This.
Di Maria Has Earned Start Against City
- Thread starter gooDevil
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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.
I want him to start. Big game player for big games. Young isnt undroppable, he plays alright, but nothing groundbreaking. Reading it, you could think he scored a hattrick. He will be a squad player in the long term, dont know what the fuss is about.
At home against an out of form City, start Di Maria.
At home against an out of form City, start Di Maria.
I would start with Di Maria.
He was signed to deliver on matches like these, what's the point if he doesn't get the opportunity.
The point is that he got his opportunity and didn't take it. Since then, someone else in the squad (Young) has been performing on a more consistent bases, and deserves to be in the team.
I want to see Di Maria start. Young has been playing well no doubt about it but I think Di Maria is much more threatening going forward. More pace, better vision, better passer.
But then again Young has been very consistent and much more reliable this season.
I think LVG will go with Young but as it has been pointed out Di Maria could make the difference if he comes on against a tired City team.
But then again Young has been very consistent and much more reliable this season.
I think LVG will go with Young but as it has been pointed out Di Maria could make the difference if he comes on against a tired City team.
Of course Di Maria should start. Ashley Young has been ok, but just because he hasnt been bad doesnt mean that he's been as good as some have suggested. Di Maria offers far, far more than Young. No contest.
I'm not bothered about earning starts or rewarding individual players, all that matters is that we put out the right team to win this game. You could convince me either way that Di Maria should start or sit. He looked electric as a substitute - maybe a smaller dose of danger is what we require for this match?
I hear you gooDevil.
Would start Di Maria too. Young has been decent to good no doubt and this isn't to diminish his turnaround. But since he had pretty much bottomed out under Moyes, far too much emphasis is being put on his improved displays or defensive ability or helping Blind out, and a lot of folks are totally overlooking the lack of tangible output, which at the end of the day is an attacking player's primary job. He might not get much joy against Zabaleta because with Young all you have to do is block his inside channel and that's 50 % of his attacking output gone.
Di Maria is well rested, match fit, and has produced whenever he's brought into the first team fold. At home, crucial 3 points which could go a long way in cementing Top 4 if not more, against a stuttering City team, who will afford us a lot of space and won't park the bus under Pellegrini is the perfect opportunity for him and a good display might be the turning point for him.
This is the kind of high stakes match that brings out the best in players of his stature, and that is why we forked that massive fee for Di Maria. That said, Van Gaal has been a bit pragmatic this season and seems to have found his groove of late, and usually managers stick to a tried and tested plan which is understandable to be fair. In which case, Di Maria should at the very least be subbed on in early stages the second half to have a right go at them and use the width of the Old Trafford pitch to our advantage.
Would start Di Maria too. Young has been decent to good no doubt and this isn't to diminish his turnaround. But since he had pretty much bottomed out under Moyes, far too much emphasis is being put on his improved displays or defensive ability or helping Blind out, and a lot of folks are totally overlooking the lack of tangible output, which at the end of the day is an attacking player's primary job. He might not get much joy against Zabaleta because with Young all you have to do is block his inside channel and that's 50 % of his attacking output gone.
Di Maria is well rested, match fit, and has produced whenever he's brought into the first team fold. At home, crucial 3 points which could go a long way in cementing Top 4 if not more, against a stuttering City team, who will afford us a lot of space and won't park the bus under Pellegrini is the perfect opportunity for him and a good display might be the turning point for him.
This is the kind of high stakes match that brings out the best in players of his stature, and that is why we forked that massive fee for Di Maria. That said, Van Gaal has been a bit pragmatic this season and seems to have found his groove of late, and usually managers stick to a tried and tested plan which is understandable to be fair. In which case, Di Maria should at the very least be subbed on in early stages the second half to have a right go at them and use the width of the Old Trafford pitch to our advantage.
I dont see Van Gaal changing a winning formula atm. Especially the stability that Young offers on the left is something Di Maria doesnt both defensively and in terms of keeping possesion.
Di Maria takes more risks with his passing and dribbling, losing possession more often when compared to Young. I love his ability to put in those brilliant crosses from almost any place outside the box and with Fellaini in the team it seems a great idea to start with him but with Navas and Silva playing, it'd be good to have some cover for Blind, especially vs Navas' pace
Di Maria takes more risks with his passing and dribbling, losing possession more often when compared to Young. I love his ability to put in those brilliant crosses from almost any place outside the box and with Fellaini in the team it seems a great idea to start with him but with Navas and Silva playing, it'd be good to have some cover for Blind, especially vs Navas' pace
Well, if we're looking at this via a consistent basis. What's to say that he hasn't taken his opportunity? He's delivered twice in limited minutes whilst the latter struggled despite given a lot of opportunities on the ball.
I'm not just looking at deliveries, though, and I'm sure Van Gaal isn't either. Young's overall play has been better than Di Maria's in the last few games, hence why he's starting ahead of him.
I think you're being very harsh on young when you say he's struggled. He was a much more of a threat down the left than Rooney or Mata vs Villa.. Villa were doubling up on him everytime he got the ball, he might not have scored or assisted but he certainly played a part in most of our attacks on the day.
Stats are very misleading.. Di Maria is leading our assists charts, doesnt mean he's been one of our best players this season.
He's been coming on in games when the opposition is tired and trying to score a goal, leaving him with acres of space to create chances and attack. He's been an excellent super sub so far
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Why change a winning team? ...
Stay with the same team. Young should start. Bring di Maria on in second half. Young deserves to keep his place. Di Maria is the better of player but doesn't cause the team to play better right now.
He gives the ball away too much. Top teams will punish it.
If we want anything from City, Chelsea and Arse games they must be approached with the same tactic as the Liverpool game - press them mercilessly and deny them possession.
If we want anything from City, Chelsea and Arse games they must be approached with the same tactic as the Liverpool game - press them mercilessly and deny them possession.
Yes, that's what we gotta do. They're really there to be smashed.
Hopefully. Young has done well but the only thing he provides more then di maria is the defensive contribution... Everything else di Maria is miles ahead of him in. There's been signs of di Maria getting better, even in the arsenal game where the red card was the thing that ruined his otherwise good performance. It's set up perfectly for him to come in and be the main man again. Van gaal was saying after the game that he had a really good sub appearance as well and it posed a question for next week.
Doesn't that mean that he should start from the bench, again?
Young has been decent but he has no final ball and that attacking output is needed for a winger. Especially considering how often we go through the left side. Di Maria in half the time young had on the pitch against both villa and liverpool created 2 or 3 chances more then young did. Says it all. And di Maria only got dropped because he got a red card and we had a few great performances. The last game di Maria had a really good sub appearance so hopefully he'll be back in the team ahead of young. I can understand going with young for the greater defensive solidity he gives us, but in a big game, it's where di Maria thrives and I'm sure he'll work hard as he did at madrid without being a liability at the back.
It's a big game and we are more effective/composed as a team with Young there.
I think LVG has got the timing for bringing him on spot on: control the game then once the rival starts sussing how to deal with Young-Blind unleash Angel against tired legs.
I think LVG has got the timing for bringing him on spot on: control the game then once the rival starts sussing how to deal with Young-Blind unleash Angel against tired legs.
It works as well, proven by the last 2 games. Those crosses come in, the defender is too knackered to compete for the ball. Young had a great game where he used his pace well and took Hutton to the cleaners way before his injury and he will more likely support Blind defensively. He will have his time Di Maria but for now he's better of hitting the jugular of teams when their intensity drops a level.
He's earned feck all.
Young to start again please.
Young to start again please.
I don't want him to start, I don't trust him on the ball against top teams and Young seems to link better with Blind and Fellaini. His head seems to be somewhere else sometimes and that might cost us. He is in poor form, 2 assists which required a moment of brilliance from both Mata and Rooney don’t change that.
What a stretch that is. Di Maria hasn't earned anything but he should still start for me.
For me, we stick with the same team til after the Everton game. If we're still comfortably in the top four at that point, then we can experiment a bit more before the season ends. Until then, why on earth change a winning formula in the middle of our run in?
Our record against city is not so good in recent times, to start it safe,would start with Young and bring Di Maria as sub.
Just start him ffs. Di Maria won't lose us the game, he win it for us
Also, Zabaleta is a big threat going forward. We can't allow Navas and Zabaleta to isolate blind on the flanks
Remember against Stoke earlier in the year when with 1 minute left Ashley Young cleared off the line to get us three points.
you win games in many different ways.
Di Maria should have started against Villa as a test for whether he should start against City.
Every time I see him in a red shirt of late h4 looks a complete liability, keep him on the bench in case we need to stretch the game second half. Up there with Veron for disappointment, most expensive British player ever and he still struggling 9 months later.
After 2 years of seeing some of our bigger names underperforming and striving for so long to get a cohesive team together, we're now happy to go back to playing big-name players just because they're big name players?
Bet you can't wait for Van Persie to come back.
Bet you can't wait for Van Persie to come back.
Yeah, people only want Di Maria to start because he is a big name. Nothing to do with the fact that he has scored/assisted 7x as many goals as Young has this season.
How about putting forward your opinion and the reasons why rather than debasing other people's opinions into something they're not? It's stinking the place up.
He hasn't earned it per say,but we didn't pay all that money for him to be benched in possibly the biggest game of our season.
My worry would be that if we start Di Maria, LvG will worry about balance, and we'll find Rojo at LB, Blind in the middle with Carrick, and Herrera or Mata on the bench.
Ignoring that scenario then, yes, I'd start him but I'd give him (more or less) the same instructions that Young gets. The whole price = main man thing has really done him no favours. He's not Robben, or even Sanchez. What he was for Ancelotti was a very flexible, fast, flair player with good workrate and an ability to fill in gaps and unbalance defences.
He can cause mayhem to opponents, and he can run fast with the ball, and that's why you play him, but he does know how to defend. Some players may like to be told that they are the only player allowed to dribble (as Andy Mitten suggested) or that they've got a free role in the attack, but I don't think it's a help for Di Maria. He's never been a great goal scorer and the pressure to be one just seems to have burdened him.
So yes, if it's with the same instructions Young has, and he looks happy to agree with the instructions - I'd start him. That said, I don't actually mind him being a last half hour sub, I just don't think he has to be.
Ignoring that scenario then, yes, I'd start him but I'd give him (more or less) the same instructions that Young gets. The whole price = main man thing has really done him no favours. He's not Robben, or even Sanchez. What he was for Ancelotti was a very flexible, fast, flair player with good workrate and an ability to fill in gaps and unbalance defences.
He can cause mayhem to opponents, and he can run fast with the ball, and that's why you play him, but he does know how to defend. Some players may like to be told that they are the only player allowed to dribble (as Andy Mitten suggested) or that they've got a free role in the attack, but I don't think it's a help for Di Maria. He's never been a great goal scorer and the pressure to be one just seems to have burdened him.
So yes, if it's with the same instructions Young has, and he looks happy to agree with the instructions - I'd start him. That said, I don't actually mind him being a last half hour sub, I just don't think he has to be.
No chance, it was hardly a show stopping performance. Don't change something that's actually working really well. That's madness.
Absolutely no point in changing the winning team. Some people were pretty desperate last game to highlight some shit moves from Young in order to make a point that ADM should get on, but then again, they were trying to do the same thing with Rooney and Falcao.
He's doing great job off the bench so there's a good chance he'll do it again. If we're chasing the score throw him in as well but it's the team that won previous consecutive games that should start as they truly have earned their spots.
He's doing great job off the bench so there's a good chance he'll do it again. If we're chasing the score throw him in as well but it's the team that won previous consecutive games that should start as they truly have earned their spots.
The Rooney criticisms in favour of Falcao still baffles me to be honest, it's like some fans want our players to perform badly to accommodate the big names on the bench, Ashley Young didn't deserve all the backlash as well.