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2017-18 Performances


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Pogue Mahone

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"like a man in silk pyjamas shooting pigeons
That wasn't a "but what about" post. Clearly some people have agenda against Herrera, where they'd wait for a poor game and just slander him for it. Even though entire team was piss poor and he was least of the offenders. He isn't the only one though, this happens to guys like Fellaini and Smalling too but what makes this worst is that Herrera was one of our best players last season, arguably THE best.

People make up their mind then just look for signs to justify it. Its called confirmation bias. Just go to Jose Mourinho threads to see it. People are slandering him even though we have had a traffic start to the season. Some people here have agendas here that they probably don't even realize they have.
Why are you talking about bias? Do you think he played well yesterday and any criticism of his performance is incorrect?
 

Sir Roi de Muppeterre

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Why are you talking about bias? Do you think he played well yesterday and any criticism of his performance is incorrect?
I see your point.

There are some very good posts here that I agree with. He was poor last game, he was over-pressing for some reason and leaving behind spaces. He wasn't particularly good on ball either. That was highlighted in some good posts. Then there are whole bunch of "he is so average", "very limited", "just runs a lot thats it" posts which ticked me off.

I am sorry but I am just little bit frustrated by the increasing culture here where we over criticize players and manager over individual game (see most other performance posts after last game), discounting all their other contribution. Its okay to do it with regular offenders but Herrera is known for consistency and big match performances. I particularly jumped in this thread and Jose one because I like both of them a lot (thats my bias) but I see how it wasn't the right manner.

Edit: Fixed last line that made no sense because I didn't proof read.
 
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Pogue Mahone

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I see your point.

There are some very good posts here that I agree with. He was poor last game, he was over-pressing for some reason and leaving behind spaces. He wasn't particularly good on ball either. That was highlighted in some good posts. Then there are whole bunch of "he is so average", "very limited", "just runs a lot thats it" posts which ticked me off.

I am sorry but I am just little bit frustrated by the increasing culture here where we over criticize players and manager over individual game (see most other performance posts after last game), discounting all their other contribution. Its okay to do it with regular offenders but Herrera is known for consistency and big match performances. I particularly jumped in this thread and Jose one because I like both of them a lot (thats my bias) and the over criticism got to be but I see how it wasn't the right manner.
Oh right, yeah. I’m with you on that. I prefer when player performance thread discussions stick to the latest performance. It’s tedious as hell when they turn into an axe-grinding collective.
 

Lentwood

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Herrera was very poor yesterday. I have highlighted this before and been criticised but he often goes missing in away games and struggles to get hold of the game

I actually think he was very, very lucky not to give away a penalty and some of his tackles were inexplicable just lunging in like a pub footballer!
 

Skywarden

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How do stats equate for getting the ball in space and Herrera picking the easy option with poor choice of passing rather than turning and starting off our attacks?

That's the issue with trying to model some of these stats into quantifiable outcomes.
 

breakout67

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Same Pogba who was wank in this fixture last season tasked with exactly that job?

I know stats aren't everything and you'd just have to watch the game to see that but the meltdown in here has been extremely OTT.

Herrera tried his best to stymie their attacks and the tackles reflect that but the 3 man midfield meant they could bypass his pressing making him look like a headless chicken at times and that is down to our set up yesterday. It doesn't help that the times he won the ball, he got bundled off it time and again with the ref turning a blind eye to it and making it seem worst than it was with the resultant pressure on our defence.
Pogba played as a no.10 in the fixture last year...his job wasnt to run into space but to link up with Zlatan and provide the final ball. Not to mention we didn't have Matic last season either. Hererra's tackles and interceptions are not as important in this game because we have a DM already. We needed someone to hold the ball and find Mkhitaryan (who had a much worse game than Hererra) and Martial.

And you are right that the ref was determined to give every 50/50 to Liverpool. Young and Hererra were manhandled the whole of the first half and given nothing.
 

DanClancy

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I like Herrera but that performance was abysmal, looks like he'll get a few more starts over the next few weeks so he'll get the chance to improve.
 

Djemba-Djemba

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Herrera was very poor yesterday. I have highlighted this before and been criticised but he often goes missing in away games and struggles to get hold of the game

I actually think he was very, very lucky not to give away a penalty and some of his tackles were inexplicable just lunging in like a pub footballer!
I thought that too, it was a stupid clumsy challenge.

Don't give Atkinson the chance to give a penalty against us for God sake!
 

Adam-Utd

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His pressing really makes me laugh. He just runs at players full pelt, but half the time they see him coming and just dodge him. He ends up running all the way passed :lol:
 

Djemba-Djemba

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His pressing really makes me laugh. He just runs at players full pelt, but half the time they see him coming and just dodge him. He ends up running all the way passed :lol:
That was infuriating on Saturday.

Coutinho did it to him about 10 times it felt like
 

Di Maria's angel

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His pressing really makes me laugh. He just runs at players full pelt, but half the time they see him coming and just dodge him. He ends up running all the way passed :lol:
That's what makes him such a good player for us. His pressing is a key aspect to his game - the little smile is ironic given that it's led to a few goals in recent years e.g. against Chelsea last year. It doesn't help when no-one else in your team bothers pressing, though.
 

Adam-Utd

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That's what makes him such a good player for us. His pressing is a key aspect to his game - the little smile is ironic given that it's led to a few goals in recent years e.g. against Chelsea last year. It doesn't help when no-one else in your team bothers pressing, though.
I'm not saying it's useless but when he get's it wrong it looks hilariously bad, he just needs to learn to start slowing down a few yards earlier so that he doesn't get skinned so easy.
 

Di Maria's angel

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I'm not saying it's useless but when he get's it wrong it looks hilariously bad, he just needs to learn to start slowing down a few yards earlier so that he doesn't get skinned so easy.
Think it's just more apparent in this particular game given the way we performed. An aggressive press such as his is like most 50:50 tackles - win the ball and you can initiate an attack, lose it and you look like a fool (plus you're out of position).
 

#07

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Considering Herrera and Matic were 2 vs 3, sometimes 2 vs 4 with the way Coutinho was dropping into help Can, Wijnaldum and Henderson, I thought both Herrera and Matic did well. Herrera's offensive contribution could have been better. However, the context for that is that Liverpool always had a free player in the middle either to press or cover. Plus, every time Ander looked like getting some space he got fouled (which Atkinson ignored pretty much every time!)
 

ManUtd1999

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Considering Herrera and Matic were 2 vs 3, sometimes 2 vs 4 with the way Coutinho was dropping into help Can, Wijnaldum and Henderson, I thought both Herrera and Matic did well. Herrera's offensive contribution could have been better. However, the context for that is that Liverpool always had a free player in the middle either to press or cover. Plus, every time Ander looked like getting some space he got fouled (which Atkinson ignored pretty much every time!)
No, they did not.

Matic has been great since the start of the season and just had a bad game (for whatever reason); it happens. Herrera hasn't been playing well since the start of the season, but he has time to improve.

It's OK to say this; no need to try to convince people that either of them did well. There might have been reasons (2 vs. 3/4, not the right system, just a bad day, etc), but let's just admit that our midfield didn't look good at all and move on!
 

tomaldinho1

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No, they did not.

Matic has been great since the start of the season and just had a bad game (for whatever reason); it happens. Herrera hasn't been playing well since the start of the season, but he has time to improve.

It's OK to say this; no need to try to convince people that either of them did well. There might have been reasons (2 vs. 3/4, not the right system, just a bad day, etc), but let's just admit that our midfield didn't look good at all and move on!
I don't really know what you expected them to do, Mou's setup would have made it impossible for anyone to stand out really. We had a back 6 at times, with Matic and Herrera constantly outnumbered shielding the CBs and having to close the channels into the front men - which they did pretty well. Passing when playing out from the back was poor but really who was in front if them? Lukaku had a poor game but can we really expect him to be able to hold the ball when it's a speculative hoof and he has 2 CBs on him?

This is Mourinho, we knew this when we hired him and at the end of the day we had Pog & Bailly out which hinders our team (especially with Felly also being out) and we picked up a point at Anfield whilst keeping a clean sheet.
 

ManUtd1999

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I don't really know what you expected them to do, Mou's setup would have made it impossible for anyone to stand out really. We had a back 6 at times, with Matic and Herrera constantly outnumbered shielding the CBs and having to close the channels into the front men - which they did pretty well. Passing when playing out from the back was poor but really who was in front if them? Lukaku had a poor game but can we really expect him to be able to hold the ball when it's a speculative hoof and he has 2 CBs on him?

This is Mourinho, we knew this when we hired him and at the end of the day we had Pog & Bailly out which hinders our team (especially with Felly also being out) and we picked up a point at Anfield whilst keeping a clean sheet.
I didn't complain. I just said "There might have been reasons (2 vs. 3/4, not the right system, just a bad day, etc), but let's just admit that our midfield didn't look good at all and move on!"

And so I did take into account the shortage in midfield and the system that Mourinho chose. All I'm saying is simple- they didn't play well (for WHATEVER reason), and we should just admit that and get ready for the next game.
 

MadMike

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I think him and Matic did well enough defensively. They shielded the defence pretty well and made many interceptions between them. Attack-wise though they were both diabolical and so was Mkhi. So many passes that were either inaccurate or had wrong weight.
 

lsd

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So now we are trying convince ourselves that Herrera played well against Liverpool?
 

tomaldinho1

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I didn't complain. I just said "There might have been reasons (2 vs. 3/4, not the right system, just a bad day, etc), but let's just admit that our midfield didn't look good at all and move on!"

And so I did take into account the shortage in midfield and the system that Mourinho chose. All I'm saying is simple- they didn't play well (for WHATEVER reason), and we should just admit that and get ready for the next game.
I see - completely agree in that case! This will be a reoccurring theme under Mou with top clubs, it will be shit to watch and it's best we just accept it and look forward to hopefully the fruits of our 0-0 draws away from home come May
 

ivaldo

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He'll be judged on how many pogbaesque assists he gets though. When Kante was putting these numbers up Herreras detractors were drooling. Now we have a player doing just that (and last season) all anyone wants to talk about is his ability on the ball.

The difference between this thread and Matic's - who was equally shit - was night and day.
 
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Pexbo

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I’ll probably get in trouble for saying it but he somehow constipates our midfield.
 

Pexbo

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He doesn't add anything to what we already have next to Matić. I like Herrera but it's not a partnership that suits each other at all.
Yup, I said as much weeks ago but sadly it’s all we have right now.
 

Fahad Jawaid

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I’ll probably get in trouble for saying it but he somehow constipates our midfield.
Actually he has been so much better today, he keeps passing between the lines and he has passed forward only not those one touch back passes or on the wings to valencia passes which pisses me off to no end. I think he must have the highest amount of forward passes today. Our mf looks good today, its the front 3 baring mata who has looked clueless.
 

7even

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Not good enough in a two man mf.

Don’t have the calmness and the sharpness in his passing. One of my favorite players but based on this season his quality have dropped. Him and Mhiki isn’t a good combination.
 

Eddy_JukeZ

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He's not creative/good enough on the ball.

Why does he keep hoofing the ball when he has time to settle it too? Very frustrating.
 

Amar__

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I am not sure him and Matic are good pair at all. Then there's durnk Mkhi ahead of them and we have absolutely disjointed midfield.

If he was English he'd be playing for Watford now.
If he was English he would be their best midfielder. Which isn't saying much tbf.
 

Canagel

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I wouldn't mind if Herrera was sold next summer to be honest. I love his passion for the club but he isn't United quality.
 

R.N7

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His positional sense is a mess at the moment, like a headless chicken. United are badly missing Fellaini, especially his positional sense. He might not be as flashy as Herrera but he always makes himself available and keeps it simple, rarely giving the ball away.
 

Rada

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What is he good at? I don't even know, he isn't really living up to the hype that have been around him for the past few seasons, just another average midfielder that shouldn't be near a top team
 
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