They were far more reserved than Valencia on the other side.
36
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
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- 12
- Goals
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- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 3
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He completely controlled Pedro. Great performance from him.
Will force me to rethink my ideas about him and seems he's not a bad back-up option after all.
Will force me to rethink my ideas about him and seems he's not a bad back-up option after all.
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Perhaps but not nearly as reluctant as Darmian is to attack. Which rubbishes this idea that one fullback is always instructed to sit back and barely attack. Thats been spun in here all season to excuse Darmians lack of contribution towards attacking.
Valencia attacks more than our other fullbacks because he used to be a winger. Conversely Darmian attacks less than our other fullbacks because he used to be a centreback and he's not that great at attacking in general. He is not being told to be reserved he just naturally does it, and for me it's a huge negative.
He did fantastic against Pedro. Even supported our attacks at times.
2 good performances in a row. He's had a lot of fight in him this week!
I've stayed consistent in my assessment of the guy. He can play left back. But he's not a natural one. If you take our left back spot and remember that Rojo, Blind, Young have all played there he's head and shoulders been our best option there. He's absolutely had more good games than bad.
People judge him through a lens of expecting a young Ashley Cole or Evra rampaging down the left. He's never going to be that kind of full back down his natural right side so thinking it's ever happening down the left is bananas.
Neville alluded to as much when he first signed for us. Defended inside is the term I think he used. Trouble was we were crying out for a defender to overlap which is what he is terrible at. Yesterday with Young doing the forward work it was bread and butter for him.
No chance mate absolutely no chance, his good performances this season can be counted on one hand.
No one is expecting a young Cole or Evra, i'd settle for a young Buttner over what Darmian has been serving up most of the time.
He really is an excellent defender. But I don't see him as a long term answer at either side unfortunately. He's just very average at every other aspect needed in that position.
Seriously? You stop a player turning and running at you by getting tighter, as Darmian does (No Jedi mind tricks required). Obviously that can leave space in behind and Valencia must have been concerned about that somewhat, despite having a very mobile central defender able to cover for him. Darmian is a natural defender, he's aggressive and stereotypically Italian in the way that he defends. Valencia isn't a natural defender despite his excellent performances at right back.
I'm a big fan of Valencia too btw, I just felt that against Anderlecht he struggled to control Acheampong, whereas Darmian marshaled the left flank very well. That wasn't recognised in the player ratings imo.
He did his job on Sunday and he played some good games recently, but I'm not convinced we need to keep him as part of the squad.
He's not good enough to be a competition for Valencia in RB/RWB spot and when he's playing LB he's only defense, no attack, our attack through that side of the pitch is non-existent.
We should cash him in this summer, Italian giants teams are full of cash now and they all need a player of his caliber.
He's not good enough to be a competition for Valencia in RB/RWB spot and when he's playing LB he's only defense, no attack, our attack through that side of the pitch is non-existent.
We should cash him in this summer, Italian giants teams are full of cash now and they all need a player of his caliber.
Darmian showed he's a good man marker so it may gain him a reprieve at the expense of Blind but his lack of quality going forward is a huge issue whilst his defending against a strong and quick attacker has caused him plenty of problems this season.
Burnley 0:2 Man Utd
A very Darmian performance, nothing going forward but offers good cover as a 3rd CB.
Yep, agree. He did his defensive job quite good, offense was not his concern.
As long as he keeps his defensive work that good, I can see his staying next season as Jose loves having a defensive full back in his squad.
I disagree. I think he's a great squad player - versatile, disciplined, quiet and non-disruptive. We have no reason to sell him. His value is not high and those newly-rich Italian teams would be going for big names. No team gets a sugar daddy and starts spending on players like Darmian. Moreover, why burden ourselves with the hassle and cost of finding him a replacement, when he's perfectly content to be a bench player?
I don't think he's versatile tbh. He's defensive minded and even on RB he isn't going forward.
He can do some tasks, he fails miserably at others so Idk what to tell you. If I was me I would ship him off to Italy considering how rish Milano clubs are becoming.
He's not getting any younger either.
After that Spurs game (I think it was Sissoko who came on and kept ripping him apart), I thought he was surefire done.
but recently hes been fighting for us, hasnt let us down when called upon and it will be interesting to see what Jose does with him in the summer.
but recently hes been fighting for us, hasnt let us down when called upon and it will be interesting to see what Jose does with him in the summer.
Pretty sure he has done enough to stay..
Not his best game, but get the job done against Burnley. He was superb previous games.He excelled in supporting roles defensively, and good attacks too with the occasional good crosses and supporting runs, plus always an option in keeping possession. Left isolated one-on-one could get skinned and bullied very easily. Best utilised as a supporting player.
Many limitations, but he's always available, listens to coach, professional and Mourinho knows how to get the best out of him. Good squad player to have, since our current defense department have injury-prone players.
Man City 0:0 Man Utd
If you want your LB to have zero attacking intent but defend well with a crafty streak, then Darmian is your man.
Can't stand how bad he is on the ball.
Defensively he did ok tonight but oh my god his composure under pressure is absolutely horrible. All he does is lump it or slice it away it's absolutely pathetic.
Defensively he did ok tonight but oh my god his composure under pressure is absolutely horrible. All he does is lump it or slice it away it's absolutely pathetic.
Thought he played well, albeit a bit tired towards the end.
He covers the left centre back well, but he seems clueless when defending a winger on the ball. And his attacking contribution is so weak, just aimless lumps, even when there are players available for a pass.
Agree with that. No composure from him tonight. You can't afford to have a few players just giving the ball away and Darmian was one of them.
Solid performance on the whole. His technical ability is a real issue but then again, José doesn't really lose sleep over FBs who can't attack. Going forward, I feel Darmian's a very good squad option. He could probably be a reliable #2 at RB and LB. Looking at our injuries at CB right now and it wouldn't surprise me if he ends up getting some time there. The funny thing is that I think he could be a surprisingly good RCB or LCB in a back-three, kind of like Azpilicueta.
I thought his distribution and his composure on the ball, was way below an acceptable level tonight.
Isn't it better that he does boot it clear most times instead of attempting passes that he knows he can't complete?
He was alright. As he most often is.
Might be better but still not good or acceptable.
He's pub league level on the ball, he belongs at Burnley or West Brom, not United.
His defending has been better than usual the past few games but his inability to complete simple passes when under any pressure is unacceptable.
Looked utterly knackered for the last 10-15 mins.
Fair enough as he battled hard (along with the rest of the back four)
Fair enough as he battled hard (along with the rest of the back four)
Just swings a leg at the ball in possession but defended well.
Not good enough for Utd. Tries hard, but that isn't enough.
Gone in the summer
Gone in the summer
No composure at all when he has the ball 
But he did the job he was out there for.
I said it before, but im wondering what will happen to him in the summer. Before 2017 started, I was convinced he was going. But hes giving Jose everything hes being asked to give esp in games like this.
But he did the job he was out there for.
I said it before, but im wondering what will happen to him in the summer. Before 2017 started, I was convinced he was going. But hes giving Jose everything hes being asked to give esp in games like this.
There was one moment last night where the ball fell to him in the box and he has time and space to play out but he just booted it and turned over possession. Another moment when he was pressed and pumped it up the line and out of play when Carrick was free in space next to him.
That kind of indecisiveness and fear spreads through the team. We require players with more confidence and quality on the ball.
He's good defensively but offers absolutely nothing else.
He is the sort of trash we need to cut out of the team. City would have looked at our team and said "mark Valencia tightly, let Darmian have the ball"
I would love to see a compilation of his passing last night. He must have turned over possession nearly every time he touched it, he is literally the worst player in possession I think United have ever had. Even Bebe could carry the ball better
I would love to see a compilation of his passing last night. He must have turned over possession nearly every time he touched it, he is literally the worst player in possession I think United have ever had. Even Bebe could carry the ball better
He is the sort of trash we need to cut out of the team. City would have looked at our team and said "mark Valencia tightly, let Darmian have the ball"
I would love to see a compilation of his passing last night. He must have turned over possession nearly every time he touched it, he is literally the worst player in possession I think United have ever had. Even Bebe could carry the ball better
That's pretty harsh. He's demonstrated many times he's a pretty decent defender. He's poor on the ball though, I won't argue about that.
I expect him to go to an Italian club in the summer (perhaps AC) and become an integral part of a typically solid Italian defence.
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