We can't make sweeping changes to the squad. 1 out, 1 in. We already have holes in other areas of the squad which will require new players in. I'd take out Young or Valencia and attempt to get Reus or Draxler.
Luis Nani | 2013/14 Performances
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We can't make sweeping changes to the squad. 1 out, 1 in. We already have holes in other areas of the squad which will require new players in. I'd take out Young or Valencia and attempt to get Reus or Draxler.
Not so good news, physioroom was wrong:
http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-F.../2014/Jan/mixed-news-for-nani-and-rafael.aspx
http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-F.../2014/Jan/mixed-news-for-nani-and-rafael.aspx
I do wish both Moyes (and Fergie before) would at least give Nani the same number of chances that Valencia gets for putting in so-so performances. Nani's poor ones stand out more because he tries more flamboyant/stylish moves to create where as Valencia goes with the more percentage plays but, surely a team like ours could do with players that can create out of nothing.
I am glad we have Valencia but, when he is repeatedly not creating chances and the manager keeps harping about not creating enough in the final third, then having forward players with the skills like Nani, surely it is worth giving him a shot and it's not like when Nani has been given a good run he has not delivered more often than not.
Yes, I know Nani is hurt currently but, my opinion on this goes back to last season and earlier this season. Just hope when Nani is fit again the boss will see fit to give him a run as much as he has given Valencia.
I am glad we have Valencia but, when he is repeatedly not creating chances and the manager keeps harping about not creating enough in the final third, then having forward players with the skills like Nani, surely it is worth giving him a shot and it's not like when Nani has been given a good run he has not delivered more often than not.
Yes, I know Nani is hurt currently but, my opinion on this goes back to last season and earlier this season. Just hope when Nani is fit again the boss will see fit to give him a run as much as he has given Valencia.
I made this and last year or so and never uploaded it till yesterday:
That's exactly how I feel. Over the last two seasons or so Nani has had a fair few injuries and last season there was also the contract issue with some reports that he'd be frozen out till he signed but certainly it felt like he was getting a much more raw deal. He could have one poor game and then he drops out of the team for a while where as Valencia can play consistently as poorly but stay in, as you said sometimes it looks worse for Nani as he plays in a more individualistic way, but then that can also lead to more things happenning for him when he is below par, against Stoke this season he still set up the first goal.
When you see that video it's exactly what we're missing, someone who can get the ball and take some players out of the game and get into a better position himself. At the moment without Januzaj we end up playing in front off the opposition so much.
Nani hasn't been his best in recent seasons but he's had nowhere near the same opportunity to find his best as Valencia has had, even Welbeck. If he gets a good consistent run and he doesn't perform then consider selling him etc but before then, then I think that's a waste and harsh. That said if it's the same hamstring injury again that could be a worry.
The injuries are a big worry. Especially when it's the same hamstring as before. Maybe thats why he hasn't played to his full potential in recent appearances. Some players never fully recover from niggling injuries. Just hope he can get himself fit and stay that way, then get a place in the team so he can find some form and possibly hit the heights of 2010 - 12
I can handle the rejection, but it's the hope, it's the hope that's killing me.
Lol Nani. Very nice skills as seen in the video but so inconsistent in his general play. So prone to brainfarts which is why managers dont trust him.
Nani and pogba swap?
He's held to some insane standard that none of our wingers are held to. It's bizarre. I'm not sure how anyone can say they feel happier with Valencia continuing to play over him, or why a run of games is necessary for Young or Valencia or anyone else to find form, but not Nani.
Nani has had an awful lot of hamstring injuries in the last couple of seasons, he's never been fit for a sustained period of time. Its becoming a real worry
Yeah it's really odd, just don't get it at all. I'd take Nani trying to make something happen and it not always coming off over the way Valencia/Young play every time. I honestly can't see how Nani would be as continually ineffective as Valencia is if he played as many games over a period as Valencia has.
He played so sporadically last season and in nearly all of those performances looked a more effective winger than Valencia who had been given consistent runs to find fitness and form, yet still hasn't half-way through this season. Nani in some matches would impress, then be dropped for another few games, or he'd not do so well and be dropped even longer. So what if Nani can't offer the defensive assurances Valencia can, if so much of our attack tends to go through the right flank, at least we have a winger who is capable of doing something other than hit-and-hope driven balls to no-one.
That's the problem, especially on here, where those who try and point out Nani 'fanboys' go on about how we all think he's some majestic, world class footballer who only needs to be given 3-4 games on the trot to show that again, which is bollocks really, because all a lot of people want is to see him get 3-4 games on the trot because we know he's capable of at least producing better performances than the hilariously awful tripe we're seeing from Young and Valencia right now.
Oh, and apparently if you point out how awful Valencia has been, that also somehow means you're biased towards Nani and hate Valencia, not that, you know, Valencia has just been utterly shit for the best part of 18 months now and yet still consistently plays game after game after game, no matter what, which is pretty much the only reason people want to see Nani play a few games on the trot ahead of him. Not because we think he's amazing, not because we think he'll suddenly return to the winger he was in 2011, simply because we know he is capable of putting in better performances than our other wingers are right now.
It's actually impossible to defend him on here when idiots like Plugsy post this sort of nonsensical tripe:
If the people who are against Nani come out with such over the top bollocks like that, doesn't that make them the ones with completely mental perceptions of the player?
It's a trust issue in a weird way, I think. In times of uncertainty and when things aren't going well, managers and lots of fans would rather go with a hard working player than a flair player. It's completely wrong, like but somewhat understandable.
In the case of Nani vs Valencia it's the tough, run all day workhorse vs the dainty skillful luxury player. Trouble is, as hard as Valencia is working for the team, it isn't what we lack. We lack creativity, a spark of genius. Really hope Nani gets a proper run in the side when he comes back from injury.
In the case of Nani vs Valencia it's the tough, run all day workhorse vs the dainty skillful luxury player. Trouble is, as hard as Valencia is working for the team, it isn't what we lack. We lack creativity, a spark of genius. Really hope Nani gets a proper run in the side when he comes back from injury.
I think a lot of it has to do with Moyes trust in our midfield, actually, he knows it's a massive weak spot and he'd probably rather have Valencia and his defensive guile alongside it to try and compensate. Some may say it's a negative approach but sadly the midfield woes are spreading to other areas of the pitch and I can understand why he does it.
Yep, I think Moyes obviosuly knows that our midfield is our weak point and feels that going with someone like Valencia who can offer probably more in defence than he does in attack, is a lesser risk than Nani who clearly offers a hell of a lot more than Valencia going forwards, but can be prone to giving up possession. People seem unable to accept that a player like Nani won't retain possession as much as Valencia or Young because he tries to do so much more than either of them, it's also why he's capable of things they simply aren't. In fairness Young has been quite good this season, a real improvement over last so I'm happy to see him get time, he's even out-performed Valencia on the right when played there. Valencia has shown signs of improvement, but can't take that form into the next game which is really annoying, because he out of all the wingers has been given the most time and trust to re-gain form and build consistency.
The thing is though Nani does track back, he's certainly not lazy at it, Valencia is just an example who does it very well. The other thing though is that arguable Valencia causes us to be open as well because when he plays he needs the full back to always overlap him and more often than not he needs a cm to come to him. Nani at least can create space for himself and so doesn't need to drag so many of our players in to one area.
The other thing is that if he is concerned about the midfield to actually get both the cm's to sit. Our cm's bar Carrick end up all over the place, if they just stayed centrally then we wouldn't be so open to counters all the time.
The other thing is that if he is concerned about the midfield to actually get both the cm's to sit. Our cm's bar Carrick end up all over the place, if they just stayed centrally then we wouldn't be so open to counters all the time.
That's true, a prime example being Philip 'Phil' Jones last season somehow playing a #10 role despite supposedly being our holding midfielder in that game. But hey, it's Phil fecking Jones, I ain't gonna stand in his way.
It is. If you want to be a top player, you need to find ways to minimize injuries. I also feel that his hamstring injuries have impaired a bit of his pace.
Valencia tracks back better than Nani, but this shouldn't be how we judge players. It's not like Nani doesn't track back well... I like all our wingers, but Valencia has had so many chances to get himself back into 10/11 and 11/12 form. He had no competition last season, there was no threat to his place because Nani was dropped or injured, and when Nani was given a run in the side earlier this year, he produced the most consistent spell out of all our wingers by a distance (last season). It's hard to talk about our wingers without comparing them to one another, according to some, but these discussions take place with our right backs, centre-backs, etc. so I don't see what the whole issue is. I would gladly have Nani shooting from long range, misplacing passes, and creating the chance which leads to a goal (Stoke game for example) than Valencia beating his full back and putting in a shocking ball. I still don't get things like subbing him off against Southampton (created two great chances) and then not playing him against Real Sociedad. He's definitely lost the explosive edge he had which led to him having great seasons in 10/11 and 11/12, but if given a consistent run I think he would do well.
Yep, I feel that Jones has slightly gained a bit positional awareness now and now seems to go forward when there's space to exploit which is fine, I find Clev more frustrating as he seems to end up wide where we already usually have 2 players, particularly when it's on the right. Honestly I think that's a big part of our issues. If he just sat, and I know he can as he's done it before, so we have two players there providing cover then we could try more attacking players in the wing positions and let them drift. Freedom or not Clev, Jones etc are unlikely to create much, but them sitting and allowing Nani, Januzaj, Kagawa etc more scope to drift may give us a fair bit more in attack without compromising us defensively.
Agreed.
It feels like Nani is in that Fabio position of needing to play spectacularly simply to get a look-in. Other players can be average (at best) for 4 or 5 games on the trot and still get chances while Nani is picking up splinters.
People talk about Rooney needing time to hit form and needing to play to build up his confidence. Nani's the same and with other players being rubbish and still getting picked ahead of him Nani's morale must be low. No wonder he can't produce the magic of previous seasons if Moyes seems to be sending out signals he doesn't believe in him.
I found the fallout from the Stoke game to be really frustrating. Nani had a poor game yes, but before then he'd been doing pretty well, nothing spectacular (though he was good against West Brom), but he was for me doing better than Valencia/Young had and growing in confidence. Then he had that poor game, where he still made the first goal and he was dropped for a fair bit of time. Valencia was/is putting in very average displays which admittedly didn't look quite as bad as the Stoke game, but that's because he plays so safe, his choice of play is so safe that it's hard to directly point at mistakes he's making but he can still be a clear hindrance, and he gets to keep playing.
I do think, or at least hope that Moyes has plans for Nani. He got a long contract and Nani has spoken about Moyes giving him some confidence so hopefully when he's fit we'll see him again. I just hope, much like Kagawa he gets a proper run before any decision is made on him. People lumping him in with Valencia isn't fair at all as Valencia has had consistent game time over 2 seasons to find form and utterly failed to really get back to his best, Nani has had sporadicgame time due to injuries, contract issues and then whatever issue it is keeping him out when he's fit- maybe not being as defensively strong as Valencia.
What could it be that first Ferguson, and now Moyes, doesn't get, that so many here plainly do?
Why would managers of their caliber go so against what is so obvious to the brain trust here?
Does my head in.
Why would managers of their caliber go so against what is so obvious to the brain trust here?
Does my head in.
Oh my god, Nobby continuing with the worst argument. He was completely satisfied to play Valencia last season too and kept saying if it's not broke don't change it, weirdly attributing our wins to him - despite being shit the whole season and us carrying Valencia through most games.
Nobby comes across as more of a Valencia fanboy than any of the supposed Nani fanboys do.
Looks like Nobby still won't acknowledge that Valencia has been in bad form. I've never seen someone so blindly support a player despite him contributing so little:
Funnily enough even though we are losing games and dropping points and our wing play is a pathetic shadow of what it was a couple years back, he still won't acknowledge that Valencia isn't performing at all.
Funnily enough even though we are losing games and dropping points and our wing play is a pathetic shadow of what it was a couple years back, he still won't acknowledge that Valencia isn't performing at all.
Nobby, going by your logic last season where we had to keep playing Valencia because we were on target for a record breaking tally, despite him being shit....How do you qualify his impact this season what with us losing games and points and Valencia being in just as bad form? You're obviously not going to say our losses were caused by him, despite our attack being ruined each time it goes out right, so why were you so happy to say our wins were because of him last season? Both scenario's don't work because it is the team responsible for the overall result and you judge individuals on the form they are in or what they did in a game, not just because we won you gloss over their poor performance. Your logic last season directly goes against what is happening this season, yet your view doesn't change an inch. What does that tell you?
I don't know? Ferguson brought Nani back for the crucial Real Madrid game (dropping Wayne Rooney to do so) last season.
I'm guessing that Fergie, knowing this was his last shot at European glory, would not have done that if he didn't think Nani was actually quite good at football...
Yeah sir Alex clearly rated him as our best winger, the inclusion against Madrid despite not getting many games before then proved it. Last season I think he just had horrendous luck with injuries which never let him get a good run of games.
Watching this video makes me think. Our attacking play through the middle has been poor and underutilised this season. We really need to try and vary our gameplan to be more effective in attack. If players like Nani were fit and given more opportunities we'd surely see that improve. His ability to get involved in quick passing combinations and create chances in tight spaces is extremely underrated. So much of our good forward play involves him there.
It's annoying that he's injured because he does have so many capabilities to bring to our side. It's not just crossing accuracy from wide areas that's holding us back.
Consequently, Nobby doesnt have anything to say. Hopefully nani gets a few games to get into form. He offers us a different option and I think it's worth putting up with the initial frustration
I've always been a huge fan of his, but I think he may have declined quite a bit because of his many little injuries. Last season was almost entirely ruined in his viewpoint because of injuries. Sir Alex clearly still rated him highly, it just takes him a few games to get a run of form, but when the biggest game of the season came around Sir Alex picked him to start. That says all you need to know really. This season Moyes hasn't used him as much as he could have, but then he got injured again so it remains to be seen how much he'll be used when he gets fit again. What I would like to see though is us give him a steady run of games, not just 1 start then back on the bench, but tell Valencia to feck off already and put him in the starting line up and give him the confidence that he'll have a run of games to get some form back. I mean if we can give Valencia that run than we should have no problems in giving Nani the chances.
Needs to be our first choice for the rest of the season regardless of what kind of form he's in. I'd rather see him shank shots high and wide than put up with Valencia which is almost physically painful.
Found this on my HDD, so decided to upload it:
Needs to get himself fit first. It's a serious one according to Dave.
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