Daniel James - Premier League's new whipping boy?

Walters_19_MuFc

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Van Dijk was pissed because Rashford outmuscled him so he took it out on James. The Matip one was ridiculous, though, but as we saw yet again, James is a tough lad. Got him and continued to work his arse off. He's a breath of fresh air.
 

criticalanalysis

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I need to see them again but I think he gets into those situations because he's fully committed all the time. It's great as he's got great effort and always pushing the pedal to the metal and disrupting the flow of the game.

However, his dribbling style and touch relies a lot on pushing the ball and running past players at the very very last second. That can only work when you're prime Gareth Bale and got good team movement around you. Otherwise, it's very high risk/reward ratio because it's easy to block off/nip the ball if his stride isn't perfect and there's no space.

Love his attitude. Hopefully when Martial and Pogba gets fit, he'll have someone to play off better.
 

Santoryo

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Don't think I need to. He's been booked twice for diving, I don't think it's outrageous to suggest he's made a meal of it a few times.
Both times he was wrongly booked, especially the second time where there was clear contact on his knee. In fact an actual kick on his knee.
 

BlueHaze

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Giggs' comments didn't help at all. Carragher trying to paint the narrative that he's a faker today too, kept pointing out that he was looking up after he went down like every other player would stare at the ground or something.
Carragher is a cretin. It's only a matter of time before he spits on someone in the studio.
 

MikeeMike

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Just to say he doesn't help himself when he holds his face when slomo shows no contact. then when he really got munched the ref does nothing. Hate faking. Maybe he feels pressure to “get away with it”. Sure he is super fast but I hope he can click on to the next level. Just get up and carry on.
 
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Frank Grimes

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Don't think I need to. He's been booked twice for diving, I don't think it's outrageous to suggest he's made a meal of it a few times.
Both times he was wrongly booked. I played as a winger and once you get clipped while sprinting it's impossible to stay up. He has never dived in any game I've watched him play in.
 

el3mel

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I'm afraid the "diver" tag will stick with him when I didn't even remember him diving that much but the media can get this attached to any player fouled a lot easily and once it happens, refs automatically become less interested in giving such player fouls and start giving every 50/50 to the opposition.

I hope the media don't do it to him.
 

Anustart89

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I'm afraid the "diver" tag will stick with him when I didn't even remember him diving that much but the media can get this attached to any player fouled a lot easily and once it happens, refs automatically become less interested in giving such player fouls and start giving every 50/50 to the opposition.

I hope the media don't do it to him.
It's weird too because it's usually foreigners they label as divers and ruining the game, but James gets labelled a diver for two non-dives whereas Salah keeps doing his thing with impunity from the press.
 

Snow

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He has dived fair a bit and falls down easily so I think opposition fans being annoyed is warranted. I can certainly imagine many people on here being angry at him if here playing for a rival.
 

Giggs86

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Ronaldo had the same problem in his first couple of seasons until he bulked up around 2007.

Wasn't a big issue back then though since we had Fergie and Quiroz off the pitch and Keane, RvN, Neville, Scholes and co on the pitch to give him proper protection and rip the refs and opponents a new one when needed.
 

SteveW

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A couple of non United supporting mates have been mentioning his diving. Don't really get where it's coming from. He's getting hacked down every 5 minutes. Narrative > reality.
 

The Boy

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He’s getting knocked all over the shop. When he really gets going he’s travelling at about 70mph so it’s virtually impossible to stay up when someone clips you.

The most encouraging thing though is that he never stops trying, he’ll get absolutely smashed and then two minutes later he’s running head on at the same massive bastard that just cheap shotted him determined to make a tit out of him.
Surprised to see you call him a cheetah, I think the lad is honest.

Seriously he was battered out there and needs alot more protection from refs and possibly his own team, when he was down after being shoulder barged by Matip(?) I was shocked when Utd won the ball back you didn't knock it out and we had to wait for a Liverpool player to put it out instead.
 

SweetRightFoot

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He's small, lightning fast and gets stuck in. That's what you expect to happen and to be fair he seems pretty much used to it. Some players go down like a sack of pig sh*t at any contact (re: Origi going down crying holding his right shin when Lindelof doesn't even put a spot of dirt on his left calf where any contact at all was) but James seems like a tough cookie and can take it. I imagine he'll get us a fair few pens this season.

We do need to keep him fit though, should be treated and rested carefully.
 

Le Red

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Hate posts like this . You know he has dived this season on more than one occasion.
Yet nobody has listed any beyond the absurd couple of yellow cards he received. He's a fighter and doesn't refrain from challenges even when he knows he's gonna be thugged. Reminds me of Messi in that particular quality.
 

Shimo

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Both of those today where he got body checked with VVD and Matip throwing their backsides into his upper body, those were proper dirty plays, knew exactly what they were doing but, maybe just right side of legal.

Ole been saying it's a man's game and James had the character to get back at it. He needs to keep doing that but, others in the team need to make sure to stand up for him and Ole needs to make sure he gets to putting it in refs minds that he needs protection.
 

Will Singh

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When your traveling at speed it's going to happen as you can't put your brakes on in time but the way he was bouncing of them today was ridiculous. He needs to beef himself up a bit or he will be picking up injuries.
 

SeeMe

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He is like a fearless kid, his type of player need to make some smart decision, can not go for every 50/50 ball, to prevent injury or prolong his football career. If not he will be another Micheal Owen
 

lsd

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Yet nobody has listed any beyond the absurd couple of yellow cards he received. He's a fighter and doesn't refrain from challenges even when he knows he's gonna be thugged. Reminds me of Messi in that particular quality.

You know there is this thing called google which works a lot better instead of just asking people you dont know to list things for you . People would be really better if they used that more
 

Abe144

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The van Dijk and Matip challenges were hard but perfectly legal. This is the Premier League isn't?
 

Moby

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It was pretty pathetic the way they hacked him all day. The teams pretty much realise the danger he presents to the opposition and that's a testimony to how well he has adapted to the league. Should be our main ball carrier.
 

SadlerMUFC

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Yeah, that was vicious out there today, more like American football or ice hockey.
Poor kid took a pounding today. Thing is, both the tackle from VVD and Fabinho were clean. They took the ball and clobbered James. Being the Canadian that I am, I will compare what he's doing to a hockey player skating with his head down. He is looking too much at the ball and not paying enough attention around him. He needs to be more aware or he's going to keep getting nailed like that. Needs to start slide tackling more. This way, instead of getting body checked, he will go under the check and take their player out and hopefully win the ball as well...
 

jackal&hyde

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No one can handle him. He scares them. See Ronaldo.
Yes, that is the feeling i get with him. He is targeted in the same way. Hopefully he sees this as the huge compliment that it is and goes from strength to strength like Ronaldo did. We have a very dangerous player on our hands and potentially a great one.
 

Denis' cuff

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It’s funny how people’s perceive things differently.

I always thought Hazard was always the most protected player in the league.

He was incredible at positioning himself to win free kicks but at the same time the refs almost seemed to put the whistle in their mouths the moment anybody got within five yards of him.

I’m not sure about the stats but I would hazard a guess (no pun intended) that he won more free kicks than anybody during his time in the premier league.

I remember at one stage, Hazard was hailed as the “most fouled player in the PL”. in other words, awarded the most fouls. You only had to breath near him. Teams eventually learned to stand off him.
 

kouroux

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Poor kid took a pounding today. Thing is, both the tackle from VVD and Fabinho were clean. They took the ball and clobbered James. Being the Canadian that I am, I will compare what he's doing to a hockey player skating with his head down. He is looking too much at the ball and not paying enough attention around him. He needs to be more aware or he's going to keep getting nailed like that. Needs to start slide tackling more. This way, instead of getting body checked, he will go under the check and take their player out and hopefully win the ball as well...
I don'y think that it says in the rulebook if you take the ball, whatever happens next, will always be a clean tackle. This has been a myth peddled by pundits and ex players for decades.

Having said that, I thought VVD's tackle was fine but Fabinho's definitely a foul. Endangering the safety of a player
 

SadlerMUFC

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I don'y think that it says in the rulebook if you take the ball, whatever happens next, will always be a clean tackle. This has been a myth peddled by pundits and ex players for decades.

Having said that, I thought VVD's tackle was fine but Fabinho's definitely a foul. Endangering the safety of a player
No, you don't have free reign to do whatever you like, but as much as these incidents would have hurt, I didn't see a problem with them...
 

Offside

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He's tiny and rapid. Always going to go flying when he collides with defenders.
 

poleglass red

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I liked those 2 passages of play where he got hit. Both tackles were very hard but fair, James went down and then got back up, no needless playacting or rolling around like he's been shot. Almost like watching a match from yrs ago, no nonsense tackling and no nonsense reaction. Good to see. I wouldn't want James taking too many hits like that though, that 2nd especially looked sore.You can only imagine the hysterics Klopp would have been doing had it been one of his players.
 

DWelbz19

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Yeah, it unfortunately happens.

Quick, skilful wide players tend to take a battering. The likes of Zaha, Hazard, and Neymar consistently top the charts for most fouled. Three pacy wingers who also tend to top the most successful dribbling charts.
 

Buster15

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He’s getting knocked all over the shop. When he really gets going he’s travelling at about 70mph so it’s virtually impossible to stay up when someone clips you.

The most encouraging thing though is that he never stops trying, he’ll get absolutely smashed and then two minutes later he’s running head on at the same massive bastard that just cheap shotted him determined to make a tit out of him.
More like 20 mph at best. He is quick but nothing like that quick.
Anyway. The thing I like is he is brave and not scared of anyone.
The thing I am not a lover of is the time he takes to get back on his feet again.
Having said that there was that time in the 2nd half where it looked like he was concussed.
A very positive signing.
 

Pexbo

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More like 20 mph at best. He is quick but nothing like that quick.
Anyway. The thing I like is he is brave and not scared of anyone.
The thing I am not a lover of is the time he takes to get back on his feet again.
Having said that there was that time in the 2nd half where it looked like he was concussed.
A very positive signing.
Ah right, so not 70mph then?
 

Baxter

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Ignore the horrible account it’s posted by but I though this was deliberate and cowardly.

 

roonster09

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Ignore the horrible account it’s posted by but I though this was deliberate and cowardly.

Yeah, that looks deliberate. He even changed the direction once he cleared the ball.