[Rozay]

Tbf that midfield played 130 mins together.

And the rest of the time with Pereira looked the same.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

At the moment he is comfortably ahead of Fred, and should start every game. Midfield 3 of Matic, Fred, Pogba has never looked balanced all season, while one with Fellaini always does.

I don’t think it’s a lack of balance. Just Fred having difficulty adjusting to a new team/league. He’ll get there (hopefully!) but Fellaini is a significant upgrade on him as it stands.

 

[roonster09]

And the rest of the time with Pereira looked the same.

Yeah, but that's a different combination. Matic - Pogba - Fred barely played together.

But like you said, Fellaini form deserves first team place. He should start as he is playing well and gives lot of balance to the team.

 

[Scarecrow]

I don't know what happened with Fellaini this season but he is winning me over. Maybe it's system we are playing now (4-3-3) but 1) we have looked like a functional team again 2) Fellaini has been superb every time he has been on the pitch

He's been good for years mate.

 

[Rozay]

I don’t think it’s a lack of balance. Just Fred having difficulty adjusting to a new team/league. He’ll get there (hopefully!) but Fellaini is a significant upgrade on him as it stands.

I personally think it’s specifically a balance thing. The blend of midfield protection and creativity seems about right when the big man is on the pitch. We look far more secure, and Pogba has looked very threatening at the other end.

I’ve felt we’ve looked open when Fellaini hasn’t been on, yet I haven’t felt like we lack creativity when he has.

 

[Sunny Jim]

He's been good for years mate.

No, he hasnt

 

[Scarecrow]

No, he hasnt

Your post history regarding Fellaini could be summed up like this:

- "I hate him. Always have. Reminds me of Moyes"
- "Hate to say it but he was our best player today"
- "Have we sold him already?"
- "Starting to like him, have to admit. Massive today"
- "Starting again? FML"
- "Best game in a United shirt. More of the same please"
- "Hopefully we sell him this summer"
- "He's been good the last few games. What's going on?"
etc.

I'm paraphrasing, hope you don't mind. You seem to have had conflicting feelings about him from day 1 and seeing as this hasn't really changed in 5 years, I don't expect to convince you now.

 

[Ashley R1+O]

Jaysus, that was tongue in cheek.

*shrug* it's still an annoying trope tongue in or out of cheek.

 

[11101]

At the moment he is comfortably ahead of Fred, and should start every game. Midfield 3 of Matic, Fred, Pogba has never looked balanced all season, while one with Fellaini always does.

When Fellaini plays we have two DMs effectively, that's why. Fred is a little like a dog chasing a ball at the moment, he needs to learn when and where to sit off and cover space. Fellaini is very good at getting himself in the way of the opposition and breaking things up and when he is played with Matic its essentially two banks of centre backs to get through.

 

[stu_1992]

Did really well last night when he came on. Felt like nothing would get passed him. Had a decent, yet unspectacular start to the season. More of the same and he could be a key player.

 

[Adam-Utd]

He fell asleep at a corner which they should have scored from, but after that he bucked his ideas up and won every tackle.

He goes into challenges with an aggression and bite that usually means he either wins the ball or decks the player - love it.

The big man has his flaws but he seems more athletic than ever right now, It seems like he's injury free and playing with confidence. Wasn't a huge fan of keeping him this summer but if he keeps playing like this he's an asset not a vulnerability.

 

[Van Piorsing]

He's officially a player bigger than this club. Three different managers with different look on football and magically everyone is forced to play the similar brand of football. It's amazing.

A plan B that is pretty much inevitable.

 

[AshRK]

Not his fan and will never will be but he was good and does his role effectively but the issue is he cannot play football. Like he cannot cross, he cannot pass, he cannot dribble. His mentality is very good but that's where the connection between him and our club ends. But again he was far from the worst player today so no point slating him. For that we have Valencia's thread

 

[harms]

He was very poor when Jose moved him higher in a role that required actual passing/dribbling/ball control. It's partly his fault (he should be able to play football since he's kinda do this for a leaving), but to be honest Jose should've known better not to use him like that. Either move him up front full-time or sub him (never going to happen) instead of Fred.

 

[Devil may care]

Long term he's not acceptable as a #6 at a club like Untied, we need a player like Neves, but if him playing as practically a 3rd CB allows Pogba and Fred/Pereira to play more attacking, then so be it for now.

 

[buckooo1978]

he didn't really make a mistake today. Thats notvreally the problem with Fellaini though - the problem is that we needed a player today with a better passing range and better technical ability

Fellaini has been pretty much 7/10 in all his performances lately- it's not fair to expect someone of his ability to have an impact like a superior player

 

[scholesyboy18]

This guy should never be playing for a club with ambitions to win league or CL. Yes I know currently we are not even top 4 material. It boggles my mind how a player who thinks after taking a touch to pass the ball sideways can stay at this club for so long.

 

[ErranMorad]

I don't understand how people think he was good. His "keeping it simple" was exactly the problem in the first half and the reason why Jose moved him closer to the goal. His inability to pass the ball and slowness made him completely useless in the position today. Okay, he helped out in the game against Burnley, who bombard the ball into the box, covering Lindelöf. But against Wolves, a team who play the ball on the ground, he was completely useless as a number 6. A lot of our passing in the first half was slow nonsense between him, Smalling and Lindelöf; all three incapable of moving the ball forward.

Yes, he didn't feck up by giving up silly fouls or constantly hitting the opposition players ankles, but he wasn't good either.

 

[TheFlagStaysDown]

The problem with Fellaini is always the same. I think he was good today actually but he shoudln't be starting we lacked penetration and way quicker passing from the back. Also my problem with him is that he often for a big tall player supposed to be good in the air, loses his marker and then not perfectly times his headers either. I am sure Pereira could hover the space between centerbacks as well, he's quicker more aggressive and could orchestraste the game for us and we could schore more goals but maybe Mourinho will learn from this..

 

[ManUtd1999]

He was very good today. He did what he had to do well. Unfortunately, those up top didn't, and that's why we didn't win.

He has earned his place in the starting lineup.

 

[Jeppers7]

Credit where it's due.....another good performance. Prefer him as a defensive shield, I really hate us playing hoof ball but he's reasonably effective with it and it's not his fault we go that route.

 

[Foxbatt]

Yes he was very good today. He even attacked when he got the chance and put in a cross too. When he is in the box, our other players refuse to put in a decent cross. Valencia being the biggest culprit.

 

[Ekeke]

He's been a really weird experiment this season.

A DM that doesn't do DM things and in fact becomes a 3rd CB of sorts when we don't have the ball.

But nobody covers his DM responsibilities so it leaves us vulnerable. He's still playing his best football as a CM at the club and is adding something on the ball with his willingness to move the ball quicker than Matic. But somehow due to how we're using him we're just as vulnerable as when he wasnt playing.

 

[Foxbatt]

Our midfield was not getting over run yesterday. It was our strikers in ability to hold the ball or their lack of movements off the the ball created the pressure on our midfield. As soon as the ball is played upfront the ball would be back at us.

 

[shield]

Good performance. I like how he is seen as the answer to any problem in any area of the field. Defence having a problem, bring on Fellaini to add strength. Midfield having a problem, bring him on so that we can play it directly to him and he can lay it off to others around him. Problem up front ... just lob it to him and he will bring it down.

Still feel he should be used mostly as a sub, and be introduced around the 65th minute or so, because his technique does not really need him time to settle and he can impact a game immediately. Yesterdays result was mostly due our lack of width and poor front line. Midfield was fine.

 

[Web of Bissaka]

Nothing to complain about his good performances. He fought and tried.

Mourinho's 2nd half midfield shuffle leaves us more expose.

1st half:
-Sanchez-Lukaku-Lingard-
----Pogba-----------Fred-----
------------Fellaini------------

2nd half:
-Sanchez-Lukaku-Lingard-
------------Fellaini------------
----Pogba-----------Fred-----

While I do get the rational behind it - to hopefully kill the game quicker with him up front doing his thing, and he tried, our midfield is just not that stable compare to the 1st half. Credit to Wolves for taking on our defence with guts, a lot easier when there's no good defense-screening Fella.

 

[Mcking]

The way Neves and Moutinho were passing the ball, I thought were playing Barcelona. We need that type as our DM, not Fellaini.

 

[Scarecrow]

When he was playing in front of the defense in the first half (and the last few games) we were so much more effective in all phases of the game. Pogba especially has much more freedom in that setup. feck knows why we moved Fred back at the beginning of the second half and Paul started having problems. That's when they got hold of our midfield.

 

[Foxbatt]

They got hold of the midfield when we took Fred off and put in Mata. I even said during the game it was a mistake. When the opposition play that kind of fast football, Mata is a passenger. The other problem is that Valencia is past his sell by date. He cannot cross when there is no player in front of him now. Of course if there is he would obviously hit him.
The big man played his heart out and had another very good game. What is the point of sticking him upfront when there are no high balls for him and also Lukaku is always on his back foot?

 

[ManUtd1999]

Our player of the month?

 

[ForestRGoinUp]

Absolutely thriving in our chaotic shit stick football. Suits him to a tee. Can't knock the effort.

 

[Minimalist]

Works his balls off to be fair to him.

...and that's pretty much all I have to say about Fellaini.

 

[Striker10]

Absolutely thriving in our chaotic shit stick football. Suits him to a tee. Can't knock the effort.

You say that but the goal came from a nice cross. It's unbelievable. Fellaini isn't the problem nor the reason for our type of play.

 

[kouroux]

Should start every single game now. He's our most consistent player out there

 

[Redplane]

I know a lot of you think he is the epitome of our downfall - I say he is one of the few truly bright spots of the past years. Saved our asses more times than probably most players in our history - and despite the hate he gets here and the limited playing time, plays his heart out for his club and his fellow players. Gets it. More inspirational than any of our last 3 coaches. Nuff said.

 

[Raw]

Honestly out of the current dumpster fire of players we have, Fellaini is starting to become one of the more likeable ones. Even after the comments he made before signing a new contract.

 

[ZlatMan]

Fellaini is definitely not the most aesthetic footballer but he has a warrior mentality. He is the only player who look to fighting for Mourinho unfortunately

 

[Virror]

Easily our best outfield player. Problem is we need him both defensively since without him we have no midfield control and leak goals, but we also need him to score our goals.

 

[acnumber9]

It’s hard not to like him. He’s always fighting and trying to win the game. The more talented players should be looking on in shame.

 

[Roboc7]

He was actually pretty rubbish until the goal, which was very good and he also took a much better penalty than I could have imagined.

Watching United now is like watching a
Moyes team and I think that is part of reason he is thriving as he is back to playing the roles he did at Everton which he is very good at.