says on the basis of one small part of it that is wrong then that is fine too. There is nothing wrong with it, you are, after all, just taking what he said at face value.
Jesus, it's not a difficult concept. He said Nani can't cross, what does that imply? How is that in any way actually suggesting anything other than that at all? You're basically making up a different set of words and statements to suggest that he didn't actually mean that at all. I don't see how you can in any way argue it, it was a fecking idiotic statement to the extreme and he CLEARLY meant it.
it's like me going back to some of your posts where you critiscise aspects of Nani's game (quite a lot), wording it in a different, unrelated way and going "nah, that's not what he means at all, he's actually being really positive here, we're all just misinterpreting what he said".
I did not dismiss the rest of the post by the way, I highlighted the utter stupidity of that particular statement, nowt wrong with that is there? Shall I just ignore it?
it's like me going back to some of your posts where you critiscise aspects of Nani's game (quite a lot), wording it in a different, unrelated way and going "nah, that's not what he means at all, he's actually being really positive here, we're all just misinterpreting what he said".
I did not dismiss the rest of the post by the way, I highlighted the utter stupidity of that particular statement, nowt wrong with that is there? Shall I just ignore it?
Well, that's because he gambles. Valencia always goes for the safe option, Nani gambles.
Oi, Scholes is back now, so that's not true 
So anyway. Its a shame that guy got it so wrong about the crossing thing. I disagree with him, Nani can cross. Still, it isnt the best part of his game is it? So maybe the reason he has played better on the left this season is he does a bit less crossing from the byline and a bit more cutting inside and running at defenders.
I actually dont even know if the stats bear that out but it sounds reasonable to me.
it's not the best part of his game because he's so good at dribbling and shooting. Other wingers would be very happy to have crossing like he does.
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