Yeh absolutely. That seems to be the stick people beat him with though. I bet had he scored last night or played in a wonderful assist he'd have been in most people's top 3 in the MOTM Thread.
Nani
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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.
Yeh absolutely. That seems to be the stick people beat him with though. I bet had he scored last night or played in a wonderful assist he'd have been in most people's top 3 in the MOTM Thread.
Nani and Evra worked really well together again last night - they are certainly a good Combo going forward , good interplay for our 2nd goal - conversely , the Toon were strong on the side Valencia and O'Shea were attacking.
Nani is a talent to be persevered with IMHO.
Nani is a talent to be persevered with IMHO.
He seemed extremely quick.
We can't expect Nani to succeed in everything he sets his mind to on the football pitch, because he tries stuff that no one else can and no one else will try, but stuff that we need someone to try in order to unlock defences, especially against teams who park their bus in the box which is customary at Old Trafford.
What Nani has improved (or is improving) is his ability to play it simple when it's best to. It was wise to be patient with him because he's clearly a terrific player, and not just individually talented which was evident from day one. He's also utterly entertaining to watch now that he's linking up with his team mates (Evra in particular) and vice versa A LOT better. It's becoming more and more clear to me that Nani is one of our most important players.
He had a good game yesterday and I reckon he'll enjoy a smashing season.
What Nani has improved (or is improving) is his ability to play it simple when it's best to. It was wise to be patient with him because he's clearly a terrific player, and not just individually talented which was evident from day one. He's also utterly entertaining to watch now that he's linking up with his team mates (Evra in particular) and vice versa A LOT better. It's becoming more and more clear to me that Nani is one of our most important players.
He had a good game yesterday and I reckon he'll enjoy a smashing season.
When he was bought down by that Castle defender from VDS, coudl it have been a red?
No way, it needed to be a proper goalscoring chance to be a red card.
Was that not one? Looked like he was going to be through on goal..
Not really, there was another defender behind the one who brought him down.
Frustrating last night. His approach play, attacking with speed etc were exceptional but his final ball lacked again. 2 or 3 times he failed to deliver, simply by not having a look at who was in the box and where they were placed.
If he can sort that aspect of his game out, he'll be a very special player.
Oh, and his corners were terrible too
If he can sort that aspect of his game out, he'll be a very special player.
Oh, and his corners were terrible too
I was in the ground at the time, just looked like he was going to race through to me
That's the advantage of staying home and watching tons of replays
.Still I would love to be there rather to where I usually watch matches fromChrist, this old knee-jerk.
You bite far too easily. x20 for the "Couldn't agree more"s dispensed by the equally thoughtless "hey let's agree with the golden muppet and win some invisible brownie points" crowd. Again, don't knee-jerk re the GM mention. Any thoughtful person knows that you didn't ask/campaign for it. But having it means some people on here are inevitably going to be influenced by it. So try not to knee-jerk, especially since...
No one said he was frustrating last night on the left. If you (and co.) go back and read, you'll see that it says not that Nani was frustrating, but that personally it is frustrating to watch him have to accept the left winger's role when he's come out and said (and performances have shown) that he's more comfortable on the right. The post closes with a musing on his being so good that he can safely be assigned another position with little to no loss in terms of visible performance.
The only somewhat comment-worthy segment of your knee-jerk mini-rant is probably the statement that his high level of creativity makes him 'inconsistent' all around. Which is just another aspect of: "He's a victim of his own versatility." Nani being played on the left has a lot in common with Rooney on the left. He's just so darn good that you can play him anywhere and he'll still produce.
The whole reason the "right/left bollox" persists is because a lot of people intuitively - angles, geometry, physics, psychology, etc. all come into play, but let's just leave it at intuition - pick up on the signs that Nani keeps showing of being a tad more comfortable/influential on the right. Contrary to what you may think, most of this concern does not come from a fan's "Ooh I want to watch pretty football" point of view but from concern regarding Nani's personal views and his personal outlook on his own development.
When's the last time you saw him whip in a first-time dead-on cross with his left foot whilst running full-tilt? I think we all remember the last time he did that - and to great effect, as well - with his right foot. Playing on the right. I think we also all remember the timing of that game regarding his comments on playing on the right. Just because he can produce a magical outside-of-the-foot (we all know which foot he used) ball doesn't mean anything beyond that he's very good, and you can play him pretty much anywhere and surprise, surprise, he'll still be very good.
So, now that we've actually talked around the salient points instead of one game, the underlying issue begins to show itself in the management having somewhat forced itself into having to play a developing talent consistently out of his preferred position for now.
I was in the ground at the time, just looked like he was going to race through to me
For the record I think he would have beaten that other defender 1v1, but at the time he was taken down, the full-back wasn't the last line of defence. Ref got that one spot on in my opinion, despite the fact I was yelling for a red card at the time
You've got an incredibly convoluted way of making a point at times, you know that? Very hard to follow what you're saying. Feck knows what the phrase "knee-jerk" has to do with any of this either. I might be being harsh because English probably isn't your first language but sometimes less is more.
That said, I'd be curious to know where/when Nani said he preferred playing on the right?
The only time I've ever heard him asked about which he side he prefers to play on he said he had no preference, pointing out that it's easier to get an early cross in from the right but easier to cut in and shoot from the left. Swings and roundabouts.
To be fair, his best performance by some distance was actually on the right against Hull. That was a proper Ronaldo 06/07 type performance.
He's had a few crackers on the left either way, and I thought he was very good last night. Nani's definitely the sort of player that will be frustrating in possession, simply because he has the propensity to try the outrageous. His vision is absolutely outstanding.
Seriously?
All a matter of opinions but I thought his performance against Bayern was absolutely miles better than anything else he's ever done.
I actually thought it was the best individual performance I've seen from any United player since Ronaldo left the club.
Youtube videos can be misleading but the individual match contribution clips are kind of interesting IMO.
Check this one out...
He was class against them in the Audi Cup too, come to think of it. Seems to enjoy taking the piss out of Lahm, which is something not many wingers are able to do.
EDIT: You'll be wanting to turn your sound down to watch those. The music's gash.
It was bloody impressive against Bayern, and you could argue that the quality of the performance should take into account the strength of the team it was against, but yes, that Hull one was his best, for me. There's a video of that one on YouTube and all.
Edit: This was Nani against Hull:
Madness, really. He's a hell of a player when he combines everything.
Edit: This was Nani against Hull:
Madness, really. He's a hell of a player when he combines everything.
What I find frustrating is people nit-picking at his performances.
For a player of his type - he needs to try and do things. To take people on, try a piece of trickery, plays that in general that can be low percentage but, high reward. Taking shots from outside - why wouldn't you want him to take shots from outside a few times a game when he certainly has the ability on either foot.
We've got people whinging about the old Rooney who used to score spectacular goals and doesn't do that any more. Nani has the in equal measure if not more ability to score the spectacular.
The little cut back towards the front of the 18 yard box, he had every right to expect someone to be there. In training and such, you build that kind of trust and understanding of where people should be. Dinging him for the one or two times where he instinctively puts a ball into without looking is a bit much. Yes, if he does it all the time without looking then it maybe "Nani of old". However, we want our players to be able to perform on instinct - it is what separates them from the ordinary.
With Nani - expect in every game at least a few times where he'll do things that don't come off - if people can't do that then they really should shut their eyes watching him - it's going to happen.
For a player of his type - he needs to try and do things. To take people on, try a piece of trickery, plays that in general that can be low percentage but, high reward. Taking shots from outside - why wouldn't you want him to take shots from outside a few times a game when he certainly has the ability on either foot.
We've got people whinging about the old Rooney who used to score spectacular goals and doesn't do that any more. Nani has the in equal measure if not more ability to score the spectacular.
The little cut back towards the front of the 18 yard box, he had every right to expect someone to be there. In training and such, you build that kind of trust and understanding of where people should be. Dinging him for the one or two times where he instinctively puts a ball into without looking is a bit much. Yes, if he does it all the time without looking then it maybe "Nani of old". However, we want our players to be able to perform on instinct - it is what separates them from the ordinary.
With Nani - expect in every game at least a few times where he'll do things that don't come off - if people can't do that then they really should shut their eyes watching him - it's going to happen.
I'm going to stick a bit of a curve-ball into this thread and say I don't think Nani is a winger at all. He is looking more and more like a striker planted wide left with every game.
Ronaldo leaving left us without any "modern 9's" playing on the shoulder of fullbacks, like Villa for Spain at the World Cup. Rooney did his time wide left and wasn't comfortable at all, very likely because he lacks that direct attacking drive and skill with the ball at his feet which has been commented on by recently by someone in the coaching staff. I forget who exactly. Nani has that ability but he clearly has a hunger for goals and he has shown a good eye for passes and runs and space as well.
Last night against Newcastle I thought it was interesting to watch Rooney and Nani play off each other as much as watching Nani play off Evra. In the second half in particular Rooney was dropping alot deeper more often, creating a lot of space for Nani through the middle. I honestly think Nani is wasted a pure winger, he might not have the consistency of delivery of Valencia but as an attacking player I think he has a lot more in his locker and I think we are going to see a lot more of Nani switching between a Left Wing and Left Striker role. With Evra and Rooney playing in that same area there is a lot of opportunity for movement and occupying each others roles in the team and it means as well with Evra occupying a Fullback and Rooney on the Centrebacks that you are going to have to mark Nani with central or even holding midfielders and I think he can destroy them.
If Nani has a good season I would expect to see him second or third in the clubs goalscoring charts. Yes he plays down the wing, yes he destroys fullbacks, yes he whips in crosses, but I think we are going to see more of a Striker style of play develop into his play from the left wing this season.
Ronaldo leaving left us without any "modern 9's" playing on the shoulder of fullbacks, like Villa for Spain at the World Cup. Rooney did his time wide left and wasn't comfortable at all, very likely because he lacks that direct attacking drive and skill with the ball at his feet which has been commented on by recently by someone in the coaching staff. I forget who exactly. Nani has that ability but he clearly has a hunger for goals and he has shown a good eye for passes and runs and space as well.
Last night against Newcastle I thought it was interesting to watch Rooney and Nani play off each other as much as watching Nani play off Evra. In the second half in particular Rooney was dropping alot deeper more often, creating a lot of space for Nani through the middle. I honestly think Nani is wasted a pure winger, he might not have the consistency of delivery of Valencia but as an attacking player I think he has a lot more in his locker and I think we are going to see a lot more of Nani switching between a Left Wing and Left Striker role. With Evra and Rooney playing in that same area there is a lot of opportunity for movement and occupying each others roles in the team and it means as well with Evra occupying a Fullback and Rooney on the Centrebacks that you are going to have to mark Nani with central or even holding midfielders and I think he can destroy them.
If Nani has a good season I would expect to see him second or third in the clubs goalscoring charts. Yes he plays down the wing, yes he destroys fullbacks, yes he whips in crosses, but I think we are going to see more of a Striker style of play develop into his play from the left wing this season.
Frustrating last night. His approach play, attacking with speed etc were exceptional but his final ball lacked again. 2 or 3 times he failed to deliver, simply by not having a look at who was in the box and where they were placed.
If he can sort that aspect of his game out, he'll be a very special player.
Oh, and his corners were terrible too
TBH........It was only in later years that Giggs added that Look B4 passing element to his game. I often remember him going on mazy runs, beating 3-4 players and then passing to nobody. I think its the main reason he never lifted the big individual player awards!
He is so much more influental on the right.
Yep, but when we've got a fully fit squad, Mr. Consistent gets played there ahead of Mr. Inconsistent but Spectacular.
He'll get 5/6 months on the right this season though.
He'll get 5/6 months on the right this season though.
Depends on how spectacular though, Valencia is a fecking great player and yeah because he is one footed should get the right sided berth when fit, but that is more because Nani can play on the left than anything. It's better to have two top wingers on the pitch than one if United are playing a 4-4-2
Yeah I agree with you. Nani is more versatile, and because it's possible to play both together, we do.
Well, we did..
Well, we did..
I totally agree. He'll be hit and miss because of the player he is. The fact is if he didn't try these things he'd never be inventive.
I love watching him play at the moment!
I usually criticize Nani (sometimes harshly) but yesterday even if he was still making the same frustrating mistakes, I was really really happy with his performance.I've realized he's growing up as a United player, believing more in himself and doing things a leader would do.
The exciting thing is that the room for improvement is huge but what he's currently doing is so impressive
The exciting thing is that the room for improvement is huge but what he's currently doing is so impressive
He's been instrumental for us this season so far, along with Berbatov. I read this from Opta on twitter which is very impressive.
2 goals, 7 assists for Nani alone if I'm not mistaken.
Well if Usain Bolt says so then you know he's doing well. He's got such high expectations of our team.
Ryan Giggs believes Nani is finally realising his potential and says the Portugal star has a bright future at Manchester United.
The 23-year-old has had a fine start to the season at Old Trafford, scoring twice for Sir Alex Ferguson's side after enjoying a run in the side with Antonio Valencia out injured.
Nani also scored twice in Portugal's 3-1 win over Denmark on Friday and Giggs believes his team-mate has emerged as one of the brightest talents at United.
"I think Nani is ready to step up to that next level now. He has always been a match-winner but he needs to do it consistently," the Welshman said in The People.
"This season he has already made seven or eight goals and scored a couple but he can do better as well and improve and there is more to come.
"He's definitely beginning to add something that perhaps we lacked since Cristiano left and he's filling that gap better now. Those strikes from outside the box and the type of run and goal we saw at Bolton recently show that he's got that in him."
Giggs added: "What he needs to do now is add more goals to his game. He needs to score 20 goals a season and make 20 goals. If he does that, and he is capable of it, that is all you can ask from a wide player."
Does Ryan see him as his successor.
The 23-year-old has had a fine start to the season at Old Trafford, scoring twice for Sir Alex Ferguson's side after enjoying a run in the side with Antonio Valencia out injured.
Nani also scored twice in Portugal's 3-1 win over Denmark on Friday and Giggs believes his team-mate has emerged as one of the brightest talents at United.
"I think Nani is ready to step up to that next level now. He has always been a match-winner but he needs to do it consistently," the Welshman said in The People.
"This season he has already made seven or eight goals and scored a couple but he can do better as well and improve and there is more to come.
"He's definitely beginning to add something that perhaps we lacked since Cristiano left and he's filling that gap better now. Those strikes from outside the box and the type of run and goal we saw at Bolton recently show that he's got that in him."
Giggs added: "What he needs to do now is add more goals to his game. He needs to score 20 goals a season and make 20 goals. If he does that, and he is capable of it, that is all you can ask from a wide player."
Does Ryan see him as his successor.
Nope. He sees him as Ronaldo's successor
Give him a year or more, as his performance improves, his confidence will improve and he'll realise he can play on both sides equally effective.
20 goals and 20 assists? Ryan expects a lot.
20 goals and 20 assists and he'll be off to Madrid
That game against Hull in Jan really turned things around for him spectacularly. He's not looked back since then.
That game against Hull in Jan really turned things around for him spectacularly. He's not looked back since then.
20 goals and 20 assists and he'll be off to Madrid
That game against Hull in Jan really turned things around for him spectacularly. He's not looked back since then.
It was the Arsenal game at the Emirates.
I'm with wr8, Nani had a blinder that match, set him up for the rest of the season.
Bit of an unrealistic expectation considering Giggs himself has never got 20 goals and 20 assists. But yeah as others have said, them totals would basically be Ronaldo's in the 06/07 season.
Na that was later on. He was already kind of estabiished in our team by the time the Emirates game came about. The Hull game was when he really got into some form. Had a very good game with a couple of assists.
That game doesn't stand out to me for some reason. I remember him being a surprise selection on the right in place of Valencia for the Arsenal game then going on to rip them to pieces.
He followed this up with a good performance against City. It wasnt a surprise for him to then start another big game against Arsenal. Even if you disagreed with it.