He's not bad, he's just not right either. We'll be a better football team without him in the side.
27
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 47
- Goals
- 4
- Assists
- 2
- Yellow cards
- 9
- Red cards
- 1
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
- Status
He shouldn't be a regular started but I have no problem with him being a squad player similar to Lingard.
His attitude and mentality is great.
His attitude and mentality is great.
Sell him asap, never has been or never will be a player deserving of wearing the Utd shirt.
He's a great option to have but Pogba and either Herrera or Schneiderlin behind Mata is definitely our best midfield trio. No more of this "Rooney in midfield" garbage please.
Did you watch the game against Leicester?
He will always hold us back as one of a two due to his lack of ability on the ball. He can be useful to break up play next to Pogba and someone like Herrera or Carrick, but he should never play instead of them.
These crap posts started again? I thought we wouldn't see them much this season till he has a bad game but looks like I was wrong.
He had been more than just 'average' like you say. He was excellent at breaking up play. Passing wasn't as good as Herrera yesterday but he still was very good. There is no need for this revisionist crap that 'he didn't play well but others played badly that his poor game looked excellent'.
It's not a crap post at all, just my opinion. I believe we need more from a holding midfielder than he can give us, he's immobile and one dimensional, and shouldn't be anywhere near the starting 11.
Wouldn't write him off just yet. Let him play in a 433 as the DM and lets see him next to Herrera with Pogba in front of them. If he still struggles to be a DM then yes he's ready to be binned but partnering Pogba is difficult if you're not a full time DM.
It's annoying to see him being thrown under the bus because of the improvement in performance that was almost entirely down to Rooney being dropped.
I'm not saying RESTORE HIM TO THE TEAM INMEDIATELY, but just a few games ago people were saying he had to be Pogba's partner because he was playing so well. He doesn't lose credit that quickly.
I'm not saying RESTORE HIM TO THE TEAM INMEDIATELY, but just a few games ago people were saying he had to be Pogba's partner because he was playing so well. He doesn't lose credit that quickly.
He does because it's Fellaini.
I don't worry much. If it's for the team's sake then sure, I don't mind him being dropped for Ander plus there's plenty of games including EL where he has a chance to play. There will be games/should be games when we should go 433 as well and he seems to be a perfect match for it.
Believing he shouldnt start and believing he doesnt deserve to wear a united shirt are 2 very very different things.
He has his qualities and uses, but a style like yesterday where Mata, Herrera and Pogba killed them off with clever movement and passing is the type of midfield we need to be playing.
That doesn't suit Fellaini. Would rather he was used similar to how Jose used Mikel, bring him on to help kill the game.
That doesn't suit Fellaini. Would rather he was used similar to how Jose used Mikel, bring him on to help kill the game.
What suits Felliani is playing for another club, I said it earlier on in this thread, he has a couple of good games and all of a sudden the 90% of his United Career so far to date is brushed aside and forgotten and it's a new dawn.
However nice a man he is off the pitch, however many grannies he helps to their feet doesn't change the fact he is fecking rubbish.
However nice a man he is off the pitch, however many grannies he helps to their feet doesn't change the fact he is fecking rubbish.
Was excellent yesterday. More of the same please.
See I personally think he absolutely has been average and when everyone else as been poor that's not a bad thing but he's only been putting in 6 or 7 out of 10 performances. Now the problem isn't so much that, it's the nature of his style and what Utd need as a team in that position. Fellaini was very good at breaking up play, intercepting, winning defensive arial duels and playing the ball simply. My problem is that I don't believe any top team in the world carries a simple player like that in the first 11. Busquets offers all of those things to a higher level and at the same time offers fantastic passing from deep and that's what we need.
Herrera in the DM role yesterday is a huge reason why we saw the performance of Pogba (and the team) improve so drastically. Compared to Fellaini, Herrera moves the ball so much faster and his first touch football is world class at times. For a team like Utd on the front foot all the time we need a tempo setter and that comes from midfield and it's something that no matter how well Fellaini plays he will never ever offer.
Herrera did not just play the DM role playing it simple, he got involved in the game, linking up with pogba and mata, herrera never shy away from wanting to stamp his autority on the game in a positive matter, and help create stuff and herrera never give away needless free kicks, where fellaini would do it against even the worst of opposition. Felllaini all he does is break up play and then expect to pogba to do it all, Herrera took charge and also started linking up with Pogba and mata, so the load is taking off pogba's back when herrera and mata can start dictating the game with their ability to pass and move, because someone like herrera has that ability because of how technically gifted he is and he is energetic which helps pogba, his distribution of the ball is stunning to watch. When Pogba has mata and herrera to play off, and not fellaini and rooney, that's a big performance change for Pogba
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Fellaini has been decent since the start of the season, I'd nearly say good. He does a job. But is that what we should be striving for? He's an average player who wouldn't get a look in at a top team. We should have a midfield containing top quality players. Fellaini is not one. He gives decent performances but not for a top team.
Fact is he's just not the player our team needs. That's not an attack on Fellaini, I'm not saying he's shit. He has his strengths and he would be a great asset to many teams out there. But not a team striving to win major trophies. We need pace, fluidity, dynamism, quick thinking and intelligent players who are looking to move the ball forward. Fellaini is nothing more than a taller and stronger Tom Cleverley. He'll never do anything in midfield but stall on the ball and make simple 5 yard passes that are mostly sideways and backwards. Sure, he'll pop up with a header occasionally and he'll out muscle a player here and there, but unless we're trying to emulate a stereotypical Stoke team of 5 years ago, that's not really enough justify playing for Manchester United.
I've also seen a handful of people saying he's been our best midfielder this season. If that's true (and I don't believe it is) then I'd say that's a far bigger issue than Rooney, and one that should be addressed immediately. No way should such a limited player ever be our best midfielder.
I've also seen a handful of people saying he's been our best midfielder this season. If that's true (and I don't believe it is) then I'd say that's a far bigger issue than Rooney, and one that should be addressed immediately. No way should such a limited player ever be our best midfielder.
I just love dropping one liners and cause a discussion with it
Fellaini career with us was a roller coaster with some serious ups and downs. Ultimately he wasn't sold off which means he's not shit. However he's constantly been switched around and had never cemented a first team role either. That suggest he's not brilliant either. I think the situation will remain the same. Herrera is no dm so we will need someone tough in midfield at one point (and Fellaini is the best we've got). However Fellaini himself is not a top quality dm either (it's not his natural role). So the issue will still persist.
Irrespective of Fellaini staying or leaving we need a top quality dm. Afterwards we can assess whether the Belgian should stay or not. Currently he's not at the fat bottom of our cm pecking order
Fellaini career with us was a roller coaster with some serious ups and downs. Ultimately he wasn't sold off which means he's not shit. However he's constantly been switched around and had never cemented a first team role either. That suggest he's not brilliant either. I think the situation will remain the same. Herrera is no dm so we will need someone tough in midfield at one point (and Fellaini is the best we've got). However Fellaini himself is not a top quality dm either (it's not his natural role). So the issue will still persist.
Irrespective of Fellaini staying or leaving we need a top quality dm. Afterwards we can assess whether the Belgian should stay or not. Currently he's not at the fat bottom of our cm pecking order
Now that sounds interesting, wonder how? By killing him or by selling rest of our midfielders and buying new ones?
He is a decent player but doesn't fit our style
Should be sold asap with Rooney and Young
Should be sold asap with Rooney and Young
He's a poor passer of a ball; has an inconsistent touch, no dribbling ability nor creativity and he's got terrible positioning, in-game intelligence and composure on top of that.
The main positive qualities he has are related to his height and his tenacity and the former is irrelevant and the latter is provided by a better player in Herrera. I don't know why people rate him so highly.
The main positive qualities he has are related to his height and his tenacity and the former is irrelevant and the latter is provided by a better player in Herrera. I don't know why people rate him so highly.
I think he's suggesting the latter and he's right. A player of his limited quality can't be a top club best cm.
Played in his best position (like at An field last season), he offers a unique skill set compared to our other CM. I'm pretty sure Jose still likes him as an option and so do I.
He's strong and physical but he's completely inferior to Mata, Mkhitaryan and the like at everything that matters for an attacking midfielder.
We should be looking to replace him in the squad at the end of the season really.
He offers a skill set that suits long ball teams that try to bully the opposition and "make it hard for them", as David Moyes would say. As a United fan how can you like that?
I'm happy with winning. If 'making it hard them' gets the job done on the day, I wouldn't complain. I'm not advocating for us to build the team around him.
But we were also pretty much solid defensively in the first 3 games with none of the teams attacking us
There are very few teams who have players like busquets who are consistently good. Big teams usually have a midfield of a destroyer with a passer next to him. Casemiro with Modric, Coquelin with cazorla, Matic with Fabregas etc.
Never quite understood the argument that we should keep him because he's unique. Unique how? He's not actually that good at the positions we want him to play in, at the most he can go an average or above average job (relative to what our standards should be, not relative to a tactically poor team where we often are/were all over the place). Good enough for a Top 6 Everton team? Yes. Good enough for a United team's that's been pretty crap by regular standards? Maybe so. Good enough for a team that should aspire to win the league title, and reach the semis of the European Cup? No way. Have some standards. Koke is unique because he can play almost every front 6 position apart from striker at a very high level. Vidal was unique because he was one of the few players in post modern football who would go 100 kmph from minute 1 to 90 + extra time. Gullit was unique because he combined the technique of a Spaniard with the total footballing sense of a Dutchman in a 6'3" frame and offered incredible versatility. Pogba is unique because he combines a frame that is similar to Fellaini with immaculate technique on the ball and acrobatic athleticism that is matched by few. Guerreiro is unique because he can play leftback and left wingback at a world class level, and then steps into a box-to-box role and seems as good as Gündogan. Kimmich is unique because he's essentially baby Lahm. Fellaini is tall, gets stuck in, isn't very mobile, and has weird technique on the ball and is reasonable at 2-3 positions. How is that unique?
And is uniqueness necessarily good? How many unique players like Fellaini do Bayern Munich have? Barcelona? Real Madrid? Dortmund? City? Manchester United in the late 90s and mid to late 2000s when we were actually good? None of those teams seem desperate for that type of Papa Bouba Diop-esque uniqueness. Even someone like Casemiro who has better technique on the ball and is a better defensive midfielder with more awareness and tactical nous is in a tenuous position at Madrid because pure anchors/stoppers are a dying breed when teams use Thiago and Weigl in that role. For United to move forward and re-emerge as an elite club, we need more midfielders who're good on the ball first and foremost, even in disciplined roles, because the meta-game necessitates that. His presence eats away a starting or bench spot that could we used for a better incoming signing (just like Rooney or Young's does). You could have much better, younger players for specific roles, instead of relying on Fellaini, while paying him £80,000-90,000 per week. This is why United get poor value for sales in the market. You keep players past their sell-by date on big contracts, make them bench-warmers, and then no one wants to sign them at a decent price, so they go for a pittance. He has just over 20 months remaining on his current deal, and will turn 29 soon. So you either sell him in the summer for £10-15 million on the last year of his contract, or let him walk on the Bosman come 2018, or heaven forbid give him a new contract and then weep as he declines rapidly into his 30s. The lad needs to begone at the end of the season. He won't be a good DM for Pogba:
Even neutral stat compilers (not necessarily Fellaini haters) realize that you need better distribution from the back. And we have Pogba for the #8 role (which is probably Fellaini's best role); plus someone like Pereira is evidencing good performances at Granada in their first team, so he can also step in as the #8. Yes, Fellaini is a nice guy and everything, and can talk the talk, but if his footballing ability isn't upto scratch in terms of the European elite (which should be our aim), then it makes little sense to keep him at United for the medium term. You could argue that we kept on basic players in the past under Fergie; but 1. Fergie is gone and 2. the top end of European football is stacked with elite players like never before. Plus, we need to overhaul the midfield because Carrick is on his last legs and Fußballgott is surplus to needs under present management. So you have the chance to actually build towards something - maybe a unit that peaks with Pogba and Shaw and Rashford and Martial and co. Fellaini doesn't fall into that category, either.
PS: He's not a good physical defensive midfielder, either. In terms of stature yes, but there's much more to defensive midfield play than that. If you wanted a physical defensive midfielder, you should've signed someone like Krychowiak in the summer. Or you could sign someone like Milan Badelj in the winter. These players are actually good in these roles because of their mobility and better tactical nous/defensive intuition/presence on the ball.
Modrić + Casemiro is a decent example, but Madrid also have Kroos to alleviate concerns with Casemiro on the ball. The rest: Coquelin with Cazorla? When was the last time Arsenal won the league or the European Cup? They often get overrun against good European midfield units. Chelsea isn't a very good example either because the performance of Matić + Fabregas lasted just over 12 months, and they got molested in Europe by a team using a holding midfielder when Mikel played as a destroyer type alongside Cesc:
And is uniqueness necessarily good? How many unique players like Fellaini do Bayern Munich have? Barcelona? Real Madrid? Dortmund? City? Manchester United in the late 90s and mid to late 2000s when we were actually good? None of those teams seem desperate for that type of Papa Bouba Diop-esque uniqueness. Even someone like Casemiro who has better technique on the ball and is a better defensive midfielder with more awareness and tactical nous is in a tenuous position at Madrid because pure anchors/stoppers are a dying breed when teams use Thiago and Weigl in that role. For United to move forward and re-emerge as an elite club, we need more midfielders who're good on the ball first and foremost, even in disciplined roles, because the meta-game necessitates that. His presence eats away a starting or bench spot that could we used for a better incoming signing (just like Rooney or Young's does). You could have much better, younger players for specific roles, instead of relying on Fellaini, while paying him £80,000-90,000 per week. This is why United get poor value for sales in the market. You keep players past their sell-by date on big contracts, make them bench-warmers, and then no one wants to sign them at a decent price, so they go for a pittance. He has just over 20 months remaining on his current deal, and will turn 29 soon. So you either sell him in the summer for £10-15 million on the last year of his contract, or let him walk on the Bosman come 2018, or heaven forbid give him a new contract and then weep as he declines rapidly into his 30s. The lad needs to begone at the end of the season. He won't be a good DM for Pogba:
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— Twitter API (@user) date
Even neutral stat compilers (not necessarily Fellaini haters) realize that you need better distribution from the back. And we have Pogba for the #8 role (which is probably Fellaini's best role); plus someone like Pereira is evidencing good performances at Granada in their first team, so he can also step in as the #8. Yes, Fellaini is a nice guy and everything, and can talk the talk, but if his footballing ability isn't upto scratch in terms of the European elite (which should be our aim), then it makes little sense to keep him at United for the medium term. You could argue that we kept on basic players in the past under Fergie; but 1. Fergie is gone and 2. the top end of European football is stacked with elite players like never before. Plus, we need to overhaul the midfield because Carrick is on his last legs and Fußballgott is surplus to needs under present management. So you have the chance to actually build towards something - maybe a unit that peaks with Pogba and Shaw and Rashford and Martial and co. Fellaini doesn't fall into that category, either.
PS: He's not a good physical defensive midfielder, either. In terms of stature yes, but there's much more to defensive midfield play than that. If you wanted a physical defensive midfielder, you should've signed someone like Krychowiak in the summer. Or you could sign someone like Milan Badelj in the winter. These players are actually good in these roles because of their mobility and better tactical nous/defensive intuition/presence on the ball.
Bayern Munich regularly play Alonso/Thiago as the holder. Juventus use Marchisio/Pjanić/Lemina. There's Barcelona. Dortmund. Until recently, PSG used Thiago Motta or even Verratti. City, where Fernandinho is more of a holder than a destroyer. So there are plenty of big teams that play without destroyers.
Modrić + Casemiro is a decent example, but Madrid also have Kroos to alleviate concerns with Casemiro on the ball. The rest: Coquelin with Cazorla? When was the last time Arsenal won the league or the European Cup? They often get overrun against good European midfield units. Chelsea isn't a very good example either because the performance of Matić + Fabregas lasted just over 12 months, and they got molested in Europe by a team using a holding midfielder when Mikel played as a destroyer type alongside Cesc:
Yes, he played forward passes against a Hull City team that has picked up 1 point in 3 games since, sat back against United and even then we won in extra time via a Rashford goal. Fellaini doesn't allow you to be dominant on the ball and proactive like Keane and Carrick did in the past, or Ander did on the basis of current/limited evidence (and IMO, he isn't a very good holding midfielder, either - should be played as a right sided box to box). Against teams that are actually good, we could get murdered with Fellaini as the DM/DLP. And that's what needs to be realized. Our bar isn't set vs Hull City and him picking forward passes against them (and it shouldn't be set by Ander vs Leicester, either). We haven't really faced a lot of good teams, the type we'll need to beat on the road to the European Cup (which should always be United's aim). Imagine him vs Dortmund's relentless pressing or vs Bayern Munich where Thiago will run the show. It's a scary proposition.
eg. There are 2 forward passes in this gif. Without appropriate context, they're weighed at the same level by the comparison matrix, even though the way one opens up a defense is much more dangerous:
TBH, Damien, I've turned sour on squawka's matrix because a lack of context. Forward passes in a void don't say much because they don't convey where the ball was picked up, where it went, how much pressure was on the passer/receiver, and a million minor details that are only grasped in live games.
eg. There are 2 forward passes in this gif. Without appropriate context, they're weighed at the same level by the comparison matrix, even though the way one opens up a defense is much more dangerous:
That we won't, thankfully, have to witness as of now. I don't really understand this type of logic what will happen against Barcelona or Real Madrid because we're simply not playing them this season. I think it's a pretty common knowledge that we're lacking quality in midfield (and not only) and at the moment it's not just about Fellaini who's not up to the standards we need but basically everybody bar Pogba, that applies to Carrick and Herrera too.
Also as for your post above, albeit very well written and with many things I do agree with, I think that mentioning other teams and players who play role different to Fellaini's. His 'uniquess' that you question is indeed the fact that you can't really name a player alike to him in those top teams you mention, be it bad or good. Sure, he wouldn't play in those teams mentioned I assume but you're forgetting that we're neither of those teams and that our manager is quite pragmatic in his approach first and foremost, and as long as he's able to get Fellaini to execute what he expects from him and finds a good use for him, I think it's pretty irrelevant what the others think or do.
As for the second part, I think we can agree that both Herrera and Fellaini's stats are quite skewed because Ander played a role very alike to Fellaini's in the second half against City and Leicester who are known for surrendering possession.
Fair enough, mate. And yes, thankfully, we won't have to worry about regularly facing the likes of Bayern and Dortmund anytime soon. But what I'm essentially trying to say is that if we become better, we will have to eventually. And to become better, we shouldn't (IMO) hold onto very limited players because none of the elite clubs do after a certain period of time. As a supporter of United rather than specific players, I just want us to develop/sign better players, those who can lead us to success (IMO), and that leads to criticism (at times unfair) of players who I don't think will help us in moving towards what we once were. And Fellaini is someone who IMO isn't fundamentally suited to a very successful side because of his skillset.
As for the second bit of the post: I agree with that too, albeit to a limited extent. Yes, Mourinho is pragmatic, but football is evolving into a more offensive sport at the highest level where a lot of the pragmaticism will have to be cast aside if we have to succeed because the environment that led him to CL titles with Porto and Internazionale is a bit different to what it is now. Unless, you build mega-chemistry, selflessness, desire and a robust defensive structure like Atlético - led by the best CB of the last half decade in Godín. Also, when we look at some defensive midfielders/DLPs under Mourinho: Makélélé was a class apart in terms of positioning, almost as if he could read the game before everyone else; Cambiasso would cover the center as well as the flanks when Maicon bombed forward and was everywhere; Alonso was fairly stationary, but he launched Madrid's counter-attacks from the base. Each of those players had something that made them the best in the world at what they did. I just don't see it with Fellaini.
Agree with the last part too, not much should be read into Ander's performances as a DLP until we've consistently played against good teams. In hindsight, shouldn't have posted the tweet, though on the evidence of the way they pass beyond the statistics, I thought Ander was more decisive and adventurous vs Leicester (again, that doesn't mean much until we've seen more of him to access his viability in the role).
They (mikel and fab) got ripped by a motta veratti matuidi which is an excellent midfield. Even if we play Carrick or herrera or blind there we would get ripped by this midfield 3. Matic-Fabregas stopped working because both declined not because the system stopped working.Never quite understood the argument that we should keep him because he's unique. Unique how? He's not actually that good at the positions we want him to play in, at the most he can go an average or above average job (relative to what our standards should be, not relative to a tactically poor team where we often are/were all over the place). Good enough for a Top 6 Everton team? Yes. Good enough for a United team's that's been pretty crap by regular standards? Maybe so. Good enough for a team that should aspire to win the league title, and reach the semis of the European Cup? No way. Have some standards. Koke is unique because he can play almost every front 6 position apart from striker at a very high level. Vidal was unique because he was one of the few players in post modern football who would go 100 kmph from minute 1 to 90 + extra time. Gullit was unique because he combined the technique of a Spaniard with the total footballing sense of a Dutchman in a 6'3" frame and offered incredible versatility. Pogba is unique because he combines a frame that is similar to Fellaini with immaculate technique on the ball and acrobatic athleticism that is matched by few. Guerreiro is unique because he can play leftback and left wingback at a world class level, and then steps into a box-to-box role and seems as good as Gündogan. Kimmich is unique because he's essentially baby Lahm. Fellaini is tall, gets stuck in, isn't very mobile, and has weird technique on the ball and is reasonable at 2-3 positions. How is that unique?
And is uniqueness necessarily good? How many unique players like Fellaini do Bayern Munich have? Barcelona? Real Madrid? Dortmund? City? Manchester United in the late 90s and mid to late 2000s when we were actually good? None of those teams seem desperate for that type of Papa Bouba Diop-esque uniqueness. Even someone like Casemiro who has better technique on the ball and is a better defensive midfielder with more awareness and tactical nous is in a tenuous position at Madrid because pure anchors/stoppers are a dying breed when teams use Thiago and Weigl in that role. For United to move forward and re-emerge as an elite club, we need more midfielders who're good on the ball first and foremost, even in disciplined roles, because the meta-game necessitates that. His presence eats away a starting or bench spot that could we used for a better incoming signing (just like Rooney or Young's does). You could have much better, younger players for specific roles, instead of relying on Fellaini, while paying him £80,000-90,000 per week. This is why United get poor value for sales in the market. You keep players past their sell-by date on big contracts, make them bench-warmers, and then no one wants to sign them at a decent price, so they go for a pittance. He has just over 20 months remaining on his current deal, and will turn 29 soon. So you either sell him in the summer for £10-15 million on the last year of his contract, or let him walk on the Bosman come 2018, or heaven forbid give him a new contract and then weep as he declines rapidly into his 30s. The lad needs to begone at the end of the season. He won't be a good DM for Pogba:
Tweet
— Twitter API (@user) date
Even neutral stat compilers (not necessarily Fellaini haters) realize that you need better distribution from the back. And we have Pogba for the #8 role (which is probably Fellaini's best role); plus someone like Pereira is evidencing good performances at Granada in their first team, so he can also step in as the #8. Yes, Fellaini is a nice guy and everything, and can talk the talk, but if his footballing ability isn't upto scratch in terms of the European elite (which should be our aim), then it makes little sense to keep him at United for the medium term. You could argue that we kept on basic players in the past under Fergie; but 1. Fergie is gone and 2. the top end of European football is stacked with elite players like never before. Plus, we need to overhaul the midfield because Carrick is on his last legs and Fußballgott is surplus to needs under present management. So you have the chance to actually build towards something - maybe a unit that peaks with Pogba and Shaw and Rashford and Martial and co. Fellaini doesn't fall into that category, either.
PS: He's not a good physical defensive midfielder, either. In terms of stature yes, but there's much more to defensive midfield play than that. If you wanted a physical defensive midfielder, you should've signed someone like Krychowiak in the summer. Or you could sign someone like Milan Badelj in the winter. These players are actually good in these roles because of their mobility and better tactical nous/defensive intuition/presence on the ball.
Bayern Munich regularly play Alonso/Thiago as the holder. Juventus use Marchisio/Pjanić/Lemina. There's Barcelona. Dortmund. Until recently, PSG used Thiago Motta or even Verratti. City, where Fernandinho is more of a holder than a destroyer. So there are plenty of big teams that play without destroyers.
Modrić + Casemiro is a decent example, but Madrid also have Kroos to alleviate concerns with Casemiro on the ball. The rest: Coquelin with Cazorla? When was the last time Arsenal won the league or the European Cup? They often get overrun against good European midfield units. Chelsea isn't a very good example either because the performance of Matić + Fabregas lasted just over 12 months, and they got molested in Europe by a team using a holding midfielder when Mikel played as a destroyer type alongside Cesc:
A right midfield combo for me is one that complements each other. In Matic Fabregas for instance Matic made up for Fabregas' shortcomings and vice versa. Similarly that's what coquelin and cazorla does too. which is something that was supposed to work with Fellaini-Pogba as well. Tbf it worked vs Southampton where Pogba drove the ball consistently and Fellaini screened Blind and Bailly. After that Pogba was uninspiring and didn't contribute much to attack or defence so Fellaini doing his mopping up looked useless because nothing was happening with it. Yesterday again Pogba played well and Herrera too passed the ball well enough. Pogba proved vs Southampton and Leicester that he can well play in a midfield 2 and dominate the midfield but he was found wanting in the other games be it in a 2 or 3 man mid. So the difference yesterday was little to do with our DM but with pogba's form. Mourinho chose Fellaini out of Herrera and Fellaini (both played vs Bournemouth, Fellaini as the destroyer) for the 5-6 games before this even though he made a mistake vs Leicester in the CS (though mou attributed it to the pitch) so he must have been doing something right and not holding back the team. Surely mourinho could freely bench Fellaini if he thought he wasn't performing at the level he wanted? He benched mata and martial when they were poor?
Frankly I don't mind anyone playing in midfield as long as they play well but it's very clear to anyone watching that there are lots of qualities in Fellaini that are very vital for our team (not as per me but the manager too). We can't go around selling everyone just because we can't play that player vs Bayern or Barca. We would have to sell most of our team then.
Yeah, it's fair enough what you say, understand your second point too and frankly it's hard to disagree with it. I think that Mou's aware of that too and probably already eyed up some replacements that will first come in for Carrick I guess (as he was more important for us and, as noted in other threads, we could do with a class controller) and then players like Fellaini, Young, Valencia will be slowly phased out. Last thing we need is another immediate revamp of the squad I guess if we want things to gel, which doesn't necessarily mean keeping those players for next 5-6 years.
Given that Mou himself contacted i.a. Tielemans that we know of, it does indeed indicate that midfield (and probably not only) is still on his mind.
@Invictus : You always make great posts.
Howcome?
TBF the game vs Hull was a very different contest, with us having the freedom of midfield and Hulll camped outside their box. Leicester (badly) attempted to press high up.
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