Luis Nani | 2013/14 Performances

Status
Not open for further replies.
KiD MoYeS said:
I see van Gaal liking him, wouldn't be surprised if he stayed. I hope he does anyway.
Click to expand...

No doubt about it. I rate Nani very highly, I've not seen any non-legendary players beat their defenders in 1 vs 1's so casually and frequently. Which is something LVG absolutely loved about Robben who was also as inconsistent and injury prone as Nani. Robben was the first player on the team sheet with Muller pretty much, even if he just came back from injuries and I guess it helped his confidence. Knowing he had no pressure when he came back, he could have a 5/10 game and he'd still get the chance in the next game - which is possibly why Robben has become quite magical in that sense. He returns from injuries at a really high level, I believe him having 100% confidence is the reason of that.

When most players who are scared of losing their spot comes back from injuries or poor form they try too much, not too little, as they feel the pressure to prove themselves worthy of the first team. Nani does this all the time, which is why when he comes back from injuries or poor form he wants to score a goal every time he receives it. If they have no pressure they will probably perform much better as they can focus on doing the right thing all the time - instead of doing a great thing everytime they get the ball

With that said if LVG ends up not rating him I will accept that I've been wrong all this time about him - then his personality issues clearly must be so huge he doesn't deserve to start. There is no more ideal setting for Nani than under LVG, so it is his last chance.
 
I've got to the point now where I'd be more then happy to sell all our wingers, and just start again. They're all either terrible, always injured, or both.
 
Sam said:
I've got to the point now where I'd be more then happy to sell all our wingers, and just start again. They're all either terrible, always injured, or both.
Click to expand...
The same can be said about our
Midfield. But surely with us probably only adding one wide player in the summer and one out the door we'd be better of keeping Nani and casting out one of Young/Valencia.
 
NMF said:
The same can be said about our
Midfield. But surely with us probably only adding one wide player in the summer and one out the door we'd be better of keeping Nani and casting out one of Young/Valencia.
Click to expand...
We should get rid of two, not just one IMO.

You could make a case for any of the three leaving and I do think a fresh change on the flanks is in order.
 
Glanville95 said:
We should get rid of two, not just one IMO.

You could make a case for any of the three leaving and I do think a fresh change on the flanks is in order.
Click to expand...
I agree but it's unlikely. I can see two midfielders being sold in the summer though. Bring in two whoever they may be this
Window, Strootman in January to replace Carrick and in the summer aim high for Vidal or Gundogan (if his injury free)

I'd get rid of Young and Valencia this summer if possible but it'll probably be one of them.
 
Even if we do get rid of both Valencia and Young, we'd be pretty well sorted for the wings with a Nani/Januzaz/Welbeck/Kagawa/Lingard combo and LvG might as well experiment with 4-3-3 and 3-5-2 if the roster stays as it is. Unless either of Sanchez or Di Maria suddenly becomes attainable, we could be fine with what we have considering there's not much need for a rotation either.
 
NMF said:
The same can be said about our
Midfield. But surely with us probably only adding one wide player in the summer and one out the door we'd be better of keeping Nani and casting out one of Young/Valencia.
Click to expand...

I'd sell 3 of our midfield too (Anderson, Fletcher, Fellaini) and bring two in.
 
NMF said:
I agree but it's unlikely. I can see two midfielders being sold in the summer though. Bring in two whoever they may be this
Window, Strootman in January to replace Carrick and in the summer aim high for Vidal or Gundogan (if his injury free)

I'd get rid of Young and Valencia this summer if possible but it'll probably be one of them.
Click to expand...
Well, if you are including Anderson as one of the midfielders then two should be the absolute minimum to leave. Ideally we need to bring in two central midfielders which is widely considered the unanimous verdict among United fans and we currently have sufficient quantity in that area of the pitch, just obviously not nearly enough quality. With our current batch; Carrick, Fellaini, Cleverley, Fletcher & Anderson, the latter should definitely leave and then the other departing player is a toss up between everyone bar Carrick. Two midfielders will suffice until the following summer IMO and then we have to reassess it from there.

We simply have to sell Young, even if we can't find prospective buyers he will probably not feature at all under LVG and become ostracised from the squad. He can't contribute in any capacity, so it's an easy decision to offload him. With Valencia, I could see him being utilised as a wingback, if LVG opts for the 5-3-2 on occasion and Nani obviously has the talent, but it might be a bigger challenge reigniting his United career than some are suggesting.

We'll see, I'm confident LVG will make the correct decisions, but like Sam said, it wouldn't upset me to see all three leave and then promote Lingard and buy a winger to accompany Januzaj.
 
Annahnomoss said:
No doubt about it. I rate Nani very highly, I've not seen any non-legendary players beat their defenders in 1 vs 1's so casually and frequently. Which is something LVG absolutely loved about Robben who was also as inconsistent and injury prone as Nani. Robben was the first player on the team sheet with Muller pretty much, even if he just came back from injuries and I guess it helped his confidence. Knowing he had no pressure when he came back, he could have a 5/10 game and he'd still get the chance in the next game - which is possibly why Robben has become quite magical in that sense. He returns from injuries at a really high level, I believe him having 100% confidence is the reason of that.

When most players who are scared of losing their spot comes back from injuries or poor form they try too much, not too little, as they feel the pressure to prove themselves worthy of the first team. Nani does this all the time, which is why when he comes back from injuries or poor form he wants to score a goal every time he receives it. If they have no pressure they will probably perform much better as they can focus on doing the right thing all the time - instead of doing a great thing everytime they get the ball

With that said if LVG ends up not rating him I will accept that I've been wrong all this time about him - then his personality issues clearly must be so huge he doesn't deserve to start. There is no more ideal setting for Nani than under LVG, so it is his last chance.
Click to expand...

I definitely agree with the bold part. This is the best case scenario for Nani, and if he fails in this, then there's no next chance for him.
 
He pisses me off!

Has all the talent in the world, we've seen he's capable of playing on highest level and for prolonged period of time, yet he hasn't produced for United in ages!

Think it would be best for United and Nani to sell him, we could use money for buying someone else while he would get chance to revive his career.
 
It may sound petty, but I would like to see him sold out of principle more than anything. With many players we've been far too lenient and afforded them more time at the club than their performances warrant. That applies more to Anderson whos departure is years overdue and despite Nani having plenty of talent and showcasing that talent with far more regularity than Anderson, he will be going into his eighth campaign here next season with only about three very good ones to his name.

We should be far more ruthless with under-performing players here, but if van Gaal can extract the best from him on a consistent basis, he's worth keeping. I still maintain that will be more difficult than some suggest.
 
Glanville95 said:
It may sound petty, but I would like to see him sold out of principle more than anything. With many players we've been far too lenient and afforded them more time at the club than their performances warrant. That applies more to Anderson whos departure is years overdue and despite Nani having plenty of talent and showcasing that talent with far more regularity than Anderson, he will be going into his eighth campaign here next season with only about three very good ones to his name.

We should be far more ruthless with under-performing players here, but if van Gaal can extract the best from him on a consistent basis, he's worth keeping. I still maintain that will be more difficult than some suggest.
Click to expand...


I am in agreement with you and in additional to that, he always seems to be either out of form or injured so I am not sure how we can depend on him even as a squad player.
Like Sanchez at Barca, he is obviously a great player but never really hit the mark consistently for us.
If LVG rates him then by all means give him a shot, but I feel as though its best for all parties that he goes.
 
His skill level is so high I thinks he deserves another chance. Mind you I am not sure how much patience the fans in the stands will afford him.
 
ravi2 said:
I am in agreement with you and in additional to that, he always seems to be either out of form or injured so I am not sure how we can depend on him even as a squad player.
Like Sanchez at Barca, he is obviously a great player but never really hit the mark consistently for us.
If LVG rates him then by all means give him a shot, but I feel as though its best for all parties that he goes.
Click to expand...
Exactly. Even with his injuries, the main issue isn't necessarily him missing prolonged periods in the season too, the recent injuries really seem to have affected him too. He has the aptitude, but I have to question his application and state of mind here. Even the most talented players need a fresh start to reignite their career and play at their optimum level, Nani is a player falling into that category, so a fresh start for both parties is ideal I agree.
 
Sanchez is a better player and isn't as mentally poor as Nani, he was excellent in Serie A pre-Barca and I remember a lot of United fans wanting to sign him. He took some time adjusting and I don't think tika taka suits him at all, he's such a quick and direct player, but he was fantastic last season anyway. He's just better than Nani, who too often flatters to deceive.

Anyway, not good enough to be first choice here so it's probably best Nani leaves IMO.
 
Glanville95 said:
Exactly. Even with his injuries, the main issue isn't necessarily him missing prolonged periods in the season too, the recent injuries really seem to have affected him too. He has the aptitude, but I have to question his application and state of mind here. Even the most talented players need a fresh start to reignite their career and play at their optimum level, Nani is a player falling into that category, so a fresh start for both parties is ideal I agree.
Click to expand...

The thing about Nani for me is that injuries are what every footballer has to contend with, as is team exclusion based on form. With Nani it seems as if anything adverse that happens to him excuses two or three years of bad form. Yet everyone still always agrees what a fantastic footballer he is. I don't get that.

People still cite that Carragher tackle where he got a bit of a cut and didn't miss a single game (on understanding he may have been rested for the league cup tie anyway) and yet that still, three or four years on, is cited as an excuse for why he's been poor since. It's mental the excuses that get made. People do and have recovered from breaking their legs in shorter time. Nani, if he stays, could stay for another 5 years and any critics of his play will still be promptly referred to his career-defining 9-day injury in 2011.
 
legball said:
I see people using the phrase "brain fart" and "typical Nani" when referring to his performances, I've seen players misplace passes and the game continues, anytime Nani does it, it's a "brain fart" or "typical Nani". He's not world class, but I don't know of any player that is expected to complete all passes, dribbles, counter and score and when he's not doing this, it's a brain fart. He didn't have a good game or a bad one either, misplaced few passes [just like everyone does], I still think there's something there that a manager who trusts him can bring out.
Click to expand...

That's football fans for you.

If a player is accused of something, then even if he does it as much as a normal person they're going to say "oh look... that again".

Some examples: Fellaini being dispossessed. He had some crap games being dispossessed now whenever it happens people say "There.. look at that. Fellaini can't keep the ball". Or when Rooney misses a shot. I'm not a fan of Nani because I think his decision making is poor but people generalize a lot.
 
I've given up on him, he's clearly extremely talented but I just don't think he'll work here. Inspite of his injuries last season, I thought he still had a very poor last season. In an ideal world, I'd like to see Young being sold and him given a regular stake at the wings but I don't think his performances in the last two seasons has justified that.

I wouldn't be upset if we sold Young, Nani and inject some freshness into our wings area.
 
KM said:
I've given up on him, he's clearly extremely talented but I just don't think he'll work here. Inspite of his injuries last season, I thought he still had a very poor last season. In an ideal world, I'd like to see Young being sold and him given a regular stake at the wings but I don't think his performances in the last two seasons has justified that.

I wouldn't be upset if we sold Young, Nani and inject some freshness into our wings area.
Click to expand...

Well, one thing is for sure, Valencia cannot be a starting winger for us anymore. Too predictable

Personally, I'd like to see Nani in a more advanced role, which he played against Munich in 2010. Cutting in and supporting the striker. He also seemed to be in his element in that role for the first few games in the 11/12 season, where he was almost playing behind Rooney and Welbeck at times. Best games I've seen him play for us.

As you say, clearly has the talent and has proved it....Why he is not consistent is beyond me!
 
.Rossi said:
Well, one thing is for sure, Valencia cannot be a starting winger for us anymore. Too predictable

Personally, I'd like to see Nani in a more advanced role, which he played against Munich in 2010. Cutting in and supporting the striker. He also seemed to be in his element in that role for the first few games in the 11/12 season, where he was almost playing behind Rooney and Welbeck at times. Best games I've seen him play for us.

As you say, clearly has the talent and has proved it....Why he is not consistent is beyond me!
Click to expand...

Forgot about Valencia. He can be sold aswell, I personally like him the most but his performances hasn't been good for the last two seasons. Mind-boggling that an eighteen yr old playing his first season of professional football gave much, much better performances than these seasoned performers.
 
KM said:
Forgot about Valencia. He can be sold aswell, I personally like him the most but his performances hasn't been good for the last two seasons. Mind-boggling that an eighteen yr old playing his first season of professional football gave much, much better performances than these seasoned performers.
Click to expand...

:lol: That sentence is so LVG
 
pocco said:
If Fergie couldn't get him firing then nobody will.
Click to expand...
But Fergie did get him firing. Maybe not in his last season but he spent large parts of that season injured, but even then where it seemed he was no longer in Fergies favor he starts in our biggest game of the season.
 
shamans said:
That's football fans for you.

If a player is accused of something, then even if he does it as much as a normal person they're going to say "oh look... that again".

Some examples: Fellaini being dispossessed. He had some crap games being dispossessed now whenever it happens people say "There.. look at that. Fellaini can't keep the ball". Or when Rooney misses a shot. I'm not a fan of Nani because I think his decision making is poor but people generalize a lot.
Click to expand...

That's what am trying to say exactly, and i notice that there's certain words used for certain players :lol:. I'm all for replacing our wingers, but that's only if we sign maybe someone like Sanchez etc. If we had more control of games through the middle, I believe our wingers (Nani and Tony, I don't rate Young) are good enough to contribute significantly.
 
legball said:
That's what am trying to say exactly, and i notice that there's certain words used for certain players :lol:. I'm all for replacing our wingers, but that's only if we sign maybe someone like Sanchez etc. If we had more control of games through the middle, I believe our wingers (Nani and Tony, I don't rate Young) are good enough to contribute significantly.
Click to expand...

What I don't get is why so many are saying he should go when we don't have anyone else better than him out wide (Januzaj is the only one who is arguably better than Nani in recent performances)? It's as if tons of people know for sure that we're getting a better winger than Nani. We haven't been guaranteed a new, better winger as of yet, so thinking of letting go of all of Nani, Valencia, and Young is just daft. Zaha's our only other winger, whilst Lingard is more of a central player than a winger.
 
I'd prefer Nani to all other options except Januzaj, but I'm starting to think his season in 2010/2011 which we all cling to, was the exception rather than the rule.

He was brilliant that season, but he wouldn't be the first footballer to have an unbelievable season and never get to that level on a consistent basis again.
 
I think any new manager would want to give a chance to a person with the skill level of Nani. He has excellent ball control, dribbling skills and two-footedness.
LVG should see if he can get the best out of Nani. If he cannot then by all means, let Nani go.
 
I wonder if he'll be dropped by Portugal... i reckon it can happen.
 
Lane said:
I wonder if he'll be dropped by Portugal... i reckon it can happen.
Click to expand...
Why when he was Portugal's only attacker trying to do something. And I highly doubt he will despite playing very little for United the past two seasons his still first choice, they don't have many options.
 
Caftards, ask yourselves this:

Are Nani's outstanding performances the exception or the rule?

Can there be any serious doubt what the correct answer is?
 
Gannicus said:
Caftards, ask yourselves this:

Are Nani's outstanding performances the exception or the rule?

Can there be any serious doubt what the correct answer is?
Click to expand...

Also; have you ever watched Nani play a game without thinking/saying: "FOR FECK'S SAKE NANI!"
 
I think Nani's biggest problem is when he delays too long on the ball, however, in a team with a lot of movement in attack his close control, dribbling and short passes can be a real asset. He is not as his best as a down the line then cross it winger.
 
markhrad said:
I think Nani's biggest problem is when he delays too long on the ball, however, in a team with a lot of movement in attack his close control, dribbling and short passes can be a real asset. He is not as his best as a down the line then cross it winger.
Click to expand...
This. his a player who'll benefit by playing at a higher tempo and movement around him.
 
Gannicus said:
Caftards, ask yourselves this:

Are Nani's outstanding performances the exception or the rule?

Can there be any serious doubt what the correct answer is?
Click to expand...

You could make the same statement for Valencia as well or Kagawa.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.