that makes no sense since we're just as shite when he doesn't play, Olympiakos for example. At best you could lable that accusation at Carrick instead of Fellaini, and even then I still don't think it excuses someone like Mata being as inept as he was.
Marouane Fellaini | 2013/14 Performances
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that makes no sense since we're just as shite when he doesn't play, Olympiakos for example. At best you could lable that accusation at Carrick instead of Fellaini, and even then I still don't think it excuses someone like Mata being as inept as he was.
Not his biggest fan but don't think he deserves to be singled out from this game as he seemed to win the ball back a fair bit for us at least. Anybody got any stats on his tackling?
Can you envisage a title winning team that regularly plays Fellaini in the midfield? No chance.
Can you envisage a title winning side with Carrick? Yes, we've seen them. With Mata? Yes.
Why do you think he does't make changes when they're even obvious to us novices?
Agreed.
Yep, 9 tackles in 70 odd minutes of football.
We've also seen it with Cleverley, Valencia 2.0., Ashley Young, Darron Gibson, we're to witness it with Torres 2.0.
Your point ?
Absolutely!
Think he was not bad... others were worse.....
i) Team Selection--> Rooney should have played from the left.. we should have played 4-3-3 with may be Cleverly coming in the 3
2) defense --. Sad to say but Vidic and Evra are old now..
3) Offense.--> something is not working... how can RVP-Rooney-januzaj-Mata not click..
Too many issues.. Felliani was not bad..
i) Team Selection--> Rooney should have played from the left.. we should have played 4-3-3 with may be Cleverly coming in the 3
2) defense --. Sad to say but Vidic and Evra are old now..
3) Offense.--> something is not working... how can RVP-Rooney-januzaj-Mata not click..
Too many issues.. Felliani was not bad..
We won the title last season with Cleverley in midfield so that's a mute point.
You can't blame Fellaini for United being as shite as they were today, when they've managed perfectly fine to be just as shite all season without him.
I don't think I can imagine a United team winning a title with Mata either, to be honest. Not unless he hugely bucks his ideas up. At the moment he's just proving why Chelsea felt the need to get rid of him in order to try to.
Thought this match highlighted the basics that we just can't get out of him. I mean, the least he can be is a physical presence but players like Allen and Flanagan were bullying him at times when they were fighting for position. He got his foot in a few times to break up play but it seemed as though he made it his mission to foul a player when given the chance.
He wasn't horrible, he was poor but I think it more just highlighted the issues we have and why it looks like it just won't work.
He wasn't horrible, he was poor but I think it more just highlighted the issues we have and why it looks like it just won't work.
No idea. It's like he's sulking or has just given up.
He sees something isn't good enough and either has no idea how or no inclination to do anything about it. Either way it's time for the door the second that starts happening.
I thought he was dire. Not the only terrible performance but the centre midfield simply failed to do the basics.
One of those tackles should have resulted in penalty.
I sense negativity and any stat could be used as a stick to beat somebody with, any relative comparisons?
What are you talking about?
I'm not negative in the slightest about Fellaini and nine tackles in 70 minutes is absolutely brilliant. It's around triple what the best ball winners in the league achieve in 90 minutes.
Well this would have been the point I'd have been making next if you were being negative, as your post could have easily been misinterpreted.
Have you been drinking? How could pointing out an excellent stat be interpreted as negative?
Without knowing the average amount per tackles per game to be expected from a ball winner, this stat could easily be misconstrued by a reader. Anybody else reading your initial comment without this knowledge could easily misinterpret it as having a condescending tone.
To get back to the original point, your stats would support my suggestion that Fellaini put a few tackles in today.
Stats show what a player does, not what he doesn't do. And in all honesty, he didn't really do anything that suggested he could do a job in a big game for us.
I would agree, but if they weren't naive enough to do that, they wouldn't have been naive enough to not change it for 70 minutes. It would have been sorted as soon as it started happening.
You also wouldn't believe they'd be naive enough to play two holding midfielders and then have both forwards playing right up top, but guess what?
And Mata didn't have any defensive responsibility that any other player wouldn't have had in his position just the same. I don't understand why he apparently qualifies for some special exemption. His performance was completely unacceptable.
Basically, this happened again:
It did pretty much look like this. That's not Fellaini's doing though.
Thereinlies the problem for me with Fellaini I think as I was always expecting him to be a useful tool in the big games. Although I don't rate him and think he isn't the man for our system, I was hoping he could put himself about a bit and give us some physicality in the bigger games. He was never going to be of any use in the smaller games where we pin teams back and dominate possession because he is just not of the level required in possession. He doesn't even seem to win that many aeriel battles for me for a player of his size and his constant movement towards the back post whenever we gain possession not even anywhere near the 18 yard box on the wing just leaves so much space in the middle for us to be countered.
If he can't play a role in possession based play against the smaller teams and can't be the warrior we need against the better teams, then I worry about his effectiveness long term. That said as previously mentioned on this thread he did put a good few tackles in today and doesn't deserved to be singled out for the performance imo.
9 tackles is great, mate. Usually top defensive CM's average around 3/4 a game.
Are people suggesting number of tackles is related to how good a CM is? Lee Cattermole will be winning the Ballon D'or on that basis.
Regaining possession is better than not regaining possession. Or am I taking crazy pills? I'd rather have Fellaini's 9 tackles than Carrick's invisible man act.
Usually I'd stick up for Carrick as at his best he protects the defence in a different way to that of tackling, closing off the passing angles and channels. However, this season I'd find it hard to argue with anybody about his poor performances.
Bringing up how many tackles he made was not intended to say he had a brilliant game, just wondered if there was evidence to support the initial view that he did indeed win the ball back a fair few times. At least its an improvement on the nothing he done until recently.
Fellaini was definitely better than Carrick today but the issue is that at least Carrick used to be good enough, Fellaini never has been. He's not mobile enough, not technically good enough and he doesn't know where to stand. If we had a couple of outstanding midfielders with Fellaini to use when we played 3 in there or when we had injuries that would be really good but the reality is he's not of the level we should be aiming for as a starter yet we've spent almost £30 million on him.
The price tag and that he's been brought in by Moyes from Everton are why people are being so negative, the truth is he was pretty poor but nothing like our worst player in what was an inept performance even by this season's standards.
Fellaini played well today Carrick was poor as was our Two centre halfs. And going forward we have no cohesion whatsoever.
He did okay today.
"He's playing Mata out of position, Fellaini has never looked like a United player"
Jamie Rednapp - Daily Mail 17/03/2014
Jamie Rednapp - Daily Mail 17/03/2014
For me it's still too early to reach any sound judgement on Fellaini. My only comment so far is that he might need to be sharper when moving the ball - the extra split-second he seems to take for each touch gives opponents a chance. Think he's been OK, relative to the rest of our season...
Thought he did ok but have to admit Carrick was poor and often non-existent in midfield.
Felli was poor today but anyone who didn't expect him to be exposed vs a counter attack team should have their heads examined. Quality player, but not the game for him
He's not a quality player, he's a decent one who shines better in a small pond. We've been looking for a quality midfielder for years and despite spending £27m on one, we didn't really get the right player hence why we still need to sign at least 2 maybe 3 quality midfielders in the summer.
We'll struggle to get back to the top end of the league with Fellaini in midfield. He's ok for now as we have no one else and he shouldn't be played in a 2 man midfield either.
We'll struggle to get back to the top end of the league with Fellaini in midfield. He's ok for now as we have no one else and he shouldn't be played in a 2 man midfield either.
He didn't play to bad, though I did find it surprising the see him getting muscled off the ball quite a few times
Just about sums it up. He's really a journeyman footballer - certainly not one of outstanding quality. He was bought when Moyes' whole outlook was still very much Everton style. Perhaps it still is. Fellaini was a mistake and so was his manager it seems. As the latter digs a bigger hole for himself with each passing week, but still supported by his mentor, its difficult to see an easy way out of this mess.
I've said it earlier, he doesnt have the balls to replace the big names.
Yes! Will always suffer against quick counter attacking teams due to his lack of pace. I don't like the fact he seems to calmly jog back into position rather than bust a gut for the cause.
On the face of it he was one of our better player's. What is most infuriating about him though is that on 3-4 occasions (every game) he was 5-10 yards behind a Liverpool player whilst they were attacking and instead of running to put pressure on them, he ambles back as if we're 4-0 up. I know he hasn't got the engine or mobility of a Makelele, but the minimum expectation has to be busting a gut for the cause, particularly in a game like yesterday.
He'll always get stick though because he epitomises everything that is wrong with the Moyes era. Lump it from the back to the head or chest of the big man in the middle and for this he is perfect. Unfortunately this tactic is very regressive and Fellaini will be the seen as the reason we employ it, when in actual fact we've tried it all season with or without him. Rooney, RVP and Cleverley have been utilised unsuccessfully in this way (which is obvious given their skill sets).
He'll always get stick though because he epitomises everything that is wrong with the Moyes era. Lump it from the back to the head or chest of the big man in the middle and for this he is perfect. Unfortunately this tactic is very regressive and Fellaini will be the seen as the reason we employ it, when in actual fact we've tried it all season with or without him. Rooney, RVP and Cleverley have been utilised unsuccessfully in this way (which is obvious given their skill sets).
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