[Name Changed]

Good game again today.

Really needs to work on his crossing though. He was in plenty of great positions but made a hash of them. Still good however.

 

[ZDwyr]

Solid defensively. Lacked a bit going forward though. Regardless, I'd clearly still prefer him to Valencia. Needs to just keep working on it.

 

[tom33]

Really keen on him so far. Barely puts a foot wrong defensively, sharp enough to pressure and win the ball back quickly when the opportunity is there. Has the pace to be dangerous going forward, just needs to be a bit more adventurous.

 

[Skills]

Early yellow got me a bit edgy but he's a such a damn good player.

 

[Jaap]

Another good display.

The only thing that needs improving, is his final ball. He gets in good positions, but his crosses are sometimes too short, inaccurate or get blocked by a defender. Apart from that, an excellent start for the young Italian.

 

[Virtuoso]

I was delighted that we signed Matteo Darmian. I haven't posted on here in a while, but I was really pleased about us signing him after everything I had seen from him. I have always followed Italian football and Darmian had really proven himself in both Serie A and Serie B. One of the traits that I always really liked about him, is that he is a front-foot defender. He was always someone who would anticipate rather than react, and always committed in the challenge as well as when going forward.

He has shown this for us so far too, great levels of stamina going back and forward and it's important to remember that he is a truly responsible player. He covers for the CBs really well, and he has leadership skills which will improve as he becomes more comfortable with the language (he was given the captaincy at times for Torino). Always seemed like a great professional too, purely dedicated to his football and being let go by Milan at a young age seemed to have strengthened his resolve to be a top player.

No-one can doubt his pedigree in my opinion, even when we signed him I was really surprised by people claiming to have never seen him play, or never heard of him or even that we should be aiming higher. He won Italian international team player of the year for 2014, and he was outstanding in the league for Torino too. I actually watched his debut for Italy vs Ireland at Craven Cottage last June (0-0, not a great game) but he played well that night and was great at the World Cup too. Hoping to see him really make that right back position his own for us, hopefully for many years to come.

 

[bugmat]

Great defensively though he was a bit silly at the start with those couple of fouls one after the other getting him an early yellow. Still needs tow ork on his crossing though - he had plenty chances to play accurate balls and was allowing himself to be blocked or tackled as he seemed to want an extra half second he didn't have. Will continue to improve as he settles. A great addition so far.

 

[Getsme]

I thought it would take him a while to settle, but he’s taken to the Premiership like a duck to water. Very impressed so far.

 

[NK86]

He was brilliant, as usual. Fast becoming my favorite United player. Awesome energy and great defensive concentration.

 

[DanNistelrooy]

Surprised to see so much praise after Saturday's game. Got into so many dangerous positions thanks to Mata but was too slow on almost every occasion. Against the smaller sides we need our fullbacks to provide more of a threat.

Still very happy with him so far but I'd say it was his worst performance (shows how well he has started), was also quite rash in the first half and picked up a deserved booking.

 

[RikRuud]

Really like him. I'd like to see Valencia in front of him to see what sort of partnership they could form.

 

[Randall Flagg]

Surprised to see so much praise after Saturday's game. Got into so many dangerous positions thanks to Mata but was too slow on almost every occasion. Against the smaller sides we need our fullbacks to provide more of a threat.

Still very happy with him so far but I'd say it was his worst performance (shows how well he has started), was also quite rash in the first half and picked up a deserved booking.

Defensively he has been pretty much perfect so he certainly deserves praise even if at times going forward he is lacking

 

[DanNistelrooy]

Defensively he has been pretty much perfect so he certainly deserves praise even if at times going forward he is lacking

Absolutely agree, I love the fact we have 2 fullbacks who are great defenders. Could do with both contributing more going forward though, especially in games like Saturday's.

 

[Devil may care]

Impeccable 1 v 1 and starting to get an understanding with Mata and timing his overlaps.

 

[Bubz27]

Let the ball bounce in the first half when he shouldn't have which caused a bit of panic.

But that's super picky and more a testament to his high standards. Him and Shaw as a fullback pair are delightful.

 

[MDFC Manager]

I'm being picky here, but he does have a weakness after all. Long balls/crosses from the left side often put him in trouble.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Brilliant attitude from him before the game. Really likable player, so glad we signed him.

“For us, 0-0 would be a good result but we always try to win and, when we go to Brugge, it will be no different,”

 

[Cantona'sCollar]

He was quiet in the sense that he did not do much going forward, but you simply don't notice him on the pitch because he does everything so well in defence. One or two shaky moments early on, nothing more. I know it was only Brugge, but he had both of their left-sided players in his pocket the whole game, without much help from Mata.

If he knew how to cross a ball, he would remind me a little of Gary Neville. He is as good as it gets when 1 on 1 with a winger. Like Shaw, one is always confident he will come out on top.

 

[RedMachine03]

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[RedMachine03]

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[Eric'sCollar]

Huge test for him today.

 

[SirAF]

He'll pass it with flying colours, no doubt about it! Ferguson would have loved this lad.

 

[izec]

Montero vs Darmian. Lets wait and see. If he can handle the pace and trickery of Montero, he can handle anyone in the league.

 

[stevoc]

Never worried with him defensively thought he played ok today, but he really needs to offer more going forward.

Hard to stretch teams with him and Mata on the right.

 

[Señor]

Played ok today. Not as good as in previous games but was definitely one of our better players. It doesn't help that Mata just refuses to pass to him when he goes forward. Just tells you all you need to know about our overall team performance today.

 

[Chicharito_]

Never worried with him defensively thought he played ok today, but he really needs to offer more going forward.

Hard to stretch teams with him and Mata on the right.

Agreed, when watching him for Italy he use to fly forward at all times, I hope LVG hasn't put the hand break on him he has to bomb forward when Mata picks the ball up..

 

[Dion]

Him and Mata have no chemistry.

 

[Devil may care]

Defended well again but he has no one to link up with on his flank far too often.

 

[Nobby style]

An absolute non entity going forward, passed back more than forward, zero understanding with neither Mata nor Young, and though decent defensively, chinks being to show. The cross, the hammer and the nails would be out for a Valencia performance of this nature.

I miss Rafa.

 

[Cantona'sCollar]

Very good defending from him today, as usual, but he has zero connection with Mata. That's not really his fault (him not being able to cross a ball is a separate issue), but I do think we should experiment with who plays ahead of him. Mata has been excellent this season and is the last player who deserves to be dropped based on performances, but even on a day when Memphis had nothing coming off for him, our left side was still more dangerous (simply because Shaw and Memphis work so well together).

He was our best player today after Shaw and Smalling today - one or two times he was caught out of position, but he handled all of his 1 on 1s very well. Never lets a winger beat him. It's incredible how quickly he has settled here - i've said it before and it may be premature, but he really reminds me of Gary Neville with the way he defends.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Defended well again but he has no one to link up with on his flank far too often.

Mata isn't really a winger, or at least he doesn't have that skill set.

 

[ZDwyr]

Was his worst game I thought.

 

[11101]

Was his worst game I thought.

Which is saying something as he was still one of our better players. He is just totally exposed down the right flank as he and Mata don't play well together.

 

[kouroux]

Mata isn't really a winger, or at least he doesn't have that skill set.

The few times they're close to each and Darmian makes an overlapping run, he doesn't receive the ball.

 

[Mali_Zeus]

It isn't his fault Mata doesn't pass to him, he does go forward but usually doesn't receive a pass.

 

[Kill 'em all]

Darmian, Shaw and Smalling are our best players every game.

 

[Dans]

The few times they're close to each and Darmian makes an overlapping run, he doesn't receive the ball.

Mata turns inside and ignores the wing right?

Mata belongs on the left or behind the striker but not on the right wing. This infuriates me from Van Gaal.

 

[Adnan]

Was superb for Italy tonight

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[sincher]

Well in Matteo.

 

[DWelbz19]

#4 is a bit dodgy for a RB