Evenw without that goal, he was fecking class. What a player, and what a goal to boot
Miralem Pjanic
- Thread starter Cristiano_RAFC
- Start date
Yep, definitely a quality player. I enjoy watching him.
Fantastic goal and cameo today. Always wished we would go for him instead of Strootman, but given we signed Ander we definitely need someone with more defensive values than Pjanic
Yeah, I've always rated him incredibly highly and he's probably my favourite player at the moment, but we wouldn't need him now that we signed Herrera given he's a similar player, just better IMO. He was arguably the second best midfielder in the league last season, behind Vidal. Crazy to think a year ago spurs could have potentially had him for £15m or so but chose to get lamela instead. Now I can't see pjanic going anywhere unless it's to one of the top, top teams like Barca.
We are Manchester United it does bother me this idea we have Herrera so we dont need more midfielders of similar type. Herrera could get injured, herrera might suffer from a loss of form...we are trying to compete with teams stocked to the rafters with world class players all across the bench. We require 3-4 world class CMs. Not just one or 2.
This is my biggest concern going in to the season. If both Carrick and Herrera are injured we'll be in trouble (obviously I'm assuming the worst but it's a possibility). I'm sure Van Gaal is aware of the fact that we need to strengthen our midfield and I hope we can get a couple of CM signings before the window closes.
Dream on mate, this isn't footy manager. Name me one time we've ever had 4 world class CM's. It's a challenge to even name any teams who have 4 world class CM's. The closest for us is probably when we bought Veron but that hardly worked out. The very best teams have great starting XI's and solid, versatile backups usually made up of veterans and younger players.
We could do with a couple of good CM's coming in but I think a solid defensive, De Jong type should be the priority, because I wouldn't be holding out for any world class signings.
I genuinely think he's a bit overrated, and doesnt have the build IMHO
Have you seen Bayerns squad? We had Keano, Scholes, Veron.....
You probably just don't watch him anywhere near enough. He's an underrated player for sure. Very consistent, and always dictates the tempo of every game, very skillful and a great passer. Similar to modric in a way, and of players like him I'd say only Modric is better world wide.
So what would you do if we signed pjanic, bench Herrera? Sure we need more back up, but pjanic would walk into every premier league team and pretty much every team in the world, bar Real Madrid since they have modric already. Of course it's great to have top class back up players, but that's only something teams work on once they have a complete starting 11, which we are nowhere close to having.
How many brilliant players with tiny builds have to emerge before this gets dropped.
He's not even small though, he's 5'11"... Shows how much he watches him I guess if he comes to those conclusions.
I'm guessing he means weight wise rather than height. He's far from the smallest player out there in that regard either though.
Likes of Iniesta, Modric, Mata are all around the same build and much shorter plus a bazillion other brilliant players.
Yeah... I mean I guess if he wants him to be a box to box, powerful runner with the ball and tank through players like Yaya toure then he doesn't have the build for that. He's got a similar build to loads of other world class midfielders like him though so that isn't really relevant. You'd think given the success of Spain and all the short players that stereotype would stop anyways, even if it doesn't apply with Pjanic. Apparently not.
Pjanic at the disco.
If anything, he's underrated.
Pretty much. Not even sure what "build" he has to have to play that kind of role, considering nearly all the best players in recent times in that position have been tiny.
If he did put on weight, there's actually a very good chance he'd be less effective. With more weight he'd be less agile/maneuverable. Even if it was a problem; as you said he's actually pretty tall for that position considering the likes of Silva, Cazorla, Mata, Gotze, Eriksen..the list is pretty much endless.
Another angle of the goal
Could he play at the base of our midfield as a deep lying playmaker? Or are Mata and Herrera not strong enough to allow that?
I think I've made a thread on him in the past... he's been my favourite player for years. I 'discovered' him on a past Football Manager while he was still at Metz. Followed his career pretty closely ever since - I'm glad he's finally coming to make a big reputation. My only wish is that we bought him when he was going cheap at Lyon from being second to Gourcouff in the first 11... which was a stupid decision from them anyway.
I think it would have to be him or Herrera plus someone a bit more defensive. I don't think a midfield of Herrera, Mata and Pjanic would work. It would produce some fantastic football though
He's best as a 10 basically.
Can play as a 8 too, but he isn't the type of player we need.
Btw, Herrera is more rounded midfielder than him when played deeper re their comparison.
Can play as a 8 too, but he isn't the type of player we need.
Btw, Herrera is more rounded midfielder than him when played deeper re their comparison.
Him and Herrera could partner each other in front of an anchor man like De Jong for example, but it would force Mata out wide. He's brilliant either as a 10 or as a #8 so to speak, as the deep lying playmaker, but it'd be like putting Scholes there. You can play him, but the player next to him has to be more defensive minded as you want to let Pjanic use his creativity and ability on the ball to dictate the tempo and all that. He's decent defensively, improved a lot in that regard, but he's still a playmaker and buying him to play him next to herrera would essentially nullify one of their attacking instincts and abilities on the ball which you just don't want to do.
Yeah, he was brilliant at Metz, started off well at Lyon until they changed their manager or something and bought Gourcuff, who always played ahead of Pjanic despite never performing better then him. Went to Roma and since then he's really kicked on after a little stall at Lyon. This last season was huge for him too, especially having a manager like Rudi Garcia in charge who trusts him and knows what he's capable of. When he came in they were considering cashing in on him for like 10-15m, but Garcia said he'd chain himself to the stadium or something if they did that, so he sold Lamela instead and made Pjanic the main man and it paid off.
Ander + Pjanic + Vidal
I think it would have to be him or Herrera plus someone a bit more defensive. I don't think a midfield of Herrera, Mata and Pjanic would work. It would produce some fantastic football though
This is what I figured, I haven't seen a lot of him at Roma but at the World Cup he seemed to play quite deep but had Besic next to him to do some grafting and let him start off the moves from deep. I was just curious if he could do what Carrick does or even Pirlo.
He could do that, but again, Pirlo is the one who dictates the tempo, he plays deep but he has Vidal and Pogba as box to box players in front of him as part of a trio. A trio of Mata-Herrera-Pjanic would be 3 players who's first instinct is to attack and provide through balls, not one who right away looks to snuff out danger.
Just theoretically, do you think he could work as the deep lying playmaker with Vidal and Herrera as box to box CM's ahead of him in our midfield?
It probably could, considering most think a midfield duo of Herrera and Vidal could work. Vidal is great defensively but also excellent going forward, Herrera is excellent going forward and good defensively, pjanic when he plays as a #8 mainly dictates the tempo of the game rather then provide the cutting edge always, though he's of course capable of that. Think it'd be a really dominant midfield, but then you'd have mata and Rooney out wide most likely. If we ignore the attacking options, then yeah theoretically it'd work great, it'd have the energy, work rate, muscle, defensive ability, creativity and a player who really dictates the tempo of games, so there wouldn't be anything lacking really. Next to no chance of it happening under van gaal considering our attacking players though, even if they would make some wank worthy displays.
I'd say that sums it up pretty well, I guess it comes down to the fact singing Mata and Herrera along with the strikers we have rules out a CM like Pjanic, nice to theorize on the potential though.
fair enough, he's decent everytime I've seen him play...just wasn't amazed by him.
I'd rather have Ander + Mata + Vidal.Ander + Pjanic + Vidal
I'm not bothered by you not rating him, that's your opinion of course, its just the idea that its his build that's the problem when there are tons of players around that size that are brilliant. It's said of loads of players as well, the whole "needs to bulk up" when said of attacking midfielders/wingers grates on me a bit.
Ander + Pjanic + Vidal
You don't really need him considering you have the best attacking midfielder in the league in Mata.
I want United to play Van Gaal's traditional 4-3-3 and that midfield trio would be the best in the business.
He wants to go 3-5-2 doesn't he? It would be an excellent trio but it would mean you'd be dropping your world-class £40m acquisition, unless you play him out wide where he isn't as effective. You'd also have to drop one of Rooney/Van Persie.
What part of Mata is better than Pjanic do you not understand?
I'd rather have those you mentioned + Pjanic on the bench.
And then what happens? Mata shoved out to the wing again?
We need to be utilising our best players. We need one more quality CM to play alongside Ander and then Mata can play in front of them.