g = window.googletag || {}; googletag.cmd = googletag.cmd || []; window.googletag = googletag; googletag.cmd.push(function() { var interstitialSlot = googletag.defineOutOfPageSlot('/17085479/redcafe_gam_interstitial', googletag.enums.OutOfPageFormat.INTERSTITIAL); if (interstitialSlot) { interstitialSlot.addService(googletag.pubads()); } });
Matteo Darmian image 36

Matteo Darmian Italy flag

2017-18 Performances


View full 2017-18 profile

5.3 Season Average Rating
Appearances
17
Clean sheets
7
Goals
0
Assists
2
Yellow cards
1
Status
Not open for further replies.

stevoc

Full Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2011
Messages
20,768
I stand corrected then mate. Darmian needs his backside kicked if he’s not even attempting to attack when he has the licence too.
Yep definitely mate, he can be a good defender when in form if he could add some attacking to his game he could be a real option for us on the right even over Valencia at times. But he just continues to play within himself. I actually suspect Mourinho while appreciating his defensive capabilities is not happy with his attacking effort either, which is probably why Young has started more matches than Darmian this year at fullback.
 

Andersons Dietician

Full Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
13,288
And if he only played against the better sides an/or only played conservatively against the top sides it would make sense, but he doesn't he plays just as conservatively in almost every match for us no matter the opposition.



Why? We know Mourinho doesn't mind his fullbacks attacking, we know Darmian has played the same way under two different managers, in two different positions, and we know every other player who has played fullback for Mourinho has shown more willingness to get forward and attack including centre backs like Bailly and Rojo.

So everything points to it being an issue with Darmian himself. Mourinho also recently said the below himself, which also explains why Young has started more games than Darmian this season despite not actually being a fullback.
See on this bit here, he was more of an attacking threat on the left last year than Valencia on the right. I’m pretty convinced our fullbacks have instructions because as soon as they hit the 18yard box they very rarely go any further. They either cross or recirculate the ball.

Personally I’d rather play Darmian over Valencia as he is just a better footballer and can actually deliver a cross. He seems a lot better as a RWB and to be honest if you watch him he gets in the positions that I would class as better than most of our other fullback options he just never seems to get the ball.
 

Dinghy

Full Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2010
Messages
2,499
Why? We know Mourinho doesn't mind his fullbacks attacking, we know Darmian has played the same way under two different managers, in two different positions, and we know every other player who has played fullback for Mourinho has shown more willingness to get forward and attack including centre backs like Bailly and Rojo.
.
Mourinho's definition of a attacking fullback seem to be to just give the fullback the ball, have a midfielder to cover, and then let the FB do something on their own. In which usually ends up with a terrible cross from a non-dangerous position. With Young and Valencia being former wingers it's only natural that they do this task better than our other FB's, but they are still far from being attacking fullbacks. If we actually had an attacking pattern and FB's on overlap from time to time like every other top side out there we would look way better, but that's too risky...
 
Last edited:

limerickcitykid

There once was a kid from Toronto...
Joined
Oct 3, 2012
Messages
14,067
Location
East end / Oot and aboot
Mourinho's definition of a attacking fullback seem to be to just give the fullback the ball, have a midfielder to cover, and then let the FB do something on their own. In which usually ends up with a terrible cross from a non-dangerous position. With Young and Valencia being former wingers it's only natural that they do this task better than our other FB's, but they are still far from being attacking fullbacks. If we actually had an attacking pattern and FB's on overlap from time to time like every other top side out there we would look way better, but that's too risky...
Yep, Valencia is considered an attacking fullback on here but compare him to top teams' fullbacks and he is anything but. He is just a standard two way fullback, not an attacking one. Our fullbacks are a massive problem and things won't get better until its solved. I don't see it happening under Mourinho though.
 

haram

New Member
Joined
May 28, 2017
Messages
12,921
Mourinho's definition of a attacking fullback seem to be to just give the fullback the ball, have a midfielder to cover, and then let the FB do something on their own. In which usually ends up with a terrible cross from a non-dangerous position. With Young and Valencia being former wingers it's only natural that they do this task better than our other FB's, but they are still far from being attacking fullbacks. If we actually had an attacking pattern and FB's on overlap from time to time like every other top side out there we would look way better, but that's too risky...
Posts like this are hilarious. You have no idea on what attacking patterns Jose and the team work on during training. What do you think they do? Just work on shape and defending? How deluded can you be?
 

Water Melon

Guest
I remember certain Sergio Ramos' comments on how Mou trained Real Madrid, particularly regarding the attacking part. Not really happy he was.
 

Dinghy

Full Member
Joined
Nov 14, 2010
Messages
2,499
Posts like this are hilarious. You have no idea on what attacking patterns Jose and the team work on during training. What do you think they do? Just work on shape and defending? How deluded can you be?
Yeah, we work on attacking patterns with overlapping fullbacks every fecking day, we just don't ever do it in games. Who's deluded...
 

haram

New Member
Joined
May 28, 2017
Messages
12,921
Yeah, we work on attacking patterns with overlapping fullbacks every fecking day, we just don't ever do it in games. Who's deluded...
Yeah because Valencia stays in our half the whole game :houllier:
 

stevoc

Full Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2011
Messages
20,768
See on this bit here, he was more of an attacking threat on the left last year than Valencia on the right. I’m pretty convinced our fullbacks have instructions because as soon as they hit the 18yard box they very rarely go any further. They either cross or recirculate the ball.

Personally I’d rather play Darmian over Valencia as he is just a better footballer and can actually deliver a cross. He seems a lot better as a RWB and to be honest if you watch him he gets in the positions that I would class as better than most of our other fullback options he just never seems to get the ball.
Sorry mate who was more of an attacking threat than Valencia? Darmian?
 

Andersons Dietician

Full Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
13,288
Sorry mate who was more of an attacking threat than Valencia? Darmian?
I should put this better when he was in position and was actually asked to deliver his quality on the left was better than Valencia on the right as in the balls he put in were actually decent and on his weaker foot. He posed more of a threat.
 

stevoc

Full Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2011
Messages
20,768
Mourinho's definition of a attacking fullback seem to be to just give the fullback the ball, have a midfielder to cover, and then let the FB do something on their own. In which usually ends up with a terrible cross from a non-dangerous position. With Young and Valencia being former wingers it's only natural that they do this task better than our other FB's, but they are still far from being attacking fullbacks. If we actually had an attacking pattern and FB's on overlap from time to time like every other top side out there we would look way better, but that's too risky...
I would partly agree that they are certainly not the most productive fullbacks in an attacking sense. But both are way better at attacking than Darmian by default simply due to the fact that they both at least get up the pitch and get involved in the attack.

A lot of the time Darmian can't even be arsed to make an overlapping run to take a marker off whoever is playing in front of him. I mean thats the bare minimum a fullback should offer his team.
 

stevoc

Full Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2011
Messages
20,768
I should put this better when he was in position and was actually asked to deliver his quality on the left was better than Valencia on the right as in the balls he put in were actually decent and on his weaker foot. He posed more of a threat.
I get you now mate yeah Darmian is a decent crosser of the ball from what i've seen, but again we don't see it nearly often enough. For me he just doesn't make enough effort to get up the pitch and help the team attack.
 

Andersons Dietician

Full Member
Joined
Jun 14, 2016
Messages
13,288
I get you now mate yeah Darmian is a decent crosser of the ball from what i've seen, but again we don't see it nearly often enough. For me he just doesn't make enough effort to get up the pitch and help the team attack.
This is why I think he is best at RWB he just seems to be constantly involved. Winning the ball back then automatically turning it in to an attack. He also in an attacking third is more positive with his play, working angles and making runs.

To be honest I’m frustrated with all our fullbacks and I’m sure it has to be a Jose tactic as they visibly stop at the 18yarder. One point last year Martial is running across the width of the box and you can see him waiting for Valencia to make the run and give him the option. There are 2-3 opertunities for him to slip the ball in to the channel if only Valencia would make the run and he never does. Instead he’s back about another 10 yards and they all do this. All of them can’t have come down with this fear of anything past the 18 yarder unless it’s by instruction.
 

stevoc

Full Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2011
Messages
20,768
This is why I think he is best at RWB he just seems to be constantly involved. Winning the ball back then automatically turning it in to an attack. He also in an attacking third is more positive with his play, working angles and making runs.

To be honest I’m frustrated with all our fullbacks and I’m sure it has to be a Jose tactic as they visibly stop at the 18yarder. One point last year Martial is running across the width of the box and you can see him waiting for Valencia to make the run and give him the option. There are 2-3 opertunities for him to slip the ball in to the channel if only Valencia would make the run and he never does. Instead he’s back about another 10 yards and they all do this. All of them can’t have come down with this fear of anything past the 18 yarder unless it’s by instruction.
He might be better as a right wing back but i don't think 352 is the answer for United right now. And i certainly don't see Mourinho changing our formation to accommodate Darmian in a more attacking role.

I agree on our fullbacks in general though we really need to upgrade on both, we need top fullbacks who can provide genuine width and attacking threat.
 

MarchingOn

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Mar 12, 2016
Messages
698
Anyone looking for a souvenir needs to check outside of the San Siro quickly as possible. Think a few of Darmian's deliveries from that first half are still bouncing down the street.
 
Basel 1:0 Man Utd

Beachryan

More helpful with spreadsheets than Phurry
Joined
May 13, 2010
Messages
11,750
He is not very good at this whole football thing is he?

Defensively suspect today, and offering absolutely nothing going forwards. It saddens me that others have to miss minutes to give him any.
 

Toad

Full Member
Joined
May 11, 2013
Messages
3,668
Location
England
He is not very good at this whole football thing is he?

Defensively suspect today, and offering absolutely nothing going forwards. It saddens me that others have to miss minutes to give him any.
Has only ever had a handful of good games with us, had that one good spell of games when everyone thought he was world class but other than that is pretty mediocre. These positions are crucial in football now and the sooner we fix them the better.
 

acnumber9

Full Member
Joined
Jun 21, 2006
Messages
22,306
Those who complain about Valencia should always keep in mind just how worse it can get.
 

Beachryan

More helpful with spreadsheets than Phurry
Joined
May 13, 2010
Messages
11,750
My new working theory is that his sideburns are so horrendous, coaches are subconsciously incapable of watching him play, so never notice how abhorrent at football he is.
 

engulfing

Full Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2013
Messages
690
Horrible performance, nearly every pass was backwards! Couldn't cope with the basel left winger either.
 

DWelbz19

Correctly predicted Portugal to win Euro 2016
Joined
Oct 31, 2012
Messages
34,139
As a player he literally has zero redeeming qualities.
 

Eddy_JukeZ

Full Member
Joined
Aug 21, 2012
Messages
17,178
Useless.

If Pep was here, there is no simply no chance the likes of Darmian(and others) would be playing.

Jose needs to get rid of this deadwood instead of embracing them like he has. It'll cost him.
 

R'hllor

Full Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Messages
15,419
TFM on loan, Axel nowhere to be seen, Darmian gets his minutes regardless of form, guess its experience thing, then again why i am surprised ( Ivanovic case ).
 

100

binary bot
Joined
Jul 14, 2010
Messages
11,021
Location
HELLO
My new working theory is that his sideburns are so horrendous, coaches are subconsciously incapable of watching him play, so never notice how abhorrent at football he is.
Blasphemy. They're one of the wonders of the world.
 

AshRK

Full Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2017
Messages
12,220
Location
Canada
Useless.

If Pep was here, there is no simply no chance the likes of Darmian(and others) would be playing.

Jose needs to get rid of this deadwood instead of embracing them like he has. It'll cost him.
This. I have been saying for long time , jose has to be more ruthless. He has to sell these average spineless players that lvg have given us. Useless player darmian
 

Ludens the Red

Full Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
17,513
Location
London
I don't how many times this guy has to prove he's a shambles of a footballer before Mourinho stops playing him.
As a football club our size it is unacceptable to be playing a player of his calibre.
 

Sanchez7

Full Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2011
Messages
1,783
Location
London
Decent defender but he offers nothing in attack. He was shocking in the Italy Sweden game as well, wasting countless opportunities from the wing.
 

Baxter

Full Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2010
Messages
11,738
How Tuanzebe isn't in the squad ahead of this wage thief is amazing. Utterly appalling.
 

el3mel

New Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2016
Messages
43,736
Location
Egypt
Painfully average. He's very painful to watch.

Should be top of our transfer listed players next summer.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.