Nani

If you added all the ratings out of 10 over the course of a season I'd have Nani quite a bit ahead of Rooney. They both have an unbelievable top level, but Nani reaches this level more often, is much more consistent and has a much better bottom level. When Nani is at his worst he can still produce a moment of game winning genius, when Rooney is at his worst you can totally write him off.
 
As I said in the matchday thread, Nani isn't the type of player that likes going off the boil. He's either 100% on the job, or not at all. Part of his early career issues was that he was either too selfish, or not focused enough. At the end of the 2nd half, he picked up again, and we scored two goals.

I can partly understand where Pogue is coming from. Nani had a fair dip in performance in the second half, although I can't agree he wasn't man of the match. Yes football is played over 90 minutes, but when you contribute to nearly every goal in a positive manner, it's hard to vote against you.
 
You must be joking

Nani is quality but Rooney is overall a better player. We would miss Rooney much more than Nani

Why must I be joking? Really Rooney is bigged up way too much on here. Hes a great player, but Nani is better.

Nani was our player of the year last year - our most important player. This season he has also been more influential than Rooney. I dont understand how a prolonged spell of at least one and a half seasons where Nani has been more influential, consistent and generally more dangerous than Rooney makes it a "joke" to think he is the better player.

Nani always looks dangerous as well, even when off the boil. You just know he can always do something dangerous, take on his man and create something or get a great cross in, even if not much has worked for him in a particular game. When Rooney has an off game he is just outright useless.
 
Why must I be joking? Really Rooney is bigged up way too much on here. Hes a great player, but Nani is better.

Nani was our player of the year last year - our most important player. This season he has also been more influential than Rooney. I dont understand how a prolonged spell of at least one and a half seasons where Nani has been more influential, consistent and generally more dangerous than Rooney makes it a "joke" to think he is the better player.

Nani always looks dangerous as well, even when off the boil. You just know he can always do something dangerous, take on his man and create something or get a great cross in, even if not much has worked for him in a particular game. When Rooney has an off game he is just outright useless.

This. It makes me think of his goal against Bursaspor. There were times last season where he carried us. I guess it's just easier to rally around a talismanic striker
 
I agree that Rooney is worse when both are off form. This is why many dont count him as a world class player, cause Messi and Ronaldo, eventhough they are off form, keep a certain level. Rooney at his worst is pretty bad while Nani still can be dangerous
 
As I said in the matchday thread, Nani isn't the type of player that likes going off the boil. He's either 100% on the job, or not at all.

Can't agree with that Marchi, that was the Nani of old.

These days, even when he's "not on the job", he more often than not creates goalscoring opportunities.
 
Can't agree with that Marchi, that was the Nani of old.

These days, even when he's "not on the job", he more often than not creates goalscoring opportunities.


That's what I mean when I said he switched on. You can see it. He was useless up until that Welbeck miss. Giving the ball away cheaply etc, and then he switched back on and tore Fulham a new one.
 
That's what I mean when I said he switched on. You can see it. He was useless up until that Welbeck miss. Giving the ball away cheaply etc, and then he switched back on and tore Fulham a new one.

When was the Welbeck miss? Because he assisted the first goal on five minutes, scored the second and assisted the third on the stroke of half time
 
When was the Welbeck miss? Because he assisted the first goal on five minutes, scored the second and assisted the third on the stroke of half time

I think he means the Welbeck chip where Nani played him clean through with a lovely ball.

Do I agree that he "switched off" for a very short while at the start of the second half, well maybe, but it had much to do with our entire team taking their foot off the accelerator.
 
I stated a few posts back that I think Nani is the most talented player playing outside of Spain.

I stand by that.

But for some saying that Rooney can look like a Pub player is feckin stupid.

He was terrible in the first half of last season and we all know why. He also goes on barren spells too.

But he hasn't been terrible at all during this last barren spell and pasts ones. He was bad against Basel though.

He stepped into midfield and was actually good if you ask me. It's not an easy thing to do at all and Rooney has done this many times in his career ( playing on the left, playing as lone striker, playing as support striker)


Let's not compare the two. Nani is the more electrifying, Rooney is the conductor.

Both are in form, and long may it continue.
 
Can't believe he scored a header. He has a head like a 20 pence piece.
 
Can't agree with that Marchi, that was the Nani of old.

These days, even when he's "not on the job", he more often than not creates goalscoring opportunities.

Was thinking the same. He's the one player we have who I think that if he gets the ball he can produce a bit of magic with it, even if he's not at his best.

He's far better in that aspect than someone like Rooney, Berb, Valencia etc.
 
When they are both in poor form, Rooney will be more involved. He'll get on the ball more and make more passes, he'll be making more challenges and so on.

However, Nani is the one more likely to actually get us a goal and drag us kicking and screaming into the winners circle.

But instead of comparing them, we should be enjoying them. As long as one of them is in form we're normally right to carry on. And if both of them are in form, god help the opposition. :devil:
 
I think he means the Welbeck chip where Nani played him clean through with a lovely ball.

Do I agree that he "switched off" for a very short while at the start of the second half, well maybe, but it had much to do with our entire team taking their foot off the accelerator.

Yea. Way different going into the 2nd half 3-0 up than 1-0 or 0-0. We wanted to calm the game down and Fulham wanted to drive up the tempo and force mistakes. Thankfully AJ wasn't better than he was and we made a meal out of our counter attacking in the latter part of the 2nd half.
Nani did as much as a player can do in one game.
 
Yeah, they both completed 38 passes (Rooney's completion % was higher, mind you)

Rooney also took more shots and made more tackles.

A bit random but Valencia completed more passes than either of them and Welbeck passed the ball the most accurately of anyone.

EDIT; Carrick's passing stats were ridiculously good. Giggs none too shabby either.

Nani is a winger which means many of his passes are crosses which don't find a player of the same team often no matter what team.
 
Nani is a winger which means many of his passes are crosses which don't find a player of the same team often no matter what team.

Well yeah exactly, take that brilliant cross he put in to Valencia, that was an uncompleted pass!

There was hardly any difference in the pass completion anyway, Pogue really is splitting hairs with that, Nani was about 87%, Rooney 90%.
 
Nani has more skills and can turn a game on his own but after watching Otelul and Sunderland Rooney still is the one for me. Team were playing shite in those two games but still Rooney managed to shine. Nani would never been able to do that. When the team is on form there is not many players better than Nani though.
 
Nani has more skills and can turn a game on his own but after watching Otelul and Sunderland Rooney still is the one for me. Team were playing shite in those two games but still Rooney managed to shine. Nani would never been able to do that. When the team is on form there is not many players better than Nani though.

Absolute garbage.
 
OK then I was wrong


there is a first for everything

Ha ha, that was certainly a first on the caf. I had to rub my eyes.

Regarding the Nani, Rooney combo, I think they are both brilliant players, and we'd be a much worse team without them. When these 2 are on form I think we're still the second best team in the World.
 
He's learned to head in corners by watching every one of his corners headed away by the first defender for the past 4 years.
 
Remember telling some non United supporting friends that Nani would be better than Ronaldo after he got subbed after having a mare up at Stoke a few years back. They laughed at me and although my prediction hasn't quite come true at least he hasn't left me looking like a complete and utter cock, well in Nanners.
 
Great to see Nani get the accolades his performances deserve by winning the Sky Sports Rigged Poll Player of the Week, well, before Midnight on the 22nd December, Anyway.
 
I think saying that Nani would ever be better than Ronaldo was a very bold prediction. They had similar paths at the early stages of their career, but for me, the way Ronaldo then suddenly developed into being one of the world's best players was a bit of a one off. Nani will continue to improve, I have no doubt about that, but I don't think he'll develop into a Ronaldo-esque player. I certainly doubt that he'll be able to add the same number of goals to his game as Ronaldo scores.
 
I think saying that Nani would ever be better than Ronaldo was a very bold prediction. They had similar paths at the early stages of their career, but for me, the way Ronaldo then suddenly developed into being one of the world's best players was a bit of a one off. Nani will continue to improve, I have no doubt about that, but I don't think he'll develop into a Ronaldo-esque player. I certainly doubt that he'll be able to add the same number of goals to his game as Ronaldo scores.

It was bold but at the time I felt Nani was quicker and stronger on his day as well as being more comfortable on either foot, he can do it still I believe, Ronaldo's consistency is unbelievable but he's been given free reign over the last few years, I think Nani could get 20 goals a year in a more central role. I think the massive difference between the two is the mentality, there's not much in it ability wise for me anyway. Note that this means I feel Ronaldo is better than Nani, don't get it twisted yo.
 
I didn't say it was a big gulf at all, seeing as I've been stressing of late that Nani is almost as important to the club as Rooney is.

I think Nani has definitely been showing that he can be better than Rooney, and possibly more important but right now I still think Rooney is the better player, but not by any big distance though.

But when you look at the progress level of Nani compared to Rooney in the last few years then of course he can become the better player, he's also far more consistent too.

If it's that close (which it is whichever way you lean) then that opinion hardly warrants responses such as 'easy now' or 'you must be joking'. This is hardly a zidane or a messi were comparing him to.
 
If it's that close (which it is whichever way you lean) then that opinion hardly warrants responses such as 'easy now' or 'you must be joking'. This is hardly a zidane or a messi were comparing him to.

:confused: I think you're taking the words "easy now" a bit too seriously here.
 
Nani has more skills and can turn a game on his own but after watching Otelul and Sunderland Rooney still is the one for me. Team were playing shite in those two games but still Rooney managed to shine. Nani would never been able to do that. When the team is on form there is not many players better than Nani though.

How about Basel where no one except Nani seemed wanting, willing or able to do anything? Thats including Rooney, who didnt do anything of note aside from missing an open goal sitter.
 
I think saying that Nani would ever be better than Ronaldo was a very bold prediction. They had similar paths at the early stages of their career, but for me, the way Ronaldo then suddenly developed into being one of the world's best players was a bit of a one off. Nani will continue to improve, I have no doubt about that, but I don't think he'll develop into a Ronaldo-esque player. I certainly doubt that he'll be able to add the same number of goals to his game as Ronaldo scores.

But then again, Ronaldo is a one-in-a-generation kind of player. You don't need to be as good as Ronaldo to earn the world-class tag. Nani is our best and most talented player.
 
I think saying that Nani would ever be better than Ronaldo was a very bold prediction. They had similar paths at the early stages of their career, but for me, the way Ronaldo then suddenly developed into being one of the world's best players was a bit of a one off. Nani will continue to improve, I have no doubt about that, but I don't think he'll develop into a Ronaldo-esque player. I certainly doubt that he'll be able to add the same number of goals to his game as Ronaldo scores.

They're just extremely different players nowadays. Nani's ludicrously talented, though - he could be every bit as good as Ronaldo. His build up play, for one, shits all over Ronaldo's at the moment, and that's not just because of the difference in role. He's certainly a better dribbler, and his crossing is quite something when it's on form. His ball retention, for me, is also superior to Ronaldo's.

Ronaldo's the better goal-scorer, obviously, but Nani's creativity is of the very highest order. It must be an absolute nightmare trying to defend against his dribbling and crossing. He's a very unique player, really.
 
Do people remember when he was sat out in the cold before he started his transformation. Christ, imagine if Fergie hadn't trusted him and shipped him off when people had enoug hof him. Wouldn't be a fraction of the player he is now had he left.