[LouisDanGaal]

Howcome?

Tielemans himself came out and said the story wasn't true. I've never seen him myself but posters on here who watch the Belgian league seem to think he is bang average too.

 

[Kostur]

Tielemans himself came out and said the story wasn't true. I've never seen him myself but posters on here who watch the Belgian league seem to think he is bang average too.

Oh, that's weird.

Edit: found the post you're talking about, you're right. That's idiotic from his friend then, to make up a story like that.

 

[LouisDanGaal]

Oh, that's weird.

Edit: found the post you're talking about, you're right. That's idiotic from his friend then, to make up a story like that.

I know, might be an agent move to plant a story to try and cash in on him while there is still some remnants of hype. A couple of years ago it seemed like he would have his pick of clubs, that probably isn't the case any longer.

 

[Footyislife]

We have to play a 4-3-3 with Pogba as the advanced playmaker, Herrera as the B2B, and Blind as the holding player. Combine that with Mhki/Mata on the RW playing as roaming playmakers and we have an excellent team. I think Mourinho worries more about how to counter the opposition than creating a setup with his team that can impose their own gameplan. Look at City, they have a terrible defensive setup on paper and yet have conceded less goals. Players like Fellaini are not required at the top teams because they worry less about countering opponents and more on imposing their own gameplan that naturally overrides the opponents strengths. That's what Fergie did for the most part so well.

 

[shamans]

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.

I'm just saying that different midfielders for different teams. He should play instead of Herrera/Carrick for certain opposition.

 

[Jaybomb]

He's much more useful than Rooney these days.

 

[devilish]

He's much more useful than Rooney these days.

Both represent a weakness of our system. Fellaini should be the enforcer type of DM, someone you would want in the team when you need to close the gaps and win the ball. He's the best we currently have for the role but he's lack discipline, workrate and positioning/pace to do the role. Rooney should be the ideal no 10 in a rather dysfunctional and leaderless midfield. He should be able to create chances, score goals and drop deep and help the midfield when needed. He's not doing a great job in none of them.

 

[Jaybomb]

Both represent a weakness of our system. Fellaini should be the enforcer type of DM, someone you would want in the team when you need to close the gaps and win the ball. He's the best we currently have for the role but he's lack discipline, workrate and positioning/pace to do the role. Rooney should be the ideal no 10 in a rather dysfunctional and leaderless midfield. He should be able to create chances, score goals and drop deep and help the midfield when needed. He's not doing a great job in none of them.

Rooney isn't capable of being a number 10 like Mata, Ozil, De Bruyne, Silva, etc are. He lacks the creativity. He's more like a second striker than a "play maker" which is disruptive to our entire system aswell. We need a proper playmaker behind Zlatan. My personal choice is Mata but you could also put Pogba or Mkhitaryan in that role. Although I'd rather see Pogba as an 8 and Henrikh as a RW.

Back to my original point; if you watched the game the other day, one of the big things that stood out to me was the type of service that Zlatan was getting. He was getting chipped through balls over the top by Pogba, he should have probably scored both of them. But the vision that Pogba possessed when he had that free role that Rooney usually always occupies made those things possible.

Rooney isn't capable of doing a ball like that. His first instinct is to collect the ball with his back turned to goal, turn around and then pass it out to the wing. You wouldn't see him do a magical touch and then unleash a defense-splitting through ball to Ibrahimovic. It's not gonna happen. Thats why we need to play Mata there. And give Pogba the freedom to come forward so he can score goals and do the same.

Zlatan will struggle if he has the likes of Rooney behind him. I believe thats why Falcao struggled aswell. But nobody seemed to pick this up back then. He's another player who relies purely on service and when we were playing him, we were trying some weird diamond formation where we "forced Rooney into the team" when really, we should have just stuck Falcao up top on his own with Mata behind and Di Maria on the right wing.

 

[iKeano]

Herrera showed on Saturday that Fellaini's days should be numbered. The idea of playing Fellaini against certain opposition surely goes against the Utd way.
Van Gaal & Moyes downfalls were playing to suit the opposition as opposed to playing the attacking style we've come to expect from Utd.

Fellaini's lack of technical ability and urgency are a world apart from Herrera's performance on Saturday. He played with tenacity, skill and pace.... things Fellaini doesn't even have in his locker.

 

[An Irish Red]

Fellaini's lack of technical ability and urgency are a world apart from Herrera's performance on Saturday. He played with tenacity, skill and pace.... things Fellaini doesn't even have in his locker.

He's not good defensively either. I honestly believe that he's the weakest out of all our midfielders and yet he's incredibly highly rated on here. It baffles me.

He's as much of a problem as Rooney is.

 

[Devil may care]

I'm just saying that different midfielders for different teams. He should play instead of Herrera/Carrick for certain opposition.

That's not how top teams operate though, we should be forcing our play onto the opposition, being proactive in our game, not reactive to the oppositions game.

 

[shamans]

That's not how top teams operate though, we should be forcing our play onto the opposition, being proactive in our game, not reactive to the oppositions game.

You're describing Barca/Real. We are not at their level and have a long way to go. Who cares how top teams operate. I just want us to win trophies and fact is Fellaini is very well suited against opposition where we require shielding the back four.

 

[An Irish Red]

You're describing Barca/Real. We are not at their level and have a long way to go. Who cares how top teams operate. I just want us to win trophies and fact is Fellaini is very well suited against opposition where we require shielding the back four.

None of our rivals play with a player like Fellaini either. Until we get rid of this idea that he is somehow helping us we'll remain an inconsistent team that doesn't reach the standards we desire.

He holds us back.

 

[devilish]

Rooney isn't capable of being a number 10 like Mata, Ozil, De Bruyne, Silva, etc are. He lacks the creativity. He's more like a second striker than a "play maker" which is disruptive to our entire system aswell. We need a proper playmaker behind Zlatan. My personal choice is Mata but you could also put Pogba or Mkhitaryan in that role. Although I'd rather see Pogba as an 8 and Henrikh as a RW.

Back to my original point; if you watched the game the other day, one of the big things that stood out to me was the type of service that Zlatan was getting. He was getting chipped through balls over the top by Pogba, he should have probably scored both of them. But the vision that Pogba possessed when he had that free role that Rooney usually always occupies made those things possible.

Rooney isn't capable of doing a ball like that. His first instinct is to collect the ball with his back turned to goal, turn around and then pass it out to the wing. You wouldn't see him do a magical touch and then unleash a defense-splitting through ball to Ibrahimovic. It's not gonna happen. Thats why we need to play Mata there. And give Pogba the freedom to come forward so he can score goals and do the same.

Zlatan will struggle if he has the likes of Rooney behind him. I believe thats why Falcao struggled aswell. But nobody seemed to pick this up back then. He's another player who relies purely on service and when we were playing him, we were trying some weird diamond formation where we "forced Rooney into the team" when really, we should have just stuck Falcao up top on his own with Mata behind and Di Maria on the right wing.

I agree on the Rooney part. However Rooney used to bring things on the table that your conventional top quality playmaker doesn't bring ie he could track back, win the ball and help the midfield if needed.

Don't take me wrong, I am not defending Rooney. I am just highlighting how dysfunctional our midfield is and why players like Fellaini and Rooney are still relevant when in reality they shouldn't be the case. We need a top quality DM with great positioning, good workrate and a decent ability to pass the ball even under pressure. Once we've got that in place, then Fellaini will become redundant and so would Rooney.

 

[gza the genius]

I'm starting to come around to Fellaini a bit which I never thought I'd say, but, I still feel that no matter how well Fellaini plays he will never be what we need and won't allow us to play how we should. Watching Herrera play in Fellaini's role and the difference his passing and speed made in our overall play tells me everything I need to know.

He's a good squad option to have but should never be a starter for us.

 

[Devil may care]

You're describing Barca/Real. We are not at their level and have a long way to go. Who cares how top teams operate. I just want us to win trophies and fact is Fellaini is very well suited against opposition where we require shielding the back four.

No, I'm describing City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Dortmund, PSG, Bayern and basically all of the top 4 contending clubs in Europe. They all have their way of playing and enforce that on their opposition, shielding that back 4 is also only part of the job, distribution is also key and why Herrera is a better fit against any opposition, the idea that we need a big bruiser is dated IMO, City smoked us because De Bruyne and Silva ran circles around our midfield until Herrera came on, our brute force is no advantage against teams of high technical quality.

 

[Oneunited26]

None of our rivals play with a player like Fellaini either. Until we get rid of this idea that he is somehow helping us we'll remain an inconsistent team that doesn't reach the standards we desire.

He holds us back.

I agree, we could invest in a proper CM to do this job and find a top class anchor man who can shield the back four with intelligence, fellaini has got as much footballing brains has a zombie, and lets get rid of the stink that is fellaini and rooney. I don't know what is the bigger joke, fellaini is needed and is still here, or rooney's 300k a week contract

No, I'm describing City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Dortmund, PSG, Bayern and basically all of the top 4 contending clubs in Europe. They all have their way of playing and enforce that on their opposition, shielding that back 4 is also only part of the job, distribution is also key and why Herrera is a better fit against any opposition, the idea that we need a big bruiser is dated IMO, City smoked us because De Bruyne and Silva ran circles around our midfield until Herrera came on, our brute force is no advantage against teams of high technical quality.

We have 2 options that are miles better than fellaini

1 against weaker teams
herrera
mkh mata pogba rashford
zlaten

2 against tougher teams
carrick
Mkh herrera pogba rashford
zlaten

Problem solved for what we need against tougher teams, even carrick's age, he's still miles better than fellaini. Pogba mata mkh and zlaten defeat the very point of keeping fellaini. Its like relying on taking public transport to get to work, when you can drive to work yourself lol

 

[Red_toad]

Herrera showed on Saturday that Fellaini's days should be numbered. The idea of playing Fellaini against certain opposition surely goes against the Utd way.
Van Gaal & Moyes downfalls were playing to suit the opposition as opposed to playing the attacking style we've come to expect from Utd.

Fellaini's lack of technical ability and urgency are a world apart from Herrera's performance on Saturday. He played with tenacity, skill and pace.... things Fellaini doesn't even have in his locker.

What is this United way you mention? Fergie used Park as a man marker, was that also not the United way?

I'd say playing a system or changing personnel to suit the opponent and thus winning games is a sensible way to manage a team.

 

[shamans]

No, I'm describing City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Spurs, Dortmund, PSG, Bayern and basically all of the top 4 contending clubs in Europe. They all have their way of playing and enforce that on their opposition, shielding that back 4 is also only part of the job, distribution is also key and why Herrera is a better fit against any opposition, the idea that we need a big bruiser is dated IMO, City smoked us because De Bruyne and Silva ran circles around our midfield until Herrera came on, our brute force is no advantage against teams of high technical quality.

City smoking us had very little to do with Fellinain. Pogba was constantly out of position and Fellaini was probably our best player that day. He is a very important player for us and this season will prove that.

 

[AndyJ1985]

City smoking us had very little to do with Fellinain. Pogba was constantly out of position and Fellaini was probably our best player that day. He is a very important player for us and this season will prove that.

He really isn't a very important player for us and he never will be.

 

[Devil may care]

City smoking us had very little to do with Fellinain. Pogba was constantly out of position and Fellaini was probably our best player that day. He is a very important player for us and this season will prove that.

He was the one De Bruyne and Silva ran rings around, it wasn't until we brought Herrera on that we got a foothold in the midfield. Top teams don't carry technically limited players now who's only attribute is destroying, even Fernandinho has a bit of passing game. Fellaini can break up play but his distribution is poor in terms of incision and getting us on the front foot, we played the best game of our season because instead of 2 lumberers in Fellaini and Rooney, we had two quality technical players in Herrera and Mata to work in midfield with Pogba, and no surprise that was his best game so far as well. The game is changing.

 

[Loublaze]

None of our rivals play with a player like Fellaini either. Until we get rid of this idea that he is somehow helping us we'll remain an inconsistent team that doesn't reach the standards we desire.

He holds us back.

Here here!

 

[prath92]

None of our rivals play with a player like Fellaini either. Until we get rid of this idea that he is somehow helping us we'll remain an inconsistent team that doesn't reach the standards we desire.

He holds us back.

Arsenal play with coquelin, Spurs play with wanyama, Chelsea play with Matic all of whom are currently no better than Fellaini.

 

[Mr Smith]

Herrera showed on Saturday that Fellaini's days should be numbered. The idea of playing Fellaini against certain opposition surely goes against the Utd way.
Van Gaal & Moyes downfalls were playing to suit the opposition as opposed to playing the attacking style we've come to expect from Utd.

Fellaini's lack of technical ability and urgency are a world apart from Herrera's performance on Saturday. He played with tenacity, skill and pace.... things Fellaini doesn't even have in his locker.

The "united way" argument is one of the laziest arguments made by fans. Picking players in certain games to "do a job" isn't sacrificing a particular style, it's having a winning mentality, rather than an Arsenal mentality. For what it's worth, SAF did it constantly (see Park at #10, Jones at CM, Welbeck on the wing, etc).

 

[Mr Smith]

He was the one De Bruyne and Silva ran rings around, it wasn't until we brought Herrera on that we got a foothold in the midfield. Top teams don't carry technically limited players now who's only attribute is destroying, even Fernandinho has a bit of passing game. Fellaini can break up play but his distribution is poor in terms of incision and getting us on the front foot, we played the best game of our season because instead of 2 lumberers in Fellaini and Rooney, we had two quality technical players in Herrera and Mata to work in midfield with Pogba, and no surprise that was his best game so far as well. The game is changing.

I agree with most of what you said here about Fellaini's limitations, but it's 100% wrong to say that he was in any way culpable for the City game. The reason things improved once we brought on Herrera was because then we had three midfielders (rather than two midfielders, one of whom wasn't holding his position, and a number 10). From then on we were able to compete in the middle and Pogba's positional freedom didn't leave us as exposed.

 

[iKeano]

What is this United way you mention? Fergie used Park as a man marker, was that also not the United way?

I'd say playing a system or changing personnel to suit the opponent and thus winning games is a sensible way to manage a team.

Playing high intensity, fast paced attacking football and letting the other team worry about coping with us & our game plan, rather than the other way around.

The "united way" argument is one of the laziest arguments made by fans. Picking players in certain games to "do a job" isn't sacrificing a particular style, it's having a winning mentality, rather than an Arsenal mentality. For what it's worth, SAF did it constantly (see Park at #10, Jones at CM, Welbeck on the wing, etc).

Park, Jones and Wellbeck. Hardly backbones of the winning SAF era there.... and yet they all still offered more than Fellaini does. Whatever way you cut it, we have other players in the squad who are better at what Fellaini does, regardless of who the opposition is.

 

[An Irish Red]

Arsenal play with coquelin, Spurs play with wanyama, Chelsea play with Matic all of whom are currently no better than Fellaini.

They're all specialist defensive midfielders, which Fellaini is not. He doesn't have good enough positioning for the role; nor does he have the composure nor discipline.

He's an incredibly limited player and that's highlighted by the fact that practically all praise of him relates to his height and physicality. That's nowhere near enough for us. We can do much better.

 

[Oneunited26]

He was the one De Bruyne and Silva ran rings around, it wasn't until we brought Herrera on that we got a foothold in the midfield. Top teams don't carry technically limited players now who's only attribute is destroying, even Fernandinho has a bit of passing game. Fellaini can break up play but his distribution is poor in terms of incision and getting us on the front foot, we played the best game of our season because instead of 2 lumberers in Fellaini and Rooney, we had two quality technical players in Herrera and Mata to work in midfield with Pogba, and no surprise that was his best game so far as well. The game is changing.

I still like to know, what is the point of fellaini now in the squad? other than backup to pogba. We hear he is there for his height and strength, hmmmm? well pogba, zlaten, smalling, baily, all have height and strength, that cancels out fellaini all together for that purpose, in the no10 role we have mata, mkh, hell we can push Pogba or Herrera forward in that role also, so no need for fellaini in that role either, the only thing he has to offer is backup to Pogba to partner herrera, thats it. Unless Pogba needs a rest, there is no position for fellaini to play other than warm the bench. Its bizarre why we still have the guy, considering we invested so much in Pogba, it completely by common sense flushes out the need for fellaini all together, considering we have Pogba who can do the physical role, and use his height to his advantage, now we have Pogba, Jose needs to add more technical skill around Pogba which herrera and mata provide, if Jose fails to act on this, you got to question Jose's lack of balance and vision he has got for the team. United got to have balance between power and technique, it goes hand in hand, you can't have one without the other or the team will either be too lightweight if we have too many technical players, or we become too clueless if we rely souly on power, which was happening against city and watford, Leicester brought the balance to the force, keep this going Jose. So when PPL say we need him for height and strength, well count who we have for that when they offer far more than the clueless fellaini, Bailly, pogba, smalling, zlaten, we literly have those tools in our arsenal, fellaini is just overkill, when we need more craft and brains not more brainless power. You can't expect to see the best of Pogba if he's got someone next to him who has no clue about intelligent distribution of the ball other than physicallity and clueless freekicks given away, or any calmness in possession and not looking to keep the team ticking

 

[jojose]

Arsenal play with coquelin, Spurs play with wanyama, Chelsea play with Matic all of whom are currently no better than Fellaini.

Arsenal haven't won the Premier League for years, more than a decade. Spurs haven't won the Premier League. Chelsea finished 10th. The previous year when the won it, Matic was head and shoulders above the player Fellaini will ever be.

 

[prath92]

Arsenal haven't won the Premier League for years, more than a decade. Spurs haven't won the Premier League. Chelsea finished 10th. The previous year when the won it, Matic was head and shoulders above the player Fellaini will ever be.

The post attributed to

None of our rivals play with a player like Fellaini either.

Right now Spurs and Arsenal are our rivals

 

[jojose]

The post attributed to



Right now Spurs and Arsenal are our rivals

Yeah they are because we Fellaini. Get rid of the useless c*nt and City will be our rivals

 

[An Irish Red]

Yeah they are because we Fellaini. Get rid of the useless c*nt and City will be our rivals

The obsession with physicality over technique has harmed the English national team for decades and everyone realises it. It amazes me that some of our fanbase make the same mistake with us.

 

[jojose]

The obsession with physicality over technique has harmed the English national team for decades and everyone realises it. It amazes me that some of our fanbase make the same mistake with us.

Agree totally.

 

[Loublaze]

Im disappointed that Mourinho still thinks this guy is a United level player.

 

[LuisNaniencia]

God, is playing holding midfield today?

 

[An Irish Red]

God, is playing holding midfield today?

He'll play a series of backwards passes and spend most of the game around ten yards from where he actually should be but the odd header here and there will make people think he did well.

It's what he does.

 

[LuisNaniencia]

He'll play a series of backwards passes and spend most of the game around ten yards from where he actually should be but the odd header here and there will make people think he did well.

It's what he does.

Hopefully he has a good game but would much rather have seen Carrick in there.

 

[Bwuk]

Has to show he can do something with the ball today. We should dominate possession. Strange game for him to play in.

 

[pre Munich Red]

For export in Jan market.

 

[Bwuk]

Has to show he can do something with the ball today. We should dominate possession. Strange game for him to play in.

Doing the exact opposite of what I said to do this far.