That I did! To say that Nani hasn't played well on the left is nothing but a myth, especially considering he hasn't enjoyed a consistent run there to the same extent as he did on the right.
Luis Nani | 2013/14 Performances
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That I did! To say that Nani hasn't played well on the left is nothing but a myth, especially considering he hasn't enjoyed a consistent run there to the same extent as he did on the right.
He can play well on the left but it's quite obvious that he's a much better player when he starts on the right.
Nani or Valencia fanboi's as it is being put - it's simply embarrassing at this stage.
Nani has recently turned 27 and is after starting his 7th (seven fecking seasons!) season with the club. He has had one magnificent season where he was rightfully rewarded with managerial confidence and personal accolade at the end. What has he done since then? In my own valid opinion - shown glimpses (that is all) of pure genius and an abundance of frustrated, predicable play.
It is all too easy to remember the genius shown against Arsenal. It is moments like that which bestow fuel to a dying fire in this debate. Is Nani good enough to be at United - in glimpses, most certainly yes! He expects to be a superstar and so do we. Unfortunately, he has been anything but in the majority. It is not feasible for a club - with the stature of Manchester United, to stand by and not act on mediocrity over a sustained period of time. He is not the only player to get injured afterall. Plenty of players can get injured and come back as good/if not better.
I have argued for Nani for years and why? The majority of football pundits, football fans and a strong proportion of United fans are hardly wrong!! I have mot had my opinion swayed by anybody other than Nani himself. He is/has not been playing good enough. When he plays like he can - you can not help but feel that 'yes! He's back'. Next game comes around and he puts in a performace so poor, that it makes it impossible to pick him.
Valencia is a serious talking point at the moment. Kinda strange when a nailed down right winger is unable to cross a football!?
Either way, both of these players are capable of so much more, but, they are not producing. If my aunt had balls, she would be my uncle and if Nani played good on a regular basis, he would start for Man Utd - simples!
Nani has recently turned 27 and is after starting his 7th (seven fecking seasons!) season with the club. He has had one magnificent season where he was rightfully rewarded with managerial confidence and personal accolade at the end. What has he done since then? In my own valid opinion - shown glimpses (that is all) of pure genius and an abundance of frustrated, predicable play.
It is all too easy to remember the genius shown against Arsenal. It is moments like that which bestow fuel to a dying fire in this debate. Is Nani good enough to be at United - in glimpses, most certainly yes! He expects to be a superstar and so do we. Unfortunately, he has been anything but in the majority. It is not feasible for a club - with the stature of Manchester United, to stand by and not act on mediocrity over a sustained period of time. He is not the only player to get injured afterall. Plenty of players can get injured and come back as good/if not better.
I have argued for Nani for years and why? The majority of football pundits, football fans and a strong proportion of United fans are hardly wrong!! I have mot had my opinion swayed by anybody other than Nani himself. He is/has not been playing good enough. When he plays like he can - you can not help but feel that 'yes! He's back'. Next game comes around and he puts in a performace so poor, that it makes it impossible to pick him.
Valencia is a serious talking point at the moment. Kinda strange when a nailed down right winger is unable to cross a football!?
Either way, both of these players are capable of so much more, but, they are not producing. If my aunt had balls, she would be my uncle and if Nani played good on a regular basis, he would start for Man Utd - simples!
I'm one of Nani's biggest fans and have always defended him but he's got to go as he's currently a waste of space.
Rather put the effort into Zaha, at least he's available most of the time.
Rather put the effort into Zaha, at least he's available most of the time.
Good post. SAF and Moyes haven't had a personal vendetta against him as many might think, he just hasn't been good enough to warrant a place in the team.
How many pages has it been since the youtube videos of Arsenal, Chelsea and Bayern Munich have been out? 
I do not think there is a great deal of confidence in him now and he appears to be a squad player. Can see him leaving in January or the summer, the new deal obviously meant you have more power deal wise.
I do not think there is a great deal of confidence in him now and he appears to be a squad player. Can see him leaving in January or the summer, the new deal obviously meant you have more power deal wise.
a new contract of course raises his sell on fee, but 5years? Doesn't strike me as the kind of deal you give a player you don't have big faith in.
Unlike with Anderson, who never had much of a spell of excellence, Nani had a spell where he was right up in our top 2 attackers, and had a couple of seasons of top form.
That's the frustration. The Anderson hope comes from much less evidence.
Unlike with Anderson, who never had much of a spell of excellence, Nani had a spell where he was right up in our top 2 attackers, and had a couple of seasons of top form.
That's the frustration. The Anderson hope comes from much less evidence.
He had a run on the right because he was our 2nd best attacking player (at worst) behind Rooney for 18 months. He's had plenty of 4 or 5 game runs on the left simply because we have fewer options and nobody has been convincing, and he's been a lot worse.
Its really freaking obvious that he's better on the right and its obvious why. 1) He can make space on the right and cross the ball, his best aspect when hes on form. 2) He can come inside and shoot with his left foot which was the source of the majority of his goals
He might have been better on the right overall, but he can play just as well on the left; he crosses the ball quite well with his left foot and shoots even better with his right foot. I also feel he's a little bit more unpredictable on the left. He and Evra also used to strike a good partnership.
By all accounts, Moyes rates both Nani and his attitude highly, and vice versa. He'll be here for a while yet. Hopefully he can get fit soon as we will need him to get into the top four. There has been good performances from him this season so we're getting somewhere. The people who think "we gave him a 5 year contract to increase his sale price" have got to be damaged in the head. The logic is insane.
yep, can't understand that at all. You might add a year or 2, but why 5?!
And if as a player you wanted out, you wouldn't sign that long either.
Plain mentalism.
You can't sell Nani unless you can replace him with something better.
Valencia is fine on the right.
Zaha is not ready yet and needs a spell on loan.
Januzaj can't be relied on to play every match at age 18.
Young continues to blow hot and cold.
You cannot sell Nani to Juventus this January or in the summer without a top class winger coming into the club.
Valencia is fine on the right.
Zaha is not ready yet and needs a spell on loan.
Januzaj can't be relied on to play every match at age 18.
Young continues to blow hot and cold.
You cannot sell Nani to Juventus this January or in the summer without a top class winger coming into the club.
Why are people so surprised by number of years in his contract, what's the point if it's 2 years of 5 years, if Moyes decides he is not good enough after the first year, he will sell him, simple as it is. And by giving him 5 year contract he surely got lower wages than he would get by signing 2 or three years contract, plus if we do decide to sell him, it's easier to sell him if his wages are lower.
How many players have Nani's abilities and experience and are available?
Forgot Kagawa, but he hasn't looked comfortable on the left most matches.
Forgot Kagawa, but he hasn't looked comfortable on the left most matches.
In a nutshell pal. The unnecessary argument of this and that about his place in the team is bordering on sheer embarrassment. If it were 1913, the same would apply - if you are good enough, you play.
Comparisons with the likes of Rooney and a shadow of inconsistency are also hilarious. Yes, Rooney can be inconsistent(not this season FTR. He had been marvelous) but he turns right around and wins a game thr following week. I literally can not recall the last game that Nani 'won' for us. If I am correct, I am thinking the community shield against City. If I am correct (which I may not be), we're really plucking for something extraordinary.
You are dwelling on the past with ability. He is playing awfully this term and in no way merits a place in the side.
Reading, FA Cup. Not amazing, I know, but he did. ^
Revisionism, revisionism...
Let's get it right here. He had some good games against Southampton, West Brom and Sunderland. Yes, no amazing statistics for the weirdos out there, but he was playing quite nicely and involving himself in some promising moves. He had an absolute nightmare against Stoke and Moyes, in my belief, took him out the picture for a while while things settled down. He then did some good work against Leverkusen. Since, he's been in and out and unlucky with injury. In no way at all, has he been "awful."
I would disagree immediately.
Yes he was good against Leverkusen, as were the other 9 players that were roaming around the pitch. It was a bizarre occasion where a good German side played absolutely miserable at home - when we had arguably our best performance of the season (Not saying much considering the fact that we made quite a few mistakes in that game).
We drew against Southampton, lost to West Brom and scraped by Sunderland - courtesy of Mr Januzaj. He has played a combined total of 426 minutes throughout 8 games (league) this term and contributed 0 goals and 0 assists. This is an attacking player who is supposed to be renowned for his contribution to these figures. These are game winning figures and not dedicated for weirdos as you have touched on.
I have argued his case for years now and he has simply failed to realize his potential. That is what it is mate. He has unlimited ability and world-class potential, but, he is unable to harness it for whatever reason. The very fact that he has been supremely out-shadowed by an 18 year old kid only highlights this further.
I am not saying that we should sell him and discard his ability. I am simply saying that he is nowhere near where he should be. If you wish to argue that, all to you...
Good summary. Valencia and Kagawa are in the same boat for me in so far as nowhere near performing to anything close to their level or what you would expect from them. Start of the season I really thought that at least one or these three would be close to their best and that another one would be decent support after last season when everyone under-performed because the chances of that happening again were slim. It's been the more of the same from all three. I'm no big fan of Young but at least he's contributed goals and assists in the last month and he's a squad player at best.
Janujaz has outperformed all of them and he cannot be expected to do it all year.
Its looking like he is gonna have to continue to outperform them if we are to achieve anything down the wings. Young is trying (as I have just stated in his thread) but he is average as muck. The other two need a serious kick up the arse and hopefully that would knock something into em'
Boh. I explicity said that aside from the statistics, as I'm not sad enough to dictate what I see with my eyes with some mind-numbingly mundane assist tally that counts for little in comparison. They are indeed dedicated for weirdos, particularly when said weirdos refrain from assessing the visual display of football on the field. By that, I refer to how a player's touch is looking, whether or not they are delivering good crosses, how they are tracking back, how they involve themselves within passing plays and their all round attitude in terms of taking the game by the scruff of the neck. You know, those football things. Sorry for getting worked up over stats, but I had to read the same thing over on the Hernandez thread, even though I see him regularly struggle to control the football.
In the game's I mentioned Nani looked good. He did a lot of the above. You used the word "awful." He wasn't. Stoke was awful, beyond awful. But his entire season can't be defined by that game, as he was doing a lot of the right things. Essentially, your logic seems to be: got beat off West Brom = Nani didn't win the game, he was "awful." Nah, not having that mate.
I don't think the Januzaj argument has a lot of credence. Adnan is a rare breed. He's already one of the most mature decision-makers in our squad. His age is no longer relevant for me. I agree that Nani isn't where he should be. I never said that. I said that he hasn't been awful because he hasn't. Rio has been awful. The last two games aside, Young has. So has Anderson and Buttner too. Indifferent, not doing enough? Yup. But I think you're being harsh.
And just a quick comment on the "unlimited ability." I disagree. I just don't think he's 'that' good. He's a good player that can very good. He's no more than that and those expecting it are kidding themselves. Nani's technique has created a false impression of his game and heightened expectations to unrealistic levels - something I've always found that his so called detractors use against him. Well guys, how good is he supposed to be?
Ok so, I shall deal primarily with a visual sense of debate. Visually, Nani has been nowhere near the standard required to hold down a place in the United starting XI. He is largely wasteful, extremely inconsistent, massively frustrating and in summary, not contributing anywhere near the amount of goals, assists or even goal related opportunities that he should be. I do absolutely think that in a large proportion of the season that he has been awful. I am not discussing other players in this thread, but, to respond to your comment - Yes! A large number of United players have been awful and with such, we have found ourselves fighting to get back into the top four.
Statistics are not for weirdos. If you want to break down an unnecessary amount of statistics with regards to how many times a player felt his arse during a game, fine, that is indeed for weirdos. Chico needs to be judged on one statistic only - goals! Wingers and creative players are judged on the following:
- Assists
- Goals
- Team contribution in the build up to goals
It easy to forget, goals win games and Nani is a player that is expected to contribute to such. Adnan is anything but one of the most mature decision makers in our squad...he is quickly developing a reputation for falling over a little easy after all. Nani has proven before that he has more than enough ability to be up there with the worlds best. You don't get voted the POTY without having such ability.
Obviously Moyes might not fancy him but I'm struggling to see any point in selling for that sort of price as we'd have to spend more again to replace him with as good or better a player, not to mention the fact that Kagawa isn't at his best out there, Young isn't a player at the top level, he doesn't seem to rate Zaha and Valencia isn't the player he was a few years ago
I agree. Juventus has been linked quite a few times since 10/11. It's lazy journalism IMO. Plus, Conte would have to change his system to accommodate Nani (probably 4-3-3). We would, if we sold Nani, have to start a let's make this player great project again (Zaha), or we would have to spend big on a "winger", and I'm not sure who is available.
If Juvi or any other team want him then for once I'd like us to actually get proper value for a player (if we decided to sell at all, which I personally wouldn't). He has five years left on his deal and is young enough to be expected to play for another decade - make Juvi stick their hands deep in their pockets if they want him; they've already built a world-class team on relative peanuts including manoeuvring to snap-up one of our players for feck all, no way should we make this easy for them.
Really can't see Juve wanting him. He just does not suit their system at all. They play with wing backs and three at the back.
They do switch it up and I'm sure Conte would find a way to fit him in. Perhaps the 3-5-2 is one formation Conte has found useful to build from with his current team but at the end of the day, it's more of a starting point more than anything.
well said. one question though. how come nani hasn't been afforded similar run of games to valencia who arguably hasn't been good enough consistently? as a follow up do you think if nani had this run of games he could turn his season around or would he just end up being frustrating again and lose his starting spot?
That's my main contention. Fair enough Nani could be more consistent but he simply has not been given the same chance as Valencia has, or even Welbeck who have both played consistently over the past season or so without any justification really as to what they're bringing that Nani isn't, well for me anyway. If he had that and didn't improve than fair enough, but personally I think if he had that run he would improve.
I can answer both questions with the same answer pal - I do not know.
Antonio Valencia has been 'frustrating' to say the very least - in an extremely polite manner. As you said, he has arguably been as poor (if not worse) than Nani. As to why he has not been afforded the same run as Valencia, none of us will know.
I wish I could say that this particular run would benefit Nani and allow him to flourish in the side again, but, how can I?
PhysioRoom is the "UK's leading sports injury website & authority on injuries to English Premier League footballers since 2001".
The leading one? Quite claim to make given the thousands of competitors they have. Always getting those 'Want to know about a PL injury? CLICK HERE TODAY!' emails
Well that's good news all round really. We could have a full squad again by next week, apart from Young and Fellaini and potentially Rooney. Keep everyone fit (easier said than done) and we can try to have a good strong finish to the season.
I'm told that Valencia 'tracks back' which seems to mean that when Moyes gets tired of watching Valencia smash crosses into peoples shins he can put him at right back where Tony can stand by ball watching while Spurs score...
Both are brilliant players at their best - none of them are consistently good enough and both should be shipped out at the end of the season.
I'd ship all three out but despite their annoyingness, it'd still leave a big hole in squad and I think we have bigger issues to worry about than suddenly needing to buy three new wide players.
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