Marouane Fellaini | 2013/14 Performances

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Cina said:
Not sure what the argument is here, he said Valencia gets more assists than Nani, um, he doesn't.
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The argument is that calling Nani creative and Valencia not doesn't add up as there is very little between them in creating chances. Three of the four years Valencia has had more assists than Nani in the league, and whichever way you look at it there is barely anything in it.

Just seems like you don't class Valencia as creative because of the way he plays which isn't what people would typically call 'creative'. In truth it is though as seen in the number of chances he creates for the team when on form.
 
How do you quantify 'biggest', in terms of global appeal/popularity no club matches United...in fact it can leave you speechless at times. In terms of success...clearly we're not the most successful. Perhaps glamour plays a part? I'd say it's between us and Real but that's only because the latter reinvented themselves as result of their Galacticos policy. If you tell everyone that you're the biggest eventually people will start believing. As for United, it's a shame we don't act like a big club in the transfer market. Thing is no one cares that Chevron are willing to break world records to be associated with United.
 
Cina said:
It's important because you brought up their assists as a basis for creativity in the first place.
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What?

You making out he wasn't creative, I said he was and used his assists as evidence of that.

What better evidence of creating chances can you get?

As I said it seems you don't class him as creative because of his pure winger style of play, which is a lot less technical than the likes of Nani. Its just a different way of being creative which you aren't getting.
 
acnumber9 said:
It probably came from you pointing to European success as the reason we aren't the biggest.
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I pointed to it as a reason, not the reason tbf. After Adzzz replied to me concerning things you reasonably can and cant use to deduce the world's biggest club.

There are a whole load of reasons depending on what parameters you use for such a thing. But call me mental, but I think footballing success, and success competing against the other teams vying for that position, should be in there.

People simply gave reasons why we have not been as successful as those clubs. Pretty legitimate ones at that.
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While they may have been legitimate reasons why we've not been as successful as we could've been, it's not a legitimate reason why we should be considered the biggest club in the world. Which was what the conversation was actually about. You can't hypothetically put us there because we may have done something had tragedy not struck. Especially when other clubs have won more or as much as us in the modern era too.

Again, I'm not trying to argue how small we are. Merely going with the conversation. Which is now going all over the place.
 
Fantastic signing for us really strengthens the squad and currently the first 11. Think he will become a massive favourite here.
 
It's funny that two conversations are going on in the 'United sign Fellaini' thread: one is about Nani v Valencia, the other is about whether we're the biggest club in the world or not :lol:
 
We're in a cabal of the biggest, and nearer the top than the bottom of it.

Basically I made a flippant remark about it, and now I'm having to argue it in all manner of weird ways with people who don't actually disagree with me.

Redcafe.
 
Folk are just passing time. I suspect no one truly cares...well, that is, except for Pacman or whatever he's called.
 
Spoony said:
Folk are just passing time. I suspect no one truly cares...well, that is, except for Pacman or whatever he's called.
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Now come on Spoons. I refuse to believe that any red blooded die hard United fan could fail to be sent into a state of childlike awe, wonder and anticipation at the sight of this..

MF1-1.jpg


Hairs on the back of the neck stuff.
 
Isotope said:
That would be Wilshere.
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It really depends on what kind of football you want to play. Carrick and fellaini should be a physically solid and defensively strong pairing. But I'd personally like us to play a lot more fluid and technical football, with the kind of one touch passing we used to see when scholes played in the hole for awhile. So for that, you'd need someone in the mould of fabregas or Wilshere next to Carrick. But I do think fellaini and Carrick should make a good partnership.
 
I should be excited about him, which I'm sure will be by the time he makes his debut. But right now I'm pissed, at the club, firstly for leaving it so late & secondly for acting overly confident of being able to negotiate for lower than his release clause and ending up paying £4.5m more. It's just be such a mess. And we have been hoping for atleast two midfield signings from the beginning & after chasing the likes Cesc, Herrera, De Rossi, etc. it's underwhelming to end up with Fellaini on an over inflated fee. For no fault of the player he has turned out to be a symbol of the clubs failures this summer.
 
Theon said:
What?

You making out he wasn't creative, I said he was and used his assists as evidence of that.

What better evidence of creating chances can you get?

As I said it seems you don't class him as creative because of his pure winger style of play, which is a lot less technical than the likes of Nani. Its just a different way of being creative which you aren't getting.
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You should really make up your mind, one minute assists are a basis, then they're not, now they are.

I think Nani has creativity that Valencia doesn't, you can see that by the sort of assists they provide. Valencia probably gets as many assists as <insert amazing player here>, doesn't mean he's even remotely as creative as them. Nani probably wasn't even the best example for you to pick because Valencia gets far more assists than Rooney does but it's pretty obvious Rooney is the more creative player.

For me there's a difference between being a creative footballer (killer pass, skills etc) and lobbing low crosses into the box all the time.

Besides, all I said originally was that he doesn't get more assists than Nani in response to you claiming he does, nowt else.
 
Spoony said:
How do you quantify 'biggest', in terms of global appeal/popularity no club matches United...in fact it can leave you speechless at times. In terms of success...clearly we're not the most successful. Perhaps glamour plays a part? I'd say it's between us and Real but that's only because the latter reinvented themselves as result of their Galacticos policy. If you tell everyone that you're the biggest eventually people will start believing. As for United, it's a shame we don't act like a big club in the transfer market. Thing is no one cares that Chevron are willing to break world records to be associated with United.
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Yeah there are so many ways to look at it. I personally look at biggest in terms of fan appeal and popularity. That's what I would instantly associate with the word "big" for a football club. But there are so many other parameters to judge a club by. If we look at how "big time" a club is, then real obviously are at the top, because they are "lavish" (read thinking they are in a dick waving contest) in everything they do. If it's success, then again it has to be real. If it's recent success and appeal, then it's united and barcelona. And as you say, in the transfer market, were nothing like a big club. We're pretty small time in iur transfer activities.
 
Cina said:
For me there's a difference between being a creative footballer (killer pass, skills etc) and lobbing low crosses into the box all the time.
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The first comment is strange, I was the one who brought up assists as evidence of Valencia being creative. Of course I think they are relevant.

The part I've quoted is the main part though, there really isn't a huge difference. If someone is creating chances then they are a creative footballer. They might not be the best technically but being creative is all about creating chances.

No difference from a killer pass made from the middle or a pin point cross into the box. Both are creative and accomplish the same thing.
 
It's good that the next game is so far away in some ways.
The rage of the transfer window will have calmed down, and we can ease Fellaini in against Palace.

He's definitely underrated on the ball. I've heard a lot of people describe him as being a "Big goon".
He will give us that physical strength and sheer power in the air, but he can do more.

Will be interesting.

I'm looking forward to teams having to worry about defending against him, which should leave other players more room.

Fellaini and Vidic will take a heck of a lot of marking!
 
I’ve gone through the ‘why the feck didn’t we sign a more creative midfielder’ gloom and I’ve got my optimistic head back on.

One thing Fellaini surely has is midfield presence, an ability to get his foot on the ball and not let our midfield get bullied.

I remember a very early Fergie quote where he said that a title winning team needs captains all over the park. This is something the likes of Rooney and Vidic bring to the team and I can’t help feel not only will Fellaini bring this bite t he will also bring a genuine goal scoring threat surging through from midfield. Especially an ariel threat which is something we have been missing since Keane and then Robson before that.

Ps, where the feck is the font size option?
 
One thing for sure, he is going to be a legend at United.

He's big and has an afro so it's a given - but he has a touch of flair about him, he can take a man on, he can tackle, he can score.. The only thing missing from his game is the eye for a killer pass and the ability to control a game, but we have those qualities in other players on the pitch.

Also performs well against the top teams, which can't do him any harm.
 
People seriously underrate his ability on the ball here. There seems to be this impression that he's just a big lump who's strong and good in the air. But he's much more then that, and he's gonna prove a lot of people very wrong.
 
Sam said:
People seriously underrate his ability on the ball here. There seems to be this impression that he's just a big lump who's strong and good in the air. But he's much more then that, and he's gonna prove a lot of people very wrong.
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It's going to be awesome when he does. :drool:
 
Yeah, he has pretty good control on the ball and can burst forward past a man or into the box.

For a complete midfield 2 which can offer everything, he is probably as perfect a partner you could get for Carrick short of Yaya Toure.

Not the best midfielder by far, but definitely not half as bad as people make out. He might be aggressive and a bit of a thug, but the best squads we've seen in the Premier League have had those sorts. He has a decent touch and enough flair that he's more than just a thug, though a thug indeed.

We'll probably find his thugishness the most endearing thing about him after the afro!
 
MancFanFromManc said:
I've been like that all summer. I was properly deflated when Moyes took over, but then felt better once I'd slept on it, and looked at the long term picture. Then I've been wound up over transfer sagas, and really didnt want Fellaini, but now the dust is settling I think it will work out okay.

Is Moyes hypnotizing us with those big eyes "It - will - be - okay - must - support - David - Moyes" ?!?
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If he has hypnotic powers of support Moyesism he needs to use it on the dopey sods that handled our transfer business this summer.

Shark22 said:
I've no problem with anybody that doesn't rate a player we sign, but I get the feeling that a lot of people have just gone with the flow in regards to Herrara. In fact, I'd bet that a very large portion of people pissed off at us not signing Herrara for 30 odd million, have never seen him play a single match.
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Well I'm not claiming to have followed him avidly but most here saw him against us and in the 2011 Spanish U21 Euro winners, as well as on Sky Sports coverage of La Liga. We really need some pace and creativity in midfield and Herrara has that in his game, and while he may not be on the Gundogan or Wilshire level, he's as good an option as we can get at the moment in my, and many other fans, opinions.
 
Sam said:
People seriously underrate his ability on the ball here. There seems to be this impression that he's just a big lump who's strong and good in the air. But he's much more then that and he's gonna prove a lot of people very wrong.
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He's not really. The harsh reality won't take long to set in.
 
lem8sh said:
He's not really. The harsh reality won't take long to set in.
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He really is. The reality that will set in is that we have a very good player, who who will improve our midfield.
 
lem8sh said:
We'll agree to disagree. I hope you are right though. I really couldn't be more despondent about signing him.
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You'll love him eventually....you might even be tempted to buy a wig ;)
 
gulli_G said:
For what it's worth; I played with Fellaini in PES2014 above with this same patch, all I will say is that he greatly improves the defence and attack of the team ;)
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I put him in Fifa 13, and Ozil into Arsenal, 90th min, Ozil with the ball on the attack, Fellaini cuts him off, collects the ball and bursts forward. Slips a beauty of a pass to RvP, who shifts his weight around a defender and the ball onto his left, edge of the box, top corner. Winner.

:drool:

Fellaini > Ozil.
 
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/pitchside-europe/moyes-fellaini-manchester-united-164721288.html

Manchester United were relatively quiet in this transfer market and David Moyes's only high-profile signing was Marouane Fellaini for around £27 million. United's centre-midfield problems have been highlighted for some time, but where exactly will Fellaini fit into Moyes' plans?
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Where did Moyes utilise Fellaini at Everton?

Last season 28 of Fellaini’s 31 appearances came as a second striker or attacking midfielder with just three coming as a central/deeper midfield player. What we can conclude from this is that, at least atEverton, Moyes saw Fellaini as a forward player, rather than a defensive-minded one. Everton were regularly seen aiming long balls or crosses into the box at Fellaini, who would act as a target man to bring the ball down and either shoot or try and bring another player into play.
In this position Fellaini was relatively effective, scoring 11 times and getting five assists. Generally speaking he was a handful for opposition defenders and goalkeepers with his bullish style of play.
Below is a look at Fellaini’s action areas from Everton’s 3-1 victory over Reading, a game in which Fellaini scored in:
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Fellaini spent the large majority of his time in the final third of the pitch, spending very little of the game in the more defensive areas. Fellaini was primarily operating as a second striker, playing just off the central striker. Despite having 18.70% of his play in the middle area of the pitch, Fellaini made just one tackle in this game, which further points to the more advanced and freer role he has when playing off of a striker. His main strength - height - was utilized excellently though, as he won 11 out of 16 headed duels.
Fellaini as a central midfielder

With Shinji Kagawa, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck all capable of playing as the second striker/attacking midfielder in United's set-up, it seems incredibly unlikely that Moyes will use Fellaini as an advanced player. Instead he'll likely come into the side as a central midfielder alongside Michael Carrick.
This season Roberto Marinez has played Fellaini in this central midfield position. Fellaini has dropped deeper and as such has been enjoying more of the ball than he did last season, averaging 73.3 passes per game at an accuracy of 89% ( a vast improvement on last seasons 52.3 passes per game and 79% accuracy). Against Cardiff this was also notable with Fellaini attempting 66 passes:
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Fellaini enjoyed a 91% pass accuracy and notably the bulk of his passes were from his own half, further demonstrating how he has been used as a defensive/central midfielder this season under Martinez. Of course, Martinez places a huge emphasis on possession and using the ball, but this shows that Fellani can adapt to a more technical-based system if required of him.
Fellaini has also been very combative this season, which bodes well for Manchester United fans. The big Belgian has won 4.3 tackles per game (vastly more than Carrick or Tom Cleverley) at an impressive 85% success rate:
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Not only that, but we can still see that he remains an impressive aerial presence, which can add a lot to Manchester United's game in both penalty boxes.
When he was used as a central midfielder last season he committed a lot of fouls, around 2.6 per game, more than any other Premier League player. This has important implications for Fellaini as a central midfielder, especially in a deeper role, as he is prone to a rash tackle and regularly fouls opponents who get past him. This season we can also see that he is fouling too regularly, something that he must improve at United, or he will risk giving away cheap free-kicks and being booked unnecessarily.
Conclusion

Whilst Fellaini can provide an option as a second striker/attacking midfielder, it appears very unlikely that he'll do this at Manchester United. He can provide a 'Plan B' as a long ball option in tighter games, something that the Old Trafford faithful might not take kindly to.
On the whole however, he'll be competing with Tom Cleverley for a place alongside Michael Carrick. Fellaini isn't the fastest player but he is combative and can win the ball (as he's already shown this season for Everton in his three outings). The worry will be his tendency to give away a lot of fouls: if he wants to be a hit at United he will have to improve his disciplinary record.
If he can continue to dominate the midfield, by winning tackles and continuing to show an improved pass accuracy, then there is no reason why he cannot succeed at United, regardless of whether he was the fans' top choice or not.
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The only thing that worries me is whether Fellaini can improve while at United. We know he's good but he needs to improve on his consistency and creativity. Having the same manager, and the same coaching team? Hmmmm.... time will tell I suppose
 
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