Guillermo Varela

Nice video with a great music.Those croatians are aggressive feckers to say the least.
I liked how he claterred one of them @ 03:17, very no-nonsense like Rafael.
 
Stellar compilation, indeed !

I never thought he has such good shot blocking technique. I'm not sure how are his game reading and slide tackling skills, but with that pace, he's certainly able to chase anyone. Looks never scared during dribbling and headers, but he has to watch himself in Premier League.

Overall, for such small price, this deal sounds more than safe.
 
Nice video with a great music.Those croatians are aggressive feckers to say the least.
I liked how he claterred one of them @ 03:17, very no-nonsense like Rafael.

Thanks for the compilation mate.Nice job.

Stellar compilation, indeed !

I never thought he has such good shot blocking technique. I'm not sure how are his game reading and slide tackling skills, but with that pace, he's certainly able to chase anyone. Looks never scared during dribbling and headers, but he has to watch himself in Premier League.

Overall, for such small price, this deal sounds more than safe.

Thanks, lads.

And I agree with you, VP. Valera's pace is is very handy, and it's why he has been given instructions to stay back when Uruguay have a corner (along with the lack of height). I would really like to see more of him attacking though, as his pace and crossing can work well, but this current Uruguay team is nothing special. When watching the game, I was really surprised at how many times he was ignored, especially when you consider he played high up the pitch. That's certainly one aspect they'll have to work on. The manager clearly recognises his offensive contribution. It's now a case of trying to ensure he does a very good job offensively, while maintaining discipline, which is very hard. I look forward to watching more of him.
 
Looks quick, determined and alert/fast to react to loose balls from the vids I've seen so far. 3 things among others that also apply with Rafael.
 
A little eager in the tackle, making him vulnerable to a clever winger who knows how to shield the ball and then go down.

But then, who does that remind you of...? :devil:
 
Every once in a while, I go into this thread to remind myself that we've signed someone this summer.

Then I release the pressure, so to speak.

Is it only me, or all of us?

Oh, and is he any good? Ta
 


Another good performance, and with that comes another match compilation I made. I swear, I was unbelievably bored making this match compilation, purely because of the lack of verticality from Uruguay, who dominated the game and won by two goals and kept a clean sheet.

Varela had a good game. I didn't include all touches and passes, the reason being that he touched the ball in a deep position and passed the ball back to a centre-back, or when he was further up the pitch, he made a safe pass. It's still a long video. To be honest, New Zealand were shocking. Saying that though, their best chance came late in the first half, but Varela blocked the shot impressively. He did more attacking and I quite like his crossing technique, but he'll have to improve that aspect. It's an encouraging display.
 
I watched some of the game. I've got to say if I'd been asked to guess without pre-knowledge the player who'd just signed for Manchester United, he'd have been a long way down my list. Apart from stupidly losing the ball in a dangerous position midway through the first half, he did nothing to catch the eye. Hopefully, he was better in the bits I missed. But Rafael can sleep easy in his little bed for the present, imo.
 
Apparently the trial he had with United earlier this year made a huge impression on the coaching staff, I think that's better grounds for judgment that a portion of one match, but hopefully you're wrong and he's got plenty to offer, Will.
 
I watched some of the game. I've got to say if I'd been asked to guess without pre-knowledge the player who'd just signed for Manchester United, he'd have been a long way down my list. Apart from stupidly losing the ball in a dangerous position midway through the first half, he did nothing to catch the eye. Hopefully, he was better in the bits I missed. But Rafael can sleep easy in his little bed for the present, imo.

What more could he have done? Uruguay were playing a boring brand of possession-based football. The lack of verticality killed momentum and the game, overall, was boring. Varela still offered width, but he was "ignored". I don't expect much from him in this tournament, apart from solid defensive work. And to be fair to him, he has been solid defensively. He made one error in the fixture before this and you could say he could have done more for Croatia's goal, but I think you're being harsh, and that's only because it's too early to judge. This is just a glimpse, your expectations should be low IMO.
 
Will Absolute tends to be on the more pessimistic side of things, from what I've read. I'm sure he watched some of the game but he might have been trying too hard to see potential drawbacks with what is essentially a low-risk signing.
 
Will Absolute tends to be on the more pessimistic side of things, from what I've read. I'm sure he watched some of the game but he might have been trying too hard to see potential drawbacks with what is essentially a low-risk signing.

I really don't mind pessimists, though I don't know much about Will and, even then, it wouldn't influence my opinion. Varela is, however, 20 and I think judging someone on limited footage is puerile and a bit harsh. He's had two good games as well and if one was to view the two match compilations I posted, then they would be pleased at his defensive traits. Too early to make a call on him now, but that's just my opinion.
 
:)

I don't mind being proven wrong in my judgement of players. I thought I'd offer a first impression, which is all it can possibly be.

This place would be pretty boring, if we all waited for a consensus before posting an opinion on a United player. The coaching staff are professionals and have seen a lot more.. We'll see how he does.
 
Deulofeu, one of Barcelona's best youngsters, struggled against Varela. I did not expect that.
 
That sounds very promising. Great result for them too. Wish I hadnt missed this one
Jesé, who plays for Real Madrid and has had a good tournament, also struggled. Varela's pace and excellent tackling was immense to watch. I really think this guy can make it at Manchester United. He was one of the best players in the pitch. I'm still surprised.
 
Jesé, who plays for Real Madrid and has had a good tournament, also struggled. Varela's pace and excellent tackling was immense to watch. I really think this guy can make it at Manchester United. He was one of the best players in the pitch. I'm still surprised.


:drool:
 
If I can find footage, which hopefully shouldn't be hard, I'll make a match compilation.
 
That sounds great. Both Jese and Gerard as he used to be called, impressed me in the junior Spain teams I've watched them in over the years. I obviously havent been watching Segunda division matches to see how they are doing, but all reports and their records suggest they're both still on course to come into their clubs respective first teams and have an impact. So if Varela is solid enough defensively to give them a tough time then I'm impressed by that and would love to see a compilation from the match
 
That sounds great. Both Jese and Gerard as he used to be called, impressed me in the junior Spain teams I've watched them in over the years. I obviously havent been watching Segunda division matches to see how they are doing, but all reports and their records suggest they're both still on course to come into their clubs respective first teams and have an impact. So if Varela is solid enough defensively to give them a tough time then I'm impressed by that and would love to see a compilation from the match

He played well but he looked better going forward than defensively as I thought he was diving in too much. I only watched the 90 minutes but Spain did not play especially well as a team during then and it was not as if he was severely tested defensively other than for a 15 minute spell in the first half when Delofue and Oliver got the better down the right side a couple of times. Was a bit disappointed with Spain overall and thought Suso was their best player with one or two sparks from Oliver(sp?) and Delofue. Whoever the Real Madrid reserve player who broke Butraqueno's record for goals in the reserve team was quite poor. They had plenty of possession but did not do much with it to create chances and were quite complacent, especially in the second half when you could tell the game was headed for extra time. Uruguay overall are well organised and solid as well.

I think United will loan him but Varela does look like someone who could be retained as part of the first team squad next season which is encouraging. First time I have seen play. According to the commentators today their are World cup spots up for grabs in Uruguay's defence so he might be after a loan move to assist that.

In comparison France were much more impressive in dispatching Uzebekstan.
 
That sounds great. Both Jese and Gerard as he used to be called, impressed me in the junior Spain teams I've watched them in over the years. I obviously havent been watching Segunda division matches to see how they are doing, but all reports and their records suggest they're both still on course to come into their clubs respective first teams and have an impact. So if Varela is solid enough defensively to give them a tough time then I'm impressed by that and would love to see a compilation from the match
Just downloading the footage now. I'll have something up by the end of today or tomorrow morning.
 


The quality of the footage I downloaded was horrible. I didn't include throw-ins as they are irrelevant in general and I also didn't include extra time. His best performance in the U20 World Cup. He's a bit raw when it comes to attacking IMO, his dribbling doesn't convince me, but he'll improve.
 
In comparison France were much more impressive in dispatching Uzebekstan.

Uruguay also beat Uzbekistan 4-0.

I reckon France are favourites as it is, but I'd wait until they face an actual challenge before getting overexcited about their superiority.
 
I have to admit that he surprised me with his pace and determination. The comparison with Gaz is good.


from previous videos it was all about the attacking side of his game which looks quite exciting, but the video v spain is more about his defensive skills. and he looks very good indeed. like you said his determination makes him a better player. love to stuck it in and we all know he is quick.
 
I think United will loan him but Varela does look like someone who could be retained as part of the first team squad next season which is encouraging. First time I have seen play. According to the commentators today their are World cup spots up for grabs in Uruguay's defence so he might be after a loan move to assist that.

Can't see him pushing for a first team spot/loan move straight away because I remember reading that he was only in Penarols reserve team so its not like we've dragged him out of an enviromenent where he was playing first team football week in week out. With Fabio back as cover for Rafael/Evra though a loan after he settles in a bit might be an option.

He seems to have a feisty/tenacious side to his game which I like.
 
First time I've actually watched anything of this kid, but looks like he really likes diving in. Looks like he has promise and worth the cheap punt on. Hopefully he can develop in the same way as rafael
 
Uruguay also beat Uzbekistan 4-0.

I reckon France are favourites as it is, but I'd wait until they face an actual challenge before getting overexcited about their superiority.

I was comparing France to Spain in all honesty. I know France have been inconsistent this tournament and would not use that game as much of a barometer of how good this Uruguay side are either, although knocking out the tournament favourites is a big win for them. It was a tight game with not a huge amount of chances created. I know there are players in the Uruguay side who are highly thought in a similar vein to some of the Spanish under 20's who were similarly restricted.
 
How many times have you watched Buttner?
Ah, don't start. He's shit and has been since he arrived. That wasn't my point though, it was that I'd rather we gave this young guy a go ahead of Buttner, who clearly has no chance of making it here.

But to answer your question, probably as many times as you.