What do you think it will be?
Matteo Darmian
- Thread starter Loublaze
- Start date
Who knows. So far we haven't been linked with any LBs. Not that there are many good options available out there. Just have to wait and see. We don't leak much info these days it's hard to know who we are targeting aside from Griezzman and later Morata(and with Inter making noises about Perisic).
Yes but what about the fourth? That is the position in question here.
If we are not buying a starter at LB, we can't let Darmian go. Blind and Shaw in the present situation are not enough.
Needs to be kept unless we are signing a replacement.
Our options at LB are very limited.
Shaw - big season for him this year, I hope he can realise his potential and become our nailed on first choice, but right now the jury is fully out and it could go either way for him.
Blind - a jack of all trades and master of none. Right now CB seems to be his best position. I think he lacks the pace and attacking ability to play LB at the highest level.
Rojo - he's a disaster at LB, nothing more to say.
Beyond that were looking at Young and youngsters.
So yeah, I wouldn't be rushing to sell Darmian. He may not be the best in the world but he can definitely do a better job there than most of the alternatives.
Shaw - big season for him this year, I hope he can realise his potential and become our nailed on first choice, but right now the jury is fully out and it could go either way for him.
Blind - a jack of all trades and master of none. Right now CB seems to be his best position. I think he lacks the pace and attacking ability to play LB at the highest level.
Rojo - he's a disaster at LB, nothing more to say.
Beyond that were looking at Young and youngsters.
So yeah, I wouldn't be rushing to sell Darmian. He may not be the best in the world but he can definitely do a better job there than most of the alternatives.
I expect Jose to play Rojo as first-choice left-back once he's back from injury, assuming we can get a run of games out of Valencia---Bailly---Lindleof before the usual United injury curse takes effect. That certainly would not be my choice as I agree he's a disaster at left-back, but I suspect Jose's ultimate dream is Valencia---Bailly---Lindelof---Rojo as the back four.
That leaves a back-up back four of Darmian---Jones---Blind/Smalling---Shaw before the kids get called-up. I expect Smalling will go (him or Blind maybe), but I can't see how Darmian going would fit with that, especially given how our transfer incomings are shaping-up.
That leaves a back-up back four of Darmian---Jones---Blind/Smalling---Shaw before the kids get called-up. I expect Smalling will go (him or Blind maybe), but I can't see how Darmian going would fit with that, especially given how our transfer incomings are shaping-up.
I agree, left back seriously needs addressing, Luke Shaw keeps getting injured, need a reliable body there, Darmian will do for now but I can't see it being a long term option.
Of course it's my personal opinion as I do not represent Jose Mourinho on this forum buddy. If Jose keeps him fair enough but for me £15m would be a good enough price to sell. £5m-10m more could by us Tierney or Mendy and at right back to cover Valencia we'd still have TFM, Bailly, Young, Tunzabe or Jones all capable of playing there that in my opinion would be as effective as Darmian. We also have the kid at left back who started versus Palace, Shaw, Blind, Rojo, Young and CBJ to come in at left back.
Rojo comes back in the second half of the season. I would hope we'd have someone,preferably Shaw, who's performed great there at LB for the first half that Rojo can't just get fit again and walk back into the team.
I'm pretty sure Jose said that Rojo was a poor left back but a very good center back. I don't think Rojo will be played in LB ever again save in emergencies
No way. Absolutely no chance. Mourinho has already said that Rojo is a brilliant centreback and that is lucky for him because they quickly realised that he is a "very bad left back".
Which is an irony because he was last world cups best left back.
That was 3 years ago. 3 years ago, Bastian was world beater & captained Germany to win the WC. Now we all know.
Edit: Oh and in the same tournament Darmian was one the best RB, go figure this thread.
That's why it's an irony.
Please God sell him. Stand by he looks like a fan that got the chance to play every time he steps on the pitch. For all the talk of how poor Shaw has been, still think he looks levels above every time he's played even this season.
Jose probably likes Darmian's versatility. It's always good to have someone who can play multiple positions in the squad. I think he'd sell Blind before Darmain, not that I'd want that.
A modern day fullback needs to be able to defend and get forward to provide attacking width.
Darmian is probably the worst fullback I have ever seen going forward.
He's solid defensively but offers absolutely nothing from an attacking point of view.
I actually think that not having a specialist left back for the majority of last season really handicapped the team as an attacking entity.
Martial was shit last season, no bones about it, but he received absolutely no attacking support from Darmian at all.
A Mendy, Alba, or dare I say it, a fit Shaw, would improve our attacking play so much.
Agreed, Mourinho does seem to really like him.
Darmian would be perfect as one of the wide centre backs in a 3-5-2 formation. As a standard fullback, he's fecking useless. He limits our play so badly when he plays LB.
I don't mind him sticking around as a squad player, he's just nowhere near good enough as a starting LB at a club that has aspirations to win leagues and cups.
I've discussed this on here before. He picked up form at left back because he was allowed to defend "inside" covering his centreback rather than supporting his winger. It meant our left winger had less defensive duty but I actually think it hurt their game leaving them isolated and often doubled up on.
I've heard people suggest Dani Alves will struggle in the Premier League because he won't have Chellini and Bonucci beside him and won't have much support from his wide forward but I disagree. He's so effective defensively because he is so relentless going forward. When you have such a dangerous combination on one flank, the opponent almost always gets on the back foot and chooses to attack the other side instead.
That's why we need a fullback who is competent going forward. They don't have to be "the attacking fullback" in mourinho's system, they just have to offer support and at least a good cross otherwise they spend the game conservatively doing feck all.
Until he is replaced we should keep him and rotate, rojo won't be totally fit until mid season so darmian will be useful.
Agree bar Blind I think cb is his worst position and a defensive sitting central midfielder is his best yet he has played his most and least games for us in the opposite positions.
I thought Darmian would be a good player for us from the first few games he played, but since then he does seem very average for us, I would be happy for him to go bar the fact like you say the current other options are all pretty poor on current form as well.
Sell the fecker, he's even worse than Rooney.
No way anyone can be worse than Rooney in current United Squad. He was on top of his game in EL Semi final and final. Was involved in some crucial defensive work and one of the reason we won the EL.
Good squad option. Makes no sense to sell.
He is a LVG purchase, no wonder he doesnt know how to attack.
Solid enough defensively but if we are to get where we want to be we simply can't have a FB that not only is bad at attacking and overlaps, but has entirely scrapped it from his game due to being incapable of it.
Or maybe mou doesnt rate smalling or jones and he considers rojo as backup for lindelof and bailly.
… Or very defensive setups.
At times yes but over his two years here they have been few and far between.
Correct we just can't afford a fullback that is totally incapable of attacking.
I actually think Blind does a good job at LB. I might be in the minority tbf. He clearly doesn't have the pace, but he still manages to contribute to the attack well by having a better partnership with his winger than Shaw has shown so far. While he doesn't beat his man, he times his link ups and overlaps well and is probably our best crosser of the ball.
He certainly isn't the best fullback in the world but he's much better than Darmian. Easily capable of similar defensive performances while still having the balls to actually get up the pitch and at least try to contribute to the teams attack.
Definitely. And like I say, I think he makes a decent go of it. Feel that someone like Morata would really enjoy Blinds crosses with his movement in the box.
Darmian wasn't.
People were craving about him after that tournament & that hype/ memory clinging to when he signed for us. In that WC, bar Lahm, I see that all other high profile RB was underwhelming. Alves lost his starting place midway to Maicon. Zabaleta was solid bit going forward, he's not bright. Darmian was surprisingly good both attacking & defending. He fecking tortured Rooney & Baines, who less than a year prior was many favorite as our LB signing.
He is first choice for Juve to replace Dani alves as per GDS. I hope he stays, he deserves to after a good strong end to the season.Tweet
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Its possible he doesn't want to though. If he wants first team football especially at RB, he isn't going to get that at United.
What a downgrade that'd be for Juve.
First choice would be strange. They're extremely different players.
In my view Darmian's best position would be the left or right side of a back 3. Unfortunately, United doesn't play that system with any regularity. He's underwhelming at LB, just doesn't offer anything going forward. He's not necessarily a terrible player, LB just isn't his best position.
Please
