This. Him starting is fully deserved. We woulda been ran over a lot more often if it wasn't for Tony. Imagine the current United with Nani and Rafael occupying the right flank, we would been crushed so badly.
25
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 35
- Clean sheets
- 12
- Goals
- 0
- Assists
- 5
- Yellow cards
- 4
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) is joined by CEO Duncan Drasdo and Financial Director Andy Green from the Manchester United Supporters Trust for a special episode on all things behind the scenes at Old Trafford including a brief history of MUST and their aims today, views on INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe so far, and the Old Trafford regeneration.
We'd probably score 10-15 goals more per season though
To be fair if those mistakes didn't happen and the rest of his game was the same, then I'd say he was a bit of a beast in that game. Sanchez was pretty awful all game and Valencia constantly took the ball off of him and got forward well. Its just when you are the direct reason for 2 goals then there's not much you can say. Think of it this way... I'd say he had a 3 or 4/10 performance. -2 for each goal that he was directly responsible for. Without it he probably would've been up there with de Gea as MotM as his general play was good but you can't have a good game but cost your team 2 goals.
Haha, so great if this is genuine. Got link? Expecting a meltdown on this thread.
Not at all. Rafael is much better positionally then Valencia, and nani probably works harder defensively then di maria does, though its similar.
Yeah, on FIFA15.
Might be, Raf is a defender after all but the current shaky United will do better without those two to be honest.
Exactly this he's made 2 big errors in about 5 months of football (all unfortunately in the same game) and nw ppl are saying he's rubbish. Evans made more errors vs MK Dons. Smalling had a similar costly brainfart vs City. I thappens. It happens even more hen the player is not a natural defender. And you can bet if that was Rafael at RB , Antonio would have been covering the run of the opposing fullback.
And I presume you agree that Newcastle last week was our best performance of the season too?
He's one me over again with some good performances of late as a right back. Last nights performance wont change that. I can't remember him being at fault for a goal this season prior to last nights game. His passing has been more incisive and confident of late, hopefully this won't make him crawl back into his shell. His pass for Di Maria over the defence in the first half was a peach.
Really feel for him, it's sad because he is trying his best but... :/
And I presume you have better insight, better nous, more information, more experience than Van Gaal. Oooh, look at you.
Oh look @Hectic , Nobby's here.
The current united that is crying out for more creativity but sticks with mostly hard workers with little skill, is partly why we are in this mess.
LVG's hardly going to come out and slate his player publicly, is he? Even if you disagree that his performance was poor last night, I'd find it incredibly hard to argue that he was our best player.
And besides, if we're all going to just agree with everything the manager says, what's the point of having discussion?
Jones didn't do him any favours with that header, that's for sure.
Was he man marking Sanchez? If so, those instructions caused some havoc that allowed Arsenal's first goal.
Was he man marking Sanchez? If so, those instructions caused some havoc that allowed Arsenal's first goal.
He actually did
He actually did slate him publicly for giving away the goal. Did you miss that? I did think he was up there as one of are best players, except obviously for a couple of blips. I´m sorry I agree with Van Gaal.
He actually did slate him publicly for giving away the goal. Did you miss that? I did think he was up there as one of are best players, except obviously for a couple of blips. I´m sorry I agree with Van Gaal.
Fair enough, your opinion, although I thought it was his poorest game in quite a while. Granted, Di Maria often giving the ball away in front of him didn't help admittedly, but his positioning was often very poor. I remember casually strolling around midfield at one point, completely out of position. I also felt he was often pushing too high up the field sometimes, especially when Di Maria would often be unreliable on the ball. He offers a threat in an attacking sense as a full back to an extent, but I feel that Rafael's much more solid defensively...since he is actually a right-back. Valencia's done well to fill in there over the past few months, but he struggled last night I thought.
And simply agreeing with the manager does not necessarily make your opinion correct. LVG's may be a hugely talented manager, but this place would be fairly boring if people who automatically agree with him were perceived as being correct all the time. Like the poster above highlighted in regards to his comments re the Newcastle win and how it was supposedly our best performance of the season.
Yeah, fair enough differing opinions. It does feel good however when you find out a manager's view of Van Gaal´s stature is pretty much spot on with yours. I certainly put more faith in it then a donkey load of often biased angry anonymous posters after a difficult defeat.
So no manager had ever lied in an interview now? I'm sure I remember some Scottish guy we used to have doing it once or twice.
Who was it? Was it Darren Fletcher, the bastard!
Either him or his dad
Steven Fletcher? I knew he was older than he says he is.
The backwards pass for the winning goal was a result of the philsophy of less risk posession play. Playing the back pass was less riskier than trying to pass it forwards. It was just that he under hit it and Welbeck is stupidly fast (eg Girioud wouldnt have got there). Also because he has no left foot and thus is limited in what is actually available to him in terms of passing to his players.
The first goal was a case of him being a RW playing at RB.
The first goal was a case of him being a RW playing at RB.
Well I certainly don´t think he was lying, especially about the part of slating Valencia for causing the goal. Why would I think he was if I´m in total agreement with him. Maybe we´re both lying to ourselves.
Yeah, my first instinct was that de Gea should have taken him out - but obviously the league is much more important so it was a good job he didn't.
People calling him one of our best players last night need a word with themselves. He cost us 2 goals so regardless of how well he played for the rest of the game you cannot say he had a good game.
I'm not actually that annoyed at him for the 2nd goal, those things happen in football (see Gerrard's previous) and he wasn't helped by Jones at all. Its the first one that is more annoying because he just showed his naivety as a defender and was too focused on the ball rather than being in the position he's supposed to be in.
I don't blame him particularly, I blame the management more than anything. Playing him up against Sanchez is just poor management IMO. Those saying he kept Sanchez quiet need to rewatch the game. Yes he possessed him a couple of times but most of the time Sanchez was twisting & turning past him and Valencia just couldn't get near him. 2 goals came down him side and if it wasn't for world class goalkeeping from De Gea we would have been looking at another 2 coming from his side.
If Rafael really has been dropped for Valencia/McNair based on form and not injury then its probably Van Gaal's worst decision in the management of the squad/starting 11 IMO, up there with playing Rooney in midfield to accommodate Falcao - which arguably cost us about 9 points over the Christmas period.
I would like to see Valencia retain his place in the 11 but ahead of Rafael.
I'm not actually that annoyed at him for the 2nd goal, those things happen in football (see Gerrard's previous) and he wasn't helped by Jones at all. Its the first one that is more annoying because he just showed his naivety as a defender and was too focused on the ball rather than being in the position he's supposed to be in.
I don't blame him particularly, I blame the management more than anything. Playing him up against Sanchez is just poor management IMO. Those saying he kept Sanchez quiet need to rewatch the game. Yes he possessed him a couple of times but most of the time Sanchez was twisting & turning past him and Valencia just couldn't get near him. 2 goals came down him side and if it wasn't for world class goalkeeping from De Gea we would have been looking at another 2 coming from his side.
If Rafael really has been dropped for Valencia/McNair based on form and not injury then its probably Van Gaal's worst decision in the management of the squad/starting 11 IMO, up there with playing Rooney in midfield to accommodate Falcao - which arguably cost us about 9 points over the Christmas period.
I would like to see Valencia retain his place in the 11 but ahead of Rafael.
When Jones chests the ball down to Valencia, surely, Jones would be aware of the fact that Valencia would, in turn, pass it back to De Gea, who would, most likely, have kicked it out anyway. Jones could have saved all that trouble, and waste of precious seconds, by heading the ball out. However, given that Jones seems to have very little footballing intelligence, I'm not sure what he was thinking about whilst chesting the ball.
Yes but you're twisting things a bit. Every counter-attack against us is heart attack material and no creativity on planet earth will help that. Playing Valencia will, and he's been good going forward as well.
If you're talking about not playing Mata I think it's the right decision to not pick him. I rate him yes but he's not the one to play, not with the current options.
TBH Apart from the backpass I can never understand the need to pass it back to DDG so much, and the fact LvG called his own team out on it a few matches back is a bit worrying. David is (nowadays) rarely accurate with his kicks (when he came he was much better). I agree what is the point of sending ti back for him to punt it, whn you can punt it yourself with similar results?
Him and Di Maria need to work together instead of two individuals. They'd make each others job much much easier. Considering they are both spanish speakers it shouldn't be difficult to communicate with each other. Di maria is always attracting attention and Valencia needs to be quick to spot the space created and attack it. We'd disorganise so many defences with that sort of play but somehow it seems neither is all that interested in making each others job easier.
So much cover work goes into making a great team that its absolutely awful how little our players seem to understand the game.
So much cover work goes into making a great team that its absolutely awful how little our players seem to understand the game.
Just saw his apology. Feel for him there, no need to apologise, it was a mistake on a football field.
Answer to your questions.
a) To pass it back to De Gea.
b) Only 1, pass it back to De Gea.
The back pass was an easy one and Valencia fecked it up.
Seeing the video you posted, its a disgrace how Jones didnt bother chasing back till Dea was actually beaten. Could have cut it out had he not just left it to De Gea.
Outside of the two goals i thought he was one of our best players too. Not that it matters them two feck ups were too costly to call it a good performance.
Hope it doesn't send him back into his shell because hes looked vaguely confident and dangerous going forward in recent weeks.
Hope it doesn't send him back into his shell because hes looked vaguely confident and dangerous going forward in recent weeks.