[Oneunited26]

It all depends on how fit Rafael can stay, no way does Valencia get picked over a fit Rafael. Ditto with Young and Shaw. Fletch too with us getting Blind and when carrick gets fit again.

I still think our best system is 4231, and dropping either mata rooney and RVP. If by miracle everyone is fit, the team defiantly should look like this

DDG
rafeal jones rojo shaw
carrick herrera
di maria mata janazaj
rooney/RVP

Blind still think he is more of a squad player

 

[kouroux]

He didn't do it before, that's the thing! One of his strengths was choosing the right crossing technique and target in the box. Nowadays he just smashes it in without looking.

I don't get it. He's also completely lost the ability to go past his man.

Exactly what I think too, it is crazy how he's let this aspect of his game get that worse without trying to change things. I bet he believes that smashing it increases his chances of "creating" danger. That's retarded IMO.

 

[adexkola]

Do players have annual performance reviews?

If I failed to improve on several things at the job over a span of 2/3 years i'd be sacked, and rightly so.

 

[Bojan11]

Do players have annual performance reviews?

If I failed to improve on several things at the job over a span of 2/3 years i'd be sacked, and rightly so.

Where as Valencia got rewarded with a new contract.

 

[Varun]

Do players have annual performance reviews?

If I failed to improve on several things at the job over a span of 2/3 years i'd be sacked, and rightly so.

We do. He had one end of last season and Giggsy decided to hand him a shiny new contract.

 

[saivet]

We do. He had one end of last season and Giggsy decided to hand him a shiny new contract.

It was Giggs? I know that Giggs was said to have told Rio that if he was manager he'd be our main man at the back this season.

 

[Bojan11]

We do. He had one end of last season and Giggsy decided to hand him a shiny new contract.

Giggs didn't make that decision.

 

[Varun]

It was Giggs? I know that Giggs was said to have told Rio that if he was manager he'd be our main man at the back this season.

Redknapp claimed that iirc. Wont be surprised if it was true though, he played him every game when he was in charge.

Giggs didn't make that decision.

He was the manager at the time and if I'm not mistaken even commented on how busy he was with preseason planning and contracts for players.

 

[Bojan11]

Redknapp claimed that iirc. Wont be surprised if it was true though, he played him every game when he was in charge.



He was the manager at the time and if I'm not mistaken even commented on how busy he was with preseason planning and contracts for players.

Valencia signed a new contract in mid June. Van Gaal was manager.

 

[Varun]

Valencia signed a new contract in mid June. Van Gaal was manager.

He was nowhere near the club at the time, Giggsy was his man at the club then. Ofcourse, there's no way one can say this for sure but with giggsy being the AM and the interim manager before that and Van Gaal busy with the WC, it has to be Giggsy's call not Van Gaals imo.

 

[kouroux]

Valencia signed a new contract in mid June. Van Gaal was manager.

And by that time Valencia wasn't a player that needed to be assessed or watched live to see his level. He was a confirmed poor player.

 

[Bojan11]

He was nowhere near the club at the time, Giggsy was his man at the club then. Ofcourse, there's no way one can say this for sure but with giggsy being the AM and the interim manager before that and Van Gaal busy with the WC, it has to be Giggsy's call not Van Gaals imo.

So what if he wasn't near the club? He wanted Evra to stay and didn't want Rio.

 

[Varun]

So what if he wasn't near the club? He wanted Evra to stay and didn't want Rio.

So he gets advice about the current players by the man already at the club who happens to be his assistant manager.

 

[Bojan11]

So he gets advice about the current players by the man already at the club who happens to be his assistant manager.

You know Giggs wanted Rio to stay right. So by that logic LVG would have given him a new contract too.

 

[Varun]

You know Giggs wanted Rio to stay right. So by that logic LVG would have given him a new contract too.

No because unlike Valencia, Rio was a no brainer. I'm not saying Giggsy made either call on his own, ofcourse it was discussed between the 2. Giggsy would have asked for both to stay, Van Gaal agreed regarding Valencia and not about Rio.

 

[Bojan11]

No because unlike Valencia, Rio was a no brainer. I'm not saying Giggsy made either call on his own, ofcourse it was discussed between the 2. Giggsy would have asked for both to stay, Van Gaal agreed regarding Valencia and not about Rio.

Who made the call in the end?

Giggs or LVG? LVG, so stop blaming Giggs.

 

[Varun]

Who made the call in the end?

Giggs or LVG? LVG, so stop blaming Giggs.

Okay Ryan.

 

[MoneyMay]

Things will only start to improve once he's gone in my opinion. He is literally everyone's go to outball and he constantly produces nothing with it. It won't be until we remove the option of passing to him that we start to look better and have to try new things. With Valencia on the pitch it's too easy to pass him the ball.

Not necessarily gone, but have our most creative players as top priority rather than him be the main man in constructing attacks which is also down to Mata, Rooney, and Van Persie playing poorly. Historically we use the right wing more than the left wing, and most of the time there's been nothing wrong with that. But surely Moyes should have identified the problem early on and changed our approach. Van Gaal recognised the problem as soon as he arrived, and playing Valencia is down to us lacking options (Rafael injured) and players not being of the right profile (Nani, Januzaj, and Zaha) to play in a role that requires you to be very solid defensively. But then... is Valencia viable enough defensively?

 

[Dans]

Where as Valencia got rewarded with a new contract.

As was Nani, Rooney etc etc

 

[Widnes]

I still think our best system is 4231, and dropping either mata rooney and RVP. If by miracle everyone is fit, the team defiantly should look like this

DDG
rafeal jones rojo shaw
carrick herrera
di maria mata janazaj
rooney/RVP

Blind still think he is more of a squad player

Would agree with this except I'd have Evans in place of Rojo, and think this system allows us to use Welbeck a lot more as he could provide cover for the wide role and play in place of Januzaj in some of the games.

 

[Oneunited26]

Would agree with this except I'd have Evans in place of Rojo, and think this system allows us to use Welbeck a lot more as he could provide cover for the wide role and play in place of Januzaj in some of the games.

But I get the sense even if everyone is fit he will stick to 352, which is a worry with his reign, that his stubbornness in not playing a system that gets the best out out most creative players, just because he cannot drop the main 3, who have been terrible

 

[Rykker_4united]

wanted by Juve in January according to the Express (I know). Would be good business for both parties if true.

 

[Devil may care]

As long as they don't expect to get him on loan. If we can jettison Valencia, Young and Fellaini in January and bring in Strootman that would be another good window for us.

 

[The Mitcher]

Juve just love buying our players.

 

[Joga Bonito]

Who made the call in the end?

Giggs or LVG? LVG, so stop blaming Giggs.

LVG probably made the call on Giggs's advice as his assistant manager. The same way he sanctioned the Herrera and Shaw deals despite them not being his targets. He trusted the club's judgement on those two transfer and Gigg's judgement on Valencia which was wrong imo.

What we know is this. Valencia was allegedly getting linked to certain clubs(Liverpool I think??) as his contract was running out and we handed out an extension without LVG being able to judge him first-hand. That was probably done upon consultation with Giggs who was his go-to guy as assistant manager, for information on the existing United's squad. After judging him at close quarters, LVG clearly didn't rate him as a good winger. He was kind of meh in pre-season and got injured towards the end as well. He made a statement about the team lacking quality wingers which was a damning appraisal on the ability of Valencia, Nani, Young and Zaha. In ideal circumstance, we would have probably off-loaded him alongside Nani and Zaha and gotten a younger right-back as specialist cover for the injury-prone Rafael. However, due to the long-term contract that Valencia handed out, we are now stuck with him as our cover for Rafael.

 

[Relevated]

i think he'll benefit from the new players we've bought and he will have a decent season unless hes sold in jan.

 

[lem8sh]

Absolute waste of space

 

[Dunk]

He's playing with no intelligence whatsoever. He's not using his brain to be a better asset to the team on the pitch. Just driving crosses in like a machine.

 

[MDFC Manager]

i think he'll benefit from the new players we've bought and he will have a decent season unless hes sold in jan.

I think when everyone's fit, he'll be consigned to being a benchwarmer. That said, relying on Rafa to be fit for prolonged periods is more foolish than relying Valencia to get a single cross right in a game.

 

[TheReligion]

Valencia is a curious case. Was it really his injury that did him or something else?

I find it amazing how he suddenly declined from being one of the best wingers in the league to nothing. He progressed at the same rate from Wigan though in fairness. It was like the Wall Street Crash.

 

[Pexbo]

Valencia is a curious case. Was it really his injury that did him or something else?

I find it amazing how he suddenly declined from being one of the best wingers in the league to nothing. He progressed at the same rate from Wigan though in fairness. It was like the Wall Street Crash.

Very simple - one trick pony got found out. Defenders learned to show him onto his left and never give him the chance to get into the space behind them and that's his entire skillset nullified.

 

[TheReligion]

Very simple - one trick pony got found out. Defenders learned to show him onto his left and never give him the chance to get into the space behind them and that's his entire skillset nullified.

Do you really think that? I am not having it. That doesn't explain his unwillingness to run at/past people or even find a simple cross, all things he was doing consistently well previously.

 

[Nights]

Do you really think that? I am not having it. That doesn't explain his unwillingness to run at/past people or even find a simple cross, all things he was doing consistently well previously.

It's very easy to counter him because the defender knows exactly what's going to happen. If positioned correctly, it's very hard for Valencia to get a run at the fullback. That's why most players have at least several plays in their book. Unfortunately Valencia only has one, and unless that one move is absolutely unbeatable, you're going to get found out at the top level.

 

[lem8sh]

Do you really think that? I am not having it. That doesn't explain his unwillingness to run at/past people or even find a simple cross, all things he was doing consistently well previously.

He's a bloody coward. What we're left with now is a shell of a once effective winger. Will he try take on a man? No. Can he whip a cross around the fulllback? Can he fcuk. Can he come inside on his left? Impossible. Does he have have pace? Yes but only without the ball but when he receives it he turns into a bumbling one paced wreck. Technical ability? None. He would not start on the Everton side nevermind any of the "big guns", thieving a living he is.

 

[Eugenius]

I don't buy the whole one trick pony stuff. He still had no fecking left foot even in his prime, and it's not like it's was a secret. No way someone like Ashley Cole would get destroyed because he simply forgot to show him inside. The biggest thing about Valencia is that he's lost his set of balls. He used to make plenty of surges on the inside of the fullback to give some variance and he'd only slow down to use the fullback as a decoy run. He'd isolate the full back and attack him immediately and would actually have an idea of what he wanted to do with the ball. Now he hesitates, looks for any easy option and if that fails plays the percentage ball, normally trying to win a corner or send a generic ball into the box.

 

[Pexbo]

Do you really think that? I am not having it. That doesn't explain his unwillingness to run at/past people or even find a simple cross, all things he was doing consistently well previously.

Yes, 100%.

He's known for two things:

1 Turn back Tony. The outside of the foot 270* turn to pass it back to his fullback or centre back.

2. Drilling the ball into the defenders legs.

Both of which are down to the the fact that he can't beat his man anymore because defending against him is painting by numbers, position yourself well, show him onto his left and he's beaten.

His latest consistent fail is trying to float the ball in without beating his fullback. He stands there doing his little chicken leg "am I going to kick the ball this time or keep standing here" and drop shoulder thing a couple of times before just opting to float the ball into the box. It's usually long or drifting away from goal and due to the nature of the build up to the cross, the defence isn't stretched, no space created and the strikers haven't got a scooby doo where or when to time there run.

 

[Nighteyes]

Nah, I don't buy it. He's always been a one trick pony.

You're not telling me it took defenders 3+ years to figure out what that one trick was. He was just bloody brilliant at it and full backs couldn't do a thing.

He's just become shit for whatever reason.

 

[lem8sh]

Can someone tell me what he's actually good at? What does he actually bring to the side cos I can't see anything.

 

[DJ Jeff]

Nah, I don't buy it. He's always been a one trick pony.

You're not telling me it took defenders 3+ years to figure out what that one trick was. He was just bloody brilliant at it and full backs couldn't do a thing.

He's just become shit for whatever reason.

Agree but sub "whatever reason" with confidence. One trick ponies CAN be effective.

 

[Godfather]

Really couldn't beat his man to save his life these days. Just frustrating to watch.