Playing Fellaini ahead of Mata in the #10 role

Most of our chances in the first half involved Fellaini. The subs really ruined our rhythm.
 
Cost us today, his strengths don't make up for his weaknesses on the ball. Doesn't even have to be Mata, Herrera or Di Maria could play there.
 
Kazi said:
Most of our chances in the first half involved Fellaini. The subs really ruined our rhythm.
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Aye, when we're playing with no rhythm and fluidity then Fellaini will often be one of our main threats.

Starting Fellaini isn't any help to our rhythm in the first place though.
 
I'm not a fan of Mata (as part of our squad) but he had to play today. Fellaini just doesn't have the quality to make a real impact in tighter games.
 
Go down, 10 minutes left, play hoofball at the end to him all the time. It just encourages it all the time, and it is seriously easy to play off. I really hope Mata starts against Tottenham, Fellaini hasn't done much over the past few games, and it turns our plan B into shit.
 
Our manager wants us to get it up to him. You can't blame Fellaini, he gets the ball and knocks it down as instructed. Blame the manager for his choice of play.
 
I hate everything about a United side with Fellaini in it, its just wrong. Like ketchup on a Sunday roast.
 
Hed Zitin said:
Our manager wants us to get it up to him. You can't blame Fellaini, he gets the ball and knocks it down as instructed. Blame the manager for his choice of play.
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I don't blame Fellaini, he doesn't pick himself in the team.
 
We are too lightweight if mata and Herrera play, if we drop Rooney deeper then we have to play falcao who is useless. Fellaini isn't great but he at least gives us a physical presence, he shouldn't be anywhere near the team next year but I can see why he gets in this team at the moment.
 
Awful footballer, the fact that he is tall should not negate the fact that he can't play football.
 
There was a moment in the second half when he got given the ball and Januzaj would have been in on goal if he'd played it to him. Instead he aimlessly bumbled over to the side of the pitch, each touch desperately trying to get the ball under control from his last, and then by the time he actually bothered to pass it to Januzaj he was miles offside but Fellaini gave it to him anyway.
 
Not his fault but the fact he is so important to our style of play is worrying for the club.

He's also good at commiting incredibly stupid fouls. We need more intelligent players than him tbh.
 
The funny thing is, we couldn't even play the long ball tactic very well at all today. Lost the ball and 2nd ball almost every time.

Truly laughable.
 
I think that I have more chances of understanding Chinese rather than Van Gaal's decisions. Playing Fellaini ahead of Mata, Falcao - or anyone for that matter - is simply stupid. The only thing he can do is win some headers and make a ton of fouls.
 
SkeppyRed said:
Not his fault but the fact he is so important to our style of play is worrying for the club.

He's also good at commiting incredibly stupid fouls. We need more intelligent players than him tbh.
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That's what gets me. He has this hard man image but in reality he's a snidey little fanny with shit control who is supposed to be a target man who can't even hold up the ball. I have never hated a United player but I hate this bastard with a passion.
 
When 50% of the time your second touch is a tackle, chances are you're not going to be a good #10.

Fellaini has his strengths, playing good football on the ground is not one of them.
 
Fellaini absolutely has to be in the team if it's between himself and Mata. Neither player is a man utd player and both players have been forced on Van Gaal because we appointed a mid-table spoofer in Moyes......but Mata is a massive pussy in big games and you don't even know he is on the pitch - put him up against leicester at home and he looks world class but put him up against a top 8 team at home and he is nowhere to be seen...Fellaini is pants but at least he offers something in big games
 
We were playing pretty well until around New Year since Mata has found himself dropped, can't see any reason for it.
 
If mata had done enough then he'd be in the team. He hasn't been good enough to warrant automatically starting.

As people have pointed out fellaini made most of our chances tonight, another night he would have bagged one and he'd be the king
 
It's a shame that its the case nowadays, but playing Fellaini ahead of Mata is probably the correct decision.

The most adventurous thing we do is get crosses into the box and there should be no debate about who you'd rather have in that scenario. It's not what I'd prefer, but to be fair to Fellaini, he has done a great job doing the role Capello envisioned for Heskey.
 
sullydnl said:
Aye, when we're playing with no rhythm and fluidity then Fellaini will often be one of our main threats.

Starting Fellaini isn't any help to our rhythm in the first place though.
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The second part is the key for me. Starting Fellaini essentially means we have to play a certain way, which is slow football designed to play long wide balls for Fellaini to head back across the box. We play that way because with Fellaini as the most attacking midfielder we don't have any other real options, with Mata in we wouldn't have to play that way.
 
Fellaini was one of our better players tonight.
Tonight was a big game, say what you want about Fellaini but he'll give his all in the big games. Matas a flat track bully - can't hack it when the chips are down.

LVGS got that call right tonight.
 
I can take bad results and defeats but it just makes me so angry that this oaf plays ahead of the likes of Mata. Our only tactic is to lump it to him from the back and it's becoming infuriating
 
gza the genius said:
The second part is the key for me. Starting Fellaini essentially means we have to play a certain way, which is slow football designed to play long wide balls for Fellaini to head back across the box. We play Thay way because
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Aye, plus even if Fellaini isn't playing well we can't really take him off because he is our entire plan B. He should be on the bench and brought on as needed.
 
Fellaini was one of our best players today. He looked great in the first half and even better in the second. A real threat, yes he contested every high ball but pressed well and played some good passes too. He has to watch his tackling but at the of the day he stayed on the pitch and was a nuisance throughout. He wasn't the problem, taking herrera off for carrick was.
 
If he didn't want to play Mata at 10 then he could've played Ander there. A spine of Fellaini, Carrick and Blind is ridiculous.
 
What baffles me is how we never get on the end of the headers he wins. He'll win his header at the back post, and we'll never be on the end of the knock down. Same for his flick ons, we're never anywhere near the 2nd ball after playing it up to him which you'd think would be a key part of making the tactic work. Another example of how little cohesion and chemistry there is in the team, any 11 we put out looks like they've never played together before.
 
Playing Fellaini ahead of Mata as #10 is the definition of anti-football
 
Fellaini did what Fellain does. Put himself about and gather in a few long balls.
He is not a Man Utd #10. Fack me - if LVG can't see this there is literally no hope. For LVG, not for us. If he continues playing Fellaini there I want LVG gone.
 
It is a strange philosophy almost as if Van Gaal has no confidence in the other attacking players creating and scoring goals so has resorted to the last 5 minutes of a match mid way through a season.
 
1. Fellaini was not playing no10 tonight
2. He had a decent game
 
Fellaini is a very useful player in his own right. But the fact that he's a much more important player than Mata for us is a bit alarming.
 
The Purley King said:
Er - yes he was - he was constantly the most advanced midfielder.....................
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most advanced of the midfield 3 perhaps - the wide men are ahead of him though

very different to the second striker role that most people refer to as 'no10'
 
Roboc7 said:
We are too lightweight if mata and Herrera play, if we drop Rooney deeper then we have to play falcao who is useless. Fellaini isn't great but he at least gives us a physical presence, he shouldn't be anywhere near the team next year but I can see why he gets in this team at the moment.
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Arsenal didn't exactly have a Patrick Vieira out there that we had to get worried about getting outmuscled.
 
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