An on-form Rafael is a tremendous player. We missed him during the early part of the season and when he did return, his first few games weren't up to his usual level; a bit careless with his crossing and play near the opponents' box. We need both his energy and his quality in the final third. If we are to have a strong 2nd half to the season, then he's likely to be a key player for us.
Rafael da Silva | 2010-14 Performances
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Excellent footballer.
One question, does anyone feel he's a bit too direct going forwards and doesn't get involved in enough short passing enough? Sometimes I feel he's too rushed and almost like a touch line hugging winger in his attacking play whereas he could be more clever and subtle.
One question, does anyone feel he's a bit too direct going forwards and doesn't get involved in enough short passing enough? Sometimes I feel he's too rushed and almost like a touch line hugging winger in his attacking play whereas he could be more clever and subtle.
I kinda agree with this, it's his forte and can be his weakness at times. It's not easy to find the right balance but I think he'll get there.
We can critique him as a footballer all day long and talk about those issues and he like any player does have room for improvement. But at the end of the day, it's just his style of play, in no way would you want to change that, he plays to his strengths.
What a wonderful little player! Incredible attitude and energy level
I was anxious that Moyes might prefer Smalling there but you can't keep a player of Rafael's class down
Bar Zabaletta he's comfortably the best right back in the league and he's only going to get better
It's a shame his brother can't get a sniff as a backup to Evra - Buttner is consistent in his lack of defensive awareness and positioning - quite obvious that he's a converted winger at fullback although Evra made that switch look easy
Bar Zabaletta he's comfortably the best right back in the league and he's only going to get better
It's a shame his brother can't get a sniff as a backup to Evra - Buttner is consistent in his lack of defensive awareness and positioning - quite obvious that he's a converted winger at fullback although Evra made that switch look easy
Absolutely top player. He makes that right hand side perform well regardless of who is in front of him.
Some of his crosses and cut-backs yesterday (the one that lead to a Valencia shot that went over the bar springs to mind) were really good. Plays with passion. I remember Evans last season saying how much seeing Rafael playing the way he does, really inspires the other players and drives them on.
I just want to cuddle him.
Just when he just come back from injury he goes injured again. What's his problem?
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Typical Rafael. One step forward and then he gets injured.
Edit: Wrong thread.
We need another right back IMO. He's a good player but he gets injured way too much. I'm guessing with his groin it'll be another 2 weeks atleast. We've been spoiled over the years with fullbacks like the Neville brothers, Irwin and Evra who consistently were able to play 40+ games a season.
We've got one. He looks just like him, funnily enough. Our manager has yet to notice.
Gutted for Rafa. He's just been hitting the groove again.
Last year may just have been an anomaly. He doesn't have a good record preceding that either and we can't rely on him being our no.1 choice when our backup options are Jones and Smalling.
He's too injury prone, it's a real concern.
He'll be fine, we're fine at right-back. All these niggly injuries may well be down to our training as that dutch bloke reckons. Jones, Evans, Smalling, Rafael etc. all seem to pick up strains and pulls all the time.
that's why i want fabio to stay. he is the closest to a rafael that we can get. he can be a fine back up at LB too.
Gutted he is injured, really hope we don't have to put up with Smalling at RB again. I hope we chuck fabio in and then Rafael heals up quick
Really looking forward to a couple weeks of Smalling at RB....
Hopefully we stick with Smalling / Evans as CBs and have Fabio get a shot at right back. I really don't want Smalling at rb as it diminishes us going forward.
A blow to lose him and then Valencia also banned, with Fabio being frozen out as he has, hard to see him coming in and do Smalling is the likely candidate and as we've seen before his use of the ball is not good enough for such an important part of our attack. Hopefully it won't be too long an absence for rafael.
Was it his hammy, again, today?
Looked like his groin to me.
It's a blow losing Rafael.
Adds a lot of energy to the right side of the team. Our results, and improvement was beyond recognition since his return from previous injury. I'm dreading seeing Smalling on the right again.
Adds a lot of energy to the right side of the team. Our results, and improvement was beyond recognition since his return from previous injury. I'm dreading seeing Smalling on the right again.
Phil had one 40 game season in his time at United. Gary only had one after 2001/02. There's nothing wrong with the point you're making - it doesn't need you to invent stats to support it.
"Good" thing, then, cause his hammy has been the issue twice in the past.
Massive blow losing him. I'd says he's a right little fecker to play against. Great little engine and really has a bit of bite to his game.
He is as big a loss as any player. Not many players have the ability to completely change the way we play.
Wouldn't have thought it pre-season but he's a bigger loss than Carrick. It may say more about our lack of depth at RB than Rafael himself but you only have to look at our record without him in the team to see the effect.
Out of the 6 we've lost this season in the league he missed 4 of them and wasn't on the pitch for Everton's late winning goal. Out of the 4 we've drawn this season he didn't play in 3 of them.
Out of the 6 we've lost this season in the league he missed 4 of them and wasn't on the pitch for Everton's late winning goal. Out of the 4 we've drawn this season he didn't play in 3 of them.
He is immense but fitness issues are plaguing him a lot. Really needs to stop picking up injuries for our sake and his sake. Maybe needs to tone down his gung ho approach - I know that's what makes him so good but you'd rather him actually playing and be a little less effective than spending time on the sideline.
In fairness, we lilterally have as close to a like-for-like replacement as is humanly possible. Moyes just refuses to play him.
Does no way mean he is as good. If Fabio really was ripping it up in training and for the reserves he would be in the team. He doesn't play because he isn't good enough or wants out of the club...Moyes isn't at fault here.
I simply refuse to believe that the player who was considered good enough to play for us in a Champions League final when he was two and a half years younger is worse than Smalling and Buttner at fullback positions.
Yeah, this is largely nonsense. He's not going to get to Rafael's level sitting on the bench. Also, it's not as though the alternatives have set the world alight. It just doesn't make sense. A bit like the Valencia situation.
It's even worse that he can't get on to the bench ahead of Buttner despite his massive feck up the other day and the fact that he can cover both fullback positions.
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