Luis Nani | 2011/12 Performances

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he plays on the left...he plays on the right

give him that contract or we'll say goodnight

i think Nani has developed his play and where he used to be more productive on the right a few years ago for the last 18 months he has looked as good on either flank

fantastic player
 
Cina said:
I'll stop you there, seeing as he lost form through getting a bad injury from Carragher, it had nothing to do with playing left or right.
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I disagree. Initially he was rushed back and he looked a bit lacking, but the injury came and went; I don't believe it was something so severe and long lasting that it explains why he failed to impress on the so many occasions he was given a chance after he recovered. He even played very well against Chelsea away in the champions league in one of his starts on the left, although he didn't produce anything. He just has issues being effective and consistent on the left for a long period of time.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Nah, you've got that completely wrong.

Last season Nani played almost all of his best football on the left (hence the stats above) and only very rarely played well on the right. Complete reversal from what many were saying the previous season.
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That's a gross exaggeration. But I agree with the gist of your point: Some of his best games from last season - and throughout his time at United in general - came the left after the Basel away match. But it was like 3 games or something and after that, while he kept playing well, he produced nothing (or next to nothing), and his delivery became incredibly inconsistent and frustrating - that has been a typical pattern with Nani every time he moves to the left for a sustained period of time. Check for yourself, his effectiveness on the left lasted 3 or 4 games last season. On the right, however, we have seen him go 3/4 of a season carrying our attack. Its his most effective position, and that's why he plays there for Portugal.
 
buckooo1978 said:
he plays on the left...he plays on the right

give him that contract or we'll say goodnight

i think Nani has developed his play and where he used to be more productive on the right a few years ago for the last 18 months he has looked as good on either flank

fantastic player
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Thats the problem, people dont move on from their old views and opinions. Hence all these myths when Nani clearly showed he is brilliant on either side. Again, one of our best attacking players over the last 18 montnhs - if not the best
 
Cina said:
It's not remotely spot on. It's way, way off.
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I don't think anyone disagree at this point Nani is just plain good wherever he plays.

But surely anyone can see e100s point about Nani's crossing from the right being an option he doesn't have when playing on the left.

And that whole period when he came good while playing on the right was a hugely important stage of his development where he learned to stop trying for perfection and to play percentages.
 
hungrywing said:
I don't think anyone disagree at this point Nani is just plain good wherever he plays.

But surely anyone can see e100s point about Nani's crossing from the right being an option he doesn't have when playing on the left.

And that whole period when he came good while playing on the right was a hugely important stage of his development where he learned to stop trying for perfection and to play percentages.
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You mean like any other player in the world?
 
EB100 said:
I disagree. Initially he was rushed back and he looked a bit lacking, but the injury came and went; I don't believe it was something so severe and long lasting that it explains why he failed to impress on the so many occasions he was given a chance after he recovered. He even played very well against Chelsea away in the champions league in one of his starts on the left, although he didn't produce anything. He just has issues being effective and consistent on the left for a long period of time.
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Nah, that's really not true, people have already figures above disproving that.
 
Cina said:
Nah, that's really not true, people have already figures above disproving that.
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It is. If you look at the big picture - and not the small one - of him on the right vs him on the left ever since he came good, its pretty clear. Nani the effective assist king plays on the right and that's why its his primary position for Portugal.
 
He plays on the right for Portugal because Ronaldo plays on the left, and even then he pretty much has a free role for them at times.

I've seen your logic in other threads, this debate is probably pointless.

hungrywing said:
Really?

Thought it was obvious it was referring to the extremely high quality of those crosses. My mistake, perhaps.
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You can't just say playing on the right suits his crossing better therefore he's better on the right, seeing as he still pings in loads of good crosses from the left, and it suits his shooting style and dribbling inside more, as well as his link up play.

Inconsistency and being better on the right are 2 myths that I fear will never go away with Nani, no matter what.
 
Nani probably scores more from the left and assists more from the right - I don't have the stats, so arrest me if I'm wrong.

I always preferred Nani on the left as he is more "fun" to watch. He offers a bit more creativity there. His crossing with his left foot isn't bad at all - much better than Ahsley Young's. Tbf, I actually think that Young's game would sometimes benefit from playing on the right as every defender knows he cuts inside. Nani is much more unpredictable - and thus is able to put in more crosses, but also find positions in which to shoot from. Superior player in every aspect of the game (bar defending, arguably)
 
EB100 said:
It is. If you look at the big picture - and not the small one - of him on the right vs him on the left ever since he came good, its pretty clear. Nani the effective assist king plays on the right and that's why its his primary position for Portugal.
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What exactly do you mean by that?
 
I'd rather play nani on the right because it enables him to cross using his right without needing to cut in. And I think he's a better crosser of the ball from the right unlike someone like Young who likes to come in from the left, cut in and cross. But it's really pretty irrelevant. He's more and more transforming into an attacking midfielder rather than a winger. Reckon you could play him anywhere across the the forward positions behind the striker and he'd do a similarly good job depending on how he performs on the day.

The evolution of him as a player is key for me. I've noticed this since this season. He seems to like to get involved in short intricate passing a lot more than he used to. Some of his link up play with Welbeck at times (maybe the everton?) was quality. All of this means he's turning into a more completely player who as an attacking player has the whole package in his locker. However still needs to continue working on the consistency of his short passing. It's still a little rough around the edges. Can be sublime but can also misplaced a fair few. Hopefully he can refine that element because its a potentially brilliant package.
 
Cina said:
You mean like any other player in the world?
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Yeah, but surely you understand that at United our wingers are expected to provide good service into the box first and foremost? Surely then you can see why Nani's delivery becomes inconsistent, frustrating and then he loses form when he starts playing on the left for a sustained period? Its not to say he can't play well there at all, its to say there's been a pattern of him losing consistency, effectiveness, and, hence, form on the left over the long run every time he has been moved there.
 
R_Kelly said:
What exactly do you mean by that?
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I mean if you look at his effectiveness on both sides of the pitch in the long run. Because a lot of posters mistake saying Nani is better on the right to mean Nani's best games come on the right and/or he doesn't produce any good games on the left.
 
Cina said:
He plays on the right for Portugal because Ronaldo plays on the left, and even then he pretty much has a free role for them at times.

I've seen your logic in other threads, this debate is probably pointless.



You can't just say playing on the right suits his crossing better therefore he's better on the right, seeing as he still pings in loads of good crosses from the left, and it suits his shooting style and dribbling inside more, as well as his link up play.

Inconsistency and being better on the right are 2 myths that I fear will never go away with Nani, no matter what.
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If that's how you feel, then you shouldn't have engaged me.
 
EB100 said:
I mean if you look at his effectiveness on both sides of the pitch in the long run. Because a lot of posters mistake saying Nani is better on the right to mean Nani's best games come on the right and/or he doesn't produce any good games on the left.
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So you think those of us dismissing the myth are incapable of considering more than one game? The simple fact is that Nani is equally effective playing on either flank, he can create as well as score from both sides as well as from drifting into the middle. He's a wonderfully adaptable attacking player. There's just no underlying truth to the idea that playing him on the left lessens his overall effectiveness.
 
hungrywing said:
I don't think anyone disagree at this point Nani is just plain good wherever he plays.

But surely anyone can see e100s point about Nani's crossing from the right being an option he doesn't have when playing on the left.

And that whole period when he came good while playing on the right was a hugely important stage of his development where he learned to stop trying for perfection and to play percentages.
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I agree, it was an important part of his development. He just went back to basics, concentrated on beating his man and providing a consistent supply of crosses, and he finds that easier on the right wing. The reasons for that are fairly obvious too.

I completely disagree that there's a significant difference between Nani on the right and Nani on the left, though, and it seems that's what most people are contesting. "Nani the effective assist king plays on the right" - if we're to trust WhoScored's positional data, Nani got 6 assists from the right and 6 assists from the left, but he played over twice as many games on the right.
 
R_Kelly said:
So you think those of us dismissing the myth are incapable of considering more than one game? The simple fact is that Nani is equally effective playing on either flank, he can create as well as score from both sides as well as from drifting into the middle. He's a wonderfully adaptable attacking player. There's just no underlying truth to the idea that playing him on the left lessens his overall effectiveness.
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It wasn't a blanket statement meaning everyone... why are you getting all combative? sheesh. And, fine, you can believe your simple fact, you didn't need to restate it... I've made the point that Nani is more consistent and productive on the right and that is borne out by the fact that he was our player of the season carrying our attack over 3/4 of a season while playing there whereas every time he has moved to the left for a sustained period, he's lapsed into inconsistency and ineffectiveness and eventually lost form. Its been a pattern and my explanation is that over many games Nani would produce more playing on the right; maybe he can play more centrally and have a free role, he hasn't done that long enough for me to judge. But, as a left winger, he's not as good as he is on the right over the long run.
 
EB100 said:
It wasn't a blanket statement meaning everyone... why are you getting all combative? sheesh. And, fine, you can believe your simple fact, you didn't need to restate it... I've made the point that Nani is more consistent and productive on the right and that is borne out by the fact that he was our player of the season carrying our attack over 3/4 of a season while playing there whereas every time he has moved to the left for a sustained period, he's lapsed into inconsistency and ineffectiveness and eventually lost form. Its been a pattern and my explanation is that over many games Nani would produce more playing on the right; maybe he can play more centrally and have a free role, he hasn't done that long enough for me to judge. But, as a left winger, he's not as good as he is on the right over the long run.
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I wasn't being combative at all, I was responding to your assertion that everyone else wasn't looking at the big picture. You seem to like saying that people who disagree with you are just missing something, which is untrue, you are just peddling a myth.

The stats seem to quite categorically disprove the bit in bold, which is what your entire argument is centred around.
 
There is no evidence to suggest that Nani is more inconsistent over the long run on the left than on the right - so that would be the myth talking. In fact, he seems just as consistent/inconsistent on both sides, but his very best matches tend to come from the left!
 
The evidence of my eyes tells me he was much more productive on the right than the left, but I don't have any stats for you, I wouldn't know where to find any that tell you if a player scored or assisted from the left or right.
 
Nani was comfortably Portugal's best player again today
 
charlenefan said:
Nani was comfortably Portugal's best player again today
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Aye, it was him who looked their main man. Fantastic delivery all day long. Still prone to some dumbfounding passes or simple mistakes, but when he's on, he's almost unstoppable.
 
I think he is more consistent in his overally play when playing on the right, but more of a threat when playing on the left. It's really hard to decide what position is the best for him. One is for sure, when he is on form, he is unstopable on both sides.

Againt Germany, in last ten minutes Bento played him in the hole, and he was great there too.

Tomuś said:
Aye, it was him who looked their main man. Fantastic delivery all day long. Still prone to some dumbfounding passes or simple mistakes, but when he's on, he's almost unstoppable.
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Most of these came after Postiga's Chicharito esque first touch. Whenever he combined with Portuguese midfielders it looked dangerous, but whenver he combined with Postiga he didn't complete his pass.
 
Tomuś said:
Aye, it was him who looked their main man. Fantastic delivery all day long. Still prone to some dumbfounding passes or simple mistakes, but when he's on, he's almost unstoppable.
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The problem Nani has with the National team is understandably they all look up and give the ball to Ronaldo, if they ignore him and gave it to Nani they'd be a lot more threatening, not just because Ronaldo would then be on the end of Nani's attacking play but for the simple fact Cristiano just doesn't replicate his club form for Portugal and hasn't done since Euro 2004 (when he was still a nipper and was no pressure on him)
 
R_Kelly said:
I wasn't being combative at all, I was responding to your assertion that everyone else wasn't looking at the big picture. You seem to like saying that people who disagree with you are just missing something, which is untrue, you are just peddling a myth.

The stats seem to quite categorically disprove the bit in bold, which is what your entire argument is centred around.
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Well, yeah, I said some people were misinterpreting my argument by telling me short term stuff because they were. That's the truth, its not an insult, wasn't meant to be one; misinterpretations happen all the time in writing. And when I do say it, its not because I like it, but because I do feel my point has been misunderstood. If you think I'm wrong, it doesn't take much to respond saying why I'm wrong and why all posters understood exactly what I meant. But, looking at your contributions that amount to saying "its a myth" over and over again to a nauseating degree, even managing to write a whole paragraph saying "its a myth" in so many different phrases, its apparent you don't have an argument and so I'm not surprised you'd instead choose to grandstand by trying to find and insult or take offense where there is none.
 
Nani was the best player on the pitch for Portugal to day. I'll say something people agree with me on for a change.
 
If you believed everyone, Hazard is better than Nani is right now, without even watching Eden.

Far out, people really get suckered in; Nani is the best winger in the EPL, no doubt about it.
Most likely if he stays uninjured, it'll stay that way.
 
I don't think there's any point to the "better on the right or left" question. I'd say we have three great wingers; Young, Nani and Valencia. The latter can only play on the right. Young and Nani can play either side. I think the more relevant question is, who of Young and Nani is better on the left?

Obviously I'm assuming the spot on the right should be occupied by Valencia, which I firmly believe.
 
Bebe said:
I don't think there's any point to the "better on the right or left" question. I'd say we have three great wingers; Young, Nani and Valencia. The latter can only play on the right. Young and Nani can play either side. I think the more relevant question is, who of Young and Nani is better on the left?

Obviously I'm assuming the spot on the right should be occupied by Valencia, which I firmly believe.
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With Kagawa coming in, it gives us a lot more options and flexibility. I dont think anyone has nailed down either of the spots on the flanks. Performances will give players the right to play.

If Kagawa plays through the middle, that leaves Nani and Valencia competing for the right and Nani and Young on the left. If we play 2 strikers, it'l be 3 players who can play on the left and 2 on the right. Great options to have.
 
Varun_Utd said:
With Kagawa coming in, it gives us a lot more options and flexibility. I dont think anyone has nailed down either of the spots on the flanks. Performances will give players the right to play.

If Kagawa plays through the middle, that leaves Nani and Valencia competing for the right and Nani and Young on the left. If we play 2 strikers, it'l be 3 players who can play on the left and 2 on the right. Great options to have.
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Good post. This sums up utility of the Kagawa move nicely. We as fans, too often think of individual players in terms of how they fit into a static starting XI, whereas the likes of Fergie and his staff probably view players as enabling them to use other players in a variety of different formations against oppositions that require different tactical approaches. Kagawa strikes me as a fairly versatile, adaptable player who will bring the best out of those around him.
 
Guys little help - trying to argue with some retards at work who think Nani is shit and we should sell him for £20m, trying to find his season stats but can't find anything that includes assists or a comparison with some other players
 
EB100 said:
Well, yeah, I said some people were misinterpreting my argument by telling me short term stuff because they were. That's the truth, its not an insult, wasn't meant to be one; misinterpretations happen all the time in writing. And when I do say it, its not because I like it, but because I do feel my point has been misunderstood. If you think I'm wrong, it doesn't take much to respond saying why I'm wrong and why all posters understood exactly what I meant. But, looking at your contributions that amount to saying "its a myth" over and over again to a nauseating degree, even managing to write a whole paragraph saying "its a myth" in so many different phrases, its apparent you don't have an argument and so I'm not surprised you'd instead choose to grandstand by trying to find and insult or take offense where there is none.
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I've argued this to death many times over the years, as many know I'm one of Nani's biggest fans on this board and this is something that has constantly come up, along with his supposed inconsistency. It's just reached a state where putting across an argument is pointless because no matter what's said, some people just have an immovable stance on him, in fact I'm pretty sure some on here just plain old do not like him and harbor a grudge (not accusing you of that) and no matter what's presented to them they just keep calling him inconsistent and blithering on about how he needs to step it up for us (despite being our most productive player in the last 2 years after Rooney).

If that's how you feel then fine, but I think he's done more than enough to justify being as good on the left, I think it's a myth purely because when he 'came good' it was through playing on the right. I think that'll show even more this season now we have Kagawa in the middle, whose link up play and positioning is superb.
 
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