Oh well these guys got dominated by Bournemouth..
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Agreed. Thought he was a bit too safe in the first half and failed to impose himself onto the game, but it changed after the break.
Yep they were all over us. Outclassed, outplayed and downright embarrassed if we're going to use strong words.
I thought he was one of the best players. Was great defensively and gave a more incisive passing performance.
Or we could just exaggerate and pretend we weren't being overrun and struggling to pass the ball.
I'm probably going against the grain here but he didn't impress me today. Especially in the first half. I just felt that he over-hit a few crosses and I think that he kept the tempo of the game down by passing sideways and backwards a lot. He retained the ball, however I just felt he didn't add a lot to the game.
I don't know if I'm comparing him to Carrick last game or I'm singling him out, however I felt that he could have moved the ball forwards in a more effective manner. That said I think he improved in the second half, or at the very least I didn't notice the things above as frequently.
I don't know if I'm comparing him to Carrick last game or I'm singling him out, however I felt that he could have moved the ball forwards in a more effective manner. That said I think he improved in the second half, or at the very least I didn't notice the things above as frequently.
Those are stats for the whole game. Look at his passes and see how many of them went forward.
Hope Pogba brought some of the Nandrolone from the Old Lady, Herrera needs to buff up.
The crossfield pass he hit to Mikhi (who'd strayed offside) was a thing of beauty.
Played well, and had a good understanding with Fellaini. Also played some good passes, would have helped if there was some more pace in the attack though.
Had a good game. Couple of lovely passes. Herrera next to fellaini isn't the best balanced midfield normally so there did well without a Carrick type behind them. More to come from him and I think he'll be very important for us this season. Mourinho clearly rates him highly as he does Fellaini.
Yes but then our team got to grips with the game and controlled it completely.
They did second half and a little bit towards the end of the first. That doesn't make the point I was making untrue.
indeed
That one and the pass to Martial in the first half are a big part why plenty fans think he can do a lot more then what he's done so far I think. He has plenty of ability and a great work ethic, just lacks the consistency. Wonder if Mourinho will use him as back up to Pogba, or if he'll play alongside him in a 3. Plenty of options though for sure.
We can't always dominate for 90 minutes. Especially on the road. Bournemouth are a tidy side at home and usually make it hard for the visitors.
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Thought he was mostly really good today, made some good interceptions and was the only one attempting any adventurous passes going forward. It's obvious to me that's a huge part of his game and something LvG forced him to stop doing. Hopefully he starts next game, he definitely deserves to after that performance.
Was great today, really excited for him this season.
Yeah that's something I've noticed the last 2-3 games too. Maybe Mourinho is moulding him to be the next Carrick (position wise) successor, like Fabregas was. Shield the back four, be the first option for the back four, recycle possession and dictate from deep. If he can find the right balance I'd be happy with that because then we won't have to play Carrick. Herrera's attributes fits the position if Mourinho wants that from him. Energetic, not afraid of a tackle, very comfortable in possession, can move about the pitch and has good passing ability.
It's a biggish ask because he needs to find consistentcy in his decision making and positioning as he gets drawn to the ball. Once he learns all he has to do is sit back and pick his moments, it could work very well. Hopefully it means he stays in the team. Him playing behind Pogba is not a bad thing at all. In simple terms, it means Pogba WILL get the ball consistently from Herrera and in good positions; that leaves Pogba to do his thing.
Ander Herrera shares a lot of the same characteristics as another Basque midfielder Mou's managed, Xabi Alonso. I believe its Xabi not Cesc that Mourinho is trying to turn Ander into. Its an interesting experiment. Van Gaal never really believed in Ander as a deep lying play maker (although Van Gaal never really seemed to believe in Ander as anything). I'm guessing Mou will only persist with it if Herrera proves he can play the same role next to Pogba. That being said, it has been noticeable since pre-season started that Herrera's been played more as a #6 than an #8.
Solid game from a solid player. Hope he continues to improve.
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Red Nev's endorsed Michael Cox's take on Herrera's importance to how we played at Bournemouth, had Ander as man of the match today.
Think back to the Chelsea game towards the end of the season before last. We got beat 1-0 but Herrera played as the deepest midfielder due to an injury crisis and did well from what I recall.
Just wonder if that made an impression on Mourinho to give him a go in that role.
Just wonder if that made an impression on Mourinho to give him a go in that role.
His through ball to Valencia which lead to a Rooney shot via a cross to Mata was one of the best passes of the game.
Did anyone else notice him spitting distance from both Fellaini and the touch line early on? His positioning was never that bad again in the match, but I was mortified.
Good and important player, but probably not fit to play as one of the deep two against good opposition. Leicester, Arsenal, Liverpool et al could make him pay for that in a hurry.
Good and important player, but probably not fit to play as one of the deep two against good opposition. Leicester, Arsenal, Liverpool et al could make him pay for that in a hurry.
Mourinho's using him right. He's a #8, to be played in the engine room next to a more defensive player (and also with a more flair/attacking partner in a 3-man midfield.) I found it weird last season that most people recognised that Van Gaal was both misusing and underrating him, but everyone swallowed the stuff about him being exclusively a #10 without complaint. He was always a proper midfielder at Athletic, often quite deep.
It's possible, you have to think Mourinho scouted us heavily before that game and knew all about Herrera as a player however. Mou's supposedly one of the most prepared coaches in football.
Mourinho does like round pegs in round holes, he's not against changing players' positions however. Eto'o at Inter is the most notable. There have been others though. For example, Essien was never so much a midfielder before joining Chelsea as afterwards.
As I've said before, I think Herrera owes his chance to Xabi Alonso. Alonso was the first 'holding' player Mou used whose game wasn't principally defensive: Costinha, Makelele, Cambiasso, Matic. Alonso stands out at the only one of them who's more footballer than destroyer.
Obviously Mou intends to compensate for Herrera's build by having a big man in midfield at all times, be it Pogba or Fellaini. I feel Mou's Madrid spell's made him feel his #6 doesn't need to be a tackler first, footballer second though.
It was noticeable throughout pre-season that Mou was having Herrera and Carrick share duties as United's defensive screen. Based on how we played today, and at the end of the Leciester game, it seems the point of that was to test/teach Herrera in the role. If Red Nev can be considered a good judge, so far Herrera's succeeding.
Really good performance today. First half I thought he were negative and quite poor, but in general Herrera really pulled the strings for us today. His passing and touch was assured, and he was constantly on the move creating angles for a pass and trying to control the midfield.
I agree. I said it last night in one of the Carrick threads.
I really hope Herrera is giving the chance to make it his own. If he can find consistency his qualities can only be a very good plus for us progressively and for the long term. The importance of having a glue guy, who also puts a shift in and can control games using the ball and without (i.e defensive contribution) is so underrated.
That said I'm surprised about the Guardian article and Neville's comment. It was a mature performance positionally by Herrera's standard but that's a compliment and criticism from me. Obviously it doesn't help we have a new manager, and he's playing in an unfamilar role; apart from his usual good touches and some passes, I didn't think his performance was all that. Some ill-judged instinctive passes, 1-2 twos/through balls that he should have held onto and getting drawn towards the ball in risky situations.
HOWEVER, I'll take any unjustified media praise for the agenda to make Herrera's case to be a starter. Imo, it's for the greater good in many ways.
Both of them aren't afraid to put in a hard tackle too when the situation calls for it
If Herrera replicates Alonso's durability
Not to mention he gave a good account of himself in his one and only game as the DLP/6 for LVG against Jose's Chelsea in 2014/15
I was very impressed with Herrera today. He dictated the game as a 6/DLP, and it was a very welcome surprise. Could possibly even mean Jose's lopsided 4-2-3-1 could work with Herrera & Pogba's energy and defensive responsibility collectively filling that particular hole in the squad. Obviously, it's still far from ideal, and eventually a 4-3-3 with Mkhi & Martial as WFs and Pogba as the more advanced of the midfield 3 is still preferred, but if that midfield 2 could allow us to win and play well, even with a horrid Rooney as the 10, I'll gladly take it until Rooney is finally dropped.
I thought he was good. Him and Fellaini both played well and, for the most part, really helped us control the game.
I've been a big critic of his passing but he played two standout passes yesterday. One to Mkhi where he was offside, and the other to Martial on the counter. I like him so hopefully he gets back to his best and becomes a good squad player for us for years to come.
If he and Fellaini can continue in that vein then I wouldn't be against an eventual midfield 3 of them 2 + Pogba.
Ander Herrera has revealed to MUTV that a conversation with new Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho led to his deeper position in central midfield, with both agreeing he could be an “important player” this season.
More: http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-F...ith-Jose-Mourinho-about-his-new-position.aspx
More: http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-F...ith-Jose-Mourinho-about-his-new-position.aspx
Herrera ups the energy and mobility of our whole midfield, he is also better technically than Schneiderlin and Fellaini. If we can find a way to fit him in I am all for it
Didn't LVG try something similar?
I seem to remember that Herrera made some mistakes defensively or gave away soft free kicks and the experiment was abandoned.
He has looked good thus far, but I'm not completely convinced yet
I seem to remember that Herrera made some mistakes defensively or gave away soft free kicks and the experiment was abandoned.
He has looked good thus far, but I'm not completely convinced yet
I'd like to see Herrera next to Pogba.
Against maybe some of the better sides in the league we'd need someone else in there with them (Morgan?), but it'd be a forward thinking midfield.
Against maybe some of the better sides in the league we'd need someone else in there with them (Morgan?), but it'd be a forward thinking midfield.
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