I'm pretty sure Carrick isn't quicker than Blind. A midfielder in that position doesn't pace, he needs to have very good anticipation skills which is what Carrick has a lot of.
17
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 29
- Clean sheets
- 9
- Goals
- 2
- Assists
- 3
- Yellow cards
- 4
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
i have thought that from day one. However, i have come to the conclusion he looks a little lathargic / non decisive in his running, passing and marking because he's just that slow and not because he's half arsed / casual.
He is very slow / un athletic for a modern premiership player.
He really is very similar to sheasy
A bit smarter I think. He reads the game well and uses posession better than Sheasy. Gets forward from full back better too - and is one of the best crossers the team has. Apart from that I get what you mean - just not a natural athlete which for a modern day professional footballer (especially in the Premier League!) is a bit strange to see.
I agree but he has the potential to become as influential as Carrick. He is a smart player and smart players are often overlooked by viewers since they "avoid" situations with good movements and positioning
I'm not doubting his attitude or work ethic, it's just his style and with that it will be hard to impose himself in the team
i agree
His positioning is dreadful in midfield and has been since he came here. Charges forward far too much when it's much better to hold position and regain shape. I first thought it might've been a LvG requirement asking his DM to charge and press like a lunatic, but as Carrick is still first choice it seems not.
That and his lack of composure is my biggest problems with him. Your DM needs to have excellent composure, but whenever we're under pressure he seems to be one of the players who panics most. It's the situation where a defensive midfielder earns his money.
Yeah hard to disagree with this.
We'll value him just like we did with Park and the berties with Milner. A good player to have around.
I was happy with him at LB. He's the best crosser of a ball at the club.
I was happy with him at LB. He's the best crosser of a ball at the club.
Now he's Barry level? Wtf?
Blind is nothing like Gareth Barry.
Hes unfortunate that the games where we played especially badly also happened to be games where he played in midfield. It doesnt matter that everyone played badly, or that he was also playing in midfield in games where we dominated, or that he actually played ok in those games.
He will be a starter next year too im pretty sure of that.
Hes unfortunate that the games where we played especially badly also happened to be games where he played in midfield. It doesnt matter that everyone played badly, or that he was also playing in midfield in games where we dominated, or that he actually played ok in those games.
He will be a starter next year too im pretty sure of that.
Yes. Not the current Barry, but Barry circa 2011.
Or at least much closer to Barry's level than Carrick's. Or Lahm's, or Busquets', and whoever else he was being compared to before. Closer to Barry's style than Carrick's too.
I think some are too desperate for a Carrick replacement, to be honest.
Last edited:
Would you say that Blind is like Carrick, out of interest?
As I said, he might never be good enough to replace Carrick, but Barry please no, just not close to true imo. And Carrick isnt on Busquets/Lahm's level. Busquets is the best #6 in a possession based team of the past 10 years easily. One of the key players in a team which has had the likes of Puyol, Pique, Iniesta, Xavi, Messi in their prime.
Put Blind in Barry's position in City's 2011/12 team, and he performs almost an identical role, to a similar standard, and with similar limitations. I don't see how this is ridiculous or inaccurate. Now put Blind in Carrick's 2012/13 role* and he's nothing close to Carrick style-wise or impact-wise.
*Perhaps a harsh example.
There are differences between Barry and Blind obviously, like with every two players: Blind's passing is marginally better, Barry's better defensively and has more capability going forward (and more than he was allowed to show at City). But Blind's closer to that mould than Carrick's mould.
Last edited:
I would say he is, the fact that he is the one consistent point in a damn midfield but still able to help the team challenge should get more respect for him
Yeah compare Blind's first season in a new league after a long season to Carricks best ever season in his career. Seems reasonable.
Im not saying Blind is better than Barry was, but they play differently, Blind's biggest asset is bringing the ball out of the back, helping our defenders to build up the play. They're both slow, I give you that. But Blind has better technique and is more attacking minded when we attack, further more the pressing LVG has required from him at Holland and United is very different from Barry's style. Barry has more like Carrick's style of defending, while Blind drives forward to go and take the ball, if it works it's perfect, if it doesnt, ' your positional sense is awful'. Only thing is that, Blind mostly is the only midfielder when he plays, especially since we play 4141, while Barry mostly played in a 4231 with Toure next to him? Who was less attacking minded than he is now.
It's a good achievement, and he's a brilliant player. But there's very little he can that Busquets can't, especially Busquets under Guardiola. Only his 2012/13 season was on that level.
the only time the world actually noticed his name. and actually this season Busquets has dropped quite some levels, let's see if this is temporary or he may not actually return
Might be a reason for that. He established himself as the / one of the best of his position at that specific moment.
Fair enough. There are obviously some differences, but I think they're similar. Put them in the same team and they do a similar thing with/without the ball, take up similar positions etc. In my opinion, anyway.
This could easily be Blind (perhaps on a day where he gets forward more than usual, as they mention Barry is doing):
And this could easily be a Barry highlight video, if you dropped him into our team:
It would never be a Carrick highlight video, yet people have been claiming they have similar styles.
Last edited:
agree to disagree here
If we want to return back among the footballing elite then blind won't be in the starting 11. I like blind but It's really hard to see where he would fit in going forward into next season.
He is a good versatile player to have around the place though, I expect the vast majority of his minutes next season coming from the bench. I'd be very suprised if he continued to be a starter for us.
He is a good versatile player to have around the place though, I expect the vast majority of his minutes next season coming from the bench. I'd be very suprised if he continued to be a starter for us.
What's the meaning of this? It's a brilliant goal by him, but it's meaningless highlights vs lower table dross, Blind has actually been solid in matches like City away, Chelsea home, vs Spain this season, Barcelona at home at Ajax last year, vs City in the CL.
Obviously we'll have to agree to disagree, because we're going in circles.
Basically the clips of Blind could easily be Barry (in my opinion), and visa versa. But neither set of clips resemble a Carrick game. And the highlights in a Carrick game could never be mistaken for Barry or Blind.
Just backing up my opinion that Blind is similar to Barry (not identical, obviously) and not particularly similar to Carrick, which some have claimed.
For one, Blind barely plays the ball between the lines (which is obviously a regular pass for Carrick, and has been for as long as I can remember) and when he attempts it it's often then that he gives it away. He also can't get the the ball out of his feet nearly as well as Carrick, meaning his one and two-touch play is significantly more laboured.
He struggles with the ball being played at him with zip, and prefers to have passes rolled into his path, and positions himself accordingly. His turning is not nearly as good as Carrick's. His passing is generally not half as progressive as Carrick's.
Unfortunately for him, a lot of this comes down to his physique and lack of speed.
It's not even an issue if he's like Carrick, but these are just weaknesses in general.
His defensive game isn't anything special either. I'm at a loss as to what he provides that can't be provided with a number of added benefits by someone else in that midfield role.
Last edited:
I don't think it's as simple as that, Louis van Gaal always puts the team above the individual, he also seems to do things with more precision and planning than most managers. This is wonderful when it comes off but when it doesn't then it looks like ineffective pointless zombie football, an intelligent team player like Blind could establish himself in Louis van Gaal's first 11 if he carries out his instructions to the letter, that's how the manager likes it, and the planning of the manager will maximise Blind's strengths while limiting his weaknesses.
The manager will have a selection at the start of next season and he will look for the most effective team from that selection, influencing that will be the chemistry between certain players, every player in the squad has the potential to establish themselves in the manager's plans providing they do as he says and ultimately the manager won't mind them not being the best players in our squad or good enough for the first 11 of our rivals as it is always the case with him that the whole will be greater than the sum of the parts.
It is exciting in that sense, anybody could establish themselves, Nani could return and do that if he listens to the manager and does as he wants. According to Herrera he was dropped because he didn't wait for the ball as asked by the manager but most on here would preferred the manager to have played Herrera still instead of Rooney as the 8, contrary to the opinion on here the manager thought Valencia was the best player in the cup against Arsenal, he doesn't see what the normal person sees, he judges in relation to his instructions. It's exciting because anything is possible next season ranging from great success to epic failure, most other managers would just play their best 11 but Louis van Gaal in his pursuit of a highly effective cohesive unit will look to field his best combination.
I don't see him ever being someone who starts every game because he just isn't good enough but he will get plenty of games and will be an important part of the squad because he is versatile and will be trusted to plug gaps. His lack of mobility really holds him back and his passing isn't good enough to be a top cm.
Barry had a defensive game, Blind has none. You can't compare the two on that standpoint, total polar opposites. Third choice defensive mid, and second choice Left back is the only way we can accommodate him in the team. Anything else, we're gonna find ourselves in some trouble.
No.
We have to stop looking for the carbon copy replacement. We did it with Keane and Scholes and were disappointed, and we will be with Carrick. Blind has some of the qualities needed, we now need to find a midfield partner with the missing bits.
Barry is nowhere near as good as either of them.
Agreed that he's nothing like Carrick. Disagree that Barry was "nowhere near as good" as Blind.
Blind does nothing that Barry couldn't do. Absolutely nothing. He sits in the hole, collecting the ball and plays the most basic, unadventurous passes all game. Unlike Carrick (for whom some people foolishly claimed the same) he doesn't play it through the lines, he can't control a ball well unless it's rolled into his path, he can't turn, his one-touch game is non-existent (and his two-touch game lacks any zip or speed).
And then his defensive game, beyond the basics of 'if you're stood there, you're bound to make a challenge or clearance occasionally' is poor.
I genuinely wonder if I'm watching the same Daley Blind as everyone else.
Seeing as it's just me, clearly I am.
Last edited:
This idea that because he doesn't give the ball away, he's doing a great job is surely at the root of the Blind praise. I can't think of anything else.
Fair play to him for always making himself available (which I guess is an upgrade on some of our recent midfielders), and rarely giving the ball away (there are players who would somehow give it away, even if they had the space he usually does) but the difference between him and the midfielder regulars in top sides is that they play the ball as securely while actually moving it in dangerous areas and affecting the tempo of the game.
Alonso and Carrick are two grand examples, their movement (especially Carrick's) wasn't always zippy, but their passes were.
If your passing isn't going to be zippy or go between lines regularly, then at least having a solid defensive game or the ability to carry the ball into a dangerous area (Vidal, Toure) and break the lines.
Blind lacks all of that.
Fair play to him for always making himself available (which I guess is an upgrade on some of our recent midfielders), and rarely giving the ball away (there are players who would somehow give it away, even if they had the space he usually does) but the difference between him and the midfielder regulars in top sides is that they play the ball as securely while actually moving it in dangerous areas and affecting the tempo of the game.
Alonso and Carrick are two grand examples, their movement (especially Carrick's) wasn't always zippy, but their passes were.
If your passing isn't going to be zippy or go between lines regularly, then at least having a solid defensive game or the ability to carry the ball into a dangerous area (Vidal, Toure) and break the lines.
Blind lacks all of that.
If you cant think of any reason other than keeping the ball, then thats a problem on your end
More often than not Blind did a good job winning the ball and made more passes than Carrick. There are some things he definitely needs to improve on but theres no reason to just lie and pretend he doesn't do the things he does well already. He has some things he brings to the team already, now he just needs to add to them by being slightly more adventurous with his passing (because hes already shown, particularly for the Netherlands, that he can play some fantastic attacking passes), improve his organizing influence (2nd season, perfectly natural for him to feel more at home, authoritative and know his teammates better)
More often than not Blind did a good job winning the ball and made more passes than Carrick. There are some things he definitely needs to improve on but theres no reason to just lie and pretend he doesn't do the things he does well already. He has some things he brings to the team already, now he just needs to add to them by being slightly more adventurous with his passing (because hes already shown, particularly for the Netherlands, that he can play some fantastic attacking passes), improve his organizing influence (2nd season, perfectly natural for him to feel more at home, authoritative and know his teammates better)
Give me those reasons then?
"pretend he doesn't do the things he does well already" - What are these things? The basics? I've already said that it's fair enough that he's always willing to make himself available, and doesn't give it away. Credit to him for that. It's an upgrade on some of the midfielders we've had lately.
What are these things he does, though? It's not a Carrick case, we're he's genuinely doing a quietly effective defensive job, or his one/two-touch passing is brilliant, or his passing is setting the tempo or moving the team forward.
One Carrick pass is often worth more than three Blind passes, in my opinion. Carrick can pass from better areas, because he's better at controlling a range of passes. His default is a forward-thinking pass. Blind has to position himself in areas where he's under no pressure to receive the ball, and then his default is a basic pass, which does nothing to change/increase the tempo or break lines.
I've given my reasons why he's under par:
He sits in the hole, collecting the ball and plays the most basic, unadventurous passes all game. Unlike Carrick (for whom some people foolishly claimed the same) he doesn't play it through the lines, he can't control a ball well unless it's rolled into his path, he can't turn, his one-touch game is non-existent (and his two-touch game lacks any zip or speed).
And then his defensive game, beyond the basics of 'if you're stood there, you're bound to make a challenge or clearance occasionally' is poor.
And I don't see much of that (mostly down to his mobility) improving enough. So what actually is it that he does so well? Don't just say "If you can't see it...."
Last edited:
Please dont reply to a post you havent read
So there's nothing other than "he makes more passes than Carrick"....
Great.
Great.
If that was all then thats all I would have written. It isn't. Why do you have a problem with telling the truth?
I'm struggling to see actual traits. You say he did a good job winning the ball, which I wouldn't agree with. I'd say that he's not particularly skilled at winning the ball and often resorts to professional fouls as people break past him. He's bound to make some tackles and clearances, due to simply being in a holding role, but he's not skilled at it.
You say he makes more passes than Carrick, which frankly doesn't tell much. Carrick's average pass does more for the team. He passes into better areas, and can pass from a better range of areas. Blind's passing (both where he passes to and from) slows the team down. Credit to him for not giving it away much, though.
You then go on to state: "theres no reason to just lie and pretend he doesn't do the things he does well already. He has some things he brings to the team already" without actually saying what these other things are. You mention that he can play a good long ball over the top occasionally, but his actual passing through the lines is non-existant. As is his one-touch play. His two-touch play is slow.
I'm asking what they are. I've given a number of reasons why he's under par. I'm asking for what he does well as a midfielder.
Last edited:
I think you must be.
I see a player who never gives the ball away, is brilliant at positioning himself to receive the ball where he wants it, has a great touch and one touch passing ability, and was under clear instructions when playing defensively that it was not his job to attempt incisive passes.
The main downside is his lack of physical presence, but early in the season he played too smartly for it to matter. It only started to matter when he tired towards the end. My assumption is that with a proper rest/pre season and a years PL experience he will address that next season.
Never giving it away is barely a significant trait when you're as unadventurous and deep as he is. There was a time when Cleverley's stats. were also high in this area. The real deal is never giving it away, while actually using it well. Actually moving the ball into advantageous areas, while keeping your completion rates high.
He's 'brilliant at positioning himself' in the sense that he's pretty much always so deep that nobody on the opposition's team can get to him. If you're constantly in areas where the opposition allow you to have it - it's probably not such a great position after all.
Give him the ball under pressure and he looks rushed and susceptible to losing it. He lacks the ability to turn well with the ball, or dribble.
It's night and day between him and serious deep lying midfielders. They can receive the ball in a wider range of areas. Always finding space is hardly praiseworthy when you're constantly dropping as deep as he does and then look dodgy in tighter areas. It slows the team down, especially when he then proceeds to pass without any zip.
His one-touch game isn't great. I'd say standards would have had to drop, but he barely plays one-touch anyway. His two-touch game is slow.
Carrick makes passes through the lines when in the exact same role. I've seen Smalling make a number of them. Blind simply doesn't have it in his locker to do it regularly or effectively. This would all be fine if he could actually defend really well to compensate, but he can't.
Last edited: