Murrr Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Jordan Henderson is pretty fuckin' excellent these days, in fairness. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Scrape a good midfield of our of Mata, Herrera, Di Maria, Januzai, Carrick, Fletch and Fellani......Your talking about 2 of the worlds top attacking mids. A warrior in Herrera and Blind and Fletch who has been mr consistent for years. Fellani can also play football, when used properly. Its hardly scraping the barrel of midfielders out there. If you started with Blind holding, Herrera infront, with Mata and Di Maria in front, you would struggle to name a better midfield in England. Liverpool are playing with Hollywood pass and Henderson. Jordan Henderson. If they can do ok, there is hope for anyone. To be fair, Henderson has come on leaps and bounds. He's had an Aaron Ramsey-esque resurgence in form. Really good player. Looks weird when he runs though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 If LvG plays as 4-3-3 Mata has to play as one of the top 3 not the middle. Same with Januzaj. I don't think he would work there at all. If I was Mata I'd be worried about my place in the team now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemonade Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Man U could have done with another defender IMO, I'd say most teams looking at their team sheet this season and seeing Jones, Evans and Blackett at the back aren't exactly shitting themselves. Losing Ferdinand, Evra and Vidic all at once with all their experience was always going to a tough one for a new manager to sort out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eupraxia Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I am also a bit of a Jordan Henderson fan. His football intelligence has come on leaps and bounds under Brendan Rodgers, specifically knowing when to expend energy; his ability to press as part of a unit; his selection of pass; and, most noticeably, his selection and timing of runs. A very effective midfielder in my opinion. Manchester United still lack balance in their midfield - Di Maria as a central box-to-boxer is all well and good, but the guy can't tackle and lacks defensive discipline. Darren Fletcher has failed to recapture any sort of form, and whilst Herrera keeps things nice and simple, he's very slightly built for a central midfielder - I don't see him bossing many games in the EPL. Juan Mata is a good player, but horrendously one-footed and, again, lacks a physical presence. He's clever, bright, and creative - but he has clear weaknesses which aren't really covered by anyone else in within the pool of midfielders at the club. The only physical presence Manchester United have in midfield is Fellaini, and he is not suited to Van Gaal's persistent philosophy. Daley Blind will be deployed in defence to begin with, so we'll see what happens with him as time goes on. He looked very good in the World Cup, though. There's something about that Manchester United midfield that makes me think they're not quite up to the top four this season. There's nobody in there that can dominate, and that has been a key problem since Keane left. They should have thrown money at Juventus for Arturo Vidal within the time frame Juventus stipulated - problem solved. There's little midfield protection in front of the back line, and of all the top 6/7 teams in England, Manchester United's defence is in the most need of protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Milner Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I think you will find Blind playing mostly as the holding midfielder. Shaw will be nailed onto start most games at left back, or Rojo will play there if Shaw is not fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 (edited) If LvG plays as 4-3-3 Mata has to play as one of the top 3 not the middle. Same with Januzaj. I don't think he would work there at all. If I was Mata I'd be worried about my place in the team now. I don't think he'd work in a front 3. He'd have to be on the left or the right, and he's not done well there. If it's 4-3-3, he'd need to be the most advanced of the 3 in midfield, close to the centre forward, like he was at Chelsea, which was more of a 4-2-3-1, but the differences between the two formations are negligible when on the pitch anyway. Januzaj will either play in the #10 position when Mata isn't, or out wide. He was a central player prior to being in the first team, but played out wide just to get minutes. It will be interesting to see where he ends up long term. Edited September 2, 2014 by Soda van Jerk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eupraxia Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 (edited) I think you will find Blind playing mostly as the holding midfielder. Shaw will be nailed onto start most games at left back, or Rojo will play there if Shaw is not fit. I sort of acknowledged that - but until Shaw is fit, I think Blind will be played on the left of defence, with Rojo central. And by 'left of defence' I mean left wing-back. Edited September 2, 2014 by Eupraxia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Milner Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I sort of acknowledged that - but until Shaw is fit, I think Blind will be played on the left of defence, with Rojo central. But Ashley Young..........Id imagine we will see more of Blackett than not this season, left footed, can play full back as well if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Blackett's emergence is surprising. Looked garbage for the reserves. I certainly don't rate him as a full back when he's played there for the U21s. He's taken to the back 3 better than Evans and Smalling though. It will be interesting to see if he can play in a back four as well, as I can't imagine the back 3 is a permanent fixture. He should still be bottom of the pecking order. Or maybe ahead of Evans. Jones > Rojo > Smalling > Blackett > Playing with 10 men > Forfeit > Evans. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Milner Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Jesus. Some United fans seem very upset that LVG has replaced Welbeck with Falcao, like Welbeck is the better player out of the two........Welbeck, the most overatted player i can remember coming through United. Has the touch of a baby elephant on ice, and the finishing ability of Darren Mackie.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 United have looked better with Welbeck playing with either Rooney / RVP than when the two big names played together. I think lots of United fans are upset to see a guy who came through the youth system and is a supporter of the team go to a rival like arsenal. I think he could have still done something for the team. Falcao is a replacement for RVP who should just be allowed to leave if Falcao's deal becomes permanent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eupraxia Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Mike Phelan has opined that Welbeck going to Arsenal demonstrates a loss of Manchester United's 'identity'. I can sort of see where he's coming from, but if Welbeck represents Manchester United's identity, then they are more fucked than I thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain America Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 You can see where he is coming from though. Not that Welbeck's quality represented Manchester United but that it's the move away from what they've been for the last 20+ years. Man Utd have been famous for it's golden generation and their youth prospects coming through. Now the team is essentially a galacticos knock off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I see it more as the situation, rather than the quality of the player. The quality of whom severely divides opinion. I personally think Welbeck is quality, but plenty don't. United forums are currently in even parts joy and despair today. But selling a valued academy player to a rival team is a weird situation. Not just an academy player, but a Mancunian, and a United supporter from a family of United supporters. Usually an academy player is sold because they are nowhere near the level required, and will usually go to a lower-midtable/championship side. Even though Welbeck's quality seems very debatable, it's not as if he was terrible. He's a very capable player. Regardless. Welbeck gets to play Champions League football, and Van Persie, Rooney, Mata, Di Maria and Falcao don't. Wild. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Milner Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 But Blackett has played all the games so far. Lingard probably would have played if he didnt get croaked in the first game. Janzuai kinda counts. Wilson will be around the first team squad id imagine. Welbeck wasnt really a golden generation player, he was more a Tom Cleverly kinda youth player. Fine if you dont really need to play him, pretty shit otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain America Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 I didn't say he was golden generation he was just part of the continuation of the theme of local players coming through. People ignore Lingard and Blackett so far as no one has heard of them yet and they've hardly set the world alight. So you can see what Phelan was saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 football is dead https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=342241292601124&set=vb.101219713369951&type=2&theater Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 So is that link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Odd, it works for me. You don't really want to see it anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paranoid Android Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 It was a short clip of someone on Sky Sports News saying that this transfer window is telling last summer's to "talk to the hand because this totaliser ain't listening" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 fuckin hell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain America Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 El Clevz is off to Villa for the season after all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soda Jerk Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Contract is up next summer, so if they want to keep him, it's pretty much a free transfer. Unless he TEARS IT UP and secures a free agent move to Bayern Munich. Likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted September 2, 2014 Report Share Posted September 2, 2014 Diego Costa is only 25. My only reaction to that that is 'wow, he looks much older'. pointless post, sorry. Any more surprising footballer ages? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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