Another great game from the boy tonight. Unfortunately I'd be very surprised if he starts ahead of Scholes come the weekend.
Tom Cleverley | 2012-14 Performances
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He is living up to the hype which is something many players would struggle with especially a English one. Like others on here I just wish Fergie would put more trust in him in the big games, he neds to play those to get the experience.
Think he looks a lot more comfortable in a central role where he can drift rather than a wider role where he has to be a bit more rigid and he's forced to come inside from there. Did a few sloppy things but on the whole was good and put in a top notch cross for the winner. Still can't get over his passing style, particularly long passes it just looks really weird.
Lost the ball in some dodgy areas at times, but that was another really good game from him. It's refreshing seeing a youngster like him rise through the ranks who really demands the ball when he's on the pitch. It's pretty much the most important thing for a midfielder, yet also the thing that is most neglected by even the most talented players.
If Giggs/Scholes starts over him against Chelsea, well, I'm going to complain a lot. Hopefully Sir Alex keeps that in mind.
Great cross for the goal. I'd be happy to see him starting on the weekend, but can see SAF picking scholes and carrick in the centre still.
Hopefully Fergie will have some sense. It must be gutting for a player to play well and then not play in the next game. Scholes is better as an impact sub for you guys now. Fergie needs to stop chopping and changing your team and get a regular first 11 to gel in..
Quite often Fergie does decide to go with a bit more pace and power against Chelsea, I can see Scholes and Giggs both being on the bench and the likes of Carrick, Cleverley, Valencia, Welbeck, Rooney and RVP starting
The amount of defensive work he did :woah: - obviously not a great tackler at this point in time...but, pressing, harrying, harassing and trying to close down passing lanes was great to see.
Late in the game, he lost the ball in a semi dangerous area - just a bit too casual, but then followed that up with a great bit of effort to try to regain possession. Think Rooney - but without the red mist and hacking the opposition player down.
Nothing new to be said...so, so comfortable on the ball, lovely touch and if he doesn't make it at United, it won't be because of a lack of effort or skill.
Late in the game, he lost the ball in a semi dangerous area - just a bit too casual, but then followed that up with a great bit of effort to try to regain possession. Think Rooney - but without the red mist and hacking the opposition player down.
Nothing new to be said...so, so comfortable on the ball, lovely touch and if he doesn't make it at United, it won't be because of a lack of effort or skill.
He is destined to succeed at United. Said in a non sarcastic way - if he bulks up a little, and keeps fit and keeps doing what he is doing, he will become a permanent fixture in the midfield. He does remind me of a very young attacking Paul Scholes.
I didn't realise how fast he actually was. Got a great burst of pace on him.
That has surprised me too; from a distance he looks like a pacy Iniesta.
What I really like about him is that he can carry the ball forward at great pace, and he can also cover a lot of ground very quickly in defense. Yet to see him outpaced. He and Anderson is a very pacy midfield pairing. (fastest in the league? and then compare that to Carrick-Scholes)
I thought last night was a beast-like performance. He drove us forward while his midfield partner looked a bit out of sorts and off the pace.
Incredible desire in his tracking back, and great use of the ball, topped up by winning the match for us with that cross.
Incredible desire in his tracking back, and great use of the ball, topped up by winning the match for us with that cross.
Great performance, he's really showing his worth this season.
I'll be disgusted if he doesn't start against Chelsea.
I'll be disgusted if he doesn't start against Chelsea.
Absolutely! He looked a bit spent at the end where I thought to myself that he could be substituted. Then he finds space on the right and crosses beatifully to Chicarito.
Such a tidy and neat player. He's always in movement, always looking for the ball, always trying to shift the play. Must be a delight to play alongside him, as much as it is a delight to watch him play. Has to start against Chelsea.
Am I the only one that gets him confused with Buttmunch? They look similar from distance to me and a couple of times I got confused, despite the fact that they're playing in different areas of the pitch!
Clev is a bit smaller, with shorter hair, but yep I do need to double take them!
Watch the arms. Buttner has a lot more tats on his arm. That was how I was distinguishing them.
He excels in the diamond with that bit extra freedom, he's getting more confident on the ball as I felt he was a bit over cautious at the start of the season, surely must play against Chelsea, he's the future and it's now.
I wouldn't say he's fast by any means. He gets across the pitch well enough but has no real acceleration.
It's been a while since United has had that sort of delivery from the right side of midfield.
Sort of a throwback to Beckham and Ole curling in those crosses.
When Cleverley was at Wigan he didn't look that comfortable on the wing, so it seemed like the move inside was a natural one for him. But if he can deliver the whipped balls he did today into a box packed with defenders, then he may provide something different. The thing to do would be to have wingers, but give Cleverley the freedom to drift out there from central midfield and drop in a cross now and then.
Sort of a throwback to Beckham and Ole curling in those crosses.
When Cleverley was at Wigan he didn't look that comfortable on the wing, so it seemed like the move inside was a natural one for him. But if he can deliver the whipped balls he did today into a box packed with defenders, then he may provide something different. The thing to do would be to have wingers, but give Cleverley the freedom to drift out there from central midfield and drop in a cross now and then.
I thought so too, but in a couple of instances yesterday he accelerated and overtook the man marking him at that point, who wasn't slow by any means. He did look very fast, pretty good acceleration actually, hadn't seen that from him.
You've got to take into account that even when playing "on the wing", he wasn't ever expected to be a winger. When a player like him is pushed out wide, he has the role of a "wide playmaker", and the cutting in isn't him not being comfortable with being on the wing but just respecting the instructions he'd been given. The position of "wide playmaker" is most notably used in a diamond midfield. I think he's very good in that position, because he has the footballing brains to make it work, and the mobility required by the position.
He was very accomplished in his play last night. He's starting to add more diversity to his game, some of his long balls were off beat but he needs to keep mixing it up....the cross for the winner was textbook. To me it wasn't so much a cross but a perfectly weighted pass, great vision.
Had a couple of brainfarts but these were the exceptions that prove the rule...that being he is generally very accomplished in possession of the ball. He's no Scholes or Iniesta nor will he ever be...but he has the ability to be an important cog in United's midfield, someone who works very hard....doesn't cede the ball cheaply and creates space and opportunites for his colleagues. He's a carrier...someone who has the drive and skill to link United's play from back to front. I think his role is now more akin to what Carrick and Fletcher were trying to do for United post Keane.
I think He should start against Chelsea with Carrick behind and Anderson alongside him. Rooney and Welbeck flanking Van Persie.
Had a couple of brainfarts but these were the exceptions that prove the rule...that being he is generally very accomplished in possession of the ball. He's no Scholes or Iniesta nor will he ever be...but he has the ability to be an important cog in United's midfield, someone who works very hard....doesn't cede the ball cheaply and creates space and opportunites for his colleagues. He's a carrier...someone who has the drive and skill to link United's play from back to front. I think his role is now more akin to what Carrick and Fletcher were trying to do for United post Keane.
I think He should start against Chelsea with Carrick behind and Anderson alongside him. Rooney and Welbeck flanking Van Persie.
His acceleration is decent enough and he's very agile, he does lack raw speed though. Wasn't all that impressed with him last night to be honest, thought he was slow on the ball and got caught thinking quite a lot which led to a lot of ineffectual passing. It's better than giving the ball away but from Cleverley he's shown enough for us to expect better.
Why?
I'm not saying he will be, but I still think he's making progress, and probably will carry on getting better over the next 3-4 seasons, I'd say. I have no idea how high his ceiling is, to be honest.
Let's not get carried away now, Scholes and Iniesta were a lot better than him at his age. He can become a very good player but I doubt he can become one of the worlds best midfielders.
Was going to say the same thing. He probably wont achieve those heights, because so few players do. But Ive seen nothing to suggest such lofty heights are beyond the realms of possibility.
Its not getting carried away, its just not putting limitations on what he can go on to achieve. Scholes' early career wasnt as blighted by injuries as Clev's, so it is unfair to draw too many conclusions from that direct comparison.
Ok Scholes and Iniesta is probably putting the bar extremely high as they are two of the most talented midfielders of the last 15 years (even though to be quite honest, I don't remember Iniesta's level at 23, 5 years ago, I've only been watching him for the last 3 or 4 I'd say) and not many players will ever get to that level.
But become one of the world's best midfielders, that is to say maybe in the top 5 of the midfielders at a specific time, if Tom carries on getting better, cements an uncontested starting spot in our first XI, wins trophies and becomes one of our main men... why not?
This is science fiction at the time being, I'm fairly aware of it, and to make it very clear, I'm NOT saying he'll become that player. I'm just saying that his progress the last few months has been more impressive than what I expected, I think he looks incredibly at ease in most games, and I'm just saying that having high, very high expectations for him isn't probably as bonkers as it seems. Last year or a couple of years ago, I wouldn't even have argued this point, but I'm very impressed so far.
I had the same issue at the Wigan game a few weeks back - we just got to our seats as the teams emerged from the tunnel so we were trying to piece together the line-up as the match went on; I realised Buttner had started over Evra, but I was convinced Cleverley was playing as well until I tried to work-out the formation and realised I was counting 12 players
I know we didn't see a lot of him last season but from what I did see I thought his game was all about one touch play and playing close to the strikers, this season I've been massively impressed with his work rate and ability to just run and run and run all game
Very promising player
At 22/23 Paul Scholes was playing as a second striker...his move to central midfield hadn't yet materialized
You'd be surprised but Cleverly played mostly in LW thus didn't get crosses in from the right. But he got a lot more goals though.
Yeah, I also thought the Scholes comparison was utter shite, Compare him to a 23 yr old Xavi who was shades of the player Guardiola was. Now look how good he is ?
Cleverly can only get better, if he stays injury free he'll become a great player as he's intelligent running, off the ball movement, work rate and desire is already there.
Promising player who can only get better. Finally I think he'll be the next United player from the youth ranks who has the ability to cement a first squad place since maybe Fletcher ( in MF ).
Good luck Tom, hope to see a few more goals maybe, but please keep whacking in those crosses from the right.
Cleverly can only get better, if he stays injury free he'll become a great player as he's intelligent running, off the ball movement, work rate and desire is already there.
Promising player who can only get better. Finally I think he'll be the next United player from the youth ranks who has the ability to cement a first squad place since maybe Fletcher ( in MF ).
Good luck Tom, hope to see a few more goals maybe, but please keep whacking in those crosses from the right.
Sky's the limit for him. It'd be silly to say he will reach or surpass Scholes' and Iniesta's levels, but it'd also be silly to say he won't. As great as those two are, Cleverley's got a very bright future. Just because he's not 18 doesn't mean he can't turn into a "star" player, first of all you need to remember that Ferguson isn't like Wenger and likes to give his players more experience before placing them in his team, so it's highly unlikely to expect a teenager to be getting as many minutes at United as someone like Fabregas or Wilshere did/do at Arsenal.
Now I'm not trying to compare Cleverley with either of the two, just trying to point out a reason as to why he's "just now" at the age of (is it 22 or 23?) making a name for himself in the team.
I don't see any reason to put a "ceiling" on Cleverley's talent, so I see no reason why he couldn't someday be as good or better than previously mentioned players.
It's not likely that he'll do that, but there's no reason why he couldn't.
I personaly have high hopes for him and I believe he will make a name for himself in the near future, although the "didn't get in the team untill 21/22" thing will always come into play with some people debating how good a player is/was.
Now I'm not trying to compare Cleverley with either of the two, just trying to point out a reason as to why he's "just now" at the age of (is it 22 or 23?) making a name for himself in the team.
I don't see any reason to put a "ceiling" on Cleverley's talent, so I see no reason why he couldn't someday be as good or better than previously mentioned players.
It's not likely that he'll do that, but there's no reason why he couldn't.
I personaly have high hopes for him and I believe he will make a name for himself in the near future, although the "didn't get in the team untill 21/22" thing will always come into play with some people debating how good a player is/was.
Amen.
This is not remotely true.
Got to disagree. If you have the ability, you will play. Ronaldo, Rooney started for us in their 17s or 18s. Even anderson and Nani in their very first season. Cleverley just developed at a more normal pace but theres no shame in that.
Because he doesn't have near the natural ability of said players....quite simple really. Scholes and Iniesta are not under-achievers either, they are/have made the most of their careers. Cleverley is yet to do that although he is showing the signs that he might reach his potential.
Ronaldo & Rooney are the exception, not the rule. It's nothing to be ashamed of, a team like United should be a hard one to "get in", and you have to differentiate between getting a game or two or being an established first team player.
I'm hardly saying Ferguson doesn't focus on bringing through youth players, but usualy uses them somewhat sparingly and/or gives them a loan spell before they can be labeled as established first team players. (meaning barely any of them are labeled as such at 17/18 years of age).
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