He's by far my favourite out of the current crop.He is one of my favorite players
There aren't any.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 11
- Clean sheets
- 4
- Goals
- 0
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 2
- Status
We'd lose a good but totally unreliable and undependable player for free. We wouldn't even make more than 7M for him anyway.
Not on the bench again. He didn't play the last U21 game as well, is he injured?
He's 100% gone in the summer. Farewell Rafael.
Just completely frozen out. Shocking from LVG.
Yep. It's unbelievable that McNair gets in the squad over him.
But we don't know what goes on behind closed doors!
All the while 33 year old Carrick who has had two long term injuries waltzes back onto the bench. The managers double standards are ridiculous.
All the while 33 year old Carrick who has had two long term injuries waltzes back onto the bench. The managers double standards are ridiculous.
I remember there were warnings before LVG took over that he sometimes makes very strange decisions regarding players he likes and ones he doesn't. This is definitely one you can classify under strange. Real shame as I love Rafa.
Depressed. Poor guy, doesn't deserve this.
One of the few players in our squad I feel any sort of an affinity for these days. He's our best option as well, which makes it even more baffling.
The fact that McNair has started games over him is just insulting really.
The fact that McNair has started games over him is just insulting really.
This is what makes it even sadder for me.
Goodnight sweet prince
It really does. Objectively speaking someone like Di Maria is much more important to us but I'd rather see him leave than Rafa.
If it came down to it I'd rather we got rid of Van Gaal to be honest.
Been frozen out because there are other options and he can't be relied on to be fit long term which means if he claims a spot in the team its only a matter of time before he loses it to injury which put a manager who actually seems to want selection consistency and a smaller more adaptable squad back to square one.
LVG is thinking long term and is making the right decision, Valencia 1st choice RB, Macnair can deputize.
This isn't mancrush monday this is football.
LVG is thinking long term and is making the right decision, Valencia 1st choice RB, Macnair can deputize.
This isn't mancrush monday this is football.
But this doesn't apply to any of the other sick notes clearly. I'm pretty sure he's been injured less than most players in the squad this season for what it's worth. A couple of weeks unfit at the start and a cheekbone collision, which I'm sure could have even been played through with a Zorro mask a week or two after if we'd wanted him to.
Name those sick notes and i'll bet you their injury record isn't as bad as Rafael Da Silva's.
Phil Jones and Chris Smalling? Hardly reliable are they.
Their record shows they are more reliable than Rafael and I can see any reason to believe that their injury issues are long term. Rafael on the other hand have been their since he joined the club and much like his twin's issues would appear to be genetic IMO.
Could it really be that Van Gaal has something against Brazilian players (as stupid as it sounds)? I think that many people argued for it when he was Barca manager (dunno if it was only because of Rivaldo, or something more) and I really cannot see much reasons why he isn't on the team. Even if he wants Rafael out, surely he could do a job for the remaining game. And him being injury prone is a nonsense reason considering that Jones isn't being punished for that when he is as much - if not more - injury prone than Rafael.
My favorite player but it is clear that he won't be here after ths season. I just hope that he doesn't get demotivated and manages to resurrect his career.
My favorite player but it is clear that he won't be here after ths season. I just hope that he doesn't get demotivated and manages to resurrect his career.
That is fecking stupid to say that.
Plus Rafael wasn't missed today. Valencia was great.
LVG applauded his character when he broke his cheek but wanted to keep playing.
What has happened?
I'm going to convince myself LVG is saving Rafael for the run in or else I will cry like a little girl.
What has happened?
I'm going to convince myself LVG is saving Rafael for the run in or else I will cry like a little girl.
Carrick didn't play though. We've only got 2 defensive midfielders so he was there just in case Blind got injured.
McNair can play as a rightback or centreback if one got injured.
Rafael is fit, he's just been left out. He should of got a red card in his last u21's match vs Everton and wasn't great either, this probably doesn't help his case.
Would you mind actually quantifying this ghastly injury record which you believe him of having this season?
If you are referring the frequency of injuries since August, Valencia has more to his name; if you are concerned about his 4-6 weeks of ailments, players in pretty much every position on the pitch have spent either an equal or greater time on the sidelines.
No and you know it. Rafael isnt his type of player. Brazilians generally dont suit his philosophy, has nothing to do with them being Brazilian, but more with their playing style and adaptability. They just have a different way of playing, so i dont see van Gaal keeping him if he isnt even on the bench.
Where do you guys think Rafael will end up ? I can see him going to Valencia/Sevilla in the summer then ending up in somewhere like Barca..
Well yeah, that was what I meant. Be it attitude, them being less tactically adaptable or being more direct than how Van Gaal wants him players to be. Whatever it is.
I just searched in google 'does Van Gall hates Brazilians' and I found this:
http://www.goal.com/en/news/12/spai...-is-the-hitler-of-brazilian-players-brazilian
He also pushed Lucio (the captain/vice captain) out immediately after he went to Bayern. Is there a pattern?
I have heard that same rumor before. He also had issues with Giovanni and Lucio.
Well yes then in terms of football style. Doesnt count for every Brazilian though. I could imagine a more non typical Brazilian player having success under van Gaal.
He hates French players too because he didn't like Ribery. Must have pushed Evra out too.
Damn you LVG.
Rafa's of my favourite players at the club, but Valencia is simply the better option. Tony has the advantage of being able to play as a right back, right wing back, right winger or even central midfielder which really shouldn't be underestimated as a deciding factor considering the fact that LVG thinks it is important to be able to switch between systems mid-game.
I'd argue that Rafa is the better option all day tbh. Valencia is quicker and that is probably the only attribute I'd give him over Rafael.
Anyways, thanks for the memories Rafael and good luck in your next club.
I wouldn't bother looking at this season in isolation as you have 5 or more injury interrupted seasons with which to reach such a conclusion. His overriding issues must be well known by the medical staff at this point and I refuse to believe it is just bad luck. I also have little doubt that a coach as meticulous as LVG will have the background on all the players fitness in the squad and would be privy to Da Silva's injuries and the reasons behind them.
It looks to be that which has made up LVG mind, but frankly Rafael also isn't anywhere near as good a FB as many on here believe, Valencia will make a better RB short term and there is better more robust and positional sound RB's out there if we look hard enough.
You would overlook the data which makes your earlier assertions a nonsense?
Hm, interesting.He's not managed such thus far.
You would overlook the data which makes your earlier assertions a nonsense?
My earlier assertion was that a decision seems to have been made that he is injury prone and unlikely to be able to complete a season without some sort of injury cropping up to disrupt game time and rhythm that assertion was based on not just this season but the past 5 seasons as it would be both harsh and ridiculous to look at somebody's injury record over just one season and suggest they are injury prone on that basis alone. You wanted to limit the analysis to one season, I haven't at any point even though you can find plenty of evidence from the past few seasons to suggest that if he had started more games this season he would have picked up more injuries than he currently has.
He has looked good and solid in the role and will continue to get better if left there, the whole point being that he is likely to be able to be left there for a couple of games due to his superior injury record and he will be better long term due to his superior defensive capabilities.
From 2012/13 through to the present, his injury record has been acceptable in two out of the three seasons.
And as for this:
How on earth would Van Gaal be able to field a team if operating under such a criteria?
Is this now a club that has abandoned some of its attacking traditions?
Not going to read some of the daft arguments being made, especially if it revolves around the idea that Valencia is a better defensive option than Rafael.
That's BS, and you can try to restrict it to the last 2 or so seasons, my criteria for judging that his time here might be up is based on his 5 seasons here. during that time his record is thus:
2008-2009 apps 28
2009-1010 apps 16
2010-2011 apps 28
2011-2012 apps 18
2012-2013 apps 40
2013-2014 apps 28
2014-2015 apps 9
Consider that he has only completed above 30 games in only 1 of those seasons, all of which baring this season we were in Europe. Now think about it carefully when you talking about a club that plays a 38 game domestic season and at least expects to add 6 European ties plus a fair few cup games. Is that really what you would consider to be acceptable?
I should have added niggling to that sentence but the answer to your question is easily, by balancing both risk based on history and judgement based on talent. Da Silva is neither robust enough to take the risk of trying to make him a mainstay in a side where you are looking to be able to make consistent selections, nor his talent such that we could not look to buy better this summer. In the meantime there are better options even in the current squad, hence Valencia starting.
That MO for the way we play is changing and we should no longer expect to be as cavalier as we were at times under SAF. You can't expect to have a new manager come in and try to play with the same principles nor try to do so and succeed on anywhere near the same level as SAF. We have for at least the last 2-3 seasons been pretty weak in both FB positions (with Evra's decline making the LB spot one we should have reinforced sooner than this summer) I respect LVG greatly for casting aside sentimentality and doing what needs to be done. He needs to play his own way and that doesn't mean the death of attacking football, it does mean we will be a more pragmatic side than we were under SAF and in trying to make us more that kind of side the RB slot is a really good place to start with changes.
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I think the only reason Rafael is being left out of the team is...injuries? I don't know, I have no idea why he's being left out like this. He's defensively more reliable than 98% of the right backs in football. He's as good going forward as any world class right back. What is it about Rafeal that makes him not even get past a right wing back in Valencia? Is it his injury issues?
Brainfarts, rashness, petulance, inconsistency and inability to stay fit. Valencia is the opposite so its fairly obvious why he gets the nod. If we want to ever get to the stage where we can field a consistant back 4 week after week then Valencia is the one of the 2 we need to persevere with.
Also this.
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