[criticalanalysis]

Didn’t lose the ball enough to play our midfield.

I thought he did alright. Same story.

1) He wins the ball a few times
2) Plays some progressive passes
3) Never gets it back
4) We lose the ball or it goes to Bruno, Rashford and a lesser extent Greenwood and it never comes close to some semblance of possession play
5) Reset back to 1)

He's almost painfully too progressive and sensible for his own good as he chooses the 'right' option most of the time and suffers for it because we simply don't play that way.

 

[Berbasbullet]

I thought he did alright. Same story.

1) He wins the ball a few times
2) Plays some progressive passes
3) Never gets it back
4) We lose the ball or it goes to Bruno, Rashford and a lesser extent Greenwood and it never comes close to some semblance of possession play
5) Reset back to 1)

He's almost painfully too progressive and sensible for his own good as he chooses the 'right' option most of the time and suffers for it because we simply don't play that way.

Number 3 is something I always notice, that time he got the ball and did a brilliant little shimmy and gave it to Bruno which was then wasted.

 

[allen7]

Once again a 6/10 performance

 

[darko]

Didn't he did come on for about 30 mins?

I've wanted to see more from him, but performances like that do him no favours whatsoever.

It's not hard to find out. You either remember it from the match or you can look it up after the match. He came on in the 72nd minute.

 

[moses]

Changed the game, but so would a traffic cone. Just play 3 in there Ralf old boy.

 

[moses]

Once again a 6/10 performance

Thats a MOTM rating for us!

 

[allen7]

Thats a MOTM rating for us!

Indeed

 

[HBFSTR00]

I thought he did alright. Same story.

1) He wins the ball a few times
2) Plays some progressive passes
3) Never gets it back
4) We lose the ball or it goes to Bruno, Rashford and a lesser extent Greenwood and it never comes close to some semblance of possession play
5) Reset back to 1)

He's almost painfully too progressive and sensible for his own good as he chooses the 'right' option most of the time and suffers for it because we simply don't play that way.

This keeps happening over and over again except for that Watford game where they passed the ball to him.
Also against Villa I saw him making a few good runs but none seem to see the run or want to pass it to him. Anyway, Donny is still a good player but I gave up on this whole situation. The whole environment at the club seems toxic. He needs to get out and play somewhere else but seems like the club won’t let him somehow.. They’re ruining his career.

 

[Smores]

I don't know what some people expect. He put himself about won the ball several times and was relatively tidy with decent movement.

Some seem to only think a player is decent if they're direct.

 

[Canucantona20]

I want him to get a run of games. Just a proper chance, but he’ll never get it it seems

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

It’s scandalous how bad our midfield is and how few chances he gets.

 

[Oranges038]

It's not hard to find out. You either remember it from the match or you can look it up after the match. He came on in the 72nd minute.

Thanks, that's such a relief, I can sleep well now knowing that I was only 6 mins wrong.

 

[stevoc]

Eh, wasn't terrible I suppose which probably made him one of the better players tonight.

 

[Adnan]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

 

[Hoof the ball]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Agreed with Ralf.

"bUt ItS a sIx OuT oF tEn PeRfOrMaNcE"

I hate that BS. If one man doesn't single-handedly cause every player on the side to up their game, plus directly decide the game with a match-winning throughball, it's mediocre.

All black and white, but never a grey way of looking at the game. Never any nuance, just the same old hammer and bolt analysis.

 

[UNITED ACADEMY]

Well, let's play diamond then. We can't control the game at all.

 

[united for life]

Didn't he did come on for about 30 mins?

I've wanted to see more from him, but performances like that do him no favours whatsoever.

i’d like to judge him based on a full match and proper run in the team. Getting a cameo or even 30 mins every now and then doesn’t help

 

[Foxbatt]

I am sure that there is something in his contract about United having to pay Ajax a certain amount if he plays more than a certain number of minutes. I remember a player Arsenal bought from Southampton (Oxlaide - Chamberlain) who had the same issues and the Arse fans were getting agitated because he was only getting 10 mins and nothing more occasionally and then much later it was discovered this was why.

 

[Teja]

Tweet

— Twitter API (@user) date

Yeah I agree with him but also, no shit sherlock. It was obvious that our midfield two were being overwhelmed the past few games. We are effectively 4-4-2 (wide or narrow 4-2-2-2 doesn't really matter) and it was a simple 3 vs 2 in midfield. I want to exclude the Wolves game because we always have trouble against the 5-3-2 for some reason. It was the case with Ole as well.

Anyway I thought the point of a tactically competent manager is so that these numbers don't matter that much. If he can't get it to work with willing runners like Bruno and Cavani, what does that say about when we play a proper striker like Haaland?

 

[BrilliantOrange]

Ofcourse he played it safe and tidy when coming in.. What do you think his assignment was with 18 minutes to go and a 1-0 lead... Go out there, take some risk and chances to show your worth? He came in to bring control and balance..

What do people expect when he comes in in this scenario?

 

[Volumiza]

Changed the game, but so would a traffic cone.

 

[Baneofthegame]

Ofcourse he played it safe and tidy when coming in.. What do you think his assignment was with 18 minutes to go and a 1-0 lead... Go out there, take some risk and chances to show your worth? He came in to bring control and balance..

What do people expect when he comes in in this scenario?

Him to be prime Messi apparently.

 

[Ekeke]

I want him to get a run of games. Just a proper chance, but he’ll never get it it seems

This. Unless he gets 3 or 4 games in a run we're extremely unlikey to see him play even half as well as he could

I think every player in our squad over the age of 20 has had that at some point in their United career, with Telles getting his run of games this season

 

[Ekeke]

Yeah I agree with him but also, no shit sherlock. It was obvious that our midfield two were being overwhelmed the past few games. We are effectively 4-4-2 (wide or narrow 4-2-2-2 doesn't really matter) and it was a simple 3 vs 2 in midfield. I want to exclude the Wolves game because we always have trouble against the 5-3-2 for some reason. It was the case with Ole as well.

Anyway I thought the point of a tactically competent manager is so that these numbers don't matter that much. If he can't get it to work with willing runners like Bruno and Cavani, what does that say about when we play a proper striker like Haaland?

We played 4-2-3-1 back to Ole's formation. Still 3 vs 2 for a lot of it, but at the same time Bruno's involvement is the most from an AM so he's probably a .5 making it 3 vs 2.5

Thats more presses per game than McTom and very high involvement with passes with the ball.

Now on the day he had 65% pass accuracy... Shambolic and one of the reasons we would lose control. But thats on him and how he performed, not due to us being outnumbered

 

[DJ_21]

He’s obviously a popular player amongst fans and players. You can hear every game the fans chanting his name… surely the manager has to give him a run in the team and if he does well he stays there but if not the fans will understand why he’s not playing. At the moment no one gets why he can’t get game time. There’s no wonder that when he comes on for like 20 mins theres no chemistry with team mates, they don’t know how he plays because he’s not played with them long enough.

 

[Toshey]

It really is baffling how our starting 11 is basically starring in the Manchester United musical “Les Undropables”, most of them giving shit performances one after another, and he can’t get 2 games in a row for more than a year.

 

[DanNistelrooy]

Just having the extra body in midfield changed the game in our favour - that sub should arguably have been made 10 minutes into the 2nd half because Villa were well on top.

 

[yipthatman]

Him to be prime Messi apparently.

Not quite but for sure he should be at Manchester United quality. Most of those that played are not playing at a good enough level to be fair but this is a Donny thread. I don't see what the fuss is with each manager (Ole, Carrick, Ralf) hardly picking him, he simply isn't good enough.

 

[Adam-Utd]

I think most of us are realistic in the sense that Donny will never be the match winning type of player. He will rarely come up with a moment of magic like Bruno can.

What he does do though is give us plenty of fight, determination, and good use of the ball. He's probably our only player that actually looks to slow the tempo down and get some calmness back into the match.

No coincidence that we actually got some control back once he got onto the pitch IMO. Instead of punting it 30 yards forwards, he plays some 1-2's, passes and moves into space and keeps the ball rolling.

Right now with the way our wingers are performing, i'd probably slot DVB into the CAM position and play Bruno RW, giving him a free roam.

We've seen how Sancho and DVB link up nicely, and I think Ronaldo enjoyed his quick thinking the last time they played together too.

 

[yipthatman]

I think most of us are realistic in the sense that Donny will never be the match winning type of player. He will rarely come up with a moment of magic like Bruno can.

What he does do though is give us plenty of fight, determination, and good use of the ball. He's probably our only player that actually looks to slow the tempo down and get some calmness back into the match.

No coincidence that we actually got some control back once he got onto the pitch IMO. Instead of punting it 30 yards forwards, he plays some 1-2's, passes and moves into space and keeps the ball rolling.

Right now with the way our wingers are performing, i'd probably slot DVB into the CAM position and play Bruno RW, giving him a free roam.

We've seen how Sancho and DVB link up nicely, and I think Ronaldo enjoyed his quick thinking the last time they played together too.

Honestly Adam, do you think he is at United quality? I think he is a squad player at best. Useful in certain situations (a bit like Mata) but he doesn't want that. He wants to be a regular starter.

 

[Trequarista10]

Well, let's play diamond then. We can't control the game at all.

Have wanted to see a diamond for about 18 months. It suits many of our players.

Matic holding (need a younger upgrade in the summer anyway), two of Fred, McTominay, Pogba and VdB box to box, Bruno with license to do what he wants, forwards who for the most part prefer to play centrally rather than stuck on the wing. Plus more flexibility than the 4222

 

[Foxbatt]

Honestly Adam, do you think he is at United quality? I think he is a squad player at best. Useful in certain situations (a bit like Mata) but he doesn't want that. He wants to be a regular starter.

He certainly is a much better player than what we have got now. That's the issue. Yes he doesn't get a chance to start. Give him a couple of games and if he is not better than McFred, sell him.

 

[captaincantona]

Not sure it’s THAT complicated really. For the majority of the second half we had nobody...nobody...willing to put their foot on the ball and try to actually regain control of the game. Maybe this was a ralf tactic to try and break quickly when we turned over possession but it was pretty clear that a “break” was not on every time...and yet we handed the ball back time and time again. DVB is exactly the type of player we need in those moments. Show for the ball, take a touch, calm the fuking thing down. Fred and McT look like deers in headlights sometimes and their first touch doesn’t help. One turnover and its panic stations.

 

[yipthatman]

He certainly is a much better player than what we have got now. That's the issue. Yes he doesn't get a chance to start. Give him a couple of games and if he is not better than McFred, sell him.

'Certainly' better is subjective. He has played over 1800 minutes in all Comps. Fair enough, most of that wasn't back to back games or starts but clearly the managers think he is worse than either of McFred from what they have seen. I wanted him to do well here but I just don't think he will. Happy to be wrong though.

 

[flameinthesun]

He's definitely better than he is showing but I think the reality is he's a decent footballer who in the right team/structure/formation can excel. That will not be/is not united.

He really is a slightly slower version of lingard and I don't mean that disrespectfully. The both are not amazing passers, not strong, not really dribblers but can press. VdB is nowhere as creative as bruno at 10 and id have sancho ahead of him at 10. In the mid 2 he's clearly not that good and struggles with the pace and physicality, even if he had a decent game there once.

The best option is to sell him and use the funds for a proper cm who will fit our style moving forward.

 

[Adam-Utd]

Honestly Adam, do you think he is at United quality? I think he is a squad player at best. Useful in certain situations (a bit like Mata) but he doesn't want that. He wants to be a regular starter.

I do think he's united quality yes. He is technically superb, he has a lot of fight in him which is clearly why the OT faithful have taken to him.

Obviously he has his flaws like any other, but right now I see no reason's as to why he doesn't get more minutes.

Am I expecting him to start every game? in the future probably not, but he certainly deserves a run in the side to prove if he's got it or not.

The issue is our team play such a stupid brand of football it's practically impossible for anybody to actually look like a footballer. We are a kick and run side.

We've been so used to it for a few years now through Jose and Ole, it's hard to remember what good team play looks like unless you watch other teams.

 

[yipthatman]

He's definitely better than he is showing but I think the reality is he's a decent footballer who in the right team/structure/formation can excel. That will not be/is not united.

He really is a slightly slower version of lingard and I don't mean that disrespectfully. The both are not amazing passers, not strong, not really dribblers but can press. VdB is nowhere as creative as bruno at 10 and id have sancho ahead of him at 10. In the mid 2 he's clearly not that good and struggles with the pace and physicality, even if he had a decent game there once.

The best option is to sell him and use the funds for a proper cm who will fit our style moving forward.

Has anyone actually offered a fair amount for him though? Pretty sure that's why he hasn't been let go. I think load of teams would take him on a loan but that boat has sailed I think. I thought that he should have been loaned out last season (like Lingard) if he was to have a chance at making it at United.

 

[flameinthesun]

Has anyone actually offered a fair amount for him though? Pretty sure that's why he hasn't been let go. I think load of teams would take him on a loan but that boat has sailed I think. I thought that he should have been loaned out last season (like Lingard) if he was to have a chance at making it at United.

I think I remember something about a team wanting to buy him, but can't remember the team.

Can't see an english team buying apart from maybe newcastle who would maybe buy him as a name signing. He just doesn't seem like a cm who will thrive in the prem. Maybe I'll be proved wrong.

The only thing I could see is maayyyyybe if we go for ten haag then see what he would do with him. But again even if ten haag uses the same formation he uses at Ajax, you would think still Bruno would play the VdB role better, probably Sancho too and maybe Pogba. Then you have mejbri coming through. They all seem better talents than him.

 

[Oranges038]

i’d like to judge him based on a full match and proper run in the team. Getting a cameo or even 30 mins every now and then doesn’t help

Same here. It must be hard for him to come in as a bit part player and to play well enough to make a decent impact on the game, especially when he knows no matter what, he's going to start the next game on the bench again.

Give him the same amount of game time as Fred and McT, I think we'd see a different player.

 

[Terranova]

The only thing I could see is maayyyyybe if we go for ten haag then see what he would do with him. But again even if ten haag uses the same formation he uses at Ajax, you would think still Bruno would play the VdB role better, probably Sancho too and maybe Pogba. Then you have mejbri coming through. They all seem better talents than him.

Incorrect. You can compare Bruno to Ziyech and Ziyech got moved to the wing because he lost the ball too much playing risky passes. No problem at the winger in a playmaker role. Much more of a problem in the "CAM" role, which is actually just an attacking 8. So perfect for VDB, but also for Pogba. Fred and McTominay would have to fear for their jobs though