Marouane Fellaini | 2013/14 Performances

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What I found very pleasing about his performance was he wasn't clumsy and giving away needless fouls. I was actually scared a few times when they were in or around our penalty area he might have but, he played very smartly.

I liked the fact that he was involved but, he also needs to learn to move a bit more. Recall him asking for the ball of Rio from about 5 yards away and Rio ignored him and moved the ball up to Smalling. Also a few other times I saw him just not move into some of the space that was there - (all in the 2nd half because I missed the first) so maybe a bit of tiredness.

Definitely something there to build upon. Lets see if Moyes sticks to that front 6 for the rest of the season in the league. Certainly probably our best 6 right now.
 
Once we get proper midfield players in to play alongside him he'll do okay here. Nothing spectacular, but an upgrade on Cleverley. He's nailed on to score the winner against Liverpool in a few weeks.
 
gasmanc said:
It worked yesterday, and Palace really struggled with him, a sharper Fellaini would have likely scored. I was impressed with his intelligence, sitting when required and going forward as Mata or Rooney dropped, against a better side he will need to bust a gut to get back as you pointed out but he's not yet fit and our main problem has been breaking down resolute teams, he gave them an extra problem. Januzaj staying wide also added to Palace woes as they weren't able to squeeze play, Rafael will also add to it and as a systems first run it looks like it could work.
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Yeah I agree with all of that! I wasn't having a go at him for not sprinting back, was just commenting on his tactical role which I found pretty interesting.
 
I've slated Fellaini as much as anyone, and it's still too early to say he's going to be great, but I'm really liking the idea of him behind a front 4 with the likes of Mata and Rooney.

It takes a lot of the creative pressure off of him (I think there was too much on him before we signed Mata) and allows him to do the things he does best.
 
jeff_goldblum said:
Yeah I agree with all of that! I wasn't having a go at him for not sprinting back, was just commenting on his tactical role which I found pretty interesting.
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Yea it was a very surprising to say the least, I expected him holding but Moyes has a very different view of him indeed. I was having a go at him for not sprinting back :lol: but am prepared to let it slip this time. Perhaps using him in this manner against a back 9 is the perfect option, it gives us so many different attacking threats.
Imagine if Moyes and Marouane turn it round and save this season :drool:
 
gasmanc said:
I expected him holding but Moyes has a very different view of him indeed.
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Was Fellaini playing the way he did was really planned or it just panned out that way as the game progressed?
 
His primary role will definitely be to sit deeper but with the aerial and physical threat he offers, he will certainly get into the box at times. A tremendous option from set-pieces as well, like having another centre-back to go forward for corners.
 
Sultan said:
Was Fellaini playing the way he did was really planned or it just panned out that way as the game progressed?
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Looked planned to me, I spotted Mata pulling back towards Carrick early on and as soon as that happened off went the wig, Mata than tucked in for the duration of his foray. Same then happened with Rooney, so I assumed it was game plan, if it wasn't planned by the management team then it must have been discussed by the players. Perhaps some form of clear the air discussions between players and management in Dubai, would certainly point to why we had such a dramatic change of tactics.
 
We shouldn't really judge him yet because he's missed much of the season. We have great ingenuity through Adnan, Mata, RVP and Rooney etc. Fellaini will give us a bit of mobility taking it from a to b but give the player time. He got a lot of stick for the miss but it was his running from midfield that got him into that position and once he's broken his duck, he'll get goals
 
Striker10 said:
We shouldn't really judge him yet because he's missed much of the season. We have great ingenuity through Adnan, Mata, RVP and Rooney etc. Fellaini will give us a bit of mobility taking it from a to b but give the player time. He got a lot of stick for the miss but it was his running from midfield that got him into that position and once he's broken his duck, he'll get goals
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On evidence so far in his short United career, he seems to be the most immobile player in the squad.
 
Sultan said:
On evidence so far in his short United career, he seems to be the most immobile player in the squad.
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He actually looked pretty mobile for the first time yesterday which might be pretty telling considering he's just come back from a back and wrist problem that was probably there from his last few weeks at Everton.
 
I thought he looked good, it can only be onwards and upwards from here. However, if we are to play him against teams like City we need someone else next to him and Carrick they are too slow a pairing for pacey sides.
 
Thought he was better against Palace but he really needs to get on the end of things in and around the box. Whether that's down to service or his own game, who knows, probably a mix but it's his strength and he and the team need to start using it.
 
Had a good game against Palace. Was good defensively, and didn't give the ball away. One of his best games this season.
 
I thought he had a very good game, composed on the ball, made some timely tackles. All in all a job well done, pleased for him and the team obviously.
 
Sultan said:
On evidence so far in his short United career, he seems to be the most immobile player in the squad.
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Are you suggesting Carrick's mobile? The fact is people judging him now are basing it on what they've seen, how we've performed and what they thought prior to his move here (not to mention how much he cost). He's been injured for much of the season. The trip away will have helped with bonding and the fact he's returned but it'll be next season (with hopefully a pre season) that we'll be able to get an idea where he and where we are going. The only gripe we should have is that we paid too much.
 
ryan_forlan said:
he has been very good in his last two games for united.
@OT vs Everton
@Crystal Palace
Let's hope this continues.
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Despite getting a red card, I thought he had a decent game at Sociedad as well - he is a lot better than people have given him credit for so far, hopefully he gets a run in the team now.

My only worry is about the massive lack of pace in midfield when we pair him and Carrick.
 
Fellaini is the type of player you want in your team. With Vidic leaving, we will need someone on the pitch that no opposition player will want to mess with because he knows big Fellaini is going to spark him out. He has the potential to be a fan favorite because he is that type of midfielder that can rally the fans by putting in a big tackle or making a surging run. I am looking forward to seeing him fully match fit.
 
Stack said:
What do you mean by immobile?.
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Slow

We lack pace, and someone who can carry/dribble the ball in central midfield.
 
I thought he was promising, though not great, on Saturday. He's clearly got a bunch of problems at once - recovering fitness, lack of confidence and getting to know his team mates. However the simple fact is that the players in the squad we have who could replace him - Cleverley, Jones....Giggs? - are not awe inspiring themselves. I thought he at least showed as much as those three players have done so far this season.
 
Sultan said:
Slow

We lack pace, and someone who can carry/dribble the ball in central midfield.
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Yeah he does lack pace, which is understandable considering he is the tallest in the squad, at nearly 6ft 4in, as well as being quite bulky. The less running he does the better, because when we do get exposed up front it is difficult for him to track back, which is why I think the holding role would be ideal as it would require the least amount of running.
 
bishblaize said:
I thought he was promising, though not great, on Saturday. He's clearly got a bunch of problems at once - recovering fitness, lack of confidence and getting to know his team mates. However the simple fact is that the players in the squad we have who could replace him - Cleverley, Jones....Giggs? - are not awe inspiring themselves. I thought he at least showed as much as those three players have done so far this season.
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Indeed. Its interesting how much he divides opinion. I personaly think a lot of people have it in for him simply because of how dissapointing the summer transfer window was.

He's been an impressive performer for Everton over the years in the PL. He's not Lional Messi but he has, in my opinion, facets of his game which are useful. He's big a strong, gets stuck in and is a better passer than he gets credit for. I think he brings an edge that we lack - we're soft at the moment for me.

Whether long term he has what it takes to be a regular, the jury is still out - but people should give him a chance before writing him off. He's hardly kicked a ball all season, added to the fact that he was always going to take time to fit in to a new club and a new team. And I'd rather t have him in the middle than Cleverley or Giggs, and he offers at least as much as Fletcher does currently given where he is in his recovery.
 
Red Shorts said:
Yeah he does lack pace, which is understandable considering he is the tallest in the squad, at nearly 6ft 4in, as well as being quite bulky. The less running he does the better, because when we do get exposed up front it is difficult for him to track back, which is why I think the holding role would be ideal as it would require the least amount of running.
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Good post.

Lack of pace per se isnt a major issue if you play deep. Carrick has never been quick and it hasnt harmed him. I like the idea of him playing the holding role - he'll bring a bit of steel in there.
 
RedRover said:
Indeed. Its interesting how much he divides opinion. I personally think a lot of people have it in for him simply because of how dissapointing the summer transfer window was.
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My view is that, ultimately, he's here, we own him and he ain't going nowhere. I'd rather hope he's successful than hope he isn't. When I look at the videos of him at his best for Everton, I don't see a classic United player. But maybe he can help us through this transitional period.

We've had lots of players at United who have helped the club without being legends. Henning Berg, Ronny Johnson, Jesper Blomqvist, Paul Parker, Viv Anderson, Louis Saha come to mind as examples. Every one of those players had their moments. I suspect Fellaini will be in that category.
 
RedRover said:
Good post.

Lack of pace per se isnt a major issue if you play deep. Carrick has never been quick and it hasnt harmed him. I like the idea of him playing the holding role - he'll bring a bit of steel in there.
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Carrick is superb at reading games, and an eye for a pass. we have yet to see these qualities in Fellaini.
 
Sultan said:
Carrick is superb at reading games, and an eye for a pass. we have yet to see these qualities in Fellaini.
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I dont see the relevance - I'm not comparing them as players. Carrick isnt quick, and playing from deep (even if in a different role) means he isnt exposed as much as he would be playing higher up the field.
 
bishblaize said:
My view is that, ultimately, he's here, we own him and he ain't going nowhere. I'd rather hope he's successful than hope he isn't. When I look at the videos of him at his best for Everton, I don't see a classic United player. But maybe he can help us through this transitional period.

We've had lots of players at United who have helped the club without being legends. Henning Berg, Ronny Johnson, Jesper Blomqvist, Paul Parker, Viv Anderson, Louis Saha come to mind as examples. Every one of those players had their moments. I suspect Fellaini will be in that category.
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You're never (or rarely) going to have a side one to eleven of "classic" players. As it is he offers seomthing different to what we have - in an area hwere we lack quality anyway.

He was very succesful at Everton and deserved his chance to step up to a bigger club in my opinion. He's not been able to settle or stay fit for long enough to really get a chance. I'll reserve judgment until then.
 
Sultan said:
Carrick is superb at reading games, and an eye for a pass. we have yet to see these qualities in Fellaini.
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The difference in Fellaini's passing to Carrick's is he will more likely than not go for short, quicker passes than aim to wait to play a longer ball upfield. If you watched the Palace game, his passing was very direct to the man and passed with a lot more urgency than our CMs usually do. We had that with Anderson when he was there, where he would pass the ball quickly to the advanced man and then go, creating an option up front and encourages the team to attack more. I know I mentioned Fellaini isn't the quickest of people, but even advancing yourself with his pace can make the opposition think twice, and is a less static tactic than just sitting deep, making a pass and not providing an option up front.
 
BAMSOLA said:
He actually looked pretty mobile for the first time yesterday which might be pretty telling considering he's just come back from a back and wrist problem that was probably there from his last few weeks at Everton.
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*nods* he looked very decent, strong, not-clumsy and was far more mobile than Carrick. Should've had a goal/shot on target after his good work earlier int eh game. It really looked as though those injuries threw him for a loop - he looked more like the Fellaini I saw at Everton on Saturday. Long may his improvement continue.
 
Wasn't able to see the game at the weekend, any match comps of Fellaini's performance kicking around?
 
RedRover said:
Good post.

Lack of pace per se isnt a major issue if you play deep. Carrick has never been quick and it hasnt harmed him. I like the idea of him playing the holding role - he'll bring a bit of steel in there.
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What separates Carrick is that mind works extremely quickly. If you have a quick mind you can overcome not being quick of foot. Sadly, Fellaini has neither.

What Fellaini does have is a very physical presence. He can fukk you up pretty bad if he's in the mood for it. And when he crashes the box and it's a good cross he can score on you. THAT is where he can separate himself from the pack. But there's no way I want him shielding the back line unless it's a sensational back line that doesn't need a whole lot of help.
 
RedRover said:
Good post.

Lack of pace per se isnt a major issue if you play deep. Carrick has never been quick and it hasnt harmed him. I like the idea of him playing the holding role - he'll bring a bit of steel in there.
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It's not a major issue but it does cause problems to the overall team if you aren't very mobile - like Carrick. It leads to the static play that United have played for the last few seasons, because we had both Carrick and Scholes in there. No players to run with the ball, open themselves up and make runs off the ball. Pace isn't really the issue, its more to do with just willingness to run into pockets of space and having the energy and the right mindset.
 
I like the way he took players on and took people out of the game by doing so, it got us in between the lines and looking threatening, his miss at the end of the first half being a prime example, done the defender on the half turn and then releases RVP.
 
He's had a decent return from injury against Crystal Palace. He actually makes decent late runs into the areas where goalscoring midfielders would normally be. Plus, his physical traits are, obviously, a big plus for him.

I still question his discipline, however. He doesn't seem as intelligent, defensively, as Carrick does. More often than not, he gets too aggressive and leaves gaps open for the opposition to exploit, thus forcing him to make rash challenges. However, he has shown glimpses of intelligent positioning and controlled aggression, resulting in a few good defensive performances, this season. However, his defensive positioning is still not good enough, for me. I just hope he improves his discipline for a deeper role so that he can actually cover the gaps and take good defensive positions whilst maintaining a controlled amount of aggression in his defending. Otherwise, he's only useful going forward and breaking up the opposition's attacks with fouls.
 
I don't know whether it was planned or not, but him occupying positions in both boxes was pleasing to me apart from his general play. Still there is lot of scope to improve and Palace isn't the toughest of opposition, but he is not as bad a player as some here make him sound like. He is not the final solution to our midfield woes and yes we paid 3-4m extra but he can be a really handy option to have. Hopefully he will improve further. The last game must have given him confidence to do so.
 
A good player to have on the squad, of course. But is Fellaini the kind of midfielder you'd want on the pitch against any of the following clubs: City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Bayern, Barca or Real? Maybe Chelsea on a heavy pitch, but certainly not against a quick passing side of high quality.

I don't really care that we overspent for Fellaini, but what pissed me off about that acquisition was the lack of ambition it revealed. We can't beat truly top clubs with Fellaini in any midfield position. We can beat the Stokes and the Palaces with Fellaini, but not the Citys and the Chelseas.
 
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