Marouane Fellaini | 2013/14 Performances

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charleysurf said:
No he didn't! At least not to so many knowledgeable posters on here!

Christ, tonight I have found out that Uniteds away games in Europe under Fergie were always full of swashbuckling attacking football, and Carrick was never written off as not United quality by posters on this forum!
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There were indeed people who thought Carrick wasn't all that good, including myself. That was comparing him to the likes of Keane and Scholes though, a very high standard. In fact, good as he is, Carrick still isn't at that standard.

Beyond that, I don't remember there ever being doubts about how Carrick fit into our team in the same way there are with Fellaini.
 
charleysurf said:
Go back and look at the posts on here when he was signed and in his early games. Maybe you were a fan of his and gave him a chance. Plenty didn't.
I'm not saying Fellani will become as useful as Carrick. Given that he was introduced to a much better squad than this one it's less likely. 'm just saying it is an example of a player improving over time at United, and we should at least wait some months to see if it happens in this case.

So those who have said they want to vomit when they see him in a United lineup are cnuts, and I stand by that.
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I don't think Fellaini is an awful player at all, he's quite decent at certain things and could generally be a valuable addition to the squad. He isn't going to improve us by much and his price tag means that people will jump at his back beyond reason, especially as most are disappointed that we didn't end up signing a midfielder who actually provides an instant improvement (I doubt we ever had the chance to do so after missing out on Thiago and deeming him not what we needed mind).
 
Didn't help tonight that the ref had some bizarre agenda against him. He literally couldn't so anything without a freekick being given.

Pretty sure he got a foul awarded against him and a telling off for backheeling the ball at one point.

He also seemed to get booked for a foul someone else committed which wasn't actually a foul. I was watching in a pub so might have mussread what was going on, but it's very hard to have a positive impact on a game when the ref is that biased against you as an individual.
 
Sarni said:
I don't think Fellaini is an awful player at all, he's quite decent at certain things and could generally be a valuable addition to the squad. He isn't going to improve us by much and his price tag means that people will jump at his back beyond reason, especially as most are disappointed that we didn't end up signing a midfielder who actually provides an instant improvement (I doubt we ever had the chance to do so after missing out on Thiago and deeming him not what we needed mind).
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Well, I kind of doubt we will be looking back at him in a few years as a true United great! But yeah, if he can just be a useful member of the squad I will be ok with that. I'm not going to get bogged down in the price tag, because I don't think the money spent on him cost other United targets. I just think there were some screwed up strategies by Woodward.
 
sullydnl said:
There were indeed people who thought Carrick wasn't all that good, including myself. That was comparing him to the likes of Keane and Scholes though, a very high standard. In fact, good as he is, Carrick still isn't at that standard.

Beyond that, I don't remember there ever being doubts about how Carrick fit into our team in the same way there are with Fellaini.
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Ironically enough I reckon Fellaini would benefit a lot more if Carrick actually grew a set and didn't vacate the midfield 20 minutes into every single fecking game.
 
noodlehair said:
Didn't help tonight that the ref had some bizarre agenda against him. He literally couldn't so anything without a freekick being given.

Pretty sure he got a foul awarded against him and a telling off for backheeling the ball at one point.

He also seemed to get booked for a foul someone else committed which wasn't actually a foul. I was watching in a pub so might have mussread what was going on, but it's very hard to have a positive impact on a game when the ref is that biased against you as an individual.
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Yeah, he got booked for a Valencia foul I think, although someone thought it was for something in the aftermath.
 
charleysurf said:
Well, I kind of doubt we will be looking back at him in a few years as a true United great! But yeah, if he can just be a useful member of the squad I will be ok with that. I'm not going to get bogged down in the price tag, because I don't think the money spent on him cost other United targets. I just think there were some screwed up strategies by Woodward.
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Basically he's very strong, good in the air, can sometimes keep the ball under pressure and has reasonable amount of creativity, he's also a decent tackler at times in spite of commiting way too many fouls. He's unlike all players we already had and will provide a different approach even if it's not the sort most fans crave for. Had he been signed as an addition to a top class midfielder for half the price people's approach would be different right now.
 
acnumber9 said:
The fans aren't expecting him to be the answer to all our problems. They are looking for him to produce anything that actually contributes to the team in a positive way. I don't think that's a lot to ask.
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Pretty sure I've seen you criticising others for saying similar things about Ashley Young. Very bizzare.
 
Was he such a lazy cnut at Everton btw?....The way he just strolls back half the time, when the other team attacks is already doing my head in. I really can't stand lazy players.
 
Sam said:
Was he such a lazy cnut at Everton btw?....The way he just strolls back half the time, when the other team attacks is already doing my head in. I really can't stand lazy players.
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Possibly the reason Moyes stopped actually playing him in midfield and moved him further forward?

He is a ball watcher and lets players run off him (didn't really notice this tonight though) - 2 pretty big shortcomings for a defensive midfielder.. I don't think it's necessarily a laziness issue though.
 
noodlehair said:
Didn't help tonight that the ref had some bizarre agenda against him. He literally couldn't so anything without a freekick being given.

Pretty sure he got a foul awarded against him and a telling off for backheeling the ball at one point.

He also seemed to get booked for a foul someone else committed which wasn't actually a foul. I was watching in a pub so might have mussread what was going on, but it's very hard to have a positive impact on a game when the ref is that biased against you as an individual.
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It was totally bizarre that bizarre agenda against him. Obviously frustrated the feck out of him leading to a poorer and poorer performance. That brilliant back heel to Valencia could've very well ended up in a goal, and I don't what the ref called, but he seemed angry at the hairy fecker for it. Bizarre. And the whole Valencia foul/yellow for Fellaini seemed like poetry to the bizarreness of the evening for Fellaini.

Loved the fact that it was a brilliant pass from Valencia and a brilliant move by Fellaini that set up our goal. Didn't seem to move the negative bandwagon against either of them though. I kind of like the outcast partnership between the two, especially since it would piss off the footballing geniuses around here.
 
Sam said:
Was he such a lazy cnut at Everton btw?....The way he just strolls back half the time, when the other team attacks is already doing my head in. I really can't stand lazy players.
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Think his stats showed he covered a lot of ground tonight it flashed up when he got subbed.
 
Ronaldo's Mum Eh? said:
27 million for him is looking like a huge rip off. Never wanted him to begin with.

Still early days though.
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£27 m is a lot especially when his clause was less but early days and someone I think will do very well here given time as you say (more than 2 games) he is a good addition for us.
 
He doesn't appear to have the ability to anticipate the play and position himself correctly so that he can win the ball back. A DM needs to be able to read the game well so that he can close down space, be in the right place to intercept the ball and make well timed tackles. He ball watches and rarely stays with his man. So many times yesterday (this was most apparent against City too) he just looked lost in space, not tracking his man, not closing anyone down just there looking uncertain of his role and where he is meant to be.
I know the ref went overboard yesterday but it was clear before we got him that he gives away too many fouls. Most fouls committed in the PL last season despite playing behind the striker. He's never looked like someone who reads the game well and then wins the ball back cleanly. It's also ironic that we hoped he would be a ball winner and yet yesterday he got dispossessed time after time. So rather than winning us the ball back he's giving it away.
Phil Jones is a better DM than Fellaini (and I'm not a big fan of jones in midfield).
 
I didn't want him but I expected more, or I at least thought he was a better player than he has been so far.

I'm not writing him off yet but he's been a shit signing for his whole 4 matches or whatever it is.
 
I never wanted it him so I'm not bandwagon jumping, he just isn't a United type of player in my view, but Anderson has gotten years of "He'll be world class next season" support so I think we can give Fellaini some time, he actually looks a little short on confidence to me, like he suddenly feels the pressure of the price tag and the step up in expectation.
 
I think he is better as an AM than as a CM. Which isn't good, if true, for we won't be able to use him as an AM, apart from relatively easy games. He isn't a great CM at all.
 
Joining a new club is like going to a new job. You don't know hardly anyone, people you work with are not entirely sure of your strengths, you feel uneasy as you don't know your way around. You need time to settle and bed in to start getting the best out of you. What I'm saying is give the big man some time like a season and then judge him! Anderson has had 6 and Kagawa 1 and they haven't pulled up trees yet but still get less judged!
 
He played well yesterday. The ref was being a cnut. There were one or two instances where he was being fouled and the ref gave the foul the other way. He held the ball up well, and got us out of our own half sometimes.
 
For someone who is known for his physical presence, he has been bullied off the ball an awful lot. Both last night and against City.
Perhaps he should stick to quick short passes when he receives the ball because whenever he tries to run with the ball he can be dispossessed fairly easily.

My only criticism of Kagawa against Leverkusen was that he was bullied off the ball quite easily, but Fellaini took it to another level last night.

Edit:just had a look at the stats and he is gets dispossessed a LOT. 5 times last night, 4 times against Levekusen and 3 times against City. None of those games were even a full 90 mins.
 
Had a poor game last night. I have been a supporter of Fellaini but he needs to improve at the moment. I don't expect him to be a creative force for us, nor do I expect him to be playing an advanced role behind the striker (although that is Moyes decision rather than his).

What I do expect is for him to tackle, intercept, basically bully the opposition , win aerial balls and hold the ball up when needed. Those are his strengths and at the moment he isn't doing them effectively. It's early days and we haven't yet really played with our first choice lineup for me (which is RVP, Rooney, Kagawa and Nani, with Carrick and Fellaini holding).

I hope and expect Moyes will continue to play him because he needs more than a few weeks and a handful of games to gel into the team, but improvement is definitely needed.

Don't think the ref did him any favours last night.
 
sullydnl said:
There were indeed people who thought Carrick wasn't all that good, including myself. That was comparing him to the likes of Keane and Scholes though, a very high standard. In fact, good as he is, Carrick still isn't at that standard.

Beyond that, I don't remember there ever being doubts about how Carrick fit into our team in the same way there are with Fellaini.
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The Carrick comparisons are a bit stupid because his qualities were obvious even back then: his passing was great and he was clearly an intelligent, positionally aware player. He did improve playing for United but mostly in terms of taking responsibility; he's become braver and more ambitious but his technical abilities didn't improve that much. Which is no surprise, considering he was 25 when we signed him.

Fellaini, on the evidence of his performances so far, just isn't very good at quite a few things we should expect from a United CM. I think Sarni summed it up on the previous page: lacks mobility, has poor defensive awareness, his technique is average at best... so it's not just about playing within himself because it's a new club and a much higher level; he has to improve significantly in the very basic aspects of football if he is to make a significant impact here. And he's 26.
 
Moyes said he needs world class players - and signed Fellaini, he is certainly not that.

However he will do a good job for us, last night he was a bit shit but the ref would blow against him as soon as he touched the ball. And, in fair to The Afro'd one, we looked far more solid with him on than we did with Giggs.
 
I was under the impression he was purchased to replace Fletcher, and be cover for Carrick just in case he got injured or needed a rest. I hope he's used a lot further back than was the case yesterday in the second half. I can understand him being cautious with his game, and playing within himself at the moment and will hopefully grow into the team. If you watch him live he seems to be in second gear all the time, and in a the few games so far has neglected his duties of tracking back. He'll soon find he is not a key player he was at Everton and will need to improve fast in this aspect, and if he does we could have a useful squad member.
 
Tibs said:
Moyes said he needs world class players - and signed Fellaini, he is certainly not that.

However he will do a good job for us, last night he was a bit shit but the ref would blow against him as soon as he touched the ball. And, in fair to The Afro'd one, we looked far more solid with him on than we did with Giggs.
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I was pretty surprised he was replaced with Giggs, and not Jones.
 
The Sun had him as United's "Star man" last night.

Not sure where they came to that conclusion.
 
very early days, but plenty of concerns all round really.
However, we're not playing well as a team, so it's a big ask to come in and immediately perform well in the circumstances.

It was like watching Peter Crouch last night. Giving sh!tloads of fouls away, a lot of them through his sheer size.
 
As I said a month ago, unless he is being moulded as a Carrick replacement, signing him is baffling (even then it is slightly baffling, given Carrick's form, as he could be playing for 3 more years).

All of his worst qualities are the exact things that Carrick struggles with. Keeping possession when being pressed, mobility and making himself available. Playing him next to Carrick means you are forcing one of them into a role that they can't really do. There has been 1 or 2 games where Fellaini has looked ok, but Carrick has then looked poor as he is asked to move further forward into a position he is less comfortable and do a more creative job that he isn't great at. Likewise when Carrick is sat back in his natural position, Fellaini looks like a lost oaf.

Fellaini will improve, not to the extent of a first team regular at Man Utd, but he will improve to be a decent squad player. The fact is he should only play in place of Carrick. If we play a midfield 3 it should be Cleverley/Jones/Anderson and one of Carrick or Fellaini. If we play a midfield 2 it should be Cleverley or Anderson and Carrick or Fellaini.

Cleverley or Anderson are not top class by any means, but their movement and mobility provide options for a Fellaini/Carrick.
 
I thought he was a bit of a bumbling mess... not a good performance at all. Seems a bit overawed with everything at the moment (it's either that or incredibly self-satisfied with the new turn his life has taken... I'd rather it was option A) and I'm fairly confident he will grow into the club and his role at the club more... though I do wonder to what level that will be.
 
charleysurf said:
Aren't you very perceptive? A right little oracle of football. Must be a genius at fantasy football.

Or you could go back and check the early Carrick threads on here and address my point.
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Carrick was extremely highly rated, as a central midfielder, before he signed for United. He came of the back of a very, very impressive season with Tottenham. And he never looked out of his depth during 06/07, even if the start to his career was somewhat overshadowed by the magnificent Paul Scholes alongside him. Michael Carrick's always, at the very least, looked comfortably capable of playing central midfield for United at a good level. I think it's a horrendous comparison.

And it's about attributes and qualities. Carrick's best attributes: Passing, composure, reading of the game and defensive awareness - all factors that allow him to thrive at the base of our midfield.

What attributes do you feel make Fellaini suited as his partner?
 
Red Indian Chief Torn Rubber said:
So certain people in here have finally decided Fellaini is shit after 3 appearances. Nice........
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Why are people acting like Fellaini was signed from Andromeda galaxy and no-one has ever seen him before? People aren't writting him off because of three awful performances, but after 5 years when he looked okay in central midfield in Everton, but nothing more than that. He was written off before he was signed and in his three performances he played exactly of what is expected from him to play, which for United won't ever be near good enough. A limted player like Young and will be a similar outcome.
 
Give the man time to step up to the plate you numpties.

He's had very little time to settle into things and although he's looked out of his depth at times, he's done some promising things too. He'll turn out to be a good addition, it's stupid to write him off so early.
 
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