Marouane Fellaini | 2013/14 Performances

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I stated early on that expecting a creative CM/a box-to-box or even a AM is going to give you false expectations because all he can offer at this level is the job of a destroyer. Moyes has recognized it as well after playing around with Fellainis role, and is using him more and more defensive for every game.

I can't wait to see Fellaini as a pure destroyer with preferably Januzaj and Kagawa in front of him, or one of Cleverley/Anderson could do the job. I think he will positively surprise us all when he has a pure role of destroying opponents attacks and delivering safe short/medium ranged balls to a creative outlet.
 
marjen said:
Do you think he's a good footballer? Good enough for United?
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I know you asked EP Marjen, but I thought I'd reply.

Despite being a fan of Fellaini on the basis of what we have seen so far then no he won't make it at United. I mean he hasn't been a disaster and I could see him keeping out Clev or Anderson, but given our interest in the likes of Herrara and Fabregas you have to assume Moyes will look to bring another midfielder in.

So yeah, on current form then no he isn't good enough. But that doesn't mean he never will be, as he clearly has potential IMO. At Everton he was a better player than this, and I also don't think he has hit close to his peak yet - he's only 25/26 which is a few years of peak for a centre mid, and he lacks a natural awareness of how to play the more subtle parts of CM which will improve with experience. Things like positioning, composure, picking the right pass. You have to remember he spent most of last season playing in a completely different position, and centre mid is notoriously difficult to play.

Even ignoring his potential or whether he has hit his peak, which people could disagree on, he isn't even hitting his standard at Everton. So he definitely can do better - it's a fact. Missing out on a pre-season with us hasn't helped and its entirely possible that he's still adapting to the club. It's also possible that he's strugling with 1) the price tag 2) burden of fixing United's midfield
 
Of course what also doesn't help in modern football is that, thanks to Gary Neville and Sky, everyone now thinks they're a coach so we end up with fans who think they know more about his position, capabilities and potential after half a dozen games than the manager who has worked with him for the past 6 years.
 
As much stick as he is getting from his last outing and his numerous other outings he has looked half decent for me. Nothing outstanding but I like his positioning, he seems to push on a bit too and it isn't surprising to see him in games as being the one who sometimes bridges that gap from midfield to attack - even though that isn't his role.

Three or four times last night a ball was in the air that was going closer to Giggs and he would run 20/30 yards to get his nugget on the ball as Giggs was being passive in those situations. Little things like that, helping to win the ball back is vital and something all our other midfielders shy away from. In the fullest of time he will be an asset to us.
 
Annahnomoss said:
I stated early on that expecting a creative CM/a box-to-box or even a AM is going to give you false expectations because all he can offer at this level is the job of a destroyer. Moyes has recognized it as well after playing around with Fellainis role, and is using him more and more defensive for every game.
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:lol:

Brilliant. At least Moyes finally caught on anyway. Maybe you should've sent him a quick e-mail to give him a heads up a few weeks ago?
 
Annahnomoss said:
I stated early on that expecting a creative CM/a box-to-box or even a AM is going to give you false expectations because all he can offer at this level is the job of a destroyer. Moyes has recognized it as well after playing around with Fellainis role, and is using him more and more defensive for every game.

I can't wait to see Fellaini as a pure destroyer with preferably Januzaj and Kagawa in front of him, or one of Cleverley/Anderson could do the job. I think he will positively surprise us all when he has a pure role of destroying opponents attacks and delivering safe short/medium ranged balls to a creative outlet.
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:lol::lol:

My hairy ballcunts is Fellaini a destroyer....The only thing he has destroyed is our hopes of him becoming a great signing for us
 
We knew United would not be the same, few people laughed, few people cried, most were silent. Now I have become Fellaini, the destroyer of worlds. I guess we all thought that, one way or another.
 
Snow said:
We've played them twice and managed 1 goal. I'll bet you that by the end of the year that no other team will have done better. In both games they were also closer to scoring a goal than Liverpool were in the CC or Chelsea in the league.

It was one of many of our games this season were neither team were all that. They've been like us really this season. We're 8th, they're 7th. Their poor form and lack of experience early in the CL cost them a European campaign but that's really to be expected from a team that's seeded 4th.
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Mate, I'm sorry, but they were abslutely shocking. Comparing them to Liverpool or Chelsea's performances against us is an insult. We played well in both of those games and had to otherwise we'd have lost.

In the first game against Sociedad we were poor yet should have won by four or five. Last night more resembled a particularly drab pre-season friendly than a Champions League fixture.

You'd expect a top four Spanish side to be fairly formidable, or at least at the sort of level to punish you if you're not on your game. We were very far off our game last night and yet still had to miss a penalty and two open goals to not win comfortably.

We put in a similar performance against West Brom and got played off the park on our own ground.
 
kouroux said:
Fellaini wasn't a destroyer at Everton so why did some of us even think he'd be just that for Utd ?
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Didn't both Moyes and Fellaini say he worked best as a defensive midfielder? I guess that convinced people.
 
sullydnl said:
Didn't both Moyes and Fellaini say he worked best as a defensive midfielder? I guess that convinced people.
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Convinced and confused people. Playing as further as a DM doesn't make a player a destroyer. Fortunately in football, it takes more than height and physical presence to be able to retrieve the ball efficiently or disturb the opposition's attacking. Fellaini playing as a second striker was IMHO him at his best.
 
The best we can hope for in my opinion is that he settles into a forward looking role from deep. Carrick sitting so that he can get forward at times. It's still early days for him here, but I can't see him becoming an effective defensive player.
 
Annahnomoss said:
I stated early on that expecting a creative CM/a box-to-box or even a AM is going to give you false expectations because all he can offer at this level is the job of a destroyer. Moyes has recognized it as well after playing around with Fellainis role, and is using him more and more defensive for every game.

I can't wait to see Fellaini as a pure destroyer with preferably Januzaj and Kagawa in front of him, or one of Cleverley/Anderson could do the job. I think he will positively surprise us all when he has a pure role of destroying opponents attacks and delivering safe short/medium ranged balls to a creative outlet.
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So far he hasn't convinced me that he can perform that role either though. There have been times when he has looked lazy and has failed to track runners, something a destroyer surely needs to cut out from their game? He used to do the same at Everton too, so it's not like we can suddenly expect him to improve massively in that area. If all we were looking for was a destroyer then surely there were better options to go for during the summer?

Anyway, do we even want to play with a pure destroyer like that? It's a big change from the way we played under Ferguson, playing with a limited player in a very limited role.
 
kouroux said:
Convinced and confused people. Playing as further as a DM doesn't make a player a destroyer. Fortunately in football, it takes more than height and physical presence to be able to retrieve the ball efficiently or disturb the opposition's attacking. Fellaini playing as a second striker was IMHO him at his best.
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Agree, but he would be fairly ineffective as a second striker at our level.

Frankly, the only position that would really suit Fellaini at the top level is as a backup player, filling in to different roles when better players are unavailable or injured. He's not good enough in any position to demand a regular place in that role, particularly if we have to change our style to suit him.
 
Snow said:
We've played them twice and managed 1 goal. I'll bet you that by the end of the year that no other team will have done better. In both games they were also closer to scoring a goal than Liverpool were in the CC or Chelsea in the league.

It was one of many of our games this season were neither team were all that. They've been like us really this season. We're 8th, they're 7th. Their poor form and lack of experience early in the CL cost them a European campaign but that's really to be expected from a team that's seeded 4th.
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Missed this post. Other teams have already done better, Shaktar beat them 0-2 away even! Real S were dogshit, probably the worst Spanish side i've ever seen roll up anywhere in England in the ECL.
 
oh my my, so many people saying bad things about the Fellaini guy.

All off you have an agenda, damn you!!!
 
After Moyes praised him, I have a horrible horrible feeling he's gonna start against Arsenal.

They'd rip him to absolute pieces in the middle, the likes of Ozil, Ramsey and Carzola would have a field day.
 
He's at sixes and sevens at the moment. Fortunately, the red card is unlikely to derail the team's progress in the group.
 
Has he had his insides injected with super glue or something, cos he's so stiff all the time. I'm yet to see his knees bend in a United shirt.
 
Sam said:
After Moyes praised him, I have a horrible horrible feeling he's gonna start against Arsenal.

They'd rip him to absolute pieces in the middle, the likes of Ozil, Ramsey and Carzola would have a field day.
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I'm having sleepless nights because of this thought.
 
noodlehair said:
Mate, I'm sorry, but they were abslutely shocking. Comparing them to Liverpool or Chelsea's performances against us is an insult. We played well in both of those games and had to otherwise we'd have lost.

In the first game against Sociedad we were poor yet should have won by four or five. Last night more resembled a particularly drab pre-season friendly than a Champions League fixture.

You'd expect a top four Spanish side to be fairly formidable, or at least at the sort of level to punish you if you're not on your game. We were very far off our game last night and yet still had to miss a penalty and two open goals to not win comfortably.

We put in a similar performance against West Brom and got played off the park on our own ground.
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So it's not possible for two teams to both have an off game?

It's not an insult to compare those games. Chelsea and Liverpool didn't create shit. Real Sociedad did. We weren't defending poorly in any of those games.

You might expect them to do better because the top 4 in England is pretty much always the same. There's a bit more competition than that in Spain. They are in the competition for the first time. Haven't strengthened their squad after losing a key figure. Captain is a year older and hardly been fit. There's a lot of factors to take into consideration. Their wage budget is a fraction of ours. Their team costs less than Fellaini. They're not getting TV money like Real and Barca or the English teams. They're not spending just because. They're building. Mostly on home grown players. And they're doing a pretty damn good job of it. Only 4 years ago since they rejoined La Liga.
 
ItsEssexRob said:
Missed this post. Other teams have already done better, Shaktar beat them 0-2 away even! Real S were dogshit, probably the worst Spanish side i've ever seen roll up anywhere in England in the ECL.
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Other teams won't do much better against us. A couple at the most.
 
Theon said:
I suspect that you used those stats because you know full well that they're awful, and open to criticism. You clearly don't like the player and have moaned about him from day 1. Nothing wrong with that, we all have players we dislike, but I'm just pointing out it isn't a good argument.

Criticising his tackling based on three games is daft, when we know that he's consistently been an effective tackler for four or five years. Why would you make judgements based on three games instead of the much larger data. He didn't play in midfield in 12/13 no, but was still Evertons best tackler. In 2011/12 he did and was 14th in the entire league, in 2010/11 he was 11th and in 2009/10 he was 17th. So you have four years of stats which point to him being good at winning the ball, but instead you use his three games from the CL to argue he isn't suited to the role.

Also he actually played well in all three CL games, its the league he's been below par in.
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Why must people have an agenda when they aren't effusive in praise for a player? In the matchday thread before the game I was hoping he would have a stormer and get on the scoresheet. Like him or not he's a United player now so I want him to do well.
Anyway I didn't go out of my way to hunt down his worst stats.
I saw this tweet:

and decided to look at the CL stats on the whoscored page. simple as that. I also didn't go out of my way to track down Fernandinho's best stats, I just looked at the same stats. I don't think he's suitable to the role of a defensive midfielder a lot of his fouls are committed because he's clumsy and late when trying to win the ball and that's partly because he doesn't position himself well defensively to cut out opposition attacks. He had the most fouls per game in the PL last season too, despite mostly playing in an offensive position so it's hardly a new thing he's picked up in his three CL games this season.
 
surf said:
He's at sixes and sevens at the moment. Fortunately, the red card is unlikely to derail the team's progress in the group.
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Nah, credit where it's due, it was an improved showing against Sociedad. The red card is a mild annoyance.
 
I don't think he's fit enough, looks lethargic, slow and turns like the titanic. Tuesday was one of his better performances up until getting sent off though. Wonder if he's being pushed harder in training than at Everton and its showing in his performances, if so his body will adapt eventually, he was never renowned for quick movement but at Everton he was up and down the pitch and even deceptively quick once into his stride.
I think we all know he is not the answer to our midfield woes but he is a big stopper and very effective when the ball is dropping, either with chest or head. Come May we might just look back feeling glad of some of his performances even if he adds little in terms of playmaking. He is yet to cause havoc at set plays and that's either down to our poor use of a dead ball or his lack of confidence and or fitness but more likely all 3.
 
One thing I would like to see and it's through no fault of his but when we get a free kick or corner, would it kill the takers to aim for him. They are doing their best to find our smallest players and Fellaini hasn't got near one cross yet from memory (obviously he probably has but nothing dangerous). There is a case for Fellaini to attack the ball or be in a better position but on corners and that, his runs and movement is fine but the taker is on a completely different wavelength.
 
gasmanc said:
I don't think he's fit enough, looks lethargic, slow and turns like the titanic. Tuesday was one of his better performances up until getting sent off though. Wonder if he's being pushed harder in training than at Everton and its showing in his performances, if so his body will adapt eventually, he was never renowned for quick movement but at Everton he was up and down the pitch and even deceptively quick once into his stride.
I think we all know he is not the answer to our midfield woes but he is a big stopper and very effective when the ball is dropping, either with chest or head. Come May we might just look back feeling glad of some of his performances even if he adds little in terms of playmaking. He is yet to cause havoc at set plays and that's either down to our poor use of a dead ball or his lack of confidence and or fitness but more likely all 3.
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When he first joined, Moyes said something about needing to get his fitness levels up, and a few of the current Everton players commented on their preseason with Martinez involving less running than they were used to with Moyes and more work on the ball, so in terms of fitness he might have been a bit off, but he's been with us since September and its November now, so you wouldn't expect that to still be a problem. That said he seemed more determined in his closing people down on Tuesday, and less willing to just let people run off him whilst he ambled along.
 
LR7 said:
When he first joined, Moyes said something about needing to get his fitness levels up, and a few of the current Everton players commented on their preseason with Martinez involving less running than they were used to with Moyes and more work on the ball, so in terms of fitness he might have been a bit off, but he's been with us since September and its November now, so you wouldn't expect that to still be a problem. That said he seemed more determined in his closing people down on Tuesday, and less willing to just let people run off him whilst he ambled along.
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I keep fit and occasionally do the odd triathlon and big events requiring me to boost my fitness, I usually allow around 3-6 months in order to get into peak shape. I can't say what if takes for a professional athlete to take their own fitness up a level or two but in my experience its the fine margins at your peak which are hardest to achieve.
Perhaps I am just looking for reasons to say we haven't just spunked 20 odd million on big immobile oaf, deep down I feel that's the case though. He did show a little more willingness to bust a gut on Tuesday but its still significantly below what we require. Who knows though, perhaps with a little more time and fitness followed by a run of matches we might just be able to squeeze a higher level from him.
I won't give up on him yet as our other option is Anderson and we all know how that ends.
 
devilish said:
oh my my, so many people saying bad things about the Fellaini guy.

All off you have an agenda, damn you!!!
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All these things were said about the likes of Vidic and Evra when they first came to us..... Ok Fellaini already has premier league experience....little fish/BIG POND syndrome? Not sure...Think we need to give him a bit more time???
 
pete_8 said:
All these things were said about the likes of Vidic and Evra when they first came to us..... Ok Fellaini already has premier league experience....little fish/BIG POND syndrome? Not sure...Think we need to give him a bit more time???
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Feck, you are being reasonable. Im awaiting the TR team to come and get you
 
Eyepopper said:
Just from the last page.









'kin armchair brigade :rolleyes:

I'm just glad they introduced that 'Football General Knowledge' quiz you have to take before they give you a ticket.
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That comment wasn't the sweeping generalisation it might've looked. It was triggered by a load of scrotes on twitter using him as the daily scapegoat and backed up by a few posts I saw on here suggesting the same. I'm aware some people disagreed and I was reinforcing that point, but you could find just as many posts on this group writing him off as you found praising him.

But it gets right on my tit when some bell end who's never stepped foot in Old Trafford annihilates one of our own players for a match he actually played pretty well in. I saw some really promising signs on what he can offer in that game and was baffled by the reaction of people who've never liked him in the first place and seem desperate to prove their point.
 
Is there a return receipt ? We've been mugged. :(

He'll be like that training cone to the Arse players if he plays on Sunday.
 
Being a bit harsh. He should use his size more. If that means being 'anti-football' and man-handling people, giving a few a sly kick behind the referee's back then so be it. He should intimidate opposition players. The 'gentle giant' act is no good to anyone. It'll mean a less than perfect disciplinary record but I think it's the price he'd half to pay.
 
mufcwarm92 said:
That comment wasn't the sweeping generalisation it might've looked. It was triggered by a load of scrotes on twitter using him as the daily scapegoat and backed up by a few posts I saw on here suggesting the same. I'm aware some people disagreed and I was reinforcing that point, but you could find just as many posts on this group writing him off as you found praising him.

But it gets right on my tit when some bell end who's never stepped foot in Old Trafford annihilates one of our own players for a match he actually played pretty well in. I saw some really promising signs on what he can offer in that game and was baffled by the reaction of people who've never liked him in the first place and seem desperate to prove their point.
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Totally agree - I was at the match as well and everyone I spoke to was saying how he had a good game and there are promising signs that he can grow into the role.

Come on here and load of clueless twats (many who never wanted him from day 1 so already made their minds up) are still slating him :rolleyes:
 
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