One thing I noticed is that it doesnt matter how fast the forwards he's up against, as long as they dont start behind him , they are forced to slow down. Its like he's really hard to beat 1v1. He has a lot of patience and happy to follow them. Maximin for last game and Traeore before that. He didnt try to get the ball unless if its really needed. Most other defenders would have panicked and put their foot in and get dribbled past (cant help but to feel Maguire would have done it, trying to win a 50-50 when slowing the attacker down would have been enough). He's class and has plenty of experience. It shows.
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I got what you mean but tbf it's easy said than done. It's exactly what Lindelof usually do in that situation and the whole caf slagging him off for.I'll have to disagree on that. If you're up against two players with your back to goal, unless you can definitely win the ball, your best chance should be to stand up the player with the ball/get close without commiting as this blocks their direct sight of goal and sheppherd him to the side/bait them to make another pass. That half a second is crucial as it delays their momentum and you can read the pass, which you can then attempt to block. Even if you don't block the ball, the angle is going to be narrowed and better for the keeper (who also can read it, take a step out because of the half a second bought...but let's be honest it wouldn't make any difference as it was De Gea). By attempting a tackle straight away, you're in no posiiton to recover and the square pass then becomes a through ball i.e a 1 vs 1 with momentum on the ball.
I'm being harsh of course but deep down Varane will know he was over eager and it kind of shows as he make an awkward attempt at that tackle with his right foot coming over to the left. Anyways I'm not trying to be over critical, I just like analysing situations like that and thinking hypothetically what should be the 'correct' thing to do.
He's just class. This has been the signing I've been more excited about from a team standpoint. He has already covered AWB well in the last couple of games and doesn't hesitate to move more central if Chuckle Brother goes gung ho. I think his partnership in the backline is only going to get much stronger. No Slight on Lindelof, but I think Varane is a couple of levels above.
Cool as a cucumber.
I was shouting at him for that Newcastle goal, then instantly saw the goal replay. Maguire needs to cut out those lunging tackles at the midway line when it is better to ease off defenders.
Varane is a good defender. But he doesn't have 3 legs! You can't leave him exposed with more than 2 defenders.
Love him to bits. Bring on Young boys and Citeh
I was shouting at him for that Newcastle goal, then instantly saw the goal replay. Maguire needs to cut out those lunging tackles at the midway line when it is better to ease off defenders.
Varane is a good defender. But he doesn't have 3 legs! You can't leave him exposed with more than 2 defenders.
Love him to bits. Bring on Young boys and Citeh
Just speculating, but if Lindelof had failed to defend like that at the goal, there had been some noice here. Or if he was done in the box to allow Joelinton a free shot. My guess is he’d been slaughtered. Varane was good in the air yesterday but not really at his best on the ground. However it is still early days and he will grow in to it more, and there will also be bigger tests for our new team and new players (we actually won 4-1 last season as well without Ronaldo, Varane, Sancho).
I'll have to disagree on that. If you're up against two players with your back to goal, unless you can definitely win the ball, your best chance should be to stand up the player with the ball/get close without commiting as this blocks their direct sight of goal and sheppherd him to the side/bait them to make another pass. That half a second is crucial as it delays their momentum and you can read the pass, which you can then attempt to block. Even if you don't block the ball, the angle is going to be narrowed and better for the keeper (who also can read it, take a step out because of the half a second bought...but let's be honest it wouldn't make any difference as it was De Gea
I'm being harsh of course but deep down Varane will know he was over eager and it kind of shows as he make an awkward attempt at that tackle with his right foot coming over to the left. Anyways I'm not trying to be over critical, I just like analysing situations like that and thinking hypothetically what should be the 'correct' thing to do.
You are correct but you can't sit off forever, you have to choose the point where you do commit or you let the attacker freely pick their shot or pass. Varane thought he saw a good opportunity and he almost got it right. I don't think he did too much wrong there given the situation he was in.
Imo it's understandable why people has been a bit more lenient on him than Lindelof. It's his second match here, a new team, a new league so a mistake or two can be forgiven. Lindelof is entirely another story. Of course once it becomes a patern you'll get slaughtered each time you repeat the same mistake.
The issue with Lindelof is not mistakes, it's his general lack of influence on the back line and the defensive play. Varane is night and day, that's why people will cut him slack.
His defensive headers are so assuring. I can see him score before Maguire for sure. Loves the way he attacks the ball with his head.
We can't be exploited with long balls anymore, I know that much for sure.
He’s going to be a VVD level signing IMO but I’m not sure he should have dived in for the goal but hindsight is great I guess.
The fact he and Sancho were making their full home debut was just forgotten about.
The fact he and Sancho were making their full home debut was just forgotten about.
It’s great to have all the young player, but I feel adding the experience of Ronaldo and Varane this summer was the perfect time.
The team will mature a lot this year.
The team will mature a lot this year.
Yes exactly. Lindelof has been here 4 years? And still makes the same type of errors. What do they do in training?
I know and it’s making me giddy to have a second cb who can head comfortably
He is going to be brilliant. A little shaky at times yesterday, but it's quite hard for a CB without much protection from the midfield.
I have no idea but I don't think there's any training that would turn him into a 191cm, strong, fast and brave defender.
You don’t have to be physically strong though to iron out weaknesses in timing headers.
timid, well that’s a different thing As it’s his nature.
I still feel that there’s one or 2 things that could and should have been improved after this time.
Lindelöf was at fault for a goal against Huddersfield on his full debut - it’s pretty clear why he’s criticised more harshly, he’s just not as good.
I don't think for Lindelof it's an issue of timing. His issue is being outmuscled, outjumped or outpaced by the physically strong or fast fowards in the PL. He knows it so generally he's been avoiding physical contacts with them as much as possible.
If you remember he actually usually did quite well against the top teams, where he had not to face those physically strong fowards. He's not a bad defender, but he's simply too weak for those strong forwards that many of the average PL teams have. It's the same concept whenever we face those teams, they sit deep and hit long balls at him. Work most of the time. Or in set pieces he's simply no where to be found.
I don’t disagree with you but I think he’s got issues not only physically but timing as well. Otherwise he’d not let so many balls drop out of the air and bounce. Then he loses some battles physically. He shouldn’t let it get to that point.
there is also that clip of him warming up on the pitch with Maguire. People see it as a joke but he totally messes up the timing of a ball coming out of the air. That sums it up for me
Yes and that’s the way it should be of course. At the same time he was overall good imo and the best of the two CBs.
He should of course be a big influence but so far, two games against wolves and Newcastle, I think we had won even with Bailly or Tuanzebe. I have watched him a lot since he came to Madrid and I know he can do better than yesterday, even if the mistimings, or what I should call it, is something we have seen before and one of his weaknesses imo. On the good side he was more dominant in the air than normal.
No one would blame a defender for not dealing with 2 vs 1.
Varane clears everything all day so one iffy moment here and there people don't mind. Compare that with Lindelof who barely dominate any striker and when he makes a mistake it stands out.
Will be interesting as most said Lindelof was the problem, I can see the same being said of Harry this season. Diving in that high up the field created the problem that ultimately lead to the equaliser. Varane may have to cover Harry's failings as much as he did Lindelof's....
Completely agree. Just need to watch the replays to assess that.
Tbf it's always been a problem with Harry being an HMS. Had he not dived in imo Almiron would get pass him anyway. That guy is fecking rapid I was very impressed with him yesterday.
But where we could find another tall, strong, good header, good passer and fast CB to replace him? for how much?
The good outweight the bad for Harry I think.
Imagine comparing Varane to a ducker.
I don't blame him for the goal. It was 2 v 1. He went for the tackle just outside the box.
As for Maguire I think he was in a no win situation. He is going to get beaten for pace. Should he have committed a foul there? I don't think he would have got a red for that?
As for Maguire I think he was in a no win situation. He is going to get beaten for pace. Should he have committed a foul there? I don't think he would have got a red for that?
What a player. It's like he's been here for ages.
In 2016 it was Darmian or a pretty poor Valencia at RB, Young at LB, Blind as the other CB, and a midfield that was often overrun. And this was the first choice selection.
There were either poor players or obvious weaknesses (Blind's height, Valencia's positioning, Darmian's everything) across that defence.
DDG was of course a monster, but Smalling's dominance in the air, in 1v1 situations against fast and tall strikers, and in covering for his RB, were also the reasons we conceded fewest in the league.
He is fantastic. A difference-maker.
I don't mean to be overly critical of Lindelof, but Varane just looks a different class on and off the ball. Both our CBs suffered from the fact that our midfield couldn't stop any runner with the ball when Newcastle got their counter-attacks and we got exposed playing a high line.
We need a player that is good at interceptions and defending against dribblers, Fred is very mobile and good at intercepting the ball, but he gets ran over so easily as well. McTominay is the only CM we have that is decent in stopping players going past him, but he might not have the required defensive awareness to consistently play that role.
We need a player that is good at interceptions and defending against dribblers, Fred is very mobile and good at intercepting the ball, but he gets ran over so easily as well. McTominay is the only CM we have that is decent in stopping players going past him, but he might not have the required defensive awareness to consistently play that role.
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Not denying smalling was good but nowhere near the level Varane. The guy is composure personified. Smalling has never hit the heights Varane has. Varane is Rio bracket. Smalling has never been in that bracket.
Probably even better
Doesn’t really matter if he is or isn’t. Rio was and Varane is absolutely top class.
There's no offence to Lindelof there whatsoever. It's pretty clear Varane is a different kettle of fish to him.
So incredibly nice to finally have a world-class defender back there. Could have done better for the goal I guess, but it’s a difficult situation. Speaking of not being world-class, what the hell was Maguire doing before the goal? Liability at times, thank god Lindelöf isn’t the other one next to him anymore
He makes such a huge difference aerially.
It's so nice to see a ball come into the box and just see him launch it back out where it came from, proper distance on it too.
He's settled in immediately and looks like he's been here 5 years already. Class.
It's so nice to see a ball come into the box and just see him launch it back out where it came from, proper distance on it too.
He's settled in immediately and looks like he's been here 5 years already. Class.
Again to caveat I am just commenting and observing from a very critical pov purely for discussion's sake and it's not a sleight on Varane. However, I still believe standing up and delaying for that half a second is a more favourable outcome; it's about playing to the lowest risk possibilites in those situations. Stand off but allow a shot at goal from just outside the box with a defender in front of him with little backlift/space, make them play another pass wider/narrower angle or go in and commit?
As for Lindelof, I replied to a previous poster already but we really shouldn't bring him up here. Firstly, he would sit back/stand off regardless of whether it's on the half way line, outside the box, inside the box, 3-vs-1, 2-vs-1 or 1-vs-1. Secondly, he wouldn't aggressively then try to attempt to block or stop the cross/shot in the next phase. In Varane, he has the athleticism to match a player once they get on the ball and then also after they make their move; perhaps it why I'm being more harsh.
Anyways I agree with the below. It's what I said after him getting 'outjumped' for the Wolves goal and I said the same thing in my first comment post-Newcastle game. His all around game is solid, it's clear as day but he has more to learn given these two 'mistakes' imo as it's more timing issues rather than fundamental problems. And yet even if he continues to make these 'mistakes', the rest of his game can make up for it. That is how much of an upgrade he is over Lindelof.
Watch this and you'd see I think. If Varane stand there doing nothing Saint Maximin would simply pass the ball to Manquillo. Nothing changed.
Again I realise I'm being really harsh! He did exactly the right thing to stop and stand up as soon as Maximin receives the ball. At that exact point, I thought he should have waited (right before he closed in for the tackle) half a second to either anticipate/bait for the pass or make him come inside for the shot i.e delay his decision. His body shape is perfect to cover the pass but he decides to go in for the tackle instead. It's literally a fraction of a second and I don't blame him as it was a wide open counter attack.
De Gea's closing out wasn't exactly the best reaction either btw.
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