Matthijs de Ligt image 4

Matthijs de Ligt Netherlands flag

2024-25 Performances

View full 2024-25 profile

6.0 Season Average Rating
Appearances
19
Clean sheets
7
Goals
1
Assists
0
Yellow cards
2
Ipswich 1:1 Man Utd New
There were a few times where I didn’t feel he was as aggressive as he could have been. Will probably take some time to adjust to the new system.
 
What happened to the swashbuckling baby Beckenbauer that could swagger into midfield in his younger days?

He just isn’t very dynamic on the ball so he telegraphs every pass and it’s easy to set pressing traps against his receivers.

Plays like prime Evans. Decent without pulling up any trees.
 
I thought he looked absolutely fine. His job doesn’t appear to be about pinging balls into the midfield. The other two either side of him need to be doing that.

It didn’t help any of them yesterday that both Casemiro and Eriksen weren’t making themselves available for the ball.
 
Kag said:
I thought he looked absolutely fine. His job doesn’t appear to be about pinging balls into the midfield. The other two either side of him need to be doing that.

It didn’t help any of them yesterday that both Casemiro and Eriksen weren’t making themselves available for the ball.
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I thought he struggled to stay close to delap, especially when the latter dropped into the hole in between midfield and defence.
 
FrankWhite said:
I thought he struggled to stay close to delap, especially when the latter dropped into the hole in between midfield and defence.
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Delap won a few of them, I agree, but that’s going to happen over ninety minutes. Keeping hold of Hutchinson seemed like a bigger issue.
 
sillwuka said:
It's very early but I feel he might struggle in this system, is he capable of progressing the ball at all?
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He struggled with it at Bayern and it’s part of the reason we sold him.
 
HTG said:
He struggled with it at Bayern and it’s part of the reason we sold him.
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But no one wanted to hear that. He doesn't fit what Kompany wants to do. Kim and Upa are more aggressive/"progressive" with their passes.
De Ligt is a good to very good and pretty traditional CB that was earning too much money and didn't fit the system.
 
With Martinez and Yoro next to him, nobody is going to ask him to be a progressive passer.
 
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Pexbo said:
With Martinez and Yoro next to him, nobody is going to ask him to be a progressive passer.
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But is he psrticularly good at anything? Would be nice if he is but he just seems pretty average at everything
 
Matt851 said:
But is he psrticularly good at anything? Would be nice if he is but he just seems pretty average at everything
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Good ‘box defender’ - basically a slightly worse version of Varane.

He’s a good threat offensively in the air at least
 
Matt851 said:
But is he psrticularly good at anything? Would be nice if he is but he just seems pretty average at everything
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He and Martinez got absolutely slammed for their performances against Porto earlier in the season (rightly too) but I remember he made some really aggressive ball wins in that game and has shown it at different points in other games too. He is a very strong guy. The last few games though he’s looked a bit passive.
 
Irwin99 said:
He and Martinez got absolutely slammed for their performances against Porto earlier in the season (rightly too) but I remember he made some really aggressive ball wins in that game and has shown it at different points in other games too. He is a very strong guy. The last few games though he’s looked a bit passive.
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I would imagine ETH was a big part of the reason he came here. He may also have reservations about playing in a back 3
 
I’m less worried about him on the ball and more concerned that he’s not as defensively dominant as I’d want from someone whose only job is such. I want him bullying strikers and cutting passes out constantly. Right now he’s sort of playing like a slower, worse version of Varane.
 
Loves a pass back to Onana , needs to be more progressive with the ball at his feet . Other than that I thought he did fine
 
I would rather see Amorim playing back four until he gets the players that fit or at least combine the two formations.
 
Berbaclass said:
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This is the ugliest passing chart I’ve ever seen. I mentioned in another thread that the central man in a 3 has to have some range to their passing and at least the ability to drive with the ball. Bonucci, David Luiz, Thiago Silva and VVD (for The Netherlands) would show a lot more initiative on the ball.

I know it might get pointed out that it was Amorim’s advice but I really doubt that. De Ligt was the main reason for our slow progression of the ball with Evans being number two.
 
El Jefe said:
This is the ugliest passing chart I’ve ever seen. I mentioned in another thread that the central man in a 3 has to have some range to their passing and at least the ability to drive with the ball. Bonucci, David Luiz, Thiago Silva and VVD (for The Netherlands) would show a lot more initiative on the ball.

I know it might get pointed out that it was Amorim’s advice but I really doubt that. De Ligt was the main reason for our slow progression of the ball with Evans being number two.
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True. I actually think Maguire would be better suited in the middle of a back 3. He’s a lot more dominant in the air and actually plays progressive passes.
 
No concerns about his defending but he's quite underwhelming on the ball, not sure he's even a better passer than Maguire or Lindelof.
 
Not doing anything terrible. Not doing anything great either. Rather functional for a player with such a great rep.

Used to be such a prodigious talent. Now it looks like he just physically developed early but with limited upside.
 
Man Utd 3:2 FK Bodo/Glimt New
For me, such an underwhelming signing.
 
We were too open for the first 25 minutes, so am not blaming him for the goals much (although he made the mistake for the first one). But I think faster and better ball playing defender should ideally play in that central spot. He might struggle in this system.
 
Amorim said it himself that there will be short term pain for long term gain. I won’t judge him this quickly in a new system. I can see him being perfect in this role once him, Yoro and Martinez are up to speed. They’ll more than provide the ball playing and MDL isn’t too bad on the ball anyway. What the centre backs are seeing in front of them is all new to them.
 
Not 100% convinced of his role in this system. I honestly think Harry Magz might suit a CCB role in a back three more.
 
Ideally we need at least 2 of our 3 CBs to be rapid, him and Martinez does not give me much confidence when we are countered or in 1v1 situations.
 
DWelbz19 said:
Not 100% convinced of his role in this system. I honestly think Harry Magz might suit a CCB role in a back three more.
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I think Maguire will be even less suited to the role as he's less mobile. I'm not sure how Yoro is in the air, but we'll probably need to have a more physical CB starting and I think that will continue to be De Ligt.
 
Not good enough on the ball sadly, and we need a good passer for that central CB role.
 
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