Marouane Fellaini | 2013/14 Performances

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He will when he finally starts performing. Heard he played behind the striker rather than in CM again for Belgium. He won't and shouldnt get a sniff there for us though. I hope he will manage to transform into a CM.

He interchanged with Defour. It was a similar role to the one he played vs. Shakhtar. Here's a heat-map to show his average position, which is far deeper than AM: http://www.whoscored.com/Matches/56...onal-FIFA-World-Cup-2012-2013-Croatia-Belgium Re AM role: I don't see why he shouldn't. It doesn't mean he has to start there, but we've already seen glimpses of Fellaini as an AM and as a CF...
 
Depends how your using Fellaini, doesn't it? He obviously has been played in a very advanced role in his career... not got a clue whether Belgium ever do that.

Belgium just have so many creative players that I couldn't imagine why they'd do that though. Everton only really started using him so far up when they lost Arteta.
 
Where did he play then my good friend?

Deeper in every phase of the game bar running his ass off to support Lukaku when Belgium countered quickly down the wings. The first post on this page is pretty much spot on.
 
Week old story and he has played since the article. Plus he was never going to be out 2 months even with the surgery.


Yeah realized it was old and deleted post sorry for making your post look odd!
 
Just catching up on all the international footy.I see Fellaini wasn't at all involved at all in the Belguim set up yesterday.Was he simply being rested? Not further risked etc? Post the international break I am hoping he can get his mop down and fully concentrate on United.If Cleverley is not fit for Saturday then he starts agaist Southampton.I would have preferred him to have a little more time on the bench watching and learning about our style (If he figures what our style is could he let us know?)
 
Just catching up on all the international footy.I see Fellaini wasn't at all involved at all in the Belguim set up yesterday.Was he simply being rested? Not further risked etc? Post the international break I am hoping he can get his mop down and fully concentrate on United.If Cleverley is not fit for Saturday then he starts agaist Southampton.I would have preferred him to have a little more time on the bench watching and learning about our style (If he figures what our style is could he let us know?)

He got a yellow card in Croatia and was suspended for the game against Wales.
 
He played pretty much same role like that one he played in our game against Shaktar. It wasn't #10 role, but because of his air presence, he was often positioned as most advanced midfielder out of 3 midfielders to help out Lukaku, but his usual position was next to Defour, both ahead of Witsel who was sitting deepest.
 
Yes, he seemed to play a dual role against Croatia.

He should be eased in to the team but if Cleverley isn't fit for Saturday then Fellaini will start.

We need to be patient with Fellaini. It's not easy coming into a new team with a new manager when even the best players (RVP, Carrick, Rio, Kagawa) aren't in form and the team is still finding its identity.
 
We need to be patient with Fellaini. It's not easy coming into a new team with a new manager when even the best players (RVP, Carrick, Rio, Kagawa) aren't in form and the team is still finding its identity.

Carrick and RVP are in form. Sorry, I usually hate to pick holes, especially when they're not that relevant to your main point. But I keep seeing this everywhere and it's completely unsubstantiated both by the stats (RVP scoring goals even faster than last year, Carrick matching his top passing and pass % stats) and by what we've seen on the pitch. We shouldn't let worries about the team's overall season so far fool us into thinking that everyone is playing badly or that every match has been bad.

I agree with your actual point, ideally we'd have been able to ease him in a bit more. But that's the nature of United's midfield at the moment - low on numbers as well as quality, so everyone has to step up to the mark asap.
 
I really don't think RVP is in form. RVP in form is one of the best players in the world. Carrick has been ok but we haven't seen as many of his over the top and killer passes that he is capable.

Stand by that and stand by the fact that Fellaini should be given ample time to adjust because after the last few games the knives have been coming out. I shouldn't really be surprised though.
 
I definitely don't think Carrick is playing as well as last season, regardless of what the stats say.
 
I definitely don't think Carrick is playing as well as last season, regardless of what the stats say.

Well, yeah, the season hasn't ended, so that's not a good point at all. And to say he hasn't played well is kind of an insult to the work he's put in. In previous seasons, he's been a "slow starter". In 10/11, it was the Blackburn thrashing that started his season off. His confidence went higher and he started performing brilliantly, especially in the CL. In 11/12, it looked like he wasn't going to feature much, but when Cleverley picked up the injury vs. Bolton, he came on and calmed the game down. His season started - and by that, I mean performing really well consistently - against Swansea. Last season, it was the same. Started off worse than this season IMO, but he nullified Cazorla at OT and went on to have his best season for us. In the last round, he was excellent. This season, he's already made 31 interceptions in 7 games. Last season, he had 76 interceptions...
 
I don't think Carrick has been poor. He hasn't be great but I feel he has been solid. I think one of the main differences is the lack of confidence shown by the players in front of him, whether they be the wide men or RVP etc. I don't think the movement has been as good as previous seasons and it's having an impact on Carrick's game.

Nothing serious to worry about at the moment but I feel it's an area that will come when we string a few results together.
 
I don't think saying Carrick isn't in form is the same as saying he's been poor. Just that he is yet to reach the heights of last season. He's had a bit of a slow start to the season again (whereas last season he started well when he wasn't playing as CB). He hasn't imposed himself on many games yet in the way we know he can, but I thought Sunderland was the turning point, same with that England - Poland game, he really pulled the strings and controlled that game (despite Roy hooking him off) and England lost the ball repeatedly when he came off. I thought it was quite a dominant performance from Carrick and I'm hoping the upwards trajectory (in form) after those two games continues now.
The constant chopping and changing of partner can't help either.
I also though in the first few games he was playing too deep. He's so important in not just his defensive duties but in starting off our attacks and he wasn't doing that initially but is starting to come into his own and stamping his authority on games again. The balls he plays can really slice midfields and defences wide open and take 3-4 opposition players out of the game in one go.
 
The idea of Fellaini playing as no 10 for us makes me sick.

I would certainly worry about Moyes' philosophy if he started playing a player like Fellaini at no.10 over someone like Kagawa. Even ignoring how (relatively) poor Fellaini would be in that position at the top level, it would raise questions about Moyes' entire approach, I think.

Still, both Moyes and Fellaini have been consistent in saying DM is his best position. Hopefully he really grows into that role here.
 
We've watched some dreadful performances from our CM's over the last few years but can't remember much worse than that. By far the worst player on the pitch.
 
He's been very poor. Looks out of place in that midfield and when being required to defend, he's either standing still or making little effort going in for a tackle.

Hopefully he improves.
 
Pray for Fellaini.

Feel sorry for him, bundle of nerves and the more times he loses it or does a shit pass the more nervous he will get.

I have no doubt he is far better than what we have seen over the last 3 games
 
He has a really poor first touch and is really poor when pressed.

He also barely seems to win the ball, considering people said he'd add "steel" to the midfield.
 
He's fecking shite. Been saying it all along and never wanted us to sign him because he's shite as a central mid and only looked good playing as a #10 for Everton and them lumping it to him. Doesn't suit us at all. Some people might say give him a chance to fit in, but this isn't anything new from him IMO. He might be a bit better then he's shown, but it's still not good enough.
 
Him and Carrick seem to have different ideas of how to contest the midfield, but at least Fellaini's version doesn't involve vacating it completely and behaving like a coward.

He's been shocking in possession though.
 
They pressed him really hard and he just couldn't deal with. Got better as it went on though and Southampton sat off. Needs to improve.
 
Just don't think he has the ability, and it's shown up even worse when playing against a team who has very high levels of closing down.
 
Lack any really pressing ability with both of them in there. Southampton are getting in our faces like Cleverley and Anderson can do, with Fellaini in there, it's to easy for their deep midfielders to pick the ball up, turn and play.
 
Pray for Fellaini.

Feel sorry for him, bundle of nerves and the more times he loses it or does a shit pass the more nervous he will get.

I have no doubt he is far better than what we have seen over the last 3 games


He's way better than this but at the moment he is a liability, especially against pressing teams like Southampton. Can't pass, tackle, run or do anything a CM should be doing.
 
Him and Carrick seem to have different ideas of how to contest the midfield, but at least Fellaini's version doesn't involve vacating it completely and behaving like a coward.

He's been shocking in possession though.


Surprisingly has the best pass successful percentage out of all the midfielders today. Carrick is 82% and Fellaini is at 85%. Both of Saints midfielders are in their 70's.
 
I think he just needs time to settle in and find his best role. Right now it seems he isn't so sure where to be positioned and how to play off of Carrick. Lets also not forget he has a broken wrist. That has to affect his performance.
 
He's fecking shite. Been saying it all along and never wanted us to sign him because he's shite as a central mid and only looked good playing as a #10 for Everton and them lumping it to him.

That's just ignorantly wrong though. He rarely ever looked good as a no10 at Everton and had pretty much 2 solid good years as a midfielder.

He needs to up his game from that first half though. I can't remember a single non hospital pass.
 
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