Fellaini has made a grand contribution of averaging 4 goals a season. A goal doesn't mask his limitations in general and his display yesterday.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 21
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 1
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When I saw him in the lineup I figured he would play further forward and we would play to his strengths, going more direct into him. From kick off, Jones gets the ball and plays it long to Fellaini who went up against the smaller fullback which seemed to confirm my expectations. However... we then proceeded to play short passes with him in the No.10 position trying to link the play and play silky one-twos on the edge of the box which just isn't his game. This game was crying out for someone central being able to link the play be that Mata / Sanchez / Lingard.
But fair play to him for nicking that goal. We could see he was physically knackered by 80 mins (there were others too who were struggling) but it was wise to keep him on given the only way we were going to score tonight was from a cross because we were so devoid of any creativity. IMO we would have been better off starting with a Mata/Lingard centrally and bringing Fellaini on to do exactly what he did in the 91st minute if we needed a goal.
Despite Fellaini's obvious flaws you can't fault his commitment.
But fair play to him for nicking that goal. We could see he was physically knackered by 80 mins (there were others too who were struggling) but it was wise to keep him on given the only way we were going to score tonight was from a cross because we were so devoid of any creativity. IMO we would have been better off starting with a Mata/Lingard centrally and bringing Fellaini on to do exactly what he did in the 91st minute if we needed a goal.
Despite Fellaini's obvious flaws you can't fault his commitment.
The Moon shines on Fellaini on average every 3 Months. Messi and Ronaldo in the same sentence as Fellaini is well...
Fellaini was about to be substituted and was only kept on due to Valencia's possible injury.
Ah that doesn't surprise me. From Tier 2 we could see he could barely move, so hats off to him for having the composure to finish at the end.
Last night was actually the first time he's scored the winner in a 1-0. Rashford, Rooney, Martial and Mata all have about 4-6 goals each in 1-0 wins since 2013.
Agree but i wish Mourinho would also realize this. The last 3 home CL games that Fellaini's been fit he's started vs Sevilla, Valencia and Young Boys. And the 1-2, 0-0 and scrappy 1-0 performances individually and as a team that followed were about as good as you could expect from playing Fellaini in midfield from the start.
No kidding. Could have sworn it was more. But I should know better than to trust my memory. How many winners in general does he have?
Hear, hear
Is actually our only Sun
Some 90+ minutes goal stats ( not extra time ) , all competitions
Fellaini has 6 goals / 6 games
Ronaldo has 15 goals / 15 games
Messi has 21 goals / 21 games
Some 76-90 minutes goal stats
Fellaini has 10 goals / 10 games
Ronaldo has 118 goals / 111 games
Messi has 118 goals / 110 games
What does "deserving" to score really mean in football as far as individual performances are concerned? He was at the right place and controlled the ball and slotted home. There was no fluke about that so YES he fecking deserved to score the winner. I'm sorry but what is this latest notion that a player has to play excellent for 90 minutes to deserve a goal in football?
I mean sometimes people just can not get their bias out of the way.
Absolutely agree. But his existence in a matchday squad let alone the club shouldn't decide our success in any given match. Whats the point in fixing the latch of your trunk if the engine's shot?
If we've got a squad player that can come into this wayward team and contribute a handful of winners across each season that's really not too bad. Pretty sure anyone here defensive Fellaini feels we should be focused on the rest of the squad right so the former can be just that - a squad option with tangible output.
In many ways this debate stinks a lot like the anti-Oshea one. Basically, bit of misplaced attention and scapegoating for problems upstream .
I thought he had some nice touches early on when we were playing quick, one touch passes but his performance fizzled out with the rest of the team.
Jose got really lucky that Valencia took a knock because Fellaini was getting hooked otherwise.
Jose got really lucky that Valencia took a knock because Fellaini was getting hooked otherwise.
If he really was only a squad player it wouldn't be so much of a problem but the truth is the only times he's actually been a squad player is the 1st half of last season. And that might have only been due to injuries. At this point it's evident that for Mourinho he's deemed an important player and not just a squad player, more often than not he starts him in important games. Recently in the Champions league alone he started vs Sevilla, Valencia and last night against Young Boys, those games ended up with terrible performances and a 1-2 loss, a 0-0 draw and a scrappy 1-0 win. We really should be winning all 3 at home and especially against last nights opposition.
Now obviously Fellaini isn't solely responsible for those turgud performances but he had as big a hand in them as anyone, mostly through no fault of his own. I think the explanation someone posted a page or two ago sums up United's Fellaini conundrum perfectly. He's often the solution to a problem that is created by his selection from the start in prominent positions of the team in the first place.
He has many great qualities, he's a good player and very effective at times when given a specific task. But you can't start him in your midfield and really expect any sort of flowing football or cohesive team performances. If you're Jose Mourinho thats fine it seems, as all he cares about is results. But it quite often doesn't work and we are punching well below our weight because of that mentality in my opinion. And i don't mean just with the continued misuse of Fellaini, Mourinho is generally misusing a lot of players for reasons that escape me.
The problem is not Fellaini. The problem is that the rest of the team or tactics is crap. Fellaini can start for Belgium and they can play great football. Fellaini starts for United and United play crap football. Fellaini does not start for Belgium and they play great football. Fellaini does not start for United and we play crap football.
So the question is not Fellaini. Even with him in the side or without him we still play crap football. The same with Belgium. With him or without him they play the same good football.
So the question is not Fellaini. Even with him in the side or without him we still play crap football. The same with Belgium. With him or without him they play the same good football.
This. I agree. Spot on!
..."they play great football".... I sure wish he played last game against Switzerland. We missed presence in the midfield, aerial-threat in front of the goal, fighting spirit. Everything he has in spades. And his balls the size of a jumbo-jet!
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While these observations are true, it doesnt account for how much easier it is or isnt to play better with him on the pitch. Belgium can do it with him playing, but does that mean its any easier than if they have another player there? Hard to say.
Fellaini has done his part this season to think he should be starting quite a few matches. Matic's poor performances and Mourinho giving him the semi CB babysitting role gave him an oppertunity and he's taken it. He isnt suddenly perfect, he never will be but he's done his job more often than most of our midfielders this season.
He's not someone to build the team around, nor is he someone to stop us signing other players and moving on. But he's someone who when he is called upon will generally give a 6-7/10 at the basics of his role and might nick a goal as well.
It also doesnt help Fellaini that he isnt the only player of his type in midfield a bunch of times this season. He's played in the same team as Matic on several occasions. And while his mobility and mediocre creativity on their own are one thing, its quite another when played next to someone else with the same issues. Because then it makes it harder for the rest of the team to make up for it.
A lot of Flemish football analysts don't like him at all neither (is it because he only played for a Walloon team, namely Standard de Liège?), but they al agreed that Belgium missed him so hard against Switzerland because of the characterisitcs mentioned above. He brings something to team that not many players can bring in certain circumstances.
I will say, the onus should be on other players to perform well enough to keep Fellaini out of the starting 11, and negate the need to bring him on to salvage a result.
How many years does he have left until his testimonial?
I do think Moyes was harshly treated. That isn't to say he didn't make mistakes (clearing out the backroom, for example), but he only was given about 9 months (and even then, is in maybe the top 5 United Managers of all time for win %, and despite being given far less backing that LVG or Moaniho have enjoyed).
Not all managers hit the ground running - certainly at Spurs, Pochettino struggled for quite a while in his first season. It's a bit of a waste of time wondering 'what if', but certainly the retrospective allows at least a neutral to look back and observe that he was a scapegoat for issues that the fans were still yet to realise would be completely independent of the manager. I mean, LVG and Mourinho certainly are experienced and accomplished coaches, and they (for the most part) have still struggled with the same issues. SAF certainly picked the best time to retire with his stock high.
I've not really noticed, but does Mata get the same/similar stick from United fans that Fellaini does?
I agree with the posters who say that Fellaini must be a choice and not the starting choice. To a degree that is correct. We should be able to beat most teams without using the Fellaini tactics. To play Matic and Fellaini together is madness. But given a choice to start Matic or Fellaini I will chose Fellaini any day. Yesterday he played some nice touches too and did not get caught in possession or slowed down the game like Matic does. Our best cross came from him on the right wing.
We definitely seem to align on a few points about the big fella. Except for that in the bold. I find it very hard to reconcile with that after seeing Fellaini make his fair share of appearances under two different United managers now (ignoring DMs decisions for obvious reasons). Moreover, he's a valuable part of a quite free flowing Belgian national team that's done well just this past World Cup. So in my mind, there absolutely the possibility for him to be that plan B or C, squad player in the type of United team fans want to see. The solution to getting that is bigger than Fellaini and where he's in the squad or even starting 11 any particular day.
I know it's harsh, but I will forever remember Fellaini as the start of when the rot set in, he might be useful, but he's a disaster of a tactic for a would be top team, he just breeds pure laziness from the manager and the players.
Maybe him leaving will coincide with Jose leaving, and then we can maybe move on.
Maybe him leaving will coincide with Jose leaving, and then we can maybe move on.
Pep would use Fellaini 100%
It is how you use him. Belgium who won the 3rd place in the WC and is a top side plays him regularly. If fit he is always in the squad. He plays most of the time. The problem is how we use him.
Fellaini's sin:
He is not 1.7m with silky dribbling skills like a certain Argentine.
Poor chap.
He is not 1.7m with silky dribbling skills like a certain Argentine.
Poor chap.
Most important player
I'll hazard a guess that Fellaini will earn us more points this season than a lot of our more highly regarded players. At least when Fellaini plays he makes a positive contribution, and he doesn't put in the kind of anonymous and disinterested performances that Pogba does. I bet he's absolutely horrible to play against, and we don't have enough players who you would say that about (Ander Herrera is the only other one I can think of, and Jose doesn't seem keen to play him).
Fair enough mate, i have long thought when he's played from the start especially in central midfield that he messes up the flow of our football. Last night he was just roaming about in the no10/striker role, thats probably his best position in my opinion. When you play him there he can be effective if the team plays to his strengths. But i have watched many games there now under two managers where the rest of the team seems to have real trouble getting their tempo going and creating decent chances to score.
I'm not sure the Belgian comparisons hold much water, i mean Belgium have better players than us. They have enough talent that Fellaini can just come in and do a job without being prominent in their tactics. He's a good enough player to do that, United rely on him too much. And change tactics to play long to him. Plus many players play at different levels for their national sides than they do for their clubs.
Not the thread for a Moyes discussion but his win percentage is a bit misleading, first of all he was managing another managers title winning team and they were used to racking up wins.
Secondly most of his wins came in the first half of the season, the win % rapidly declined the longer the season went on. We went on a run starting with you lot on new years where we only won like 7 games out of 22 culminating in his sacking.
The majority of his wins also came against the bottom half. In 34 league games he only won 2 games vs teams in the top half of the table. Scrappy home wins vs Arsenal and Stoke, i don't think he was harshly treated. If anything he was probably given too much time.
I'm far from his biggest fan but at this moment I think he should start and he should start as a striker. This season Lukaku and Rashford haven't performed, they're not finishing their chances and their movement is bad. Fellaini's movement won't be great but at least he offers something they don't.
I don't think he's generally very good and he wasn't very good against Young Boys but that was in midfield and usually when this thread is bumped and he's praised it's about what he does inside the box. It's been a long time since Lukaku or Rashford got praised for what they've done inside the box. So just plant him there and lets get better movement in midfield.
I don't think he's generally very good and he wasn't very good against Young Boys but that was in midfield and usually when this thread is bumped and he's praised it's about what he does inside the box. It's been a long time since Lukaku or Rashford got praised for what they've done inside the box. So just plant him there and lets get better movement in midfield.
When he played sort of as a third CB he was good but I dread what he might do in our box. As some of you have said he is much better up field but again then we really do not play to his strength. What is the point in Fellaini being in the box when Young and Shaw or any other player cannot put in that cross for Fellaini?
If he is playing then we should play to his strengths. I also agree that we should have alternatives to playing the long ball to him. But the problem is that right now we do not seem to have the players up front to play any other sort of game.
I also think that we should forget about this formation and play a diamond. I think Jose is trying to get us to have wing play while we do not wingers to do that. Get someone up along side Fellaini and play two up front with Pogba on the left or up on top of the diamond. Or Sanchez on top of the diamond and play any of the strikers up with Fellaini.
But drop Matic as he is the one who is slowing down things on the pitch.
If he is playing then we should play to his strengths. I also agree that we should have alternatives to playing the long ball to him. But the problem is that right now we do not seem to have the players up front to play any other sort of game.
I also think that we should forget about this formation and play a diamond. I think Jose is trying to get us to have wing play while we do not wingers to do that. Get someone up along side Fellaini and play two up front with Pogba on the left or up on top of the diamond. Or Sanchez on top of the diamond and play any of the strikers up with Fellaini.
But drop Matic as he is the one who is slowing down things on the pitch.
You always come out with the criticism but I never see you on this thread for weeks when he is playing well. If you're going to pull out stats, show his goals per minute and what position he plays as well. Also, how many goals are our other top strikers averaging? Lukaku/Sanchez?
He was poor yesterday but I'd much rather take a limited Fellaini than Sanchez, Lukaku, Falcao, Di Maria, Matic and Lingard
He always does his job. You can't blame him for being the player he is.
what surprised me was how short he is without his afro. He is much shorter than Matic.
Currently in the running for POTS - depressing in a way
No he's not.
Nobody else currently is either so.
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