He was confident and read the game well, it was good to see. If he plays against arsenal, sanchez will be a proper test for him and where hes at at the moment
Fairplay to Lindelof: Starting to look the part now
- Thread starter Fortitude
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Can't spell victory without Victor
I strongly disagre with your take on aerial ability, but I doubt either of us will convince the other. It's somewhat similar to goalies. You can make up for a lot with a good leap and timing; however, there are cases where you simply will struggle if your reach is shorter than that of others. There's a reason why most great centre backs throughout history have been fairly big, except for the likes of Cannavaro. Look at how often Smalling wins the ball in front of the attacker when long balls are hit from deep within opposition half; our other defenders don't do that nearly as successfully.
In 14 PL appearances, Richarlison has scored one headed goal - not a big threat in the air, I would argue. That being said, I haven't watched him play all that much, so he may be better than I imagine. Either way, a centre back should control him in normal one on ones aerially.
Why is not aerial strength as important as it once was? I agree that not all players need to be 6ft and above, like current United, but aerial ability like any ability is important.
Furthermore, how is Smalling our worst defender on the deck, especially considering you agree his is good one on one? He's better than all our other defenders one on one, and he rarely commits to the ground unless he has to. Look at the amount of sliding tackles Rojo, Bailly and Jones make compared to Smalling. I'd argue Smalling's positioning is also amongst the best simply judged by how seldom he makes sprints compared to Bailly and Jones in particular. Lindelöf seems to be very astute at positioning judging by last match.
The shirt pulling is a bit of a moot point often brought up concerning Smalling. How often has he been penalised from it? You say it's a 50/50 chance? That's nonsense as the attackers pull shirts just as much. There was one incident where Smalling pulled a Watford player's shirt, but in return Smalling was dragged to the ground - both were equally bad and neither got anything. This happens all the time, which is why shirt pulling is so hard to do anything about.
Looks good last night, grew into the game. Amazing what confidence can do and how powerful the mind is.
Unpopular opinion.
Rojo - Vic will be the new Rio - Vidic.
Edit: with their roles reversed
Rojo - Vic will be the new Rio - Vidic.
Edit: with their roles reversed
Didn't get to watch yesterday's game, but have noted that people say he played well.
Thought he was OK in the last game also, so seems like he might be finding his feet.
Thought he was OK in the last game also, so seems like he might be finding his feet.
Think he should to be honest, no need to knock his confidence by dropping him as soon as a big test comes along. Looked very solid against Watford and read the game as good as anyone yesterday.
It was interesting how he often stepped up a bit further than Smalling and Rojo to make good interceptions in a shielding role. Does show that he is ideally suited to a back three and could even play a defensive midfield role especially as he is decent on the ball.
He's played better, but he's still getting his bearings. His a liabilty in 1v1 situations as he squares up too much to the attacker and it makes it easy to get around him. He's also not that great in the air from what I've seen so far. But he did make several good plays against Watford and cleaned up the mess a few times. Still needs to be stronger in the box, it was pretty comical watching him go down from some minor shirt pulling on a first half Watford corner.
He gets credit for being good on the ball, but he hasn't really shown it yet. Nothing more than typical CB passing, although he does seem to make a forward run every now and again, something you really only see Blind do from that position for United.
Clearly he still needs more time, which is fine, so I won't really have a final opinion on this signing until after next season.
He gets credit for being good on the ball, but he hasn't really shown it yet. Nothing more than typical CB passing, although he does seem to make a forward run every now and again, something you really only see Blind do from that position for United.
Clearly he still needs more time, which is fine, so I won't really have a final opinion on this signing until after next season.
A good couple of matches from him, still got plenty to do but at least we can see something from him now. Mourinho thought it right to ease him in and if he continues to give the team good performances then it'll have all been worth it.
Interesting! Abysmal start but now the last two games have been pretty solid. I am just worried that the guy is too small and lacks speed, strenght and athleticism... Well time will tell!
He's had a couple of good games, but that's it really. We'll know in a years time if he's a good defender.
One thing's for certain though - we've the best bunch of CBs in the league. Great to have that kind of depth in the team.
One thing's for certain though - we've the best bunch of CBs in the league. Great to have that kind of depth in the team.
Also, expect a back 3 against Arsenal, so I think he'll be back in the lineup once again. I don't expect either of Jones or Bailly to be fit for Saturday.
I wonder if some of the reason for his upswing performance wise comes from being deployed on the RCB.
I remember some Benfica fans saying he was better at RCB, and that he even played RB sometimes.
I remember some Benfica fans saying he was better at RCB, and that he even played RB sometimes.
Growing in confidence, but hope Bailey can be back for the Arsenal as I don't want to gamble him on big game yet.
It's crazy how quickly people are still willing to write new signings off. Saw several posts saying he should never play for us again after the Huddersfield game.
I watched him a lot last season since we were linked with him and I found him amazing playing the ball out from the back and picking the right passes. He is starting to catch up with the speed of the prem and if his 1v1 defending improves he will be an amazing player for us. He is still young also so there's time for improvement.
Don't think there's anything wrong with calling it how you see it and commenting on performances that have just happened.
Glad he's looked better. Sounds like the only game I've missed this season was one of the most interesting.
Bump.
If I'm honest, I didnt really notice him much v Arsenal. Rojo and possibly Smalling were worse.
Evidence enough that yes he is improving?
If I'm honest, I didnt really notice him much v Arsenal. Rojo and possibly Smalling were worse.
Evidence enough that yes he is improving?
He hasn't been the direct cause of a goal in the last few matches he has started, so I think he is improving.
Pretty sure he was meant to stick to Alexis and considering I seen a lot of Alexis he didn't do a great job.
He's certainly improving. I'm sure he has another few mistakes in him but I'm more optimistic that he'll be where we need him to be by the time his second season starts.
I thought he did ok, what was required and stuck to his tasks
He could only do it in certain situations, usually when Sanchez was playing in around our right hand channel, he was able to push towards him and stay tight, and he did it well in those circumstances. Having a centre back man mark a playmaker who drops deep for a full 90 would be tactical suicide as it would pull us all over the place and leave huge gaps in the back line. It really is the job of a midfielder if it's going to be done. It wasn't anything like Herrera on Hazard, for example. Sanchez was everywhere and Lindelof wouldn't have been in a position to shadow him all over the pitch. If Mourinho wanted to do that, it definitely would have been Herrera.
He is settling in nicely. Takes time in a new league like the Premiership but he will turn out to be tops.
He's fine in a back 3. I'll be more assured when he starts performing equally as well with just one other CB.
He's winning me over. Not that he'll give a feck about that.
He definitely looks better in a 3. Hopefully he continues along this curve.
He definitely looks better in a 3. Hopefully he continues along this curve.
Pallister, Vidic, Evra, de Gea all had dodgy starts to their United careers but became legends. New club, new teammates, perhaps a new country; it can take time for a player to adapt. He played well at Arsenal.
I think we may have bought him to play 3 at the back.
And you can’t spell Scunthorpe without C...
And you can't spell Arsenal without...
I don't know about you but it always leaps out whenever they come up on Soccer Saturday.One of the biggest defensive talents in the world, never doubted him. (please don't look at my post history)
While im not overhyping him, i always found the criticism and writing off of him an utter joke at times here. A few poor performances and people were saying we should sell him and he hasn’t got a clue!
He's certainly improved but I still think he's out of his depth. To think we've paid over 30 million for him is crazier than Crazy Horse. There are still many departments where he is falling short and it's a good thing Smalling is playing so well at the moment as he is taking everything in the air and covering for him. Bailly, who I don't think has been as good this year, is still a much better option in that position. For me Lindelöf is still a passenger. Mourinho has obviously seen potential in the player. Hope he can deliver but for me he's miles away.
He is improving, but still looks nervous as feck at times. He'll eventually have a crucial error in a big match I feel.
Man Utd 2:1 Chelsea
Anyone saw what Lindelof did towards the end of the game? He was telling every player in the defense to use their heads to clear the ball. Except for a few gaffes that weren't really serious, he's been looking the part recently when used.
Looking more and more comfortable at the club.
Too early to anoint him a success or a failure but recent signs are looking good.
Too early to anoint him a success or a failure but recent signs are looking good.
I’m sorry but I just don’t see it with Lindelof. I can’t see any outstanding attributes in his defensive work, he’s not great in the air, isn’t strong and doesn’t seem particularly fast. One thing I’ve noticed is he also seems to be far too passive when a striker has his back to goal and allows them to turn. For all the critics Smalling gets, putting pressure on a forward and using his strength to dispossess is something he is very good.
The only time I’ve Lindelof he looked good was the short period in December where we played 3 at the back but even then he was skinned a couple of times. Really do hope he proves me wrong as he seems to be a top professional and good guy off the pitch but I’ve not seen much yet, early days though still.
The only time I’ve Lindelof he looked good was the short period in December where we played 3 at the back but even then he was skinned a couple of times. Really do hope he proves me wrong as he seems to be a top professional and good guy off the pitch but I’ve not seen much yet, early days though still.