Marouane Fellaini | 2013/14 Performances

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jeff_goldblum said:
It that's your opinion I'm not gonna try and change it. He did get quite a few plaudits in that position for Everton though, man of the match awards etc. It's absolutely no coincidence that the games for United where Fellaini has looked best are those where he's been given a defensive brief. His effectiveness as an AM and his ineffectiveness as a CM shouldn't be used to take away from his worth as a DM.
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On the contrary the only games I remember where he wws troubling us was in the 1-0 loss two seasons back where he played as a SS with Carrick on CB for us and he attached himself to Carrick and they launched long balls to him all night. Dare I say if Vidic had been on his case that day, he would not have had half the joy.
The second game was that calamitious 4-4. He wqs anonymous in midfield and we ran him ragged. Then Moyes put him upfront as they were trailing 4-2 and we collectively lost our marbles.

That is what really upsets me about this buy. Moyes knew his strengths as an AM and yet bought him to perform as a CM. Basically felt like he listened to Wilmots and went with the flow.
 
jason93 said:
I don't think he was a deciding factor in our success all those years... He played a part but that's about it. Hargreaves and Scholes were much more influential than him in our CL win. You won't see Carrick picking out a killer pass or scoring a wonder goal therefore I think he's useless in the team. I've had this opinion for a few years now. In order for a to become world class again, we need a system. We can't have average English players in there. Especially ones that are past it.
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A. Your opinion on Carrick basically shows what you have seen of United.
B. You don't want "average" English players but would prefer a useless lump of a Belgian? Great.
 
Also this part isn't aimed directly at you @jason93

But I've seen loads of people argue that United don't know how Fellaini should be played and have ruined him and that really gets my goat. Especially the Belgian lot - Kompany, Vertonghen, Wilmots who argued he's much better for their national team and others who claim he's good for Belgium.

Well I was doing a statistical comparison for some of the most disappointing midfielders in this world cup - Raul Meirelles (couldn't tell his head from his arse this world cup absolute poo), Arevalo Rios, Jorge Claros etc and Fellaini was even weaker than them (particularly in terms of passing - I mean 19 forward and 15 backward passes per game ? Jesus wept this is supposed to be a Man United midfielder. Also look at his "great interceptions".)





Shows that the fault doesn't really lie with United.
 
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NK86 said:
On the contrary the only games I remember where he wws troubling us was in the 1-0 loss two seasons back where he played as a SS with Carrick on CB for us and he attached himself to Carrick and they launched long balls to him all night. Dare I say if Vidic had been on his case that day, he would not have had half the joy.
The second game was that calamitious 4-4. He wqs anonymous in midfield and we ran him ragged. Then Moyes put him upfront as they were trailing 4-2 and we collectively lost our marbles.

That is what really upsets me about this buy. Moyes knew his strengths as an AM and yet bought him to perform as a CM. Basically felt like he listened to Wilmots and went with the flow.
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I take your points but I said 'for' United rather than 'against United'. Neither of those games particularly disproves the thrust of my argument anyway which is that he looks far better in a DM role than in a CM one.

Moyes' use of Fellaini in latter seasons was pretty detrimental to his development, but ultimately necessary for Everton. A lack of striking options forced Moyes to play a promising DM further forward, whether nominally as a second striker or as a box to box CM with a brief to get forward as much as possible. In the former role he is effective but a bit of a blunt instrument and in the latter his attacking role completely compromises his defensive abilities as he can't get back to defend quick enough when the move breaks down after he's made his move into the box. This has been reflected for us where against decent opposition he has looked lost as a CM, whereas when he's been given more of a pure defensive role he's looked far better.
 
jeff_goldblum said:
I take your points but I said 'for' United rather than 'against United'. Neither of those games particularly disproves the thrust of my argument anyway which is that he looks far better in a DM role than in a CM one.

Moyes' use of Fellaini in latter seasons was pretty detrimental to his development, but ultimately necessary for Everton. A lack of striking options forced Moyes to play a promising DM further forward, whether nominally as a second striker or as a box to box CM with a brief to get forward as much as possible. In the former role he is effective but a bit of a blunt instrument and in the latter his attacking role completely compromises his defensive abilities as he can't get back to defend quick enough when the move breaks down after he's made his move into the box. This has been reflected for us where against decent opposition he has looked lost as a CM, whereas when he's been given more of a pure defensive role he's looked far better.
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I don't agree with any of that. Fellaini was awful as a DM against any decent opposition. His lack of tracking, lack of mobility was there for all to see.
 
jeff_goldblum said:
I take your points but I said 'for' United rather than 'against United'. Neither of those games particularly disproves the thrust of my argument anyway which is that he looks far better in a DM role than in a CM one.

Moyes' use of Fellaini in latter seasons was pretty detrimental to his development, but ultimately necessary for Everton. A lack of striking options forced Moyes to play a promising DM further forward, whether nominally as a second striker or as a box to box CM with a brief to get forward as much as possible. In the former role he is effective but a bit of a blunt instrument and in the latter his attacking role completely compromises his defensive abilities as he can't get back to defend quick enough when the move breaks down after he's made his move into the box. This has been reflected for us where against decent opposition he has looked lost as a CM, whereas when he's been given more of a pure defensive role he's looked far better.
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Totally agree - his best games for us were as a more defensive midfielder, he racked up a decent amount of tackles and clearances, basically doing the dirty work and playing it simple for the more creative players.

Carrick would still be my first choice in that position but with him out then it is a big chance at redemption for Fellaini.
 
NK86 said:
I don't agree with any of that. Fellaini was awful as a DM against any decent opposition. His lack of tracking, lack of mobility was there for all to see.
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It was there to see against mediocre opposition.
He was a red card waiting to happen too.

He wasn't moved forward due to a lack of options. He was moved forward because he was a hopeless DM.
It wasn't later in his everton career either. He played DM for about 6 months. Rest as an AM primarily.
 
Rood said:
Totally agree - his best games for us were as a more defensive midfielder, he racked up a decent amount of tackles and clearances, basically doing the dirty work and playing it simple for the more creative players.

Carrick would still be my first choice in that position but with him out then it is a big chance at redemption for Fellaini.
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He was decent to good in doing the simple defensive duties against the poor opposition. But was totally found out against any half decent midfield.
 
NK86 said:
He was decent to good in doing the simple defensive duties against the poor opposition. But was totally found out against any half decent midfield.
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Which for someone who should be a senior player (based on age and cost, including wages) is not a convincing reason to keep him. Over to LVG....
 
NK86 said:
He was decent to good in doing the simple defensive duties against the poor opposition. But was totally found out against any half decent midfield.
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Yes it is true that his best games were in midfield against weaker opposition, but then our whole team was generally crap in most of the big games last season.

Anyway I dont think anyone here is claiming that he is a world beater, the point is that he has performed well for us in some matches last season so if he can do the same on a regular basis then he can be a useful part of the squad. There are many claiming he was dire everytime he played, that he cant play in midfield etc - which is simply not true.
 
Rood said:
Yes it is true that his best games were in midfield against weaker opposition, but then our whole team was generally crap in most of the big games last season.

Anyway I dont think anyone here is claiming that he is a world beater, the point is that he has performed well for us in some matches last season so if he can do the same on a regular basis then he can be a useful part of the squad. There are many claiming he was dire everytime he played, that he cant play in midfield etc - which is simply not true.
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But I would rather we get a midfield player who can do it against all opposition and not just against cannon fodder.
 
We hit a heap of long balls last night - again signs that felli could be useful in this team if we play super direct and need a second striker, esp late in tough games
 
He's not a midfielder any way, he has no attributes that make him a midfielder other than the fact he likes to elbow people. He's basically a last resort option, throw on your biggest player and hoof long balls up to him if you need a goal.

Not really a Man United player if you ask me tbh, you guys would be better off just cutting your losses even if you lose £15 million or what ever it takes to ship him off.
 
Sack him or put a contract out on him before he disturbs the team chemistry.
 
No point paying £125,000 a week on a player who is at best a plan B if we decide to play in a way that no one likes. Hopefully West Ham or someone will put in a £15m bid soon-ish.
 
Really need to get rid of the last physical reminder of Moyes' disastrous season in charge. Plain and simple, he's not of United quality. What little the clown does offer is something that we neither want nor need. I know LVG mentioned that he wants to take time to evaluate every player, but Fellaini's ineptness and overall buffoonery won't take long to be exposed. The sooner he's off, the better off we'll be.
 
Our best bet is to see if we can loan him out somewhere, maybe to a restaurant where he can be used to hang coats on.
 
The best way to describe maroune fellaini is this. During the united sale me and a mate considered getting another mate a fellaini shirt for his birthday as a Joke. we decided against it as it wouldn't even be deemed as banter it would probably get burnt.

Moyes 69 was a good cracker
 
KiD MoYeS said:
There is no denying he was great at Everton, and he'll prove a good addition to a route one 1980's footballing side.
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Exactly this. He looked good at times for Belgium when they started hoofing the ball to him.,otherwise he's neither skillful or athletic enough to play in midfield.
 
I watched Belgium for two matches during world cup and I thought he didn't show any good quality at all. The main reason is because most of his passes are just easy short passes. No creativity at all.
 
JSMHE said:
I watched Belgium for two matches during world cup and I thought he didn't show any good quality at all. The main reason is because most of his passes are just easy short passes. No creativity at all.
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It's not really his job to play creative passes though. He said he sees his best position as a DM - shielding the back four.
 
ZDwyr said:
It's not really his job to play creative passes though. He said he sees his best position as a DM - shielding the back four.
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But his defensive work during world cup didn't impress me at all. Often, I saw him too lazy to help the defense. And as always his defensive work often become a foul in a dangerous area. And unfortunately he got different role this time. It looks to me Witsel got a role of that defensive midfield during world cup. And I also not impressed with Witsel either. To be Manchester United defensive midfield, you don't just need to know how to defend but also need to know how to deliver delicious ball like Keane and Carrick.
 
iBoss said:
I don't think he even understands the job of a DM.
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I have a different opinion on this. I've talked about it a lot on this thread already though.

JSMHE said:
But his defensive work during world cup didn't impress me at all. Often, I saw him too lazy to help the defense. And as always his defensive work often become a foul in a dangerous area. And unfortunately he got different role this time. It looks to me Witsel got a role of that defensive midfield during world cup. And I also not impressed with Witsel either. To be Manchester United defensive midfield, you don't just need to know how to defend but also need to know how to deliver delicious ball like Keane and Carrick.
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To me he seemed to be playing a similar role for Belgium as he played for us, i.e. that box-to-box role. As soon as he passed the ball he would run up the field. I don't know if this is just the way he plays or if it was a tactic, either way I think it was a stupid decision. I can't remember many fouls he gave away in dangerous areas. There were a few from attacking set pieces where he was pushing (a few of those were not even fouls either, the ref just called them). The one I do remember was one on Messi, but it's not like he's the first player to ever foul the best dribbler in the world. I agree with your view on Witsel, he was definitely the deeper midfielder for Belgium. That last part that is in bold is interesting. I think it's true if there is a two man midfield. In that case you can't just split the duties 50-50 - one attacks while the other defends; it's too basic. If we play with three players in the center of the pitch though then there is a place for the pure DM. As long as both the other players can play creative passes I think it can work.
 
ZDwyr said:
It's not really his job to play creative passes though. He said he sees his best position as a DM - shielding the back four.
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Ye and his best performances for us came in that role - although Belgium use him quite differently, more box to box but I cant see him doing that for us
 
ZDwyr said:
I have a different opinion on this. I've talked about it a lot on this thread already though.



To me he seemed to be playing a similar role for Belgium as he played for us, i.e. that box-to-box role. As soon as he passed the ball he would run up the field. I don't know if this is just the way he plays or if it was a tactic, either way I think it was a stupid decision. I can't remember many fouls he gave away in dangerous areas. There were a few from attacking set pieces where he was pushing (a few of those were not even fouls either, the ref just called them). The one I do remember was one on Messi, but it's not like he's the first player to ever foul the best dribbler in the world. I agree with your view on Witsel, he was definitely the deeper midfielder for Belgium. That last part that is in bold is interesting. I think it's true if there is a two man midfield. In that case you can't just split the duties 50-50 - one attacks while the other defends; it's too basic. If we play with three players in the center of the pitch though then there is a place for the pure DM. As long as both the other players can play creative passes I think it can work.
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He played as a box to box but he doesn't have the pace and energy to do that. And I still think to be defensive midfield with his criteria he needs to know how to pass the ball for the least. If you look at Lahm, Pirlo, Alonso, Carrick, Busquest. I'm not asking the same quality, just improved his own passes. He doesn't have the vision too. He doesn't have the energy of Phil Jones, Keane, Macherano. The only great thing he can offer is aerial duel.
 
He's a lazy c-nt who can't tackle or pass, or cross, or shoot.

He can chest the ball down. That's almost literally it.
 
Sunny Jim said:
The most surprsing fact is that people belived he was good at Everton and would come good at United.
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It still shocks me when people bring up how amazing he was at Everton and how they still think he would make a good DM here.
Anyone who thinks fellaini can be a DM for us, or any top tier side needs their head checked.
 
Looking at the way we played last night, Smalling was the big stand out.
He couldn't control the ball, panicked in possession and just hoofed it half the time when not even under pressure....

I thought, "I can't see him lasting under LVG"

This is Chris Smalling I'm talking about.....What bloody chance has Fellaini got?!!?

Cant believe I'm even discussing him in regards to United
 
ZDwyr said:
It's not really his job to play creative passes though. He said he sees his best position as a DM - shielding the back four.
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Shielding the back four from the possession he's given away with his piss poor first touch.
 
.Rossi said:
Looking at the way we played last night, Smalling was the big stand out.
He couldn't control the ball, panicked in possession and just hoofed it half the time when not even under pressure....

I thought, "I can't see him lasting under LVG"

This is Chris Smalling I'm talking about.....What bloody chance has Fellaini got?!!?

Cant believe I'm even discussing him in regards to United
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Fellaini is better on the ball than Smalling. So in that respect he'd have a better chance of surviving under LvG than Smalling does.
 
.Rossi said:
Yeah....If LVG wants his team to slow the game down to the pace of a slug's offspring
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I'm not saying he'll like Fellaini in his team, but if it is a direct comparison between the two on technical ability it is a no contest. I actually think Fellaini's passing isn't too bad. I know he doesn't have great range or vision, but he does seem to pass the ball forwards and at a decent pace.
 
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