He scored against Liverpool too!
Rafael da Silva | 2010-14 Performances
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He scored against Liverpool too!
& I hadn't forgotten when I made that remark - it's not a criticism, because it certainly helped him be so solid at the back (he didn't overlap much, basically playing like a centreback at fullback, which is what he was), but an observation. It was no issue anyway, because of the way our wingers were playing that year. The CL Final moment from him was a one-off, that I will be forever thankful for
. He was brilliant that season.Great moment. That 3-0 is one of the first games that I remember when I think back to 07/08.
Was he injured?
Yup. Still recovering from the ankle injury.
I hope the only reason he's not playing is his lack of match fitness because if Moyes prefers Smaling at RB he can feck off
Fairly sure it would just be fitness issues. He is just coming back from injury, so probably doesn't want to chuck him straight back into a big game
I can imagine that Moyes didn't want to change the back 4 too much after the Leverkusen performance. Vidic coming in makes sense.
When you see a half-fit Welbeck playing it does make you wonder
Welbeck came off the bench for 20-30 minutes a week ago, and then sat on the bench for 90 minutes midweek. This is the first time Rafael has been back on the bench, and he has been injured for longer than Welbeck.
I don't think you should do so much thinking. You're not cut out for it.
Welbeck came off the bench for 20-30 minutes a week ago, and then sat on the bench for 90 minutes midweek. This is the first time Rafael has been back on the bench, and he has been injured for longer than Welbeck.
I don't think you should do so much thinking. You're not cut out for it.
It's not like Moyes has never dropped Rafael for Smalling is it...oh wait he has.
Might have been an over reaction admittedly...
It's not like Moyes has never dropped Rafael for Smalling is it...oh wait he has.
Might have been an over reaction admittedly...
You confuse dropped with rotated.
Surely has to be involved against Everton. If you are fit enough for the bench, you are fit enough to play. I will have real concerns if Smalling is ahead of him at fullback for this one at home.
I remember reading somewhere (The Guardian?) a few weeks ago that Moyes prefers Smalling at RB.
Hope it isn't true. I want to see Rafael back in the team as soon as possible. We lack so much without him.
Hope it isn't true. I want to see Rafael back in the team as soon as possible. We lack so much without him.
I am sure Valencia would say he prefers Rafael at right back
If this is true, then alarm bells really should be ringing...
I suspect the truth is that Rafael has been injured and Smalling has been getting the nod while he's been recovering. Would expect to see Rafael back in the side now - he makes us so much more balanced.
Danny Welbeck.
Welbeck was eased back into things as well wasn't he. Plus its hard to compare injuries as they are different types and lengths.
Sub during the Cardiff match, Started yesterday. But his was a knee injury if I am not wrong, while Rafael was an ankle one.
from SSNIs Rafael the key?
Understanding a coach's philosophy is a tricky business. You never know how dependent they are upon the players available. But whether it is Brendan Rodgers signing Joe Allen for Liverpool or David Moyes taking Marouane Fellaini with him to Manchester United, it is amazing how often coaches look to replicate earlier success by employing the same personnel. Moyes was unable to do that with Leighton Baines in the summer but the subsequent performances of Patrice Evra have the fingerprints of the manager's methods all over them.
As tactical expert Michael Cox wrote in The Guardian: "The most obvious feature of David Moyes's coaching philosophy is his emphasis upon width - asking his central midfielders to spread the play, and encouraging the full-backs forward to create overloads with the wide midfielders." It's a style of play that the Scot honed throughout his 11-year reign at Everton, developing a more aggressively attacking approach in recent years.
"When I took over, the team didn't have the calibre to play the football we do now," Moyes told the Daily Mail last year. "Then you can evolve and get better, with defenders who are more comfortable on the ball or more attacking full-backs. Now the level of player I have allows me to play in a different way. I can send Baines further on because I can trust my centre-backs more."
With players of the stature of Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand at Manchester United, as well as the likes of Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, it is fair to assume that Moyes was an excited man at the prospect of unleashing his full-backs. Indeed, the importance he places on trusting his central defenders might explain why he relied heavily on his most experienced duo during his early matches in charge - pairing Vidic and Ferdinand six times before the end of September.
The result has been that Evra, in particular, has come to the fore. No United player has created more chances from open play this season than Evra with the Frenchman's tally of 17 also the joint highest of any full-back in the Premier League. It reflects the increased importance of full-backs in the Moyes system. In fact, United are attempting more crosses per game than any top-flight team, up from fifth last season. Meanwhile, the number of through-balls and short passes per game are down, reaffirming this shift in emphasis.
There is a debate to be had regarding the wisdom of this tactic. Recent research byStatsBomb revealed that Manchester United create a higher percentage of their opportunities from deep positions on either flank than anyone else. "United, at 22 per cent, are the only team to create more than 19 per cent of their chances from these zones, which is not a great claim to fame as this zone has a low probability of key passes resulting in goals," writes Colin Trainor. Regardless of the merits of the tactic, it does mean that the full-backs are key.
Evra was always comfortable going forward but he has become a more prominent creative force this season. Indeed, he is already just five short of last season's figure of 22 chances created from open play in the Premier League. Intriguingly, despite the tendency for United's left wingers such as Shinji Kagawa to cut inside and right-wing options like Antonio Valencia to provide width, that's the same number of chances Rafael created from right-back last term. It offers the tantalising prospect of the Brazilian also thriving under his new boss. In fact, there is some early evidence in his favour.
Rafael has played eight games for Manchester United this season. The Red Devils have won six of them and drawn the other two. As a result, the 23-year-old is entitled to wonder what all the fuss is about. Unfortunately, despite the team currently being on a 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions, results in his absence have not been quite so impressive and the defending champions are down in eighth spot in the Premier League table. Put simply, United have failed to win the majority of their matches (seven out of 13) without Rafael this season.
The identity of Rafael's replacements might elucidate some of the issues. Aside from a solitary appearance by his own twin brother, Fabio, the options for Moyes at right-back are Smalling and Jones. Both players have been described as "natural centre-backs" by former United boss Sir Alex Ferguson, an indication that advancing down the flank is perhaps not a perfect fit for their talents.
Smalling produced an accomplished display in the emphatic victory over Bayer Leverkusen but either side of that win his limitations at full-back have been in evidence. The England man had the poorest passing accuracy of any United outfield starter against Tottenham, while a pass completion rate of 65.1 per cent was the worst of any on either side in the previous 2-2 draw at Cardiff.
Chris Smalling actually occupied a more advanced position than Patrice Evra at Cardiff
This would not be the defining statistic if it were accompanied by a steady stream of crosses from the right flank. But despite spending the vast majority of the campaign occupying an advanced position akin to that of Evra on the left, Smalling has not only completed just two crosses this season but he has only attempted nine. It is an unimpressive return for 488 minutes of Premier League action - highlighted not only by Evra's productivity down the left but also by the fact that Rafael has an identical crossing record from just 221 minutes of game time.
Of course, Rafael's qualities at right-back are no secret. "Rafael was developing into a really, really good player, but he made mistakes," wrote Ferguson in his recent autobiography. "Some players can never stop making mistakes, it's hereditary, but others learn by them. Rafael was sent off against Bayern Munich and then improved his disciplinary record dramatically. He's such a competitive boy, quick and aggressive, and he believes in himself. He has a really positive attitude to the game."
The advanced positions of both Patrice Evra and Rafael could be seen in the win at Sunderland
That adventure to Rafael's game can have a positive effect on his team-mates. "His energy at right-back is really good," explains fellow United defender Evans. "He really sets the tone. He is one of the best right-backs in the world." But injuries have robbed Moyes of this asset. A hamstring injury in August affected the player's preparations for the season and, more recently, ankle ligament issues have been a problem too. Rafael only returned to the bench for the weekend trip to Spurs.
With United's most natural right-back available again, this could prove a critical period in the club's season. For while some might question the merits of the stylistic tinkering of Ferguson's successor, Moyes can be better judged on his own vision rather than the stop-gap measures implemented to date. Perhaps it is only when Rafael is fit and on form, that we will truly see the new manager's plans for his team take shape.
David Moyes might have Rafael earmarked for an important role upon his return
Why has he not used Valencia at right-back then? He knows he can play there, defensively sound and quick and capable of running from deep.
Been asking myself the same thing. Not only can he do all that, but it could make space for us to play with a wide man who provides an inside threat with val overlapping(Januzaj). Similar set up to his potent PIenaar/baines combo that served him so well at everton.
The advantage of that is it frees up space for Nani to play ahead of him as well.
Precisely. Nani is far better suited to playing narrower than Valencia is, whereas we'd still have the ability to out wide if needs be. Doesn't make sense playing Smalling there if that's how he wants to play.
He offers so much more balance to the side, it completely changes the way we line up. I'm not saying he is the key (he is a RB for gods sake) but we are a far better side with Rafael out there, purely because he is a fullback, Smalling isn't.
He is the key because we play shit football where we need to spread it wide and cross the ball in - very little play down the middle.
He's so key because when he's out we're playing center backs instead of back up fullbacks in his position. I'd rather see Fabio or Valencia playing there instead of smalling or Jones. Only god knows why we resort to playing those two there.
There's also something going on with him and Valencia, they just work incredibly well together. I suppose they're just more compatible, or Rafael is used to supporting Valenica's attacking play, and vice versa.
I just think Rafael works well with any winger really, he's such an underrated footballer. In my honest opinion, he's one of the top 5 right backs in world football, behind Lahm and then on a similar level to Zabaleta and Piszczek. He's brilliant going forward and is very consistent, and has gotten very good defensively as well. He's one of our most important players to me because of our lack of any cover, but also because of how much he helps out both our defence and attack, especially the winger in front of him. Hopefully he plays tomorrow.
Rafael can cross the ball - our other alternatives can't. It's that simple. Every time Valencia or someone else passes the ball back and you see Smalling there you just know....
Agree fully.
Rafael is awesome, cant wait till he's back. It's actually quite mental how much influence on attack a full back can have.
Hopefully he'll start today. One of our 5 most important player IMO (together with RVP, Rooney, Carrick and De Gea) and one of the two best RB in the league.
No surprise that we have struggled without him in the team.
Smalling is a top defender, but attacking wise he is so limited its ridiculous.
I think maybe Moyes is scared to gamble right now because of the pressure he is under, he wants to get a season under his belt before he goes too gung-ho I think.
Smalling is a top defender, but attacking wise he is so limited its ridiculous.
I think maybe Moyes is scared to gamble right now because of the pressure he is under, he wants to get a season under his belt before he goes too gung-ho I think.
I think we have really missed Rafael's presence, without him our attack has significantly hindered. I really hope he is back today.
He was good today. Glad to see him back. Why did he go off btw?
part of me hopes it was a preaction or he was lacking stamina after such a long break. I don't want to accept it was tactical decision by Moyes.
I really hope that's what it was. It's the only thing that makes sense. He was great today and having him back will be a huge boost.
Terrible decision to sub him off. He didn't look tired at all, and was playing very well. Also on a side topic, whats the point in taking players off in the 50th minute? Why not take them off at half time? Does anyone really think they can do so much in 5 minutes?
He was great in the first half and lets hope when Moyes watches the game back he realizes that both Rafael and Kagawa were very good and he made the mistake in this game to take them off.
He was great in the first half and lets hope when Moyes watches the game back he realizes that both Rafael and Kagawa were very good and he made the mistake in this game to take them off.
Ridiculous how much better we look in attack with him, and he was excellent defensively today too, especially considering it was his first game in a while.
I just hope he wasn't 100% fit to finish this game, otherwise that decision to take him off would be really terrible.
I just hope he wasn't 100% fit to finish this game, otherwise that decision to take him off would be really terrible.
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