First off, I realise my reputation probably precedes me here, but I am making this thread nonetheless.
We have racked up two wins, albeit with two fairly unspectacular performances. We have looked organised in defence but have lacked creativity and penetration in midfield and in attack, those are my 2 cents on our games so far roughly.
I spent much of last season preaching this, and I am going to repeat it here - having Fellaini on the pitch changes the complexion of the game for us (and not in a bad way) because he offers a completely different threat to the opponent. Today, and against Spurs, we barely bothered to put a cross in, and who could blame us since we wouldnt have anyone reliably getting on the end of them. However the result is that our attack becomes increasingly one dimensional. The opponent knows that they dont really need to worry about defending the wide areas because we lack aerial threat.
Enter Fellaini. His very presence forces the opponent to defend crossing areas more diligently, and as such creates more space in the middle of the park for our other players.
The big man also provides a more direct option when one is needed, as well as an outball for defenders when they need to make a clearance, rather than simply ceding possession.
Having watched Rooney's performances, and seeing what LVG appears to want from his striker, I actually think (and am prepared for the barrage of insults I get for this) that Fellaini would be a good option up front for us at the moment, which is a view I have never previously held. His holdup play and aerial threat is unmatched, he has a good workrate and will close down and harrass the opponents back line, and his short passing game is underrated in my opinion.
Considering our squad balance at the moment, it wouldnt surprise me to see LVG use Fellaini in an advanced role this season (assuming we dont buy another striker, which we still could) rather than compete in an increasingly stacked midfield, and I actually think he could do a great job for us in the current system/formation.
His defensive willingness, workrate and holdup play would allow the second striker/#10 to make overlapping runs, he provides a great option on crosses, corners and free kicks, and he is also a great asset on defending set pieces - and with Blind at CB, some extra height would be very useful in my opinion.
I dont expect this to be a very popular opinion or topic, but I would love to see Fellaini given a try up front in this system. Perhaps the biggest obstacle would be LVGs unwillingness to drop Rooney though.
We have racked up two wins, albeit with two fairly unspectacular performances. We have looked organised in defence but have lacked creativity and penetration in midfield and in attack, those are my 2 cents on our games so far roughly.
I spent much of last season preaching this, and I am going to repeat it here - having Fellaini on the pitch changes the complexion of the game for us (and not in a bad way) because he offers a completely different threat to the opponent. Today, and against Spurs, we barely bothered to put a cross in, and who could blame us since we wouldnt have anyone reliably getting on the end of them. However the result is that our attack becomes increasingly one dimensional. The opponent knows that they dont really need to worry about defending the wide areas because we lack aerial threat.
Enter Fellaini. His very presence forces the opponent to defend crossing areas more diligently, and as such creates more space in the middle of the park for our other players.
The big man also provides a more direct option when one is needed, as well as an outball for defenders when they need to make a clearance, rather than simply ceding possession.
Having watched Rooney's performances, and seeing what LVG appears to want from his striker, I actually think (and am prepared for the barrage of insults I get for this) that Fellaini would be a good option up front for us at the moment, which is a view I have never previously held. His holdup play and aerial threat is unmatched, he has a good workrate and will close down and harrass the opponents back line, and his short passing game is underrated in my opinion.
Considering our squad balance at the moment, it wouldnt surprise me to see LVG use Fellaini in an advanced role this season (assuming we dont buy another striker, which we still could) rather than compete in an increasingly stacked midfield, and I actually think he could do a great job for us in the current system/formation.
His defensive willingness, workrate and holdup play would allow the second striker/#10 to make overlapping runs, he provides a great option on crosses, corners and free kicks, and he is also a great asset on defending set pieces - and with Blind at CB, some extra height would be very useful in my opinion.
I dont expect this to be a very popular opinion or topic, but I would love to see Fellaini given a try up front in this system. Perhaps the biggest obstacle would be LVGs unwillingness to drop Rooney though.
