It's not really saying much, is it? Lots of boring numbers before he gets to the crux of the point which is essentially saying that Fellaini playing as a box-to-box midfielder is the best way to fit him into this team. They were all saying that when he signed too. Bit of a no-brainer really.
Marouane Fellaini | 2013/14 Performances
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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.
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It's not really saying much, is it? Lots of boring numbers before he gets to the crux of the point which is essentially saying that Fellaini playing as a box-to-box midfielder is the best way to fit him into this team. They were all saying that when he signed too. Bit of a no-brainer really.
I've no quarms of him being used in the role he played at Palace as long as he breaks his balls to recover his position when play breaks down. We still had a couple of occasion where we were susceptible to the counter, against better sides we will be punished. Box to box CM's are generally mobile and excessively fit, neither of which Fellaini is at the minute.
Of course we can. It's not as though we never beat those clubs before we signed him.
All he needs to do to make us stronger in midfield now than we were then is to be a better option than cleverley, Anderson, jones or 39 year old Ryan Giggs.
Stamina is supposed to be one of Fellani's best attributes. He was a 10000 metre runner in his youth. He will never be quick and like every player he will be caught short from time to time. Carrick should be covering him!
I am still cautious after the Palace game but one of the most heartening aspects was seeing Fellani operating in a box to box role, showing his strength by moving up the pitch and into the opposition box. We haven't had a midfielder of those qualities for a while. Please don't mention Anderson.
Fellani became the scapegoat for the early failings of the Moyes era but I think that he could prove to be a good player for us.
Well to be fair he just came back from an extended period off, so it's to be expected. I see where you are coming from though, however I have no doubts that he will work hard to gain his fitness back.
That's interesting (and encouraging) to hear about him competing in 10k races in his youth. So a great engine should be a given once he's fully match fit. Will be a refreshing change from Anderson puffing and blowing his way round the pitch.
He'll never be quick over 5-10 yards. Doesn't have the build for it. But I'd say those long legs eat up the ground quick enough over longer distances.
He'll never be quick over 5-10 yards. Doesn't have the build for it. But I'd say those long legs eat up the ground quick enough over longer distances.
I have to disagree with this statement.
How many times do we see Carrick pick up the ball from the center backs only to 'dilly dally' on the ball, ignore any runs from our forward players and then proceed to pass back to the center backs. He slows us down so much and everyone turns a blind eye to it such is the current fashion to suck Carrick off at every oppurtunity.
Fellaini i feel will provide a bit of muscle in midfield which will allow the likes of Mata ect to do their thing. A lot of what he will do for us over the next few years will go un-noticed.
Heh. Ironic.
why not? Fellaini has performed for Everton against the top clubs in the premier league. Why can't he do it for us? I really hope he can stay fit from now to the end of the season. I just feel he could be a very big piece in our jigsaw that is needed to gel this team together. He has the potential to lift this team and give us that steel in midfield that we currently do not have.
From his Wiki
Fellaini's first love was track, with the 10,000 metres being his preferred event.[4]As a child he would run to school while his classmates used to make their daily journey by bus or car.
@Gannicus
Whilst Carrick is an intelligent player with good awareness of what is going on around him, making quick and incisive passing moves is not really his forte. He tends to keep thing ticking over whilst getting through a good amount of defensive work.
Carrick on low confidence perhaps - though it would still be a rather stereotypical assumption - but Carrick in full flow/in-form does nothing of the sort... For instance, this weekend when he did those 140 odd passes, he did it from 156 touches of the ball. Which is quite something really.
Last seasons Carrick was one of our key players in switching defence to attack, which he would do quickly, efficiently, and with minimum fuss.
I only see that as a problem if you want Fellaini to do Carrick's job - which obviously you wouldn't given that they are different players.
There are plenty of players who do well with a lack of pace, usually defenisvely minded players and centre backs, because their positioning is good. As above, his lack of pace isn't best suited to a "Box to box" player, but that isnt, for me, where he's likely to dinf his niche. As you say, he has physicality in spades, he has a good engine and he's awkward to play against. I can see him sat infornt of the back four providing cover - and will hopefully have the players infront to give the ball to with the ability to do things.
For me when you build a team you need different players for different jobs. As I've said above, in a good side with plenty of attacking threat, a tough defensive midfield player is useful to have to provide a sold defensive base and to break up play in the middle. His awkwardness is a good attribute - I can't see many attacking players relishing playing against him in the final third.
As ever its all about whether he is willing to put in the work and the effort to carve out a place in the side. I see no reason why he wouldnt be as it stands. He's been unlucky this year but can hopefully get back on track.
That stat is Quite increadible and maybe shows that i have completely misread what Carrick brings to our team.
It is an amazing stat and fair play to you for being open-minded enough to revise your own opinion when it is effectively challenged. A quality sorely lacking amongst most people on here.
@Cedric, I know he's not yet match fit and allow for that in my post, I have seen his engine in action for Everton, I knew it existed but him being a 10k runner really is a surprise, a nice surprise I should add.
The bolded point really is an eye opener for me.
Anderson is probably a point in fact that we have been operating with an largely unfit and immobile central unit unless Cleverley plays
Back to Fellaini, I remember posting about him in the newbs prior to us signing him and he really does cover the ground quickly, once he gets into his stride as Pogue alludes too, it was around the time we were first linked with him and I began to watch him more closely, he was employed in a box to box role for a few games before being shifted up behind the striker. The lad can get about, ok he turns like the titanic and actually looks lethargic in the process but I remember seeing him chase players down and bustle them off the ball, also driving into the box which causes utter mayhem as we as United fans will remember on the opening day last season. He's never going to gracefully sweep us to victory in games but bundling over the line might be just the tonic we've needed for about four seasons, especially in Europe
Please God let him start with Carrick tonight.
I think we'll see Cleverley tonight, in a similar role to the Arsenal game. I wouldn't mind seeing Fellaini though.
Literally feels like a new signing after his return at the weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing him in action again in the hope he can build on it, so hopefully he gets the nod tonight.
Carrick has only recently started to gain some form though. I like Carrick but he was really poor for the most part until a few weeks ago, when he suddenly just changed and started passing the ball around quickly and with a purpose, and getting involved more.
All he needs to do is break up play, pass the ball to Mata/Rooney/Januzaj and get back in position.
I still think he'll be a decent signing for us. If we get him alongside a player who is a tiny bit more box to box than Carrick (genuinely think Song could do that) then I think he'd form the back bone of a very solid midfield, if not outrageously talented. That should be the worst case scenario for the summer.
I still think he'll be a decent signing for us. If we get him alongside a player who is a tiny bit more box to box than Carrick (genuinely think Song could do that) then I think he'd form the back bone of a very solid midfield, if not outrageously talented. That should be the worst case scenario for the summer.
Needs to stop hiding behind his fro and get a proper haircut. It may just be me, be he reminds me of an Eric Cantona love child rescued from the wild...
Interesting. That should put to rest any claims that Fellaini is an immobile player.
How does that relate to the other?
Why did he not play tonight.
To be fair to Welbeck he played better in midfield than Fellani plays up front, no idea what Cleverly is doing in the first team.
Misses a sitter but scores with a nice header from the following corner
It'll do him good getting a goal, now he just has to do the same for us.
I'd say it's 95% certain that he won't. Pretty much every one of our players who is currently an international is playing better for their country than they are for us at this moment in time.
Ever? or this season?
This season.
That's partly because some of them are actually playing this week as opposed to normal. *cough*Shinji*cough*
Good to see him getting some game time and a goal. Why does he look a better player for Belgium than for us?
It's a crucial phase of his club career now. How he performs in the remainder of the season will decide his positional future at Manchester United, and I do think he has much more to offer than what've seen from him so far. Crystal Palace looked like a step in the right direction, when he showed some mobility, and kept going up into the box and made a nuisance of himself.
Swear he's only played like 9 games for us, people changing their minds constantly about him is quite funny tbh. I said for about 2 years Let's sign Fellaini and I'm delighted we have him now, once he's had a good long run in the team and weve got some consistency going then make your minds up, he's a very good player and has been for years. That does not disappear over night and once given a chance people will see what he's all about.
Sickens me all of the ridiculous criticism he gets for his performances so far as he's hardly played, wasnt fit and he is still adjusting to his new surroundings and team mates. How he starts tomorrow !
Sickens me all of the ridiculous criticism he gets for his performances so far as he's hardly played, wasnt fit and he is still adjusting to his new surroundings and team mates. How he starts tomorrow !
Playing around a better team and isn't injured maybe?
Sorry about the delay in replying. It's been an unusually busy week at work, with the Russian invasion of Crimea and all. (Just kidding!)
It's true we've beaten Chelsea and City a few times without Fellaini in recent years, but I'm referring to this season's Chelsea and City are different beasts than others of recent vintage. Chelsea under Jose, obviously. City we're sensational two seasons ago, but they look even better now and are a pretty good bet for the domestic treble now. In short, they've both raised their bar so looking back at what we've done to either recently isn't particularly persuasive relative to the point at hand.
City completely dismembered us earlier this season, when Fellaini was fully fit. Admittedly, we had problems all over the pitch but no one can deny we needed significantly better performances from our two central midfielders. Our performances against Chelsea this season actually weren't that bad. The draw was fair and the defeat to them was fair but they really didn't destroy us despite the score.
But aren't we all really saying the same thing? That Fellaini can do a job for us as a squad man but that in order for us to return to the good company of the very top clubs in Europe we need to bring in at least one and most likely two central midfielders this summer? It seems to me every single caftard holds this view, which I share. What that means for Fellaini is that would likely serve an important role for United but that we just wouldn't look to him as an automatic fixture in the starting lineup as a central midfielder after these two central midfielders are brought in.
Was Fellaini fully fit? I thought he was carrying that wrist injury since he arrived. I dont think we've had Fellaini fully fit until the last few weeks.
I think he picked up the wrist injury in our first CL game?
OK yes you are right.
Fellaini was fully fit for Everton during the summer tour. He may have just dialed it down to protect himself from injury while United were linked with him, but he looked fairly lethargic during the summer. But he was fully fit, at least summer fit.
As a few others have mentioned here, Fellaini picked up the wrist injury in a CL game, so it's safe to say he was fully fit for the 5-6 games he played before the first CL game.
One can't judge too harshly anyone's first 5-6 games, but seems safe to say that he was a disappointing and even something of a forlorn figure during those games. A new club, the media firestorm over the panic buy circumstances and the ridiculous quality of our early season opponents all conspired against him and I'm sure his head just wasn't right going into some of those matches.
What I'm basing my assessment of Fellaini on is his performances for Everton over the last two seasons. Where he excelled was high up the pitch with the knockdown ball in the box. I don't have the stats handy, but his goals and assists numbers were fairly impressive. Where he didn't impress was in a deeper or even defensive role. He coughed up far too many fouls and I think he had an unduly high number of bookings. And he just didn't look very good in the middle and back thirds. Competent, but not in any way has he ever shown the kind of form in a genuine midfield role that is required of a prestige acquisition for Manchester United. Launch him up the pitch and he's suddenly almost Superman. Early in the season, I think it might have been the West Brom match (maybe not), Fellaini timed his run perfectly into the box for a low Kagawa cross and scored what would have been the tying goal, but he was ruled offside. Inches offside which on another day the referee's assistant might have missed, which comes down to a bit of bad luck. It was beautiful to watch and a real disappointment the goal wasn't allowed to stand.
The problem with a player of that kind of quality is that there just isn't enough real estate in the starting XI to play Fellaini in that kind of role, a 10, on a squad that has Wayne Rooney. On days when we know we can crush our opponent and Rooney needs rest I'm all for launching Fellaini as a starting attacking midfielder (or bringing him on as additional offensive weapon in the second half), but even then I'd want two central mids who are masterful with the ball at their feet and are competent at defending. But I just can't ever see Fellaini coping as any other kind of midfielder against the elite clubs of Europe.
As a few others have mentioned here, Fellaini picked up the wrist injury in a CL game, so it's safe to say he was fully fit for the 5-6 games he played before the first CL game.
One can't judge too harshly anyone's first 5-6 games, but seems safe to say that he was a disappointing and even something of a forlorn figure during those games. A new club, the media firestorm over the panic buy circumstances and the ridiculous quality of our early season opponents all conspired against him and I'm sure his head just wasn't right going into some of those matches.
What I'm basing my assessment of Fellaini on is his performances for Everton over the last two seasons. Where he excelled was high up the pitch with the knockdown ball in the box. I don't have the stats handy, but his goals and assists numbers were fairly impressive. Where he didn't impress was in a deeper or even defensive role. He coughed up far too many fouls and I think he had an unduly high number of bookings. And he just didn't look very good in the middle and back thirds. Competent, but not in any way has he ever shown the kind of form in a genuine midfield role that is required of a prestige acquisition for Manchester United. Launch him up the pitch and he's suddenly almost Superman. Early in the season, I think it might have been the West Brom match (maybe not), Fellaini timed his run perfectly into the box for a low Kagawa cross and scored what would have been the tying goal, but he was ruled offside. Inches offside which on another day the referee's assistant might have missed, which comes down to a bit of bad luck. It was beautiful to watch and a real disappointment the goal wasn't allowed to stand.
The problem with a player of that kind of quality is that there just isn't enough real estate in the starting XI to play Fellaini in that kind of role, a 10, on a squad that has Wayne Rooney. On days when we know we can crush our opponent and Rooney needs rest I'm all for launching Fellaini as a starting attacking midfielder (or bringing him on as additional offensive weapon in the second half), but even then I'd want two central mids who are masterful with the ball at their feet and are competent at defending. But I just can't ever see Fellaini coping as any other kind of midfielder against the elite clubs of Europe.
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