Sometimes you dont get the ball because its being used on the other side of the pitch for a while...
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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We certainly look better in CM with him in there. He went quiet a bit in the 2nd half but other than that a decent game from him. What I like so far about him is that he's not afraid to pass the ball forward into a tight space.
Imagine what we could do with a truly world class midfielder. Fellaini is good but I put him in the same bracket as Dembele - very good on their day but they are not world beaters. United should have paid about £18m -20m for him tops even in an inflated transfer market we overpaid.
I thought he looked decent in the opening 20 mins or so, then proceeded to look a bit lost, or perhaps overawed by the atmosphere. In the 2nd half he didn't seem to offer a great deal and when he was replaced by Cleverly I thought we looked more dynamic in midfield & played with more flair. To me, Cleverly looked more comfortable & the midfield looked more balanced. With Fellani there, Carrick was able to get forward more, but I think he's at his best playing in front of the back 4, so when Cleverly came on he dropped back & the midfield looked more balanced.
I can't imagine anyone paying £27M for Cleverly even though I'd say he offered more when he came on. I'll have to re-evaluate my opinion of Clev I think.
I can't imagine anyone paying £27M for Cleverly even though I'd say he offered more when he came on. I'll have to re-evaluate my opinion of Clev I think.
There was only 11 minutes left though, and it was at least 3-1 (cant remember if he came on before or after Valencia score). Bayer were pushing a bit higher up. It left space for us to counter and allowed us to be more fluid.
Fellaini done well, he done what I hoped. Between himself and Carrick, they can build a stronghold in front of our defence. This is the problem Ando and Cleverley had, they are not deep playing midfielders, or dont impressive in that role at least. Fellaini broke up play, imposed himself on the game and done the simple things quick, along with some decent play in the first half to boot. Even Ando acted too slow against Palace and fell over the ball at one stage due to him been indecisive. We have a front 4 of Kags, Valencia, Rooney and RvP to cause the damage and be our threat.
He will be an asset to us, that is for sure. We lacked that bite and grit in midfield for ages, Ando and Clev are not capable of doing this at all. That is where he is strongest and will improve us.
Fellaini did well. He did what you'd hoped.
Why are you trying to sound like a cockney geezer?
I think 'the boy done well' in the first 20 mins or so, but after that he seemed (to me) a bit overawed & faded in the 2nd half. I was surprised, when I checked, to find that he came off after 81 mins as I didn't really notice him that much in the 2nd half & thought he came off sooner.
I've said it before - Fellaini just need to do a makelele for us and allow everyone else to be creative.
I don't know why people mention the price tag at such an early stage. We get it, he cost us a lot of money, but judge him in March, or at the end of the season. It's such a generic and tedious argument. Maybe to Everton, he was worth that much. Price tags go further than what his worth is in the market... Price tags reflect his worth to a club... I thought he had a good game overall. He was solid defensively, but as mentioned, he looked out of sync for most of the second half. Nonetheless, he's started well thus far for us.
Bingo. Of course he can offer us a bit more from set-pieces and all that, and he is quite good technically already. But bar Carrick, our other central midfielders dont get stuck in, leaving us overrun centrally a lot of the time. He is a piece of the final jigsaw, not the overall midfield solution, as evidence suggests in our pursuit of Herrera.
I don't agree at all that he should "do a Makelele". We've never really operated that way before and it's a far too restrictive role.
He cost 27m, just in case anyone wasn't aware.
50/62 successful passes in the first half and 23/24 in the second confirms what most of us thought that he faded as the game went on. Understandable that he gave away more passes early on as I'm sure there would have been a bit of nerves in his first home CL game for the club. Understandable also that he faded as its probably been a tough couple of weeks physically for him getting settled in at a new club and training every day with better players around him.
Sorry Moses I didnt catch that can you repeat it again please?
He faded but that isn't surprising. What I liked was that he was in places winning balls where all too often the last few years we had no one.
The whole team pressed brilliantly in the first half, right up the pitch - it was really pleasing to see. It was noticeable how many times we forced turnovers.
I thought the whole performance dipped in the second half, but we got the goals - strange.
Yeah there were a few shaky moments alright. The goals show the quality we have up front, though. I'm liking the increased tempo Moyes seems to have instilled. The player's fitness will catch up soon enough. Good times ahead.
Correct. His purchase will allow us to play to our strengths, even in Europe.
Veron cost £28m, but I know how I think will be more useful to us.That said, I was a fan of Veron, just not in the EPL
I'm not sure he reads the game well enough or is disciplined enough to play that sort of role particularly well anyway.
Fellaini compared with Makelele. Jesus wept.
Fellani will improve..there is no doubt. He is playing with better players. We are much stronger with him.
No one really did that though. Someone was just suggesting that he should play that kind of role.
His passing ability is deceptive, granted it was a bit erratic at times (though so was Carricks), however he did play some great first time through balls that completely swepted through the Leverkusen midfield.
We have to remember he's getting used the increased intensity of our training, I think once he does he will be better than his Everton days, and as he's young he will learn a great deal of the likes of Carrick and hopefully Scholes (now that he is back and will hopefully get involved with the seniors)
Why do we have to scrutinise every last detail of his game? It's his first fecking start, most players at least take a season to bed in; let's just give him time and be done with it. Clearly the step up to European level wasn't as drastic as some made out and he'll be absolutely fine against the majority of teams.
If you rematch it Marjen you'll see how static Fellaini was when Carrick Watson the ball and the difference when Cleverly came on. Not having a go at the big guy I think he will be quality but I suspect to get the best out him it will be in a 3.
I think so too. To some he isn't the player to take us to the next level in Europe (very common phrase around here) - and they may very well be right. But the next level is surely just about the highest level - I still maintain we would've knocked Real out last season if it hadn't been for that bloody ref. If what we're aiming at is "dominating" Bayern Munich it might take more than just one player, in one position, to achieve that.
If we intend to play slightly narrower than we did under Fergie, in a 4-2-3-1 of sorts, I think Fellaini is the right sort of player - in Europe as well. A solid pairing is a safer bet than a pairing of Carrick and a highly creative sort of player - which many seem to think we need.
If, in time, we experiment more with an even narrower formation - more like a 4-3-3 - then we might look to add a purely creative, offensive midfielder to the mix: Playing Carrick and Fellaini with said player as the spearhead in the middle. That could work well, but right now I'm happy with a solid base, Rooney in the hole flanked by whoever and RVP up front. If we get that to properly gel I think we're looking at a very dangerous team.
We need an accounting sub-forum!
That doesn't sound right. Wasn't his buyout lower than that? Why would we pay more?
Nailed it. Some seem to forget we already have immensely talented attacking-minded players able to play in a narrow-ish system like Kagawa (who would have been high on our muppet list if he wasn't here already) Nani, Rooney and constantly improving Welbeck as well. Then there's Valencia who hopefully kicks on from here for good, even if he's more of a traditional winger, we can do with one in first eleven. We needed to lighten their load defensively so they can operate further up the pitch. That's the key to finally see us getting full benefit out of those players. For me, as good as Ozil is and he's top class, we needed a Fellaini more than him.
That's a fair enough point. One of Cleverley's strengths is his mobility, making himself available. But speaking of a 3, I'd actually say that Cleverley is the one who would thrive better in such a set-up. He isn't strong enough defensively to form a balanced partnership in a 2. To put it in extreme terms being available and mobile isn't the main thing required of Carrick's partner: He should find outlets further up the field - and with a solid man beside him in the middle that task should become easier.
That doesn't mean Cleverley is surplus to requirements. It's horses for courses. In a certain type of match Tom might provide just what we need. But it seems clear enough that our tendency to get overrun in the middle has something to do with partnering Carrick with players who are, simply put, too light defensively to work properly in our formation of choice.
Agreed. Rooney didn't have to do his check back into midfield and then spray the ball out to the flank routine nearly as much as usual. Reinartz was sitting deep and couldn't get anywhere near Rooney because Wayne was playing better off the ball than at any time in my recent memory.
If he helps to free up our attackers as much as he did yesterday, he will be well worth the fee in the long-term.
Ahhhhh, ye olde "keep 'em sweet", in for Barkley and Stones later, jobs a good 'un.
Well that's hysterical what's the next joke? Hahahaha
There's very little creative or difficult passes made by him unless he's trying something unnecessarily difficult like pinging it 40 yards onto RVP's toe. Which just isn't happening.
The balance between a tough pass and a simple pass and when to try it just isn't there. Doubt it ever will be.
He's not there to make 40 yard defence splitting passes.
Your last 2 posts were spot on and echo my own thoughts. We are clearly better able to contest the midfield with Fellaini instead of Cleverley. We have bossed midfield in every game we ahve played so far. This was our biggest weakness beforehand and Moyes has made the right move to address it in my view.
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