[golden_blunder]

Its always the same. When a player improves and does things he wasnt doing in the past, theres always a few posters who will come in and claim that he was doing it all along.

Off course, I don’t recall some of these people defending him last year when it looked like he’d never met a football before

People are giddy because we basically haven’t had a defence for at least 5 years. Playing every man behind the ball or not crossing the halfway line doesn’t count..

 

[RedDevilRoshi]

I was one of his biggest critics and felt he wasn’t good enough, not just for us but couldn’t adapt to the PL.

Since Ole has came in, he looks a completely different new player. Feels like a new signing his upturn in form. Looks assured, confident and his distribution from the back is excellent. Also looks to bring the ball out from the back and is pretty good at it as well. He is only going to get better and I believe an experienced quality CB like a Koulibaly will only seem him flourish further!

Keep it up Victor!

 

[11101]

Off course, I don’t recall some of these people defending him last year when it looked like he’d never met a football before

People are giddy because we basically haven’t had a defence for at least 5 years. Playing every man behind the ball or not crossing the halfway line doesn’t count..

Not really. A couple of posts i made that held up pretty well, and there were others from other posters. We were just drowned out by those wanting him sold immediately. Every new player thread is the same, it's either sell them immediately or they are a sure thing for the next Ballon D'or, and with defenders English fans only see one type. Athletic, strong in the tackle and head everything that comes near them.

Lindelof has looked decent but a bit lightweight and timid so far. Sometimes you see him set up to bring the ball forward or play a difficult pass but he checks himself and plays the easy option. He's improved hugely since that debut though and he has good awareness and composure. I think over the summer he will bulk up and with that will come increased confidence to play the passes he is capable of.

Lindelof is composed on the ball but the game is moving too fast for him at the moment.

 

[Cave]

Hi all, I'm new here, and as a Benfica fan I like to keep following the career of players that were great here.

I've been reading your discussion and first of all I'm really happy that Viktor is becoming a key player for you. He was raised in Benfica and a personal favorite to me.

After reading your discussion I think I can add 2 points that can explain this resurgance.

1st - Viktor started "slow" in Benfica first team.
Before becoming a first choice, Viktor played several games that were not convincing. To the point that in the preseason before the season where he "exploded", he was to be negotiated with Middlesbrough. He didn't accept the deal and when Luisão got injured he had his opportunity to never leave the first team again. But it wasn't a smooth road.

2nd - He was raised and always played as a big club player.

Before you all start calling me names, I believe that Man Utd is a big club. One of the biggest in the world. But the game you were playing with Mourinho was not a big club type of play. Viktor is a player that is used to have the ball. To control the game at distance. And to intervene whenever needed. In a game where his side is on top of the game he is almost flawless, both in controlling the defense and when playing RCB being the first one building the attack. As a LCB he is good but not as good. That was clear in his 2nd season with us.

The thing is, Viktor is more like a sweeper. He is great in reading the game and he achieves his full potential when playing with a more physical partner. And that is the type of CB that will be better in a big club that is not under permanent pressure, which is what's happening now with Ole's tenure.

Enjoy him. He is a great player to watch and enjoy. Also, he is great in high pressure matches and I have no doubt that if he stays with you, you have found your captain for the next years.

 

[simmee]

Off course, I don’t recall some of these people defending him last year when it looked like he’d never met a football before

People are giddy because we basically haven’t had a defence for at least 5 years. Playing every man behind the ball or not crossing the halfway line doesn’t count..

I have defended him from the start as well when people were calling him a dud after his first preseason and said he had proved nothing before (except winning the u21 euros, making the tott, performed in the CL with Benfica etc...).

Back then I explained, as Cave also wrote, that he had a rough start at Benfica as well but fought his way back and proved himself.

 

[Don Alfredo]

Hi all, I'm new here, and as a Benfica fan I like to keep following the career of players that were great here.

I've been reading your discussion and first of all I'm really happy that Viktor is becoming a key player for you. He was raised in Benfica and a personal favorite to me.

After reading your discussion I think I can add 2 points that can explain this resurgance.

1st - Viktor started "slow" in Benfica first team.
Before becoming a first choice, Viktor played several games that were not convincing. To the point that in the preseason before the season where he "exploded", he was to be negotiated with Middlesbrough. He didn't accept the deal and when Luisão got injured he had his opportunity to never leave the first team again. But it wasn't a smooth road.

2nd - He was raised and always played as a big club player.

Before you all start calling me names, I believe that Man Utd is a big club. One of the biggest in the world. But the game you were playing with Mourinho was not a big club type of play. Viktor is a player that is used to have the ball. To control the game at distance. And to intervene whenever needed. In a game where his side is on top of the game he is almost flawless, both in controlling the defense and when playing RCB being the first one building the attack. As a LCB he is good but not as good. That was clear in his 2nd season with us.

The thing is, Viktor is more like a sweeper. He is great in reading the game and he achieves his full potential when playing with a more physical partner. And that is the type of CB that will be better in a big club that is not under permanent pressure, which is what's happening now with Ole's tenure.

Enjoy him. He is a great player to watch and enjoy. Also, he is great in high pressure matches and I have no doubt that if he stays with you, you have found your captain for the next years.

Great post

Is he the future captain for the swedish national team?

 

[FootyGirl88]

Hi all, I'm new here, and as a Benfica fan I like to keep following the career of players that were great here.

I've been reading your discussion and first of all I'm really happy that Viktor is becoming a key player for you. He was raised in Benfica and a personal favorite to me.

After reading your discussion I think I can add 2 points that can explain this resurgance.

1st - Viktor started "slow" in Benfica first team.
Before becoming a first choice, Viktor played several games that were not convincing. To the point that in the preseason before the season where he "exploded", he was to be negotiated with Middlesbrough. He didn't accept the deal and when Luisão got injured he had his opportunity to never leave the first team again. But it wasn't a smooth road.

2nd - He was raised and always played as a big club player.

Before you all start calling me names, I believe that Man Utd is a big club. One of the biggest in the world. But the game you were playing with Mourinho was not a big club type of play. Viktor is a player that is used to have the ball. To control the game at distance. And to intervene whenever needed. In a game where his side is on top of the game he is almost flawless, both in controlling the defense and when playing RCB being the first one building the attack. As a LCB he is good but not as good. That was clear in his 2nd season with us.

The thing is, Viktor is more like a sweeper. He is great in reading the game and he achieves his full potential when playing with a more physical partner. And that is the type of CB that will be better in a big club that is not under permanent pressure, which is what's happening now with Ole's tenure.

Enjoy him. He is a great player to watch and enjoy. Also, he is great in high pressure matches and I have no doubt that if he stays with you, you have found your captain for the next years.

Great post, welcome to the cafe ❤

 

[SWE-Chucky]

Great post

Is he the future captain for the swedish national team?

He will be the next captain for the Swedish national team.

 

[golden_blunder]

Hi all, I'm new here, and as a Benfica fan I like to keep following the career of players that were great here.

I've been reading your discussion and first of all I'm really happy that Viktor is becoming a key player for you. He was raised in Benfica and a personal favorite to me.

After reading your discussion I think I can add 2 points that can explain this resurgance.

1st - Viktor started "slow" in Benfica first team.
Before becoming a first choice, Viktor played several games that were not convincing. To the point that in the preseason before the season where he "exploded", he was to be negotiated with Middlesbrough. He didn't accept the deal and when Luisão got injured he had his opportunity to never leave the first team again. But it wasn't a smooth road.

2nd - He was raised and always played as a big club player.

Before you all start calling me names, I believe that Man Utd is a big club. One of the biggest in the world. But the game you were playing with Mourinho was not a big club type of play. Viktor is a player that is used to have the ball. To control the game at distance. And to intervene whenever needed. In a game where his side is on top of the game he is almost flawless, both in controlling the defense and when playing RCB being the first one building the attack. As a LCB he is good but not as good. That was clear in his 2nd season with us.

The thing is, Viktor is more like a sweeper. He is great in reading the game and he achieves his full potential when playing with a more physical partner. And that is the type of CB that will be better in a big club that is not under permanent pressure, which is what's happening now with Ole's tenure.

Enjoy him. He is a great player to watch and enjoy. Also, he is great in high pressure matches and I have no doubt that if he stays with you, you have found your captain for the next years.

Thank you for your insight. We will all be happy if he turns out that way. The crucial part will be pairing him up with a dominant CB

 

[A-man]

True.

In the world cup I thought he lacked aggression, but over the course of the season he's been more up for trying to win the ball. And he didnt win many headers last season or this one, but in the past 3 months or so hes improved that too.

The main things I didnt like about him, he hass improved. So hopefully he keeps improving.

I think he’s stepped up a few meters and meets the ball/forward player more aggressively and more proactively. And I think he used to focuse on “ not losing the header” and now he is focusing on winning it instead. Both ways can be effective but no matter what, it’s a big difference. Or maybe it is just me over analysing it, maybe he just improved his skills in the air by training and coaching

 

[A-man]

2nd - He was raised and always played as a big club player.

Before you all start calling me names, I believe that Man Utd is a big club. One of the biggest in the world. But the game you were playing with Mourinho was not a big club type of play. Viktor is a player that is used to have the ball. To control the game at distance. And to intervene whenever needed. In a game where his side is on top of the game he is almost flawless, both in controlling the defense and when playing RCB being the first one building the attack. As a LCB he is good but not as good. That was clear in his 2nd season with us.

The thing is, Viktor is more like a sweeper. He is great in reading the game and he achieves his full potential when playing with a more physical partner. And that is the type of CB that will be better in a big club that is not under permanent pressure, which is what's happening now with Ole's tenure.

Enjoy him. He is a great player to watch and enjoy. Also, he is great in high pressure matches and I have no doubt that if he stays with you, you have found your captain for the next years.

This I totally agree with. There are CBs who are perfect for poor teams and just defend defend defend, and there are CBs who fit better in dominant teams. The skills needed are different for a Barcelona CB and a Cardiff CB. Even though Lindelof had some great matches where his team is just defending (Sweden -Italy in Italy for example) his absolute best sides are shown when his team dominates the match. I always thought he would fit better in City tbh. But now, this is what Ole has done to United. Taking it from being the big club playing defensive coward football to playing big club football again. And that suits many of the players, especially Lindelof.

 

[Ekeke]

I think he’s stepped up a few meters and meets the ball/forward player more aggressively and more proactively. And I think he used to focuse on “ not losing the header” and now he is focusing on winning it instead. Both ways can be effective but no matter what, it’s a big difference. Or maybe it is just me over analysing it, maybe he just improved his skills in the air by training and coaching

Either way, it was a weakness and now it doesnt look like its going to be

 

[Norris]

Hi all, I'm new here, and as a Benfica fan I like to keep following the career of players that were great here.

I've been reading your discussion and first of all I'm really happy that Viktor is becoming a key player for you. He was raised in Benfica and a personal favorite to me.

After reading your discussion I think I can add 2 points that can explain this resurgance.

1st - Viktor started "slow" in Benfica first team.
Before becoming a first choice, Viktor played several games that were not convincing. To the point that in the preseason before the season where he "exploded", he was to be negotiated with Middlesbrough. He didn't accept the deal and when Luisão got injured he had his opportunity to never leave the first team again. But it wasn't a smooth road.

2nd - He was raised and always played as a big club player.

Before you all start calling me names, I believe that Man Utd is a big club. One of the biggest in the world. But the game you were playing with Mourinho was not a big club type of play. Viktor is a player that is used to have the ball. To control the game at distance. And to intervene whenever needed. In a game where his side is on top of the game he is almost flawless, both in controlling the defense and when playing RCB being the first one building the attack. As a LCB he is good but not as good. That was clear in his 2nd season with us.

The thing is, Viktor is more like a sweeper. He is great in reading the game and he achieves his full potential when playing with a more physical partner. And that is the type of CB that will be better in a big club that is not under permanent pressure, which is what's happening now with Ole's tenure.

Enjoy him. He is a great player to watch and enjoy. Also, he is great in high pressure matches and I have no doubt that if he stays with you, you have found your captain for the next years.

Excellent post. Thank you for your feedback. On evidence, what you said is very much clear to see as well. He is incredibly good at reading the game and aggressive when needed. I also agree that he would need someone who is more physical than him, someone like Bailly or Smalling. How would you rate his communication skills? I still feel he's lacking in this, but it might be a language thing.

 

[Kostov]

I was one of his harshest critics, but I love it how he proves me wrong. Long may it continue and I hope to see more of him and Bailly together.

 

[yfoFC]

I was one of his harshest critics, but I love it how he proves me wrong. Long may it continue and I hope to see more of him and Bailly together.

Don't let the Caf see you rooting for him in his current general form..

Anyways, I'm also of the same opinion. I believe those two can become a great pair at the back and should be the way forward.

We should at least give it a chance for a couple of matches to see how they perform together (I loved their last match overall)

 

[roonster09]

I was one of his harshest critics, but I love it how he proves me wrong. Long may it continue and I hope to see more of him and Bailly together.

Think most didn't rate him, few were overly harsh on him.

Glad he is proving everyone wrong. I didn't rate him too last season and thought it was better to retain Tuanzebe than signing Lindelof. Completely changed my opinion on him. He is our best CB this season.

 

[Kostov]

Think most didn't rate him, few were overly harsh on him.

Glad he is proving everyone wrong. I didn't rate him too last season and thought it was better to retain Tuanzebe than signing Lindelof. Completely changed my opinion on him. He is our best CB this season.

Yes, fair play to those who showed more patience than us average chaps jumping the gun. He has improved week by week and I'm very glad we have him as well.

On another note, Tuanzebe should be here next season along Lindelof, Smalling, Bailly and that new top quality CB we should sign. 5 CBs might be an overkill but we can use them properly in my opinion.

Don't let the Caf see you rooting for him in his current general form..

Anyways, I'm also of the same opinion. I believe those two can become a great pair at the back and should be the way forward.

We should at least give it a chance for a couple of matches to see how they perform together (I loved their last match overall)

Bailly is a very good CB on his day. Those days have been rare in the last year to be fair. But people have been too quick to write him off.
I think he should get a proper chance under Ole, and see what becomes. I think they can be good with Lindelof, my only worry is their aerial ability. Should they improve on that, they have a chance.

 

[Stubble]

Another big bonus with Lindelof is he just about our only CB who isn't injured half the time !

 

[haram]

Ahh yes, the people who claimed Tuanzebe was better. Wonder what they think now.

 

[sunama]

Had that gone in, it would've been brilliant.
Defence to attack to a goal, in 5 seconds.

 

[sunama]

People are giddy because we basically haven’t had a defence for at least 5 years. Playing every man behind the ball or not crossing the halfway line doesn’t count..

Correct.
Statistically, we conceded few goals, but this was because we did not attack and throw men forward, often.
Under LVG, especially, we used to hog possession to prevent opponents from taking the ball and attacking us. We, ourselves, did very little with all that possession. We didn't know how to attack.
From Jan 2018 onwards, under Jose, we did exactly the same as we did under LVG.

Now, we are seeing our midfield focusing on attack, forcing our defenders to actually defend and when a defender is good at defending, we love it!

 

[roonster09]

Ahh yes, the people who claimed Tuanzebe was better. Wonder what they think now.

Imagine thinking we cant play good attacking football with Rashford and Martial, as they are not wingers, wonder what they think now.

 

[haram]

Imagine thinking we cant play good attacking football with Rashford and Martial, as they are not wingers, wonder what they think now.

If you think that’s what I was saying you are very wrong. If you are going to heavily base your game with build up and transitions from deeper areas then it’s difficult for forwards to be playing essentially in midfield.

Lets not derail the thread though.

 

[Based Adnan]

Absolutely nothing to base this on but he always struck me as someone who needs to be comfortable/settled with his surroundings before you see the best of him. Bit like David.

 

[roonster09]

If you think that’s what I was saying you are very wrong. If you are going to heavily base your game with build up and transitions from deeper areas then it’s difficult for forwards to be playing essentially in midfield.

Lets not derail the thread though.

No, you weren't saying that. Search is a wonderful feature.

 

[roonster09]

Enjoy him. He is a great player to watch and enjoy. Also, he is great in high pressure matches and I have no doubt that if he stays with you, you have found your captain for the next years

Very good post. This is very interesting, never thought him as a captain material.

 

[Based Adnan]

Very good post. This is very interesting, never thought him as a captain material.

From what I've seen he's already one of the most vocal in defence. Obviously there's more to the captaincy then being vocal but he's got that going for him at least.

 

[Maagge]

How would you rate his communication skills? I still feel he's lacking in this, but it might be a language thing.

I feel like even when he was poor last season he was actually quite vocal off the ball. Although it might have just been a few times I picked up on it and got it stuck in my head.
And I wouldn't expect a Swede to struggle with language.

 

[ravi2]

Hi all, I'm new here, and as a Benfica fan I like to keep following the career of players that were great here.

I've been reading your discussion and first of all I'm really happy that Viktor is becoming a key player for you. He was raised in Benfica and a personal favorite to me.

After reading your discussion I think I can add 2 points that can explain this resurgance.

1st - Viktor started "slow" in Benfica first team.
Before becoming a first choice, Viktor played several games that were not convincing. To the point that in the preseason before the season where he "exploded", he was to be negotiated with Middlesbrough. He didn't accept the deal and when Luisão got injured he had his opportunity to never leave the first team again. But it wasn't a smooth road.

2nd - He was raised and always played as a big club player.

Before you all start calling me names, I believe that Man Utd is a big club. One of the biggest in the world. But the game you were playing with Mourinho was not a big club type of play. Viktor is a player that is used to have the ball. To control the game at distance. And to intervene whenever needed. In a game where his side is on top of the game he is almost flawless, both in controlling the defense and when playing RCB being the first one building the attack. As a LCB he is good but not as good. That was clear in his 2nd season with us.

The thing is, Viktor is more like a sweeper. He is great in reading the game and he achieves his full potential when playing with a more physical partner. And that is the type of CB that will be better in a big club that is not under permanent pressure, which is what's happening now with Ole's tenure.

Enjoy him. He is a great player to watch and enjoy. Also, he is great in high pressure matches and I have no doubt that if he stays with you, you have found your captain for the next years.

I really enjoyed reading your post, thank you!

 

[SiRed]

I wont lie, I had written him off and wanted him gone. The Huddersfield mistake stuck right in my mind for a long time.

This season i believe he has been consistently strong and has been in with a shout for man of the match most weeks in my opinion.

And as a bonus, since Ole come ini, we see glimpses of how good he is on the ball.... The change he created against Cardiff was superb and also the one for Martial against Brighton. Top stuff - Under rated player for sure.

 

[A-man]

On another note, Tuanzebe should be here next season along Lindelof, Smalling, Bailly and that new top quality CB we should sign. 5 CBs might be an overkill but we can use them properly in my opinion.


Bailly is a very good CB on his day. Those days have been rare in the last year to be fair. But people have been too quick to write him off.
I think he should get a proper chance under Ole, and see what becomes. I think they can be good with Lindelof, my only worry is their aerial ability. Should they improve on that, they have a chance.

The risk with too many CB of similar level is that you keep rotating and you never get that solid CB pair. This clearly happened during Mourinhos time where only Smalling got to play and the others every now and then.

Bailly is one of those who hasn’t got a good run in a long time. For me the problem with Bailly is that he doesn’t seem to be proper schooled. He has poor judgement in some situations and doesn’t know when he should stay back or push forward, cover for his partner, or can expect to be covered for. Also lacks awareness of the offside line. The pairing CB doesn’t really know where he has Bailly or what he will do next. However all those things can be trained and I really hope he will turn out to be a great CB.

 

[LInkash]

Another big bonus with Lindelof is he just about our only CB who isn't injured half the time !

 

[Mihai]

To be fair, he did look terrible last season. I never expected him to improve this much. Now we just need someone to partner him and we are set!

Some of those comments are from this season, albeit from the beginning.

 

[Kostov]

The risk with too many CB of similar level is that you keep rotating and you never get that solid CB pair. This clearly happened during Mourinhos time where only Smalling got to play and the others every now and then.

Bailly is one of those who hasn’t got a good run in a long time. For me the problem with Bailly is that he doesn’t seem to be proper schooled. He has poor judgement in some situations and doesn’t know when he should stay back or push forward, cover for his partner, or can expect to be covered for. Also lacks awareness of the offside line. The pairing CB doesn’t really know where he has Bailly or what he will do next. However all those things can be trained and I really hope he will turn out to be a great CB.

Yes you have a good point about all of them being on a similar level, add to that injuries and Mourinho's stubbornness when trying to prove a point.

Bailly definitely lacks some proper schooling in some aspects of the game. It was evident even in the his first season here, what disappoints me is the lack of progress over his time here. Partially I blame the coaching staff and Bailly himself coupled with some bad luck. Can it be worked on, of course, his talent is evident and he has had impressive games, leading to him being liked a lot by fans. Can we afford it? That's another story. We don't have much choice. Smalling is a more reliable defender, but Jones is as much of a disaster waiting to happen as Bailly. In my opinion he should play instead of Jones, until Smalling is fully fit, maybe he would surprise us and even cement himself along with Lindelof.

 

[Johan07]

Lindelof and Blind at RCB/LCB would have been an interesting option to still have; especially against lesser teams.

 

[A-man]

Yes you have a good point about all of them being on a similar level, add to that injuries and Mourinho's stubbornness when trying to prove a point.

Bailly definitely lacks some proper schooling in some aspects of the game. It was evident even in the his first season here, what disappoints me is the lack of progress over his time here. Partially I blame the coaching staff and Bailly himself coupled with some bad luck. Can it be worked on, of course, his talent is evident and he has had impressive games, leading to him being liked a lot by fans. Can we afford it? That's another story. We don't have much choice. Smalling is a more reliable defender, but Jones is as much of a disaster waiting to happen as Bailly. In my opinion he should play instead of Jones, until Smalling is fully fit, maybe he would surprise us and even cement himself along with Lindelof.

That is a very good question! Can United afford to school Bailly and give him matches? Both Bailly and Lindelof have shown clear signs that they have potential to become just what United need the coming years, but they will need matches. If we just aim for the future, Bailly should play instead of Jones but Jones has performed pretty well lately imo and allows Lindelof to play to the right. Jones is probably a better choice right now if the priority is to win the match. And that’s the problem, there is really never a good opportunity at this level. Now United are chasing top-4 and winning a cup title could also save the season.

If United want to bring back Tuanzebe and believe in him, then they can’t have too many other CB project. They can’t have 2-3 CB projects who need matches. They should have a solid pair plus one more at similar level, then one project like Tuanzebe. (Lindelof is also a project, but imo he has now reached starting XI level which means he contributes more than he costs). Could be Lindelof plus one new experienced top CB plus Smalling plus Tuanzebe. That’s my opinion.

 

[Ban]

He so deserved that goal.

 

[limerickcitykid]

What the feck was he doing on their second? He's lucky he pulled one back for us because that was a fecking joke. He should be ripped a new asshole for that garbage.

 

[SWE-Chucky]

What a fighter, you could see it in his eyes and that he didn't want to lose this game and how much it hurt to concede 2 easy goals, even though if the first one was 95% Andreas fault and 5% Jones for even putting Andreas in that position by passing him the ball.

Give him a proper CB and he will dominate the league, I really believe he would.

So glad Iceman got his first goal!

 

[Adam-Utd]

What the feck was he doing on their second? He's lucky he pulled one back for us because that was a fecking joke. He should be ripped a new asshole for that garbage.

Jones and shaw went running out of position, he was left with 2 strikers in the box. He went to the other and hoped young would shuffle across but obviously it was the wrong choice.

Realistically though it was a complete clusterfeck. You can’t end up with a 2v1 situation inside the box.

It’s on jones for me, whenever he plays everybody just play worse defensively.