Marouane Fellaini | 2013/14 Performances

[Rossa]

Aye, it's gone beyond criticism of an underperforming player into outright hatred. Presumably because he epitomises the awful season under Moyes.

Once the narrative is established, people seem to lose the ability to rationally judge a specific performance on it's own merits. A phenomenon that blights discussion on here.

Bit weird seeing him being asked to play so far forward but Fergie has made weirder decisions (Phil Jones as our most advanced midfielder?) and I thought he actually had a decent game. Be nice if he's given a clean slate for the season ahead, under a new manager. Not going to happen though. Which is a shame.

Good post. (and well written!)

Fellaini has come to symbolize our season; the poor transfermarket in the summer, lacklustre playing style, static play, all of which can be associated with him. Like you, however, I think he should get a clean slate for the next season. Yes, he has been rubbish this season, but he has previously shown that he can be quality, so let's hope that he can prove that once again.

 

[Roboc7]

I thought that last night was Fellaini’s most effective performance since we signed him but it also underlined why we need to offload him ASAP. Playing in that role is without a doubt his best position but we have 3 or 4 players who are more suited to playing there, last night when the ball was on the ground he was terrible but when the ball was in the air he caused some problems and got an assist. His best performances at Everton were all when he played further forward and they launched balls onto his head and chest, we are never going to do that so it makes no sense to keep him.

I don’t know where the idea of him being a good DM comes from, he wasn’t great when he played there for Everton and they didn’t play him there very often, Belgium don’t play him there and he commits so many fouls that he would be a real liability. He is also slow, rarely passes forward or more than 5-10 metres, has a very average first touch, his positioning isn’t great and he doesn’t track runners very well so he would be very ordinary in that position.

 

[PlayerOne]

He does well for Belgium because he has a DM and a another CM next to him. Like I said he's a good player but he won't change our for formation for him, he isn't that good.

 

[redtilldead123]

I thought that last night was Fellaini’s most effective performance since we signed him...when the ball was on the ground he was terrible

Just about sums it up for Fellaini at Utd...even on a good day he's generally crap...

What we need is this:

But what we got is this...

 

[Zak Smith]

Is he our worst CM? I can't think of anyone, factoring in the red card magnet behaviour as well, who has played worse than him this season.

Last night was one of his best performances in the shirt though, and personally I though the tactics worked and were vindicated by his involvement in the first goal. I was rooting for him to get his first goal, he looked devastated when he didn't take his chance, I think thats definitely playing on his mind. Still, if we manage to sign two CM's in the summer I'd be shipping him out on loan and having any of the other three, Carrick, Cleverly, Fletcher as backup over him.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Presuming its Van Gaal, do you not think there's a chance we'll do a Liverpool/Robbie Keane with him?

I cant see him getting much game time under LVG.

Id also be worried if I was Smalling (probably for another thread though)

Based on his performances for United so far, he's definitely living on borrowed time.

He might improve though. The WC will be very important for Fellani's career at united IMO. Quite looking forward to seeing him play for a team where he has the unequivocal support of his own fans. No doubt Van Gaal will be watching closely too.

 

[Plugsy]

I've defended him but it's hard not to notice how laboured everything looks. His reaction times seem to be appalling and he turns so slowly with the ball and his passing accuracy seems a bit poor. Maybe the step-up is too much for him. Selling him after one season would be incredibly embarrassing though for all concerned, wouldn't it?

 

[Roboc7]

Just about sums it up for Fellaini at Utd...even on a good day he's generally crap...

What we need is this:

But what we got is this...

It’s not suprising though really, in the right position with the right style of football he can be a good player just as he was at Everton but we will never play like that so we are stuck with a player who is of no real use. We desperately need midfield players who are mobile, can take the ball off the centre halves and who can open up the game for our attacking players, we don’t need a player who cannot do any of that and is most effective as a battering ram.

 

[Player Red]

If he spent less time getting into tiffs with his own shadow and focused on playing football he might perform better. He nevers looks like he is applying himself in a game.

 

[NK86]

He looks completely devoid of self-belief. Even when he joined and started playing his first few games, he showed more in terms of passion and enthusiasm. But now, it seems like he himself knows he is on borrowed time and out of his depth.
I feel a bit bad for him tbh but he is just not what we need in our midfield and he is just nowhere near good enough to displace any of our available #10s.

 

[Shamwow]

I've defended him but it's hard not to notice how laboured everything looks. His reaction times seem to be appalling and he turns so slowly with the ball and his passing accuracy seems a bit poor. Maybe the step-up is too much for him. Selling him after one season would be incredibly embarrassing though for all concerned, wouldn't it?

He's not a 27m player but he's also been in bad form this season and his confidence is shot.

I've seen people go on about the likes of Nani as "confidence players" when in bad form, this doesn't just apply to tricky wingers.

We'd be silly to sell him now anyway, off the back of this season who would pay a decent return for him? Best off hoping he can come good and play a useful role next season.

 

[Plugsy]

He's not a 27m player but he's also been in bad form this season and his confidence is shot.

I've seen people go on about the likes of Nani as "confidence players" when in bad form, this doesn't just apply to tricky wingers.

We'd be silly to sell him now anyway, off the back of this season who would pay a decent return for him? Best off hoping he can come good and play a useful role next season.

I have sympathy with this. He should be given the chance when the team is on an even keel and functioning as a unit as it hasn't for the vast majority of this campaign. Even so, he's going to have to step up a bit to look at home in that scenario.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Exactly. It's been a season where many players we know for a fact are top quality have looked very fecking average. Add to that how often new signings only come good in their second season (even when joining a team that is playing well) and it seems very hasty to be making definitive judgements about whether or not Fellaini is good enough for United.

 

[mufcwarm92]

I see it as a bit of a Veron situation, though obviously they're very different players. He could be a decent squad option if we keep him but it hasn't really worked. If we get an offer of about half our original investment we will probably sell up. He was never worth 28m but for me he's devastating when played in the right system and for 15m he could be a great option for another side.

 

[Amir]

How annoying is that? We finally went and bought a midfielder, spent quite a bit of money on it... And quite a few of us knew it wasn't going to be a success because it wasn't the right player.

 

[Roux]

I said it before, he's worse then the likes of Kleberson and the Djemba twins, and I stand by that.

Tonight was like watching a car crash.

Totally agree. Especially when you consider his price tag and the fact that he was brought in to be a regular starter. I struggle to think of what he offers the team other than he can bring the ball down from De Gea's goal kicks.

 

[Eugenius]

Exactly. It's been a season where many players we know for a fact are top quality have looked very fecking average. Add to that how often new signings only come good in their second season (even when joining a team that is playing well) and it seems very hasty to be making definitive judgements about whether or not Fellaini is good enough for United.

This is where Fellaini is different to the likes of Nani, Carrick, RVP etc who haven't had great seasons. No one was convinced he'd be top quality, I was blindly hoping he'd be an overall success but he's actually turned out to be a worse parody of what all the naysayers were thinking. He's also 26 and has been playing in the league for the last 7 seasons so it's not like an Evra/Vidic situation.

I can't think of a single quality that Fellaini brings that solves our midfield issues. We should have been trying to close the gap on Bayern, Real, Barca etc, not trying to sign someone to help when we play Andy Carroll. It's not a Veron, Berbatov and Mata (?) type situation where they show genuine moments of quality but simply don't fit our team, Fellaini is genuinely a limited player technically and physically who also appears to not fit our team.

He might get better, of which there's no guarantee, but he's still not going to be the type of player that we need in our midfield. I'd rather cash in £15m and get his £100k salary off the books whilst we can and put that towards a CM that is going to improve us. Because we need quality not quantity in CM.

 

[Robbie Boy]

Thought he was so average yesterday. He might have had a good pass percentage but that doesn't say anything about the quality of the passes.

He basically showed his worth in the first goal where he won the header and set up the first goal, and even that has been something he's been quite poor at this season though hard to say how much was due to his wrist injury in fairness.

But otherwise he's just not good enough to play in the hole for us, not when we have januzaj, mata and kagawa. The latter two are better than him there and they could actually bring others in to play.

If we had quality wingers who looked to cross the ball with intenet regularly he could do a job there but we'd be so one dimensional and that's been an issue of ours that we need to resolve anyway.

In fairness I saw some called him lazy, he seemed to be tracking back quite a bit but then he wasn't always very committed to actually making a tackle.

Either way hopefully him coming back fully fit next season will help him, I just hope we don't see him off the striker much outside of necessity.

Very good summary. Good post.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

This is where Fellaini is different to the likes of Nani, Carrick, RVP etc who haven't had great seasons. No one was convinced he'd be top quality, I was blindly hoping he'd be an overall success but he's actually turned out to be a worse parody of what all the naysayers were thinking. He's also 26 and has been playing in the league for the last 7 seasons so it's not like an Evra/Vidic situation.

I can't think of a single quality that Fellaini brings that solves our midfield issues. We should have been trying to close the gap on Bayern, Real, Barca etc, not trying to sign someone to help when we play Andy Carroll. It's not a Veron, Berbatov and Mata (?) type situation where they show genuine moments of quality but simply don't fit our team, Fellaini is genuinely a limited player technically and physically who also appears to not fit our team.

He might get better, of which there's no guarantee, but he's still not going to be the type of player that we need in our midfield. I'd rather cash in £15m and get his £100k salary off the books whilst we can and put that towards a CM that is going to improve us. Because we need quality not quantity in CM.

Aye and the hive mind on here has never been wrong about a new signing before...

 

[Rozay]

I'm not buying any notion of an agenda by people for criticising him. We would all much prefer if he was a fantastic midfielder as opposed to a shite one, but the facts are, on review of his performances, a shite one is what we got.

And those referring to his second 'assist' for Wilson last night, that goal is as big an example of any of the flaw in such a stat. In real terms, that stat should belong to Adnan all day long.

 

[goldenstatesplash]

How annoying is that? We finally went and bought a midfielder, spent quite a bit of money on it... And quite a few of us knew it wasn't going to be a success because it wasn't the right player.

Lets try and give it at least a season before we review the problem as 'unsolved'. I know it's tough but try and at least show a little bit of patience.

I'm not buying any notion of an agenda by people for criticising him. We would all much prefer if he was a fantastic midfielder as opposed to a shite one, but the facts are, on review of his performances, a shite one is what we got.

I'll lend you a fiver and you can pay me back. feck me.. No agenda?.. Have a look through this thread it's bordering on insanity.

 

[Sunny Jim]

I loved Buttners face reaction when big lump blocked Buttners shot which was clealry going in.
His first touch was pathetic yesterday, few stupid fouls, few wasted passes.

Just get rid off him already.

 

[Rozay]

I'll lend you a fiver and you can pay me back. feck me.. No agenda?.. Have a look through this thread it's bordering on insanity.

And that has nothing to do with what Fellaini has been producing on the pitch?

Everyone wants Fellaini to be a top player. The criticism in this thread is because he isn't one.

Look at Cleverley. Wilson showed last night that we love nothing more than one of our own to do us proud. Chances are we will even overrate one of our own if he was a y good. Now all of a sudden you have drama queens saying people 'hate' Cleverley. That isn't the case. He's rubbish because he's rubbish, not because we say he is. We would rather our players were good enough as opposed to not good enough.

I doubt anyone 'hates Fellaini' any more than Liverpool fans hated Andy Carroll. We just don't want him at our club because he appears to be a terrible footballer.

 

[Sir A1ex]

I'm not buying any notion of an agenda by people for criticising him. We would all much prefer if he was a fantastic midfielder as opposed to a shite one, but the facts are, on review of his performances, a shite one is what we got.

Yep, I've supported him from the start, really wanted him to prove the doubters wrong and become the Answer To Our Midfield Problems TM. But we've just seen next to nothing. His best performances have been completely un-exceptional and his worst have been dire. He looked like the absolute definition of a useless waste-of-space donkey last night. Blocking that Buttner shot was unlucky, but just sums up the lumpen freak.

I just can't see what possible use we'd have for him in any kind of rebuild

 

[goldenstatesplash]

Everyone wants Fellaini to be a top player. The criticism in this thread is because he isn't one.

You're reaching out into space trying to palm some of this off as criticism. Anyway - I've said my piece, I am quite frankly embarrassed at reading the pathetic angry mashings of grown men who clearly know a lot more about football than they are showing by posting gobshite in this thread.. I am not even all that fond of Fellaini anyway. When we get two other defensive/mobile midfielders and they are both out-shining him then I will be more than happy to step onto the bandwagon to move him on from the club. Right now he's playing with a Carrick on his last legs (who's barely been able to press properly in his entire career anyway), a 'hopefully will be fit for a season' Fletcher, a 'down on confidence and looking like he doesn't fit in' Tom Cleverley and a cast of attackers who are all misfiring in their own different ways.

I honestly, don't know why I was expecting 'better than your average football fan' (which is what I consider the Caf) to be showing patience in a matter such as this. Half the Caf haven't seen a quality defensive midfielder in years and expect them to be faster than the flash, barely leave players unmarked, pass at 100%, tackle at 100%, always intercept everything and play through balls like Paul Scholes.

 

[Invictus]

You're reaching out into space trying to palm some of this off as criticism. Anyway - I've said my piece, I am quite frankly embarrassed at reading the pathetic angry mashings of grown men who clearly know a lot more about football than they are showing by posting gobshite in this thread.. I am not even all that fond of Fellaini anyway. When we get two other defensive/mobile midfielders and they are both out-shining him then I will be more than happy to step onto the bandwagon to move him on from the club. Right now he's playing with a Carrick on his last legs (who's barely been able to press properly in his entire career anyway), a 'hopefully will be fit for a season' Fletcher, a 'down on confidence and looking like he doesn't fit in' Tom Cleverley and a cast of attackers who are all misfiring in their own different ways.

I honestly, don't know why I was expecting 'better than your average football fan' (which is what I consider the Caf) to be showing patience in a matter such as this. Half the Caf haven't seen a quality defensive midfielder in years and expect them to be faster than the flash, barely leave players unmarked, pass at 100%, tackle at 100%, always intercept everything and play through balls like Paul Scholes.

Why so angry ?

 

[VeevaVee]

I'm just not sure he should be given a chance.

Why? For the sake of it? To be nice to him? To get a bit more moneys worth? Even at his very best he is not United quality and I'd like to think we'll be signing some proper quality that will keep him out of the team. That means he'll only get a handful of games/subbed on, and if he's a player that needs his confidence building before he can put in any kind of performance he's still going to struggle.

Keep him as a backup for another season, sure. But don't keep playing him hoping he'll turn into something special.

 

[Chaky_Best]

He was crap last night.

He ran a lot, but for nothing. Collected a yellow and a stupid foul....

He's marginalized now at United as the only Moyes man of the group (maybe Wazza)

Would like to see him off this summer, but he will probably stays and be used like Anderson was under Fergie... just for rotation

 

[Orton]

His performances are exactly what we were all pissing ourselves over a certain lanky English striker a few years back after a big move. He just doesn't fit here, and playing him up there to me shows that he isn't trusted in midfield, therefore is of no use to the club at all. New manager should look to sell straight away. It's best for everyone

 

[Shamwow]

He was crap last night.

He ran a lot, but for nothing. Collected a yellow and a stupid foul....

He's marginalized now at United as the only Moyes man of the group (maybe Wazza)

Would like to see him off this summer, but he will probably stays and be used like Anderson was under Fergie... just for rotation

For nothing? He set up 2 goals, pretty or not.

This is why this thread is shit.

 

[Chaky_Best]

For nothing? He set up 2 goals, pretty or not.

This is why this thread is shit.

He missed his shot for the second goal so he didn't set up this goal tbh.

He was poor, missed a lot of pass... But yes, tbh he wasn't worse his last appearance also

 

[united_99]

His performances are exactly what we were all pissing ourselves over a certain lanky English striker a few years back after a big move. He just doesn't fit here, and playing him up there to me shows that he isn't trusted in midfield, therefore is of no use to the club at all. New manager should look to sell straight away. It's best for everyone

THIS! The way some ppl are defending his performances you could think we are Stoke standard. If he was playing for Chelsea, Arsenal or City we would be laughing non-stop. Ppl here have made fun of the likes of Javi Garcia or Khedira, who admittedly are pretty average, but they are at least average and useful midfielders, Fellaini doesn't even come close to them, let alone to a top class midfielder.

 

[Orton]

Javi Garcia and Khedira would actually be an improvement on our midfield. This guy can't play there because he's a liability.

 

[Shamwow]

He missed his shot for the second goal so he didn't set up this goal tbh.

He was poor, missed a lot of pass... But yes, tbh he wasn't worse his last appearance also

Wilson wouldn't have scored the goal without him being there to make the run and take the shot.

Fair enough say you don't think he's good enough but there's so much bull in this thread, people just saying whatever they want to criticise him whether its true or not.

 

[Orton]

Wilson wouldn't have scored the goal without him being there to make the run and take the shot.

Fair enough say you don't think he's good enough but there's so much bull in this thread, people just saying whatever they want to criticise him whether its true or not.

Januzaj made the goal with his brilliant run. Fellaini fluffed his lines and Wilson capitalised.

 

[Shamwow]

Januzaj made the goal with his brilliant run. Fellaini fluffed his lines and Wilson capitalised.

Even if we assume that Wilson would have scored the 2nd goal without Fellaini on the pitch which is entirely possible, he set up the 1st you can't argue against that so for someone to say he did nothing is stupid. Especially considering how hard the 1st goal has been for us all season.

 

[Gerald G]

Even if we assume that Wilson would have scored the 2nd goal without Fellaini on the pitch which is entirely possible, he set up the 1st you can't argue against that so for someone to say he did nothing is stupid. Especially considering how hard the 1st goal has been for us all season.

Well done, he won a knock down which is something a CB could do. How does that mean he played well? He was awful. I'm sorry but I don't know how anyone can think differently.

 

[Shamwow]

Well done, he won a knock down which is something a CB could do. How does that mean he played well? He was awful. I'm sorry but I don't know how anyone can think differently.

I'm saying that the criticism is way overboard and that it's stupid to say he did nothing.

Why does every fecking opinion have to be extreme.

 

[Enigma_87]

Fellaini was never United quality and was never going to be the player we bought him for. If it wasn't for Moyes he would never be United player as well. He will do well for Everton but the way we set up is waay different to what Everton played under Moyes. He doesn't have the qualities to be holding/defensive or whatever midfielder for us. He lacks mobility, versatility, pace, determination, technique, quick feet, etc.

He practically offers us nothing in the centre of the park. It's not that he had a bad season, he never had a good season playing for a big club in a position we are looking for. Playing like a #10 for Everton, and occasionally as a CM/DM 3 years ago for them is not the same. If we are to give him time, we should've also gave Bellion, Kleberson, Djemba X2 more time as well.

 

[ZDwyr]

The criticism is WAY over the top. As someone said, it's gone beyond criticism. It is simply pure hatred now. I've defended him and I will continue to do so. He wasn't overly good yesterday, I recognise that. His confidence is shot. But who can blame him? He was playing injured at the start of the season, and was heavily criticized. He got back and strung together a few decent games. Then put ina few bad performances against top sides and his confidence is gone. Then the man that bought him to the club was sacked. I'm sure he has NO idea what his future holds. Once Neville and Woods leave (assuming they do) then he is left with no real ally unless he made really good friends with some member of the squad.

I know he can do a decent job at CM and be a decent player for us. He just has to find some confidence. I hope he has a really good World Cup.