[Bojan11]

He kept it simple and this allowed Shaw on the other side to do more of the attacking. Usually Shaw tends to stay back when Young bombs forward.

It wasn’t anything special but he’s not a right back. But it’s better than Darmian.

 

[Gusjaros]

So Tomkins is better than Lindelöf? Could have saved us a lot of money if we went for him instead.

Like I said. I haven't watched Fosu-Mensah play, so I go by statistics, and by statistics it's hard to say that Fosu Mensah is anywhere near Man Utd level.

Regarding Tomkins. Well last season Tomkins wasn't close to a 7 in rating, same with the season before that. Now he's having a good season, to everyones surprise.

Look at Sakho. He got over 7 last season. CP paid 28.2 million euros in the summer to get him contracted and now his rating is just 6.62. Bad investment in retrospect but not strange based on past season performance.

Gus, aren’t you just proving yourself wrong on using the ratings to grade players if that is the case?

Anyways, I’m out. No more Lindelof for me.

How so?

 

[SCP]

Playing at right back exposed his poor abilities, he has no pace, can’t jockey and can’t bring the ball out of defence. A complete waste of money.

I would love to see the report from the scouts when they were watching him. Complete and utter joke, IF they are still in a job, they shouldn’t be.

Yes i wonder why Schwarzenegger never won balon d'or

 

[Leif GW]

He doesn't bring anything that we don't already have. Good to have so we can rotate but not a leading CB or anything (evident in NT for those who have seen btw). He and Mkhi comes off as poorly scouted signings, honestly, which is just baffling.

 

[SCP]

Trying to use stats as a magic formula to make a point about a player doesn't take into account onde factor.

Stats don't coach and don't have a game model or a football idea

 

[SCP]

He doesn't bring anything that we don't already have. Good to have so we can rotate but not a leading CB or anything (evident in NT for those who have seen btw). He and Mkhi comes off as poorly scouted signings, honestly, which is just baffling.

Yes coaching has nothing to do with performance

 

[Leif GW]

Yes coaching has nothing to do with performance

That's not what I said. Mou is a great coach with regards to defense, we all know this. I think with regards to Mata, Lukaku, Martial and so on, there is credible criticism of Mourinho. I don't see what would be hindering Lindelöf. He just looks average to me. A bit above average with the ball but poor physically. He's obviously not a leader, either.

 

[SCP]

That's not what I said. Mou is a great coach with regards to defense, we all know this. I think with regards to Mata, Lukaku, Martial and so on, there is credible criticism of Mourinho. I don't see what would be hindering Lindelöf. He just looks average to me. A bit above average with the ball but poor physically. He's obviously not a leader, either.

And what does physicality have to do with a center back playing as a fullback?

 

[haram]

He’s young and Mourinho will help mould him. He has attributes which can be useful in a 3 at the back and appears he can cover at RB as well. We got in early with both Bailly and Lindelof. The market is getting crazier and we have some good options at CB with even TFM and Tuanzebe also at the club.

I do not understand what people are expecting.

 

[SCP]

He’s young and Mourinho will help mould him. He has attributes which can be useful in a 3 at the back and appears he can cover at RB as well. We got on early with both Bailly and Lindelof. The market is getting crazier and we have some good options at CB with even TFM and Tuanzebe also at the club.

I do not understand what people are expecting.

They want him to go to the gym

 

[11101]

The backwards pass brigade (sigh). Never played the game. Only ever saw it in a computer, and heard about stats. FFS! Playing backwards isnt a failing. It is sometimes a very intelligent thing to do. To get a deeper knowledge of Association Football, look at Dutch total football in the seventies. Look at Barcelona at their peak. Look at whoever you like. As you, the great and honourable @11101 rightly say this stat tells you absolutely nothing ... well not about Lindelof, anyway.

Who said it was a failing? Whether it is or not depends on the situation and stats alone don't tell you that. We have some players in our defence who will play the safe pass without even looking at other options, Lindelof is not one of them.

 

[AR87]

He’s young and Mourinho will help mould him. He has attributes which can be useful in a 3 at the back and appears he can cover at RB as well. We got in early with both Bailly and Lindelof. The market is getting crazier and we have some good options at CB with even TFM and Tuanzebe also at the club.

I do not understand what people are expecting.

This.

 

[SATA]

As long as he isn't playing as centreback for now, he'll and us will be fine. Problem is he doesn't overlap and put in crosses as a fullback should do like Young and Valencia

 

[Sandyman]

Has he even played as right back consistently before yesterday? Playing on the right as a central defender as part of a 3 man defense and playing right back are very different. Could explain his poor crossing and lack of chemistry with Mata yesterday. Thought he had an alright game.

 

[rampo]

Have you seen him at CB? He is even worse there. Just rewatch Bristol, Huddersfield and so on.

That was 8 matches ago and everyone agrees he was shit those matches. However, if one can't see the improvement post those matches, there is no point even discussing.

He is easily the best ball playing CB we have in the team right now

 

[King.of.Red]

Good performance.

 

[hn4manunited]

Solid performance again! I’m happy he’s settling in nicely. The fans dissing him from earlier in the season just want to hate. If you don’t take the earlier games out of the picture, the stats of course would look bad. But if you have a pair of eyes and knows football, you should be able to see how well this young player is settling in for us.

Keep improving young victor!

 

[A-man]

The backwards pass brigade (sigh). Never played the game. Only ever saw it in a computer, and heard about stats. FFS! Playing backwards isnt a failing. It is sometimes a very intelligent thing to do. To get a deeper knowledge of Association Football, look at Dutch total football in the seventies. Look at Barcelona at their peak. Look at whoever you like. As you, the great and honourable @11101 rightly say this stat tells you absolutely nothing ... well not about Lindelof, anyway.

The team with - by far- most backward passes this season is Manchester City. Also the team with by far most goals and points...

 

[Rhyme Animal]

Plays well in the back 3 system, as does Rojo, and indeed all our defenders!

 

[midnightmare]

Was appalled by him earlier (during the Huddersfield game in particular) but he's really developed since then and I felt that for a young kid playing out of position, he did very well. He has also done well in the last 3-4 games he's played at CB and is growing with each outing. Yesterday, he didn't advance too far or cross, but you could see the difference between the balls he looks for and passes he makes and those that our other CBs look for. He's definitely the best we have on the ball. Makes it surprising that a good ball-playing CB (as opposed to someone who just lumps it long like Smalling, Jones and even Bailly) is being criticized by folks that criticize the team for lumping it long instead of playing and building out of defence. Oh well...

 

[K2K]

Didnt do anything wrong. He was marked as shite on here from the start and thats that as far as the super scouts on here are concerned.

I was one of those.

But he has shown massive improvement since then and who is to say there will not be more in future.

I'll give the kid a chance.

 

[Ashley R1+O]

The more experience he gets through 90 minutes the better, he'll become more settled and I'm happy seeing him get a trundle on the flank in the absence of a proper fullback and the guys who have been starting lately. I think he is coming along nicely, looks very strong one vs one and smart off the ball.

 

[Distracted Steward]

One for the future and on the right trajectory after a rough start. He’s moved on from some rocky moments to find ways to contribute as a squad player for now. That’s the kind of player that Mourinho can trust and develop.

 

[Zlatan Ibrahomovic]

Guy played alright. He doesn't take any risks, and is very prone to handing over responsibility to other players thus far. As long as it doesn't become a long term-habit, and as long as he doesn't make mistakes meanwhile, performances like the one against Everton is well enough.

 

[Litch]

He’s young and Mourinho will help mould him. He has attributes which can be useful in a 3 at the back and appears he can cover at RB as well. We got in early with both Bailly and Lindelof. The market is getting crazier and we have some good options at CB with even TFM and Tuanzebe also at the club.

I do not understand what people are expecting.

This. Sometimes I wonder how Jose got this successful. I can just imaging him thinking, I know we've got Tuanzebe and TFM but I'll go and spend 30m anyway on someone who's worse. Trust me people are going to eat their words about this lad and that 30m is going to look cheap. Ball playing CB aren't easy to find....

 

[Tincanalley]

Who said it was a failing? Whether it is or not depends on the situation and stats alone don't tell you that. We have some players in our defence who will play the safe pass without even looking at other options, Lindelof is not one of them.

I was agreeing with you...

 

[Tincanalley]

Was appalled by him earlier (during the Huddersfield game in particular) but he's really developed since then and I felt that for a young kid playing out of position, he did very well. He has also done well in the last 3-4 games he's played at CB and is growing with each outing. Yesterday, he didn't advance too far or cross, but you could see the difference between the balls he looks for and passes he makes and those that our other CBs look for. He's definitely the best we have on the ball. Makes it surprising that a good ball-playing CB (as opposed to someone who just lumps it long like Smalling, Jones and even Bailly) is being criticized by folks that criticize the team for lumping it long instead of playing and building out of defence. Oh well...

Smalling is a decent passer of the ball, Jones is not bad and that description is not a fit for Bailly.

 

[Jeffthered]

The guy looks leggy, but this first season is doing him a lot of good. Many defenders have arrived at OT and struggled for the first season. We have to give him time. He is 23, and not many Centre-Backs are top players until late 20s, and into their 30s.

But he needs to develop some pace. We'll see how he develops.

 

[SirAF]

Smalling is a decent passer of the ball, Jones is not bad and that description is not a fit for Bailly.

 

[midnightmare]

Smalling is a decent passer of the ball, Jones is not bad and that description is not a fit for Bailly.

Opinions differ then is all I can say. To my (admittedly non-managerial) mind, Smalling is risky even when passing to DDG!

 

[Mr PG]

Victor and Bailly are the future. He always looks to play it to the feet rather than hoof it up. Many times he passed it and opened up space expecting the ball back to play from the back but our other defenders just panicked and went long. I'm looking at you Luke Shaw.

 

[Strats]

Thought he had a decent performance. Made himself available at a couple of good positions in the final third, but never got the ball.

 

[Festive Sandvich]

But he needs to develop some pace. We'll see how he develops.

This is the concern for me. Pace is probably the one attribute a player can't really work on. It's likely the reason a top ball player likes Blind isn't starting every week. There's just no way around it in a league like the Prem, it is a deal-breaker.

 

[Vilev]

He is easily the best ball playing CB we have in the team right now

Seriously? Then name at least one moment in the game, any game at United, when he actually showed these so-called "ball playing" skills?
He is awful with the ball at his feet, i can't remember a single inventive pass from him at all. Even playing at RB, when you need your ball-skills he almost exclusively passed back, made safe passes. Then when he is in the tough situations he always hoofs it, always. Never once did i see him to actually play around the opponent.
Bailly for example does it in 50% of the cases. He is way more confident with the ball. Rojo too. And these people are not Pique or Boateng, they are just decent. But even they are miles ahead of Lindelof in terms of their ball skills.

That was 8 matches ago and everyone agrees he was shit those matches.

Lindelof had a real stinker against Bristol. That was three games ago, including Everton's. So what you are on about, 8 games, what's that? Have you seen him at Bristol? Do you think that was a decent performance?
And as for other games, where is this progress exactly? I mean really. Name me a game where the swede was solid and had a good performance, deserving of a spot in United's team? For example Saints game, first of all zero of those ball-playing skills you talked about. Lindelof must have left them in the locker that day. Then was he solid at the back, well hi did not do any obvious blunders, like he had, thanks for that. But other than not making a mess i would not call his performance reassuring. For example, that moment, that great DDG save, it was Matic with Saints player, but where the hell was Lindelof, it was exactly his sport, RCB. And he was nowhere.
So his "better" performances are actually quite average ones, basically the ones where he did not screwed up. I expect better from a United's player.

 

[Vilev]

To be fair, all four of those centrebacks have a history of being somewhat injury plagued. As we've seen already this season.

Sure, but what you do, is you get a player who is versatile, who can cover at different positions.
Lindelof on the right is a dead weight. Our scouting dep should have picked somebody who can actually cover both RB, CB, there are quite a lot of player capable of doing that. Esp since 3 CB tactic made a comeback a couple years back and is still pretty much relevant.

And 30+ for extra cover also sounds extreme.

Obviously he was shocking earlier on in the season, but equally obviously he has improved quite a bit more recently. Who's to say that he won't continue improving?

I don't see any improvement.
He stopped giving goals away, that's not an improvement in my book. He should not have done it in the first place. That is something i would a correction. An improvement is when and if Lindelof would have a really good game, winning duels, showing his ball skills if he has any and so on.

For example Otamendi has improved. He did not just cut out mistakes, he actually got better in all of the aspects of play. Including even attacking ones.

 

[Ramshock]

I was one of those.

But he has shown massive improvement since then and who is to say there will not be more in future.

I'll give the kid a chance.

Should have done that from the start

 

[Gusjaros]

Seriously? Then name at least one moment in the game, any game at United, when he actually showed these so-called "ball playing" skills?
He is awful with the ball at his feet, i can't remember a single inventive pass from him at all. Even playing at RB, when you need your ball-skills he almost exclusively passed back, made safe passes. Then when he is in the tough situations he always hoofs it, always. Never once did i see him to actually play around the opponent.
Bailly for example does it in 50% of the cases. He is way more confident with the ball. Rojo too. And these people are not Pique or Boateng, they are just decent. But even they are miles ahead of Lindelof in terms of their ball skills.

Lindelof had a real stinker against Bristol. That was three games ago, including Everton's. So what you are on about, 8 games, what's that? Have you seen him at Bristol? Do you think that was a decent performance?
And as for other games, where is this progress exactly? I mean really. Name me a game where the swede was solid and had a good performance, deserving of a spot in United's team? For example Saints game, first of all zero of those ball-playing skills you talked about. Lindelof must have left them in the locker that day. Then was he solid at the back, well hi did not do any obvious blunders, like he had, thanks for that. But other than not making a mess i would not call his performance reassuring. For example, that moment, that great DDG save, it was Matic with Saints player, but where the hell was Lindelof, it was exactly his sport, RCB. And he was nowhere.
So his "better" performances are actually quite average ones, basically the ones where he did not screwed up. I expect better from a United's player.

It's ok to say that Lindelöf needs to work on say his aerial play, but to say that Lindelöf never have shown good passing abilities should be regarded as trolling. Look at the ball to Rashford against Southampton, that's just a few days ago. That ball opened up an attack that could've easily resulted in a goal.

Lindelöf was very good against Bristol City. The weak links in the defense that day was Darmian and Rojo.

 

[soapythecat]

Whilst he doesn't look like a poor signing, I think he will be judged more on how much the club paid for him and comparing him to players in the perceived price bracket. Like most new players, we may need to give him a bit of lee way this first season, however, the jury is still out in my eyes - he doesn't look all that at all.

 

[Gusjaros]

Sure, but what you do, is you get a player who is versatile, who can cover at different positions.
Lindelof on the right is a dead weight. Our scouting dep should have picked somebody who can actually cover both RB, CB, there are quite a lot of player capable of doing that. Esp since 3 CB tactic made a comeback a couple years back and is still pretty much relevant.

And 30+ for extra cover also sounds extreme.

He's done two matches as right back already and covered well. In none of those have Man Utd lost, and when goals were conceded against Leicester it was at the opposite flank.

If you look at the Everton game then Everton created zero shots at the right flank. Everything happened from the center with Rooney or at the left flank.

Lindelöf isn't brought in as a cover. He will be a starter by next season the way he's developing.

I don't see any improvement.
He stopped giving goals away, that's not an improvement in my book. He should not have done it in the first place. That is something i would a correction. An improvement is when and if Lindelof would have a really good game, winning duels, showing his ball skills if he has any and so on.

For example Otamendi has improved. He did not just cut out mistakes, he actually got better in all of the aspects of play. Including even attacking ones.

That's because you don't know anything about football. People who understands football immediately see major improvements in his matches. Composure, positioning, passing have all improved. If you look at his ratings you also see a clear improvement. If he keeps on developing like this he will be a very good center back by next season.

 

[Vilev]

It's ok to say that Lindelöf needs to work on say his aerial play, but to say that Lindelöf never have shown good passing abilities should be regarded as trolling.

His passing ability way below Baillys and Rojo.

Look at the ball to Rashford against Southampton

You mean the hoof up front, well that was a decent long pass. The problem is a player with actually good ball playing skills would pass the ball forward in like 30-40% of the cases. While Lindelof making like a 1-2 passes forward in the whole game.
And these long passes, i remember even Smalling (surely not a ball playing type) making them from time to time.