Wednesday at Stoke
Full Member
For him to thrive, Pogba had to be the engine or there needs to be creativity from martial and neither was in their element. Not surprising that he didn’t generate more as he’s more a finisher rather than a creator.
he proved the manager right. He’s being eased in. good performance, and allowed Bruno to be rested. Will grow and get more game time.He did ok , did he prove that he should have been starting all along ? Nope .
To be fair to him , He’s probably not match fit but I think he needs to be used from the bench More frequently . 10 mins here and there isn’t going to help him .
Not weird at all, He needs times to involve and blend with the team. Remember how fred needed a full season to do it?Very weird player.
When he's on the ball, he makes very good use of it. A team of Donnys would've had 99%of possession.
The problem is... he isn't involved much. And off the ball doesn't exist, his pressing is very, very soft. But maybe I've just seen too much of Fred lately.
Definitely not a central midfielder though.
Yeah the people criticizing him don't seem to understand the player he is or ever has been. VdB will make everyone better around him, because his brain is his best asset and as a player he provides a movement and speed of thought that is as good as any in the world. I was really pleased as well with how he held up to the press from Leipzig, it confirmed my thoughts that he's a great asset to have in big games.Very unique, tidy footballer. He’s doesn’t create much but he is so good at bringing others into play and creating space for others to run into.. one of those players who other players love playing with!
Glad to see the diamond work tonight. I feel using this formation gives us so many options and really plays everyone in their best positron too!!!The diamond will make us extremely central unless we play Williams and Telles but it would also probably require Matic to play the deepest midfield role and screen the defence. Unfortunately, I think he no longer has the legs to perform that role at the quality we need.
We will surely see the combination at some point during the season but I don't expect them to start a game together against a strong opponent.
firstly he wasn’t £50m, it’s reported he was around £36m. Secondly, let’s give the player a chance, thought he did well tonight, and don’t personally see the comparison Ethernet him and Pereira.Not bad, but the things i'm seeing people praise him for in the match thread basically makes him a level above Pereira. Which is great, but not sure if its worth 50m yet.
Agree. In my opinion he is at the level of McT maybe, but in a position where he competes with Bruno and Pogba who both are levels higher. However give this guy a year or two and we have a top class player.He did ok , did he prove that he should have been starting all along ? Nope .
To be fair to him , He’s probably not match fit but I think he needs to be used from the bench More frequently . 10 mins here and there isn’t going to help him .
He was 40 million. Tidy performance and really helped the team tick.Not bad, but the things i'm seeing people praise him for in the match thread basically makes him a level above Pereira. Which is great, but not sure if its worth 50m yet.
They play the same position, and if Andreas could do those things like making the right decisions, keeping it simple at times and not losing the ball, we wouldn't have to sign VdB. And unless he could find a way to play deeper behind Bruno, I dont see today as a case for him to start, he's a good deputy for Bruno like we expected.firstly he wasn’t £50m, it’s reported he was around £36m. Secondly, let’s give the player a chance, thought he did well tonight, and don’t personally see the comparison Ethernet him and Pereira.
I fully agree with this.He's not a number 10, although he can play there but he'd be far more effective in a 8 - Pogba or Freds position if we play a diamond midfield.
Yeah but he has improved squad depth so much better him start or come on than James or Lingard. Yeah Grealish is a better player(I don’t think by much) Villa would of wanted a fortune this summer and we couldn’t really afford with covid and allPerhaps Grealish would do better in his position today, but in the end he always create space with his well timed passing.
Our best team should include two players from each group to give the balance we need.I fully agree with this.
Would love to see today's formation with VDB, Pogba and Bruno all starting together.
Don't know how it would hold up defensively though.