Yep, you need players of this ilk especially when on the other wing you have a safer option who generally hugs the touchline and whips in crosses all game.
Luis Nani | 2012/13 Performances
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran are here to talk about a frustrating 2 points dropped at Crystal Palace. They then discuss the regeneration of Old Trafford. Finally, Nik is joined by special guest Michael Statham from the Football Oranje podcast - who gives us a more in depth look at our EL opposition FC Twente, and then runs through the (many) Dutch connections currently at United.
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Yep, you need players of this ilk especially when on the other wing you have a safer option who generally hugs the touchline and whips in crosses all game.
I think another problem with the Nani situation is that he is often the only player on the pitch when we are playing poorly that actually tries to create something or take the initiative. That has been especially true this season, and he's looked worse off for doing so.
He's bound to look extremely poor a lot of the time in this situation if his confidence isn't up and if he is the only one trying to do something.
He's bound to look extremely poor a lot of the time in this situation if his confidence isn't up and if he is the only one trying to do something.
Liverpool away is a good example of that, the whole side contributed to nothing going forward in the first half yet Nani who was also poor at least tried to show initiative going forward, even if it didn't come off. Galatasaray, a game that split opinions right down the middle, a game where he showed brilliant awareness and created countless chances only to be let down with bad finishing from team mates. Oh, the penalty was bad but these things happen. Tottenham, Nani was good, and looked closer to the player we know he can be and since then he's been out of the side.
I agree with this.
I agree with this as well.
Thats why I said available. I'm not sure theres much of a chance that we can get either Götze or Muniain.
Not seen much of Rodriguez
Yeah definitely, always looks to try and do something and you need players willing to take a risk.
Depends I suppose...every player has a price. We were in for Hazard and Lucas for big money so it seems.
If we got 20 for Nani and spent 45 on Gotze it's only 25 net spend :Rawk:
I know where you're coming from. As I say I'd like Nani to find his form again with us...but we don't know what is going on behind the scenes. perhaps Fergie sees his chance to move him on for a decent sum. Who knows.
I do know he needs to be replaced with quality though...otherwise there could be serious trouble. If, and it's a big if, we are going down a road where we are not using wingers in a traditional fashion he could always be replaced with a non like for like player...but I'm not convinced we are definately going that way.
I'm not convinced he's 'the only one trying to do something' though. I take your point in that Nani will take more risks and, when things don't come off, they look poor.
Nani has a ton of talent...that is not in doubt.
If we were looking to sell him, it may be that Fergie doesn't think he is worth the wages Nani wants in his new contract. It is simply not as cut and cry as Fergie thinking Nani isn't good enough.
True.
Depends I suppose...every player has a price. We were in for Hazard and Lucas for big money so it seems.
If we got 20 for Nani and spent 45 on Gotze it's only 25 net spend :Rawk:
I know where you're coming from. As I say I'd like Nani to find his form again with us...but we don't know what is going on behind the scenes. perhaps Fergie sees his chance to move him on for a decent sum. Who knows.
I do know he needs to be replaced with quality though...otherwise there could be serious trouble. If, and it's a big if, we are going down a road where we are not using wingers in a traditional fashion he could always be replaced with a non like for like player...but I'm not convinced we are definately going that way.
So where does that leave Valencia then?
The problem is that Nani could go most of the game making all the correct decisions, and then when he makes his trademark stupid-shot-that-never-had-a-hope-of-going-anywhere, people pick up on that and will thus continue to have this notion in their head that he has no brain and makes dumb decisions.
Rooney for example is acknowledged for usually having an excellent footballing brain, and he tends to do spastic things from time to time too, like his constant fascinations with trying to lob keepers that never pay off.
In my opinion, if SAF said to Nani "stop trying these things and just play the easy/safe ball", it would totally limit him as a player. I'd rather him trying these things and not pulling them off, than constantly playing the simple pass and not creating anything. Eventually they usually pay off and he does create chances in matches out of nowhere, even if his overall game hasn't been great. Unfortunately that wasn't the case at the start of the season where he was just outright shit.
Rooney for example is acknowledged for usually having an excellent footballing brain, and he tends to do spastic things from time to time too, like his constant fascinations with trying to lob keepers that never pay off.
In my opinion, if SAF said to Nani "stop trying these things and just play the easy/safe ball", it would totally limit him as a player. I'd rather him trying these things and not pulling them off, than constantly playing the simple pass and not creating anything. Eventually they usually pay off and he does create chances in matches out of nowhere, even if his overall game hasn't been great. Unfortunately that wasn't the case at the start of the season where he was just outright shit.
Feel sorry for Nani, so many of his own fans have such a poor opinion of him. I can't be bothered to waste words on here defending him any longer, it'll always be the same, if 10 months of great form is followed by a month off form he'll be crap again, with "no footballing brain" etc.
It's just silly.
It's just silly.
My god. Both Guybrush and Cina are out of the business of defending Nani. If only this had happened 6 months ago I could have saved myself the best part of a day arguing about him in this very thread.
But similarly I can't be arsed criticising him anymore.
But similarly I can't be arsed criticising him anymore.
In this case it's more like 18 months of great form followed by 10 months of inconsistency, and it took a fair few of those first 10 months for the general opinion of him to move away from being overwhelming positive...if that's even happened yet. As far as I can tell there's a few fans who aren't sure whether he's ever going to develop the way we hoped (outrageous, eh?) while the majority are just anxious for him to get back into top form. Depends which opinion you want to listen to I suppose.
For whatever it's worth, I've still got the motivation to make jokes about his face/head. Because I'm a winner at the game of life.
Well I remember that even when at his best, a lot of us thought that he could still go a level higher than that, I still think that's true, but obviously that would require him to get back to the level he was previously at between early 2010 and mid 2011 first. I hope that happens.
Good post this.
He is our most creative player without any doubt, player who is risking more than any other, and that is problem sometimes, especially when he isn't on same wavelenght with rest of the team, and we know we change our team a lot, plus Nani's position is changeable from game to game also, he is playing one game on the left, and in the next one he is on the right. Perfect example is the game against liverpool, there were times when he was alone running at their defenders, holding the ball for couple of seconds, he was actually our only player who wanted to play football in that first half, rest of the team were pretty much holding their positions expecting Nani to finish every action all by himself, eventough he never looked selfish in that game, 90% of the balls he lost were misplaced passes, he rarely lost it in the dribbling.
He can play "safe" football, Ashley Young esque(Young is just an example, I don't have nothing against young), but that's not Nani, he will never be Ashley Young, he will always play his football, and that is the main reason why most of his fans like him in first place.
Well Young is a very average footballer (by United standards) and will never be anything more than a back up/squad rotation player IMO. I don't think he is well liked by the fans though.
I know lots of Utd supporters who actually rate Young higher than Nani, which beggers belief for me. It's one thing to say Valencia is better, but Young? feck me...
I don't know quite honestly...which is why I said it was a big if...
I would have thought that Nani is more flexible than Valencia though I'd rather keep both, however we end up playing.
Read a quote today on FB that he said about Young that he's the best winger after Valencia. No menton of Nani at all - would be a bit strange I though
Who said?
Sir Alex
How can he actually think that? Anyone with half a brain cell could see that Nani is a better winger than Young (no offense to him)
It sounds like crap though, I doubt SAF would actually publicly say something like that.
It sounds like crap though, I doubt SAF would actually publicly say something like that.
Even if that's true, he proved othervise by not picking young in first XI most of the time when we had Nani fit.
Didn't know SAF was on Facebook, I didn't think he was into that sort of nonsense & I can't believe he'd come out with a statement like that anyway.
What's the source for this anyway?
What's the source for this anyway?
That would probably mean two things:
a) Nani is on the way out
b) Fergie doesn't see Nani as a winger per se.
a) Nani is on the way out
b) Fergie doesn't see Nani as a winger per se.
Someone posted this as a quote on FB from SAF - i doubt its true but if, it would make you think
Tbh if he has something like that and we are looking to sell him it's not exactly gonna help with our bargaining position. We've done some strange things recently with that though.
I doubt he actually said it and the facts don't seem to correlate. Last season he dropped Valencia and Young for the City game and brought in Nani who was only just returning from injury. I reckon Fergie rates him but is probably trying to give him a wake up call by not involving him as much as he could.
Thing is like I've said before rate Nani or not last season he by most is held as having an average/poor season and Valencia a great season and Young probably a decent season, yet all of them got a similar overall contribution. If Nani can keep doing that whilst not on his game I can't see why anyone would want rid unless there are other issues. Cause on form he's devastating.
Fergie said in his presser that Young was back and was basically talking about how he would be important.
Said he was a great crossed and scored goals too.
Thats where the Young talk is from. Nothing to do with Nani. No comparison made.
Said he was a great crossed and scored goals too.
Thats where the Young talk is from. Nothing to do with Nani. No comparison made.
So the quote was not correct - well, good to hear.
My hope dwindles
He will start against Chelsea.
My hope dwindles
Yeah I'm starting to get concerned, would have thought this was a perfect game to bring nani in for. He was used against stoke so I really can't think what the situation is as he's hardly being frozen out. Could be he's being saved for Chelsea or fergie really thinks its either width or narrow. Could be a similar tactic to wenger with Walcott and waiting till he signs to really involve him.
Should be playing in a game like this. Don't see what Hernandez offers in such a system when we already have the best 2 strikers in the league starting.
When's the last time he started? He seems to be barely starting now. Something's not right.
Hernandez will play on offside line for most of the game, providing space for Persie and Rooney, I don't think he will be involved that much in the game at all, so no reason to play Nani there. He could play instead of Rooney or Persie though, or even at Kagawa's position.
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