[Rowem]

I think he'd do a lot better in CM if he was paired with Schneiderlin than Carrick, as Schneiderlin would cover for him more and there would be less need for Herrera to into so many tackles.

That said, he should clearly start at 10 for now.

 

[Raw]

He should be rotating with Fellaini for that #10 spot. Not only can he influence attacks, he can link up play between midfield and forwards.

 

[the hea]

Showed today that he is not one for the holding roles but in a more offensive role he can really excel hopefully he gets to start in the n10 role on Sunday.

 

[Annihilate Now!]

I just knew he'd do really well in the second half and score... delighted for the bloke. He's a much better option in there then Adnan in my opinion.

 

[Yorkeontop]

Started off shabbily no doubt but he brings something we don't to have anywhere else. Also seems to be quite vocal and demonstrative which is nice to see.

 

[Escobar]

A bit more advanced he's just a different player. Happy that he made up to a poor first half

 

[Mali_Zeus]

Yup, he should start vs Swansea in the same position he played in the 2nd half today.

 

[DWelbz19]

Great second half. I love his striking technique, he almost always caresses the ball into the net.

 

[chetan]

He shouldn't be played in a holding role in a 4-2-3-1 unless there is an injury crisis. Either play him in a 4-3-3 as last season or as #10 as second half today.

 

[Ish]

should play in the advanced role of a midfield 3. We play much better with him in the team.

 

[itso 7]

Him and Schmidfield is the way to go but we will see that in December/January with the title all but gone. Was very poor in the first half but recovered well in the second.

 

[sincher]

OK he looked rusty first half but showed what he is all about second half and brought proper balance to our attack. More please.

Looks like our best option on the right to me. Mata in the middle.

 

[kafta]

Glad for him. Fantastic player to watch,many makes our team click when he's playing as a 10

 

[Yorkeontop]

He pleasantly surprised me as a 10. I dare say he was taken off to protect him for the weekend.

 

[facund]

Might have snatched the MOM if he had stayed on but his sloppy first half worked against him.

Clearly not comfortable in the deeper role where he looked a little lost as to what he was supposed to do. A completely different player once he was given the freedom to drift and the openness of the game really suited his aggressive passing.

Linked play infinitely better than Januzaj, held the ball well and made good runs beyond the striker. I like Adnan but if Herrera shows the same form in future games then he really should be starting there for the rest of the season.

 

[ThanksBoss26]

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[sullydnl]

Had a nightmare first half but improved in the second. Wouldn't read too much into it either way.

 

[Mockney]

Really smart man management from Louis tonight I thought. Most people - myself included - would've taken him off after that first half, even though it could've destroyed his confidence. The switch to accomodate him might not have been left field genius or anything, but it still wasn't the obvious one. LVG's been good with his subs this season, but largely 'cos they've been more straightforward than some of the "outside the box" gems of last term. This was a proper managerial move, that worked. Not just in team terms, but in transforming a nervy, out of favour player's form and confidence instantly.

 

[a_devil_inside]

As the analysis said he was poor first half but once he got more forward in the second half he was much better, nice finish for his goal too

 

[WyoManU]

Was absolutely awful in the first half. Repeatedly gave the ball away, made passes to nowhere and was out of pace with a fairly slow match. Full credit to him though that he came back in the second half and got his chance to play higher up the pitch and did well. He clearly lacks full match fitness, but I think he can be more influential in there than Adnan is looking right now.

 

[Acole9]

It was like watching a different player in the second half, he was shocking in the first half.

 

[gooDevil]

That's my boy!

 

[gooDevil]

Looks like our best option on the right to me. Mata in the middle.

I've been thinking about moving Mata central, I'd think perhaps we'd score more goals.

However Mata, like Memphis, isn't a midfielder and can struggle to link defense and attack.

Herrera likely won't score as much as Mata as a no.10, trequartista, but I think the team will be better off.

As I've said too many times, he's the only player we have that has shown he can consistently link defense to attack.

Herrera also supports the midfield better in defense, as well as speeding up play with his quick decision making.

 

[Trizy]

Herrera's a good n.10? Shocking, not..

He's best position at Bilbao was as their #10

 

[Shimo]

http://www.espnfc.us/manchester-uni...erformance-pleased-united-boss-louis-van-gaal

"He started not so good," said Van Gaal.

"He had a lot of ball losses and also a yellow card, so at that moment I wanted to change him, but then I saw he was coming back.

"And after that moment he plays a good match on the 'double six' position, but later on at 10 he was better. So I'm very pleased also for him."

Glad LVG first didn't pull him and then saw that he improved and did best in the position he excels in the most anyway.

 

[criticalanalysis]

I'm not sure if it was this thread or another but I mistakenly said 'Herrera would work good with any of the other 3 (Carrick, Schmidfield)'. Maybe I was wrong but Herrera's natural instinct is to press and chase the ball. This works well when you do that as a team and if your partners are on the same wavelength. Obviously any of them 4 would work better as a 3 but in a 2, for Herrera it'd work a lot better with Schmidfield than with Carrick. It's a clash of styles. Schmidfield are more like minded with their forward thinking passing and constant pass and move. Carrick is like that too but more content to hold position.

Anyways glad we saw Herrera finish strongly, let's hope he starts against Swansea (even if it means dropping Januzaj, our golden boy).

 

[Devil may care]

Was over eager and sloppy for most of the first half and was the main reason our defense had players run free at it, but he steadied and then excelled when moved to the AM/#10 role, surely did enough to start vs Swansea.

 

[ChaddyP]

Think we should definitely start him @ 10 against Swansea. He is a goal threat with his runs and has good technique vision and passing to play as a 10. But maybe he is not fast enough for lvg. I think he makes up for it with his other skills though

 

[Galactic]

We didn't need to defend as much in this game. That's why he was played I think. Back to Carrick/Schneidy/Schweiny in midfield against Swansea then. Having said that, if Januzaj is dropped, Ander Herrera will play instead.

 

[Speak]

Absolutely, without doubt the best '10' at the club. No surprises here. Get in an upgrade at right wing and keep him in that position.

Not even based off last night. It's just obvious he's the best option for that role.

 

[ZDwyr]

I was confused when I saw he was playing in the deeper CM role with Carrick...especially in an away CL match. It just isn't his role at all. Definitely was the best no. 10 on the pitch and should be played in that role.

 

[Danillaco]

What a performance as a 10, not quite a suprise since most of us keep raging about having him ahead of Schmidfiled for quite some time. At half time I think I even said that.

Amazingly good 2nd half, he even made Rooney seems like his old self.

Herrera as 10 or Van Gaal out!

hahahahaha

 

[World Game]

This case study clearly shows why 3rd midfielder > 2nd striker.

 

[Mali_Zeus]

http://www.espnfc.us/manchester-uni...erformance-pleased-united-boss-louis-van-gaal

"He started not so good," said Van Gaal.

"He had a lot of ball losses and also a yellow card, so at that moment I wanted to change him, but then I saw he was coming back.

"And after that moment he plays a good match on the 'double six' position, but later on at 10 he was better. So I'm very pleased also for him."

Glad LVG first didn't pull him and then saw that he improved and did best in the position he excels in the most anyway.

Yup, he let him start the 2nd half and Herrera proved himself.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

http://www.espnfc.us/manchester-uni...erformance-pleased-united-boss-louis-van-gaal

"He started not so good," said Van Gaal.

"He had a lot of ball losses and also a yellow card, so at that moment I wanted to change him, but then I saw he was coming back.

"And after that moment he plays a good match on the 'double six' position, but later on at 10 he was better. So I'm very pleased also for him."

Glad LVG first didn't pull him and then saw that he improved and did best in the position he excels in the most anyway.

I was thinking the exact same thing. He had a horrendous opening spell, ending up in that booking. I was sure Van Gaal was going to hook him at half-time, which would have been devastating for the poor lad. He really upped his game after that poor start, though. Which is credit to his mental toughness. You could tell the goal meant the world to him. Such a likeable player.

 

[#07]

As I only saw the highlights, so I can't really speak to Ander's performance last night. It sounds as though he was awful in the first half, but a goal and an assist on his return to the starting XI looks a solid return to me.

I'm surprised that Herrera was so effective at 10. Personally, I think he's more of an eight. Still, as the Van Gaal quote from @Shimo shows, we're playing two sixes and one 10, so there's no number eight position for him to play. If Herrera is going to get back into the team its gonna be in the Litmanen/Muller role. With the way Herrera's goalscoring has (surprisingly) blossomed since he joined United, who is to say he can't make that role his own?

 

[Sereques]

Showed today that he is not one for the holding roles but in a more offensive role he can really excel hopefully he gets to start in the n10 role on Sunday.

There is no reason why he shouldn't be able to play the position he started with. It wasn't exactly a holding role. It's more of a box to box role. All he have to do is support Carrick in defensive situations and support Januzaj in offensive, at the same time show up for passes from Memphis and Mata. Like LVG said, he's a controlling midfielder, he can keep things flowing with ease but he messed up with first half from giving the ball away cheaply and unnecessary tackle.

That said, I fully agree he's better off upfront.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

As I only saw the highlights, so I can't really speak to Ander's performance last night. It sounds as though he was awful in the first half, but a goal and an assist on his return to the starting XI looks a solid return to me.

I'm surprised that Herrera was so effective at 10. Personally, I think he's more of an eight. Still, as the Van Gaal quote from @Shimo shows, we're playing two sixes and one 10, so there's no number eight position for him to play. If Herrera is going to get back into the team its gonna be in the Litmanen/Muller role. With the way Herrera's goalscoring has (surprisingly) blossomed since he joined United, who is to say he can't make that role his own?

He wasn't awful for the whole of the first half tbf. Just the first 20-30 minutes.

 

[Adam-Utd]

He looked a little rusty and perhaps too over eager to me in the first 20 mins or so, really wanted to get in brugges face and give them no space. Slipped for the yellow card which was unlucky, but after half time he really drove us forward. Some of his passing is great and he's always on the move, you can definitely see the intelligence he has.

His unselfishness to give Rooney his 2nd is also very good to see, and so glad he got a goal himself.

He should start at the 10 against Swansea.

 

[FromTheBench]

LVG seems to want to play with 2 6's and one 10 who is basically a support striker far forward. Not sure where Herrera will fit in here. He is best at #8 with license to go forward in a sort of role Toure plays for City but that doesn't seem to exist in this LVG system.