Are you for real? He tracked Aguero to the edge of the box and then just stopped, had a wee saunter around, and let Aguero stroll in unmarked. If you have a man with nobody else marking him within touching distance you stay with him. He's playing as a defensive midfielder, the role he wants to play, and part of that role is to track runners who run through midfield into your box, whether they be a forward, a midfielder or a defender. He was the closest to Aguero. He tracked him as far as the box and then left him. Its ridiculous that you're suggesting Aguero wasn't his responsibility.
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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Yeah, Fellaini was absolutely terrible for goals 2 and 3 today. Lost Toure for the goal at the end of the first half, then just gave up tracking Aguero for the third.
Oh dear.
Probably worth giving him a few months to settle in before writing him off, no?
Judging him on 1) one game 2) in his second start at the club 3) where the whole team was shit 4) against a rampant City with Toure in perfect form.. To me seems daft.
Aye good post that, I do think he can become far more than a squad player though.
On the fitness - I was just speculating really, he looked so tired/not up for it and wasn't running around with any intensity which I don't associate with Fellaini. At Everton one of his biggest issues was getting too up for games and he would end up getting booked, today he didn't seem arsed which I hope is down to fitness.
Not judging him on one game, his style of play won't change, or his technical ability. At Everton he was like an auxiliary forward at times in Moyes Hoof football.
His off the ball work has surprised me. I thought it would be better. Still settling in though so let's see how it goes.
He had a dreadful game yesterday, I am putting it down to being intimidated by the occasion and he will come good.
OK I may be talking bollocks but its either that or the other option, that we wasted £27m on a rubbish player and I refuse to believe that.
OK I may be talking bollocks but its either that or the other option, that we wasted £27m on a rubbish player and I refuse to believe that.
£27 million for a player who offers us nothing that we didn't already have, this could potentially be a disaster of a signing. You could see this coming, it's depressing stuff.
The figure doesn't fully represent Fellaini's current value... It partially represents his value, plus the value his former club - Everton - feel he is worth to them. He offers different traits to what we didn't have last season, let's not go overboard with the reaction. His height makes him valuable in set pieces - we've already seen this vs. Crystal Palace and Bayer Leverkusen. He's also a robust player, more so than Cleverley. What we lacked last season was an alternative to Carrick/Cleverley and the manager has done a job in bringing in a good player to revamp what was a problem. Fellaini is no Herrera, who we should look to be signing in January IMO, on the ball. But, Moyes' tactical selection is what lost us the game yesterday. One thing I noticed was that Manchester City were attacking down our right side and not down the middle. Fellaini was sluggish, but he wasn't as poor as some think, and the criticism he is receiving is unfair considering he's started two games for us.
One of the only positive things that the people who wanted us to sign him could offer was that he would add "steel" to our midfield and that our midfield wouldn't be so overrun and bypassed so often. He looked clueless yesterday. Positionally poor, followed the ball, rather than staying with his man (which is Anderson's biggest problem) and was bullied to put it bluntly.
Cleverley showed so much more than him in the short time in the pitch. He made two tackles to Fellaini's one. If he isn't going to break up the play, be a handful and cause teams problems as people said he would what does he bring? If he can only affect games against lowlier opposition that sits off the ball and gives our players a lot of space, then he will be a complete waste, because we rarely had issues with beating that kind of opposition anyway. Its the teams that press high up the pitch and get in our faces from the off that we have had trouble with, and it seems Fellaini is ineffective against that sort of play.
I said Cleverley>Fellaini in the summer, and I 100% stand by it. It's not knee jerk because it was my opinion all along. Completely out of his depth at the top level, and far, far from what we needed. He might well show himself against the likes of Crystal Palace but theyre the teams we would have coped fine with anyway.
Cleverley showed so much more than him in the short time in the pitch. He made two tackles to Fellaini's one. If he isn't going to break up the play, be a handful and cause teams problems as people said he would what does he bring? If he can only affect games against lowlier opposition that sits off the ball and gives our players a lot of space, then he will be a complete waste, because we rarely had issues with beating that kind of opposition anyway. Its the teams that press high up the pitch and get in our faces from the off that we have had trouble with, and it seems Fellaini is ineffective against that sort of play.
I said Cleverley>Fellaini in the summer, and I 100% stand by it. It's not knee jerk because it was my opinion all along. Completely out of his depth at the top level, and far, far from what we needed. He might well show himself against the likes of Crystal Palace but theyre the teams we would have coped fine with anyway.
It's still very much a honey moon period for some fans with Fellaini and while I will stick with him. I think that the City match showed that he fixes nothing in our midfield. He is a good addition but he isn't the answer.
I will support him and it goes without, I never was excited by his arrival. I'm hoping to be proved wronged big time.
This keeps being said. People aren't just judging him on yesterday. There are many here who didn't rate him at Everton and didn't want him here, based on what we'd already seen from the times we'd watched him previously. Yesterday was just a playing out of many United fans fears, a player they thought would be out of his depth looking woefully out of his depth.
I genuinely wish to see Fellaini turn it around, use this as a lesson and go onwards and upwards. We really need him to. I just don't hold much hope.
He was absolutely horrible yesterday but some of the reactions on here are far too OTT. His transfer fee and our lack of reinforcements over the summer mean that he is going to become a scapegoat for the forseeable future.
Just because you keep repeating it doesnt mean its true. You really do talk shit most of the time
He walked around all game. Players just strolled past him and he didn't seem to care. I really had no idea what he was supposed to be doing.
That was the most worrying bit about it for me. They say when you're not playing well, the least you can do is put yourself about and try make up for lack of quality with effort... (Rooney has before been a prime example of this) but we didn't even get that from Fellaini - who is a new signing who, you'd think, really wants to prove himself.
And it's not like being a large fecking man requires any effort on his part... and yet, I can't remember a single instance where he used his strength to any positive effect yesterday, I mean, we might as well have played Chris Smalling in there (who at least managed to push Vincent Kompany off the ball at one point!)... I jest of course, but yeah, very disappointing.
On the bright side, it can only get better for Fellaini from here... I suppose the question is how much better? I think I'll remain hopeful for now.
He still needs to settle and is not there to provide creativity. He still did a decent passing job and was no worse than the rest.
So even the greatest proponent of his signing is saying he's a less technically adept, harder version of Carrick. The problem is that we bought only Fellaini, if it had been Fellaini and a Fabregas/Thiago/Herrera then suddenly we'd have really good, different options. It's ridiculous that the club are briefing that Moyes was unsure about Thiago for below 20m and that we had no intention of paying £30 million for Herrera, if it's true then Moyes' judgement must be questioned given he spent £27.5m on Fellaini and if it isn't true then why are falsely leaking something that still makes us sound like dickheads?
I am shocked at how so much blame has been laid at this lad's door. Total bollocks.
As for ability, he is first choice starter for a superb Belgian team and that alone probably qualifies him to play amongst a team that is far too full of average players. We don't have anybody that comes anywhere close to Keane, Scholes, a young Giggs, Beckham or Ronaldo, so how on earth do people expect us to compete with the big spenders?
Without Rooney and RVP, we would be hovering around mid table....... even as low a 8th!
As for ability, he is first choice starter for a superb Belgian team and that alone probably qualifies him to play amongst a team that is far too full of average players. We don't have anybody that comes anywhere close to Keane, Scholes, a young Giggs, Beckham or Ronaldo, so how on earth do people expect us to compete with the big spenders?
Without Rooney and RVP, we would be hovering around mid table....... even as low a 8th!
He's going to be good for us I feel - but he's certainly no Keano.
People are going overboard with Fellaini. He needs time to settle before we can start writing him off. He was decent against Leverkusen, but awful yesterday.
What I don't like, however, is when managers bring players from their old clubs, especially from lesser clubs. Two reasons for that; first, that it's downright mean towards your previous club, and second because there are few guarantees that even the best players from a lesser club will improve a much better team.
Fellaini has some interesting attributes, but can look a bit static at times - especially alongside Carrick who can also appear stationary.
What I don't like, however, is when managers bring players from their old clubs, especially from lesser clubs. Two reasons for that; first, that it's downright mean towards your previous club, and second because there are few guarantees that even the best players from a lesser club will improve a much better team.
Fellaini has some interesting attributes, but can look a bit static at times - especially alongside Carrick who can also appear stationary.
I'm sure all of you lot absolutely smashed the shit out of it from day one when you've moved to new, more senior jobs.
You can focus on the negatives or the positives here. Something definitely seems to have gone wrong this summer in the transfer department. We don't know exactly what and we don't know to what extent Moyes is to blame. What is undoubtedly positive, however, is that he has realized the need for strengthening CM. What you say is true enough: The problem is that we bought only Fellaini. He alone is not enough to magically transform our midfield into one of Europe's finest, clearly not. He is, however, nevertheless an improvement on what we had. And if you ask me Moyes' original intention was to get in Fellaini, Baines and another midfielder. Given the names we have been linked to I think it's safe to say this other fellow was intended as the big signing.
It fell through and we were left with Fellaini, a decent player but no world beater. As long as Moyes has no illusions about what kind of player Fellaini is, I don't see the problem here, frankly. And I don't think he has any such illusions. If you intend to play hoof ball and think Fellaini is the dog's bollocks (as some fear Moyes does) it would seem strange indeed to pursue the likes of Fabregas as well. Being in for him doesn't suggest any "mid-table mentality", rather the opposite.
Again, we clearly fecked up to an extent in the transfer market - but there is no reason to think Moyes' intentions weren't good. And Fellaini is an improvement on what we have, he adds something different, gives us another option. His price and the fact that he is not Fabregas doesn't take anything away from this fact. We will just have to wait until January or next summer before that world beater arrives.
We just have to take Fellaini for what he is. Waiting around for him to emerge as a the solution to our problems is pointless. He isn't the solution and there's every reason to think he wasn't intended to be either. The keyword is patience. We have been light in the CM department for years. Fellaini is a step in the right direction. Rome wasn't built in a day.
Indeed. Needs to be cut a bit of slack. He was rubbish yesterday - along with pretty much everyone else, apart from Rooney who carried the fight on his own for long spells.
Fellaini needs a bit of time to adapt, coming into a new side and into a new role and new system.
Im not sure what the point of that comparison is. Not many players are as good as Roy Keane who was one of the best players to pull on a United shirt. If he achieves half of what Roy did in his time at United he'll be doing alright.
The comparisons are because he said himself that he wants to be like him. Most seem to have read it as "Fellaini says he *is* the next Roy Keane". What is life without overreaction? I mean, really, new player at club expresses desire to be like club legend who plays similar position, of fecking course he does.... Then again, some people are still pissed at Gibson for not being Scholes.
I sure as hell tried harder than he did yesterday.
Bollocks
Don't crucify him for being slightly out of his depth in his second start for United away at City.
Fair enough he knows the league and should fit in sooner than a foreign player and sure it's okay to say he was poor, but reading stuff like "he shouldn't be a starter" or "he should be Carrick's backup, not partner"...really? Give the big lad some time to settle into this team, this system and the massive club.
Young, Rio, Evra even Carrick, they were as bad if not worse and they're the ones you expect to do their jobs given their status at the club over the last few years (even though Rio and Young have been awful all season so far).
Fair enough he knows the league and should fit in sooner than a foreign player and sure it's okay to say he was poor, but reading stuff like "he shouldn't be a starter" or "he should be Carrick's backup, not partner"...really? Give the big lad some time to settle into this team, this system and the massive club.
Young, Rio, Evra even Carrick, they were as bad if not worse and they're the ones you expect to do their jobs given their status at the club over the last few years (even though Rio and Young have been awful all season so far).
I bet he had no idea how intense it was going to be, I have a feeling it's something that can't be explained without experiencing it.
I still don't see the point. Players say loads of things - its just soundbites. Comparing current players to past and former players is, for me an utterly pointless excercise - especially where the ex player in question was one of the best midfielders in the world in his prime.
Anyone expecting him to be anywhere near the standard of Roy Keane will probably be dissapointed, but it doesnt mean he cant have a succesful career at the club. Probably not wise comments on his part.
Either way it's no excuse for a seasoned professional.
Thats what i'm saying, people who are claiming he was stunned by the ferocity of the derby as though he had never been in a derby match of any sort before.
He should be at Chelsea Arsenal derby games, we give those riff raff a jolly good speaking too for the full 90 minutes!
Depends on whether you are upto the job
I don't have much of an issue with him being off the pace in only his second start but the problem is the flaws he displayed where the ones that were pointed out previously by fans and managers alike, and they're pretty big flaws for a defensive midfielder:
Those are both spot on and that's why I never saw Fellaini as an alternative to Carrick - he just isn't suited to the holding role in front of the defence because he doesn't read the game anywhere near good enough. Someone compared him to Makelele just the other day, and again its an awful comparison because he doesn't have close to the same positioning or defensive awareness.
That said I don't see it as an issue when he's with Carrick. As long as someone is holding in front of the defence you're fine, no team needs two. Defensively Fellaini is much more of a ballwinner - and that is what went wrong yesterday. The issue for me isn't that he wasn't positionally astute or racking up interceptions, because that isn't his game. The issue is that he didn't come close to dominating the midfield battle or getting close to stopping Toure dictating the game.
The good thing for me though is that he can do those things - it was just a shit game from him.
In Fellaini's defence Aguero was actually moving off the ball which is something he probably hasn't experienced in training since joining us.
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