He's a good lad, great attitude, got great skills going forward. But its all about the defending for me. Lets see if he can avoid last years screw ups that proved so costly.
Rafael da Silva | 2010-14 Performances
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Yes. Fabio scored 7 goals in the 2007 South American Under-17 Football Championship, which is not bad for a full back. Then again, a fellow called Lulinha scored 12, who now plays for Esporte Clube Bahia, yes exactly.
He is benefiting from SAF giving him the time and trust. Remember how many mistakes he made and some very costly as well, but SAF kept on playing him. Now he has at least a full season where he is always on the starting list.
He is always one of our best players whenever playing against liverpool, always giving his everything for this game. He was great last season there too, he could learn our other players how to play at anfield.
Amazed that he might miss out on the redcafe MOTM today, bizarre. Not only was he excellent but he drove us on when we needed it and did you not see that goal 
Thought Rio was great but seriously, if Rafael wasn't our MOTM today then after doing that away at Anfield.... wow!
Thought Rio was great but seriously, if Rafael wasn't our MOTM today then after doing that away at Anfield.... wow!
Amazed that he might miss out on the redcafe MOTM today, bizarre. Not only was he excellent but he drove us on when we needed it and did you not see that goal
Thought Rio was great but seriously, if Rafael wasn't our MOTM today then after doing that away at Anfield.... wow!
Very tight but Rio shaded it for me. Rafael was certainly more eye catching but Rio put out a lot of fires today and dealt with Suarez excellently.
Amazed that he might miss out on the redcafe MOTM today, bizarre. Not only was he excellent but he drove us on when we needed it and did you not see that goal
Thought Rio was great but seriously, if Rafael wasn't our MOTM today then after doing that away at Anfield.... wow!
Indeed.
People in general are blind to the brilliance of Rafa, one day they will realise the error of their ways.
Notice Pete aint around here today
feck you
Hence the notation marks or whatever they're called..
Preach.
Loved it when he was visibly fecked off with everyone else's shitness after clearing that cross in the first half. So easy to like Rafael, and he's such a good player when on form.
Not really been surprised by his performances. Give him a run of games and he impresses. It's always been like that with him - it's just that injuries have made a run of games hard to come by. If it wasn't for injury, I reckon he'd have been the best in the league in his position by a distance by now. Hope he keeps this up and doesn't get injured again because he's such a talent.
Not really been surprised by his performances. Give him a run of games and he impresses. It's always been like that with him - it's just that injuries have made a run of games hard to come by. If it wasn't for injury, I reckon he'd have been the best in the league in his position by a distance by now. Hope he keeps this up and doesn't get injured again because he's such a talent.
He is better on the ball than most attackers in the league.
Two goals for us this season. What a player
He's actually good at defending too.
yes he is. he's one of a handful of players we have that will actually challenge people. he's fearless, physical, when he does get caught up field he tears his ass back to help.
What a player and nowhere near his peak, he'll be our rightback for years at this rate.
Needs a bit of work positionally still, but as a ballwinner he's already more than good enough defensively, very rarely does he lose a challege and even if he does get skinned by a winger his pace always makes up for it. Great attitude aswell, agree with Gaz that in the first half he was the only one playing with a bit of urgency.
Needs a bit of work positionally still, but as a ballwinner he's already more than good enough defensively, very rarely does he lose a challege and even if he does get skinned by a winger his pace always makes up for it. Great attitude aswell, agree with Gaz that in the first half he was the only one playing with a bit of urgency.
I actually find this a little bit of a lazy argument.
Take today for example, his positioning was exemplary, the one where Lindegaard saved the cross-shot was a perfect example. Feels like a lazy point to try and sound knowledgable imo.
Try and sound knowledgable, you gimp. Is that what you do? He gets caught out of position all the time. And clearing the ball isnt what I'm talking about, positionally when we are in possession, he can get dragged out by moving too far forward. Happens to Evra as well who gets slated for it, Raf is no better.
He gets caught out of position all the time.
I mean, how much do us "regular" fans know about positioning anyway, are you a fully qualified UEFA A Licensed Coach? And I take it you're a regular match-goer, cause spotting a player's positioning through a TV set really aint that simple. I'd kinda like to know your credentials for making that judgement.
Credentials for having an opinion on Rafael?
If you can't see that Rafael, as well as Evra, get caught out of position then you clearly don't know as much about football as you think you do. It's not a fecking secret.
Not this season no, had a kid and can't afford it now bar the odd game, but yeah I used to go all the time. Still will go to about three this year, depending on money.
Credentials for having an opinion on Rafael?
Credentials for having a good knowledge of defensive positioning, not an opinion on Rafael. I've played under managers with full coaching licences that haven't a clue when it comes to that. I personally doubt the ability of a regular fan to really know what he's on about here.
I think Evra gets sucked in, that's something that's pretty simple to see, considering it's been going on for 5 years though I'd say it's most probably team tactics. Rafael doesn't get sucked in and holds his position pretty well, sometimes he can get caught up the pitch as does Evra but once again, I reckon that's team tactics. He's not exactly "out of position" as such.
That's about all we can really tell from TV though, the positioning that goes on throughout the game needs looking at much closer.
So then your comment on Rafael still needing to work on his positioning comes from watching TV? imo you can't make that judgement watching tely.
No, not just from watching TV, like I said I can't afford to this year but up until around late October/November I went all the time, saw Spurs, Arsenal and Norwich at home which was 3 of the first 4.
But anyway, that's not the point, you can definitely tell by watching the game whether a fullback keeps his position. Tactics will say they have to get forward, but both should pick their moments better because they can get caught out. With Rafael it's actually more obvious to me than Evra, because you him busting his arse to get back, have you not seen him do it? Head down and sprinting back to defence, it has happened loads.
He's also sometimes not tight enough to his winger, which leaves them open for a pass. Raf had the most tackles/per game last season IIRC, and it doesnt surprise me because his winger is often unmarked, with Rafael not getting tight enough. Not that this bothers me at all, he's immense at tackling so it doesn't really matter, but someone like Gaz would just defend differently.
But anyway, that's not the point, you can definitely tell by watching the game whether a fullback keeps his position. Tactics will say they have to get forward, but both should pick their moments better because they can get caught out. With Rafael it's actually more obvious to me than Evra, because you him busting his arse to get back, have you not seen him do it? Head down and sprinting back to defence, it has happened loads.
He's also sometimes not tight enough to his winger, which leaves them open for a pass. Raf had the most tackles/per game last season IIRC, and it doesnt surprise me because his winger is often unmarked, with Rafael not getting tight enough. Not that this bothers me at all, he's immense at tackling so it doesn't really matter, but someone like Gaz would just defend differently.
Yeah but that's not positioning as such, not how I've been taught anyway, that's just being caught up field. There is no question that Rafael is told to bomb on by SAF, and the hard-working little sod legs it back when a move breaks down as you say. But that is not bad positioning, it's just how he's been told to play.
Positioning has much more to do with a full-backs position in relation to his CB.
So if what you originally meant was, "he needs to work on picking his times to attack", then you may well be bang on and obviously weren't just making a lazy comment, but then SAF may well just be telling him to bomb on at every opportunity.
We better enjoy him before he becomes 28-30 and fat and shit like all decent Brazilians
See Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Mauro Da Silva and even Donato played till late 30s.
Agree with this. Both put in a really good game today.
Rafael goal was great, inch perfect to the inside of the post just when we really needed it to steady ourselves. I really hope that he hasn't injured himself seriously and came of as more a precaution than anything else. We will lose a lot going forward and defensively if he is out for a few weeks.
being caught out of position goes with being an attacking back. there's a 100% chance it's going to happen. what matters to me is what you do when you are caught (get your ass back fast and mark someone) and what you do when you're actually in position defending. rafael passes the test as far as i'm concerned. i think we'll find buttner will do the same.
For a player that is predominantly right footed, he has a sweet left peg hasn't he? That goal reminded me of that left foot curler he scored a few years ago against Arsenal.
I think my favorite bit of the game was hearing Rodgers shit himself and shouting "GO WITH HIM!" when he made the run that resulted in his goal
Just remembered that he signed a new 4 yr deal at the start of this season. Happy days!
He'll be regarded as the best RB in the league after this season, by anyone bar Pete.
Glaston said that Kyle Walker is twice the talent or player of Rafael at the start of this season.
Twice the talent he is obviously not.
Last season he was a better player though, at least up until the annual Spurs-collapse.
Any news about his injury? Was he only taken off as a precaution or have we just lost our third right-back as well?
Good stuff. He's been brilliant this season. I like his attitude and when it comes to determination he can't be faulted, not afraid to get stuck in, go on a run and take a pop when he gets near the goal. We're really sorted on that right hand side with two grafters like himself and Valencia running the show.
He'll return back from a lengthy injury though, let's see how he copes up with that. If Sagna comes back like a player he is, then obviously he'll be the best full back. But Rafael is catching up to him, fast.
It's Glaston comparing a Spurs player and a United player, he'll stand by it even if Rafael wins WPOTY.
A think a few United fans on here agreed with that too, strange.
Walker had the better season last year, but that obviously had more to do with Rafael's lack of games in comparison.
It'll only take one poor moment from Rafael before he's getting cained again though, even if it comes after another 15 games like these, I'm quite sure of that.
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