What a completely bizarre argument. Injuries effected other players differently from player to player, case to case and you're not buying that 'excuse'. It is what it is, he had a couple of injuries to deal with and battled with them as best he could. What a weird thing to argue in any case.
However when completing his 50/50 chance it resulted in an 82% success. Focus on the negative.
Also incorrect as he engaged in 57 challenges and won 48 making his total tackles won per appearance 2.82 the highest in the United midfield, compared to Carrick the other 'experienced', 'main defensive midfielder' in nearly double the starts only achieving 2.0 at 72%. In his role his game wasn't mainly to break up play, it was to get back and challenge, dish off and get forward for the buildup, again, focus on the negative.
It's never been his forte. He scored a credible amount of goals for a single season in an advanced role after featuring mainly as a ball winning midfielder for the majority of his career. One thing that this selective stat quoting and short memory syndrome seems to highlight.
First time European jitters is par for the course and generally continental referees are harsh on 50/50 challenges. So harsh it has become a thing, the 'continental yellow card'. It doesn't surprise me that foul quota is through the roof in Europe and in general it doesn't surprise me that his foul count is high in general. I wasn't genuinely sitting there thinking he is a fouling machine and only good for fouls.
There are also a few good ones. The tackling one in particular shows the promise of pre 12/13 Fellaini. That said, it must be a miserable affair for you to watch football - which makes me wonder why you and some others would bother in the first place. Constantly seeing the negative and having to vent your frustration over it.
I'll never get it - but I am happy that the one Everton fan here thinks that he was rated more than as a 'number 10 to kick lumps up to' in the past and has it in his kitbag. We'd all love to see it, but I bet only some would appreciate it.
1. I don't even... What's bizzare is the barrage of excuses afforded to Marouane. "as best as he could" ? This is a professional sport and there should be no room for vague notions. By the same measure we could say Anderson is trying not to be obese "as best as he can". Does that accomplish anything ? What concerns me are Fellaini's on the field performances and they have been particularly horrid.
2. Why should we faff about with a subsection of overall tackles ? Is it some some sort of accomplishment ? And please from the next time check the stats before posting.
In 2013/ 2014 for United Fellaini won 50.46% 50-50 tackles.
Fun trivia time : There were 46 midfielders who were statistically more effective at winning 50-50 ground contests than Marouane and the league average was 51.5% for players to have participated in 10 games.
Just for comparison :
Michael Carrick (62.8%)
Tom Cleverley (51.8%)
And for lulz let's also include some tiny offensive minded players :
Juan Mata (52.5%)
Eden Hazard (53.6%)
Coutinho (52.3%)
3. Are you for real ?
Where do you get these bogus stats ? Can I get in ?
Is tackles per appearance some some of barometer for great midfield play ? Because two of the very best defensive midfielders around : Javi Martinez and De Rossi were lower than Fellaini. There's a difference between volume of tackling and effectiveness. Conceding 2.1 fouls per 2.8 tackle is hardly indicative of perception and awareness.
As for the digs at Carrick I'll disregard that. The man has been our fulcrum for the best part of a decade and I refuse to compare him to a nincompoop. But anyway using 90 min metrics :
4. What exactly is his forte ? Pray do enlighten us ? As for the assertion that he's box to box - the effectiveness is highly dysfunctional for a player who's cumbersome and slows down the tempo with 3 touches instead of one and doesn't have the vision to execute swift counterattacks. The only think he offers is a 194 cm frame and superior volume.
5. Don't care about the jitters. 99 % good players with years of national team experience take to European football like a duck to water. Problem is Fellaini doesn't qualify as good.
6. Getting personal are we. Ok TBF this statement is hot garbage. Because I'm amused by the clown, his moronic antics are a great source of mirth for me. Dude is an accident waiting to happen. What doesn't sit right with me is that he affects the aesthetics and performances of the team I support. Much rather he was oppo.
7. I doubt any United fan brought up with the slick football of Giggs and Scholes and Ronaldo and Cantona would appreciate watching route 1, lump it to the humongous fella's chest/ beehive brand of football.
Anyway I'm done posting the same things in a perpetual loop. /End.
