Rafael da Silva | 2010-14 Performances

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Arruda

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Saddens me to see so many people wanting him to be sold.. One of the few players left who really plays for the badge, and not for the paycheck. It seems our fanbase demands players to give a 10/10, play every game, every year without injury or a drop in form, or be sold. No wonder people hate us, worse than fecking scousers.
That's pretty much how the fanbase of any winning club works nowadays. In the end what differentiates the clubs is what actually happens, not what fans want. And in that regard, United is at the other end of the extreme, perhaps exaggeratedly so, as the likes of Hargreaves, Anderson and Fletcher are a testament.
 

Amir

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I'm hoping he's one of many dragged down by the "Moyes factor" because yeah, he regressed badly last season.
To be fair, United hasn't been the best place for a young player to improve and prosper in the last few years. With Moyes it seems like most players were dragged down, but even before him we seemed to lose that turns a talent into a top quality player. How many talents have we turned into consistently contributing players? Evans is probably the only one in recent years. Most young players seemed to have had one good season and failed to improve on that. I don't think it's all about them.
 

Pogue Mahone

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To be fair, United hasn't been the best place for a young player to improve and prosper in the last few years. With Moyes it seems like most players were dragged down, but even before him we seemed to lose that turns a talent into a top quality player. How many talents have we turned into consistently contributing players? Evans is probably the only one in recent years. Most young players seemed to have had one good season and failed to improve on that. I don't think it's all about them.
If not them, what or who?

EDIT: I sort of agree with your general point but would be genuinely curious why you think this might be?
 

RedDevilCanuck

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Injuries are the only thing in Rafael's way from being the best RB in the league again. It's really too bad Moyes didn't rate Fabio. Fabio's problem was injuries too and also he didn't add muscle that Rafael did.

Moyes ruined my dream of having Da Silva fullbacks bombing up and down the flanks for years to come.
 

acnumber9

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I'm hoping he's one of many dragged down by the "Moyes factor" because yeah, he regressed badly last season.
Same here. People get a little carried away with him here because of his personality but he's got the tools to be a good right back. Following on from his best season, last year was a big disappointment.
 

Amir

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If not them, what or who?

EDIT: I sort of agree with your general point but would be genuinely curious why you think this might be?
Management and coaching. I don't know what's been happening on the training field but when you see the results - and how our football deteriorated over the years - you do wonder what happened there. Maybe Rene wasn't the coaching god he was made out to be.

It's easier on the management part and while it's not really got much to do with Rafael, it does with Smalling, Jones or Welbeck. Playing in different positions, rotated all the time, it's no wonder they struggled to stake a claim. Fergie didn't have the same easiness with change. I seriously wonder how the summer of 95' and the following season would have looked with the older Fergie.
 

Pogue Mahone

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Management and coaching. I don't know what's been happening on the training field but when you see the results - and how our football deteriorated over the years - you do wonder what happened there. Maybe Rene wasn't the coaching god he was made out to be.

It's easier on the management part and while it's not really got much to do with Rafael, it does with Smalling, Jones or Welbeck. Playing in different positions, rotated all the time, it's no wonder they struggled to stake a claim. Fergie didn't have the same easiness with change. I seriously wonder how the summer of 95' and the following season would have looked with the older Fergie.
Hmmm... That didn't stop Philip Neville, O'Shea, Fletcher or Brown making the most of their abilities.

Isn't it more likely that this latest breed just isn't as good as we'd hoped they'd become? (As we eventually found out with most of the more senior players I mentioned, despite being invaluable squad players)
 

m1y2

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Happy birthday Rafa.

I hate when people judging players according to how many matches they missed due to injuries. I know Anderson is extreme example of that but I like his play whenever he played, ofcourse he had some bad matches but he was great according to how frequently he played, always returning from injury..
For me Rafa is about the same but has got a little bit more luck than Ando, they both had same potential and Rafa can still reach world class. Hope the next era under van Gaal will bring in some good times in terms of our injury record which was terrible past few years.. People saying hes got poor season have no clue hes still got decent season probably was our top5 player again but surely the standard went down with overall teams performances. He was man of the match several times and yeah he made some errors and wasnt mentally there but that can happen atleast he showed character and fought well. Could have been sent of in that crazy match against liverpool but he somehow managed to stay on the pitch and still be our best player. I liked how he went for gerrard when the rest of our team was just overplayed and embarrased by them scousers. He hasnt had a poor season it wasnt just as good as the one before and missed a lot of with injuries.. because if you judge him according to that you could have said the same about Jones and Van Persie, they both had good matches and some really bad spells..
 

Amir

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Hmmm... That didn't stop Philip Neville, O'Shea, Fletcher or Brown making the most of their abilities.
Did it? I remember both Phil and O'Shea having brilliant break out seasons as left backs. After that it's becoming the chicken and the egg question. Did they start playing different roles because they weren't good enough for one role, or did playing different roles made them jack of all trades, masters of none? You could say the same of Brown. All three players looked like bigger prospects than what they ended up being... Fletcher never looked like a United played before he moved into the middle as well.
 

Get In Scholesy

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Just came into this thread to reiterate that he has been one of my favourite players at the club for the past 3 years or so. Love the guy. Been having quiet summer, hopefully that means he's been getting some needed relaxation in before the season begins. I'm also hoping he puts some injuries behind him and retakes his spot at being the best RB in the league.

By the way, I hope he never gets picked for A Seleção untill the national team sorts itself out.

Happy Birthday Rafa!
 

footballgirl07

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I think it will be a big season for him for a few reasons. No Fabio anymore and we saw how much more settled he was when Fabio had the QPR loan spell. He will get to play more the way he likes too as well. Lungbusting runs up the right side and his attacking game. Hopefully he has a good preseason and can go back to the level he was before last season. Still crazy to think he is only 24 now.
 

Robbie Boy

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Saddens me to see so many people wanting him to be sold
Not bothered trawling back through pages of posts; but is this statement true?

He has always seemed like a-bit of a Caf favourite and I would be surprised - shocked even - if plenty want to see him sold.
 

REJE

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Not bothered trawling back through pages of posts; but is this statement true?

He has always seemed like a-bit of a Caf favourite and I would be surprised - shocked even - if plenty want to see him sold.
I'm just going off my personal experience mate. The fact that we have anyone at all wanting him sold still baffles me, good fullbacks are hard to come by.
 

Robbie Boy

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I'm just going off my personal experience mate. The fact that we have anyone at all wanting him sold still baffles me, good fullbacks are hard to come by.
Yeah agreed. He has suffered with injuries and loss of form but he is a good player who has the potential to improve. He needs to cut out the the petulant fouls and sort his positioning out, but selling him would be madness.
 

Eric'sCollar

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Happy birthday to my favourite guy. Even with all the Mata love towards the end of the season, this is still the man crush for me.

Hoping for a return to his best this season.
 

DWelbz19

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What I like to see. ;)
EDIT: caption says; "Let's go two sessions. ✌✌ @manchesterunited#manchester #treinartreinaretreinar #newseason"
 

jason93

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I'm waiting for him to become "WORLD CLASS". I think he's got the potential to be the best RB in the world and a big player for Brazil for years to come.
 

GDaly95

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I still rate him so highly. He's one of our most positive players on the ball, always looking for a way forward which is refreshing. Has the potential to be quality, just needs to cut out those moments of recklessness, that's the big concern. He needs a good run in the team with no injuries as well.
 

Borys

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He has a very good habit of getting rid of the ball quickly, and that comes with good decision making. Hopefully he can stay fit, I really rate him.
 

Blue always red

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The only real mainstay in our backline when we won the title 2 season ago and people want to get rid?? WHATTTT? Last season highlighted his desire which ended up getting him injured. There are still few RB's as good as him in the league.
 

Eric'sCollar

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The only real mainstay in our backline when we won the title 2 season ago and people want to get rid?? WHATTTT? Last season highlighted his desire which ended up getting him injured. There are still few RB's as good as him in the league.
Agreed. He is a great RB, last year wasn't great but that was the story of everyone at the club. He has shown what a good player he is, he has always been improving and every week he shows just how much fight he has for the club.

Love the guy to bits.
 

footballgirl07

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Rafael relishing van Gaal link-up


Manchester United defender Rafael is relishing the start of the club’s pre-season and cannot wait to begin life under new Reds boss Louis van Gaal, who was unveiled in a press conference on Thursday.


Fresh from a four-week break in his native Brazil, the feisty right-back has set his sights on a solid pre-season campaign which he believes will lead to a better outcome than the disappointing events of last time around.

“I’m very happy to be back after pre-season, we’ve been training for over two weeks now and I’ve got used to that quite quickly again,” the defender told MUTV. “That’s the important thing [to get back to fitness very quickly], we need to get it right on pre-season and do all the things properly and look forward to the season. We all want to get back on track as last season was just not us.”

Like many of us, Rafa spent the summer soaking up all the World Cup action and was particularly impressed with the efforts of van Gaal’s Netherlands. The defender is hoping the steely Dutch boss can bring his match-winning methods with him to Old Trafford.

“I’m very excited," he admitted. "Everyone’s excited to see how he’ll be both during games and away from it. “It’s clear [from watching the boss in the World Cup] that he likes to play with intelligent players. These types of players can change games and often shift from one formation to another. He seems very good at [doing] that.”

“Some of his staff have been here from quite early on, so we have an idea of his methods, but we are all looking forward to finding out more from him.”

http://www.manutd.com/en/Tour-2014/...e=twitter&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=ManUtd
 

Kill 'em all

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When fit he's been a very consistent performer and was one of the main reason we won the 2012/2013 title so easily under Sir Alex. Like Jones he just needs to stop making those very silly reckless challenges which he often ends up hurting himself with. So many times we've seen him go off after a very silly shoulder charge.
 

Sandikan

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am always surprised at the amount of people, usually rival fans who claim he's some kind of weak link or liability.

He's top notch when fit. It's just he can't seem to play more than 8 games in a row without coming off, getting crocked.
 
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