Matthijs de Ligt image 4

Matthijs de Ligt Netherlands flag

2024-25 Performances

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5.7 Season Average Rating
Appearances
9
Clean sheets
5
Goals
1
Assists
0
Yellow cards
1
He has one major weakness. He's not good at dealing with speedy players 1 vs 1. When we played Soton, he got done in a 1 vs 1 situation, however at the time it didn't cost us.

With that being said, the first goal which a lot of our fanbase blames him for, he is literally left 1 vs 1 by Mazraoui and Ugarte who both get out of Van den Ven's way, leaving him in a 1 vs 1 with De Ligt. I don't know about you, but that is very poor collective defending. You don't leave the CB who you know isn't exactly stellar against pacy players in a 1 vs 1 situation. If there is one player to actually blame for that goal: it is Dalot who is caught napping at the back post yet again. Shambles all around. Very poor from our coaching staff as well, for having such a weak defensive setup.

TsuWave said:
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I just don't think another slow centre is what we needed, as a partnership with martinez they are too slow to play the high line most managers will want to

I would also have preferred we signed another midfielder and relied on Maguire and lindelof
 
He's not slow. But his reactions and timing of getting into good positions against Spurs was very slow. Carragher is completely correct on the analysis other than its fine to dive into a challenge, but you need to know which ones you can win, which ones you cant and when to make a foul and stop play to reset the team.

On the incident in the replay he dives in, doesnt win the ball, doesnt foul and takes himself out of the game. Its the same thing Casemiro was going last season, and its the same thing Lisandro does on the 2nd goal and we dont defend well enough to be doing it with a man less, especially if we're already 10 vs 11
 
Matt851 said:
De ligt had a long time to see him coming and wasn't far off blocking the cross
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He didn't. It looked like Ugarte was tracking his run, so he backed off to make sure he doesn't leave any space behind him. Then Van Den Ven blows past him and that puts him in a 1 vs 1 De Ligt. He doesn't necessarily beat him, but rather manages to put a cross in which ends up in a goal because Dalot wasn't tracking his runner. I've posted the video above and have a look at it again.

One thing I will say though: De Ligt is not good 1 vs 1 against pacy players. He got turned inside and out by Callum-Chambers(I think) against Soton, and now Van Den Ven gave him a hard time.
 
ArmaDino said:
He didn't. It looked like Ugarte was tracking his run, so he backed off to make sure he doesn't leave any space behind him. Then Van Den Ven blows past him and that puts him in a 1 vs 1 De Ligt. He doesn't necessarily beat him, but rather manages to put a cross in which ends up in a goal because Dalot wasn't tracking his runner. I've posted the video above and have a look at it again.

One thing I will say though: De Ligt is not good 1 vs 1 against pacy players. He got turned inside and out by Callum-Chambers(I think) against Soton, and now Van Den Ven gave him a hard time.
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Not good 1vs1 against pacey players. Locked up Vini Jr vs Real Madrid in last years UCL and Martinelli too. But because he got beat once by Walker-Peters he isn’t good 1vs1
 
Red00012 said:
You probably should have watched a few games he’s played in before posting this
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Agree. I thought De Ligt was one of your better players. There are some plays he’s so left out to dry by teammates that he’s trying to cover 3 people. He looks exasperated by his teammates if anything.
 
Red00012 said:
You probably should have watched a few games he’s played in before posting this
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I have watched them both. De Ligt is not the player he's hyped up to be and neither is Mazraoui. They've both faltered against the better sides and that's an issue for me.

Mazraoui started the season well against Fulham and Brighton, and of course the minnows in relegation candidates Southampton.

Mazraoui is very technically proficient and pleasing to the eye, but he's an average defender who tends to get caught out of position, who reacts late to danger and who has lazily jogged back to defend his area a few times already this season against better sides we've faced.

He lacks the physical attributes to be a top fullback at this level. Going back to my previous point, consider his non performances against decent opposition thus far. He was bullied and rinsed by Werner (of all people) and Udogie against Spurs. We were lucky Werner is a wasteful player. He also struggled against Diaz and allowed him space for that free header for Liverpool's first goal (Diaz's first of his brace) after Casemiro's giveaway. Decent to good wingers will have fun down his side. He reminds me of Telles
 
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CannibalSpectre said:
I have watched him while at Ajax and Bayern. He started the season well against Fulham and Brighton, and of course the minnows in relegation candidates Southampton.

Mazraoui is very technically proficient and pleasing to the eye, but he's an average defender who tends to get caught out of position, who reacts late to danger and who has lazily jogged back to defend his area a few times already this season against better sides we've faced.

He lacks the physical attributes to be a top fullback at this level. Going back to my previous point, consider his non performances against decent opposition thus far. He was bullied and rinsed by Werner (of all people) and Udogie against Spurs. We were lucky Werner is a wasteful player. He also struggled against Diaz and allowed him space for that free header for Liverpool's first goal after Casemiro's giveaway. Decent to good wingers will have fun down his side. He reminds me of Telles
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Your point about the Diaz goal is quite obviously wrong given he was not out of position to make the forward run in that situation. Casemiro isn’t allowed to pass into a press zone there and give the ball away. Infact he is supposed to pass the ball to Mazraoui who created an overload on the other flank
 
He'll need Yoro alongside him when he's fit. Two slow CBs in the PL just will not work anymore.
 
Cassidy said:
Your point about the Diaz goal is quite obviously wrong given he was not out of position to make the forward run in that situation. Casemiro isn’t allowed to pass into a press zone there and give the ball away. Infact he is supposed to pass the ball to Mazraoui who created an overload on the other flank
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To make it clear Im talking about Mazraoui. The reaction to Casemiro's giveaway should've been much better than a lazy jog back. Bruno was busting a gut for instance to cover the area to no avail. A few touches of the ball were made after that poor pass and we collectively failed to prevent the goal. Mazraoui played his part in that
 
CannibalSpectre said:
I have watched them both. De Ligt is not the player he's hyped up to be and neither is Mazraoui. They've both faltered against the better sides and that's an issue for me.

Mazraoui started the season well against Fulham and Brighton, and of course the minnows in relegation candidates Southampton.

Mazraoui is very technically proficient and pleasing to the eye, but he's an average defender who tends to get caught out of position, who reacts late to danger and who has lazily jogged back to defend his area a few times already this season against better sides we've faced.

He lacks the physical attributes to be a top fullback at this level. Going back to my previous point, consider his non performances against decent opposition thus far. He was bullied and rinsed by Werner (of all people) and Udogie against Spurs. We were lucky Werner is a wasteful player. He also struggled against Diaz and allowed him space for that free header for Liverpool's first goal (Diaz's first of his brace) after Casemiro's giveaway. Decent to good wingers will have fun down his side. He reminds me of Telles
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100% agree, just adds to that lack of pace in defence
 
E-mal said:
100% agree, just adds to that lack of pace in defence
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We appear to have an unusually slow/weak squad by pl standards. It's odd because I do think ten hag has directed a lot of the business but its the opposite of what we need if we want to go man for man
 
I think he's been decent since he arrived. Think he will have a great partnership with Yoro/Martinez.
 
Was he that bad against Tottenham ? He reminds me somehow of Eric Dier.
 
Cassidy said:
Not good 1vs1 against pacey players. Locked up Vini Jr vs Real Madrid in last years UCL and Martinelli too. But because he got beat once by Walker-Peters he isn’t good 1vs1
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It can be a case of low confidence, but Walker-Peters and now Van den Ven got the best of him. Granted, it can be part of the setup because he ends up being isolated, unlike the games you mentioned where 2 to 3 players had his back. It's more on ETH than the player tbh, because you can both mitigate and exarcebate players' weaknesses through your tactics.
 
ArmaDino said:
It can be a case of low confidence, but Walker-Peters and now Van den Ven got the best of him. Granted, it can be part of the setup because he ends up being isolated, unlike the games you mentioned where 2 to 3 players had his back. It's more on ETH than the player tbh, because you can both mitigate and exarcebate players' weaknesses through your tactics.
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Every player gets beat now and then. He wasn’t even beat by Van de Ven either. Its not a confidence thing
 
Matt851 said:
We appear to have an unusually slow/weak squad by pl standards. It's odd because I do think ten hag has directed a lot of the business but its the opposite of what we need if we want to go man for man
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I actually wonder if we might have the slowest team in the league?
 
He wasn't great on Sunday, no one was. But I don't blame him for the first goal at all, and he is trying to cover too much space because of other players out of position / struggling with their own instructions and space being left because of our style of play. And he's only signed this summer. I think he will be great for us and better under another manager.
 
We're basically replacing Maguire with a similar player. Remember when Ole announced he wanted to "play out the back and press high" and then signed Wan Bissaka and Maguire? One can't pass, the other can't move. Now we signed a slow right back and a slow CB which again prevent us from pushing the defensive line further up. Look at how other teams press, their defense is on the half way line, always on the front foot. Ours is always backing off, leaving huge gaps in midfield.
 
glazed said:
"Kompany, 38, has laid out his stall early on. Matthijs de Ligt was sold to Manchester United in part because they did not feel the Dutchman had the pace and mobility to play a high line in Kompany’s high-intensity, possession-based approach. "

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/footbal...pany-rebuilt-his-reputation-at-bayern-munich/
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But Kim Min Jae does? Upamecano has also been a walking nightmare when I've seen him.

Players will generally be good in good systems and set ups. I have no doubt de ligt has the ability to excel but it's very hard to judge any of our new players.
 
FreakyJim said:
We're basically replacing Maguire with a similar player. Remember when Ole announced he wanted to "play out the back and press high" and then signed Wan Bissaka and Maguire? One can't pass, the other can't move. Now we signed a slow right back and a slow CB which again prevent us from pushing the defensive line further up. Look at how other teams press, their defense is on the half way line, always on the front foot. Ours is always backing off, leaving huge gaps in midfield.
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We bought yoro too of course. I don't think de ligt is especially slow though and definitely is more 'mobile' than maguire
 
RedRocket9908 said:
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Amazed people having a go at Carragher. Yes he can be a prick etc but he's absolutely spot on with this analysis.

The positioning is awful, especially in the second example given.

Edit - I should add that I think he's actually a decent player and I won't judge the new players until they have had a few months under a new manager.
 
SER19 said:
But Kim Min Jae does? Upamecano has also been a walking nightmare when I've seen him.

Players will generally be good in good systems and set ups. I have no doubt de ligt has the ability to excel but it's very hard to judge any of our new players.
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They are both faster and more agile than De Ligt. Especially Upamecano. So far both have performed really well under Kompany. So as of right now, it looks like the right decision. The tactics seem to suit them really well. And the last two games against Bremen and Leverkusen were sensational from both.
The question that remains is wether they can get past their brainfarts. But they do fit the system better than De Ligt. That’s obvious in my opinion.
 
FreakyJim said:
We're basically replacing Maguire with a similar player. Remember when Ole announced he wanted to "play out the back and press high" and then signed Wan Bissaka and Maguire? One can't pass, the other can't move. Now we signed a slow right back and a slow CB which again prevent us from pushing the defensive line further up. Look at how other teams press, their defense is on the half way line, always on the front foot. Ours is always backing off, leaving huge gaps in midfield.
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One thing is to say that you want something then it's another issue to be able to implement it. Pep won the PL with Gvardiol a CB playing at LB, and previously Ake. Playing a high line is not just about players being fast, you need a capable midfield players and capable attackers, who can hold the ball and progress it. Then you need a coach that knows how to implement a system. We had far bigger problems even with AWB and Maguire as we do now. Our midfield and attacking players look to turn back to our goal whenever they get the ball in their feet. compare that to a Pep team or Klopp team., it's night and day.
 
HTG said:
They are both faster and more agile than De Ligt. Especially Upamecano. So far both have performed really well under Kompany. So as of right now, it looks like the right decision. The tactics seem to suit them really well. And the last two games against Bremen and Leverkusen were sensational from both.
The question that remains is wether they can get past their brainfarts. But they do fit the system better than De Ligt. That’s obvious in my opinion.
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Id be very surprised if there's much in it in terms of pace between the 3. Im not sure on the accuracy but Bundesliga stats put them at kim, then de ligt, then upamecano.

I don't know what will work for bayern, maybe im being sensitive to the rush to criticise our players, but i don't care what kompany does at bayern.

Does anybody truly believe if upamecano and Kim started CB for us at the weekend we'd have looked any better? We had maguire and Evans for spells last year who looked no worse than de ligt and Martinez who are clear upgrades in ability.

We have a completely dysfunctional set up and the incessant rush to criticise players operating in it is frustrating. Im guilty of it but generally against players I've seen perform terribly under many managers here
 
I can share the jamie carragher media but...

The above is just the basics of defending, therefore if you're not doing it its obviously down to some form of tactic or positional setup from the manager.

Lets not pretend De Light doesnt know the basics.

What those tactics are, are god knows what and its becoming increasingly obvious the players dont know either.

The only thing i can think thats contributing to it is Dalot moving into midfield or pushing up at the wrong moments and the defence shuffling more to his left side to provide cover when he goes AWOL leaving an unbalance on the right. Any premier league team is going to spot those obvious gaps and use them.
 
SER19 said:
Id be very surprised if there's much in it in terms of pace between the 3. Im not sure on the accuracy but Bundesliga stats put them at kim, then de ligt, then upamecano.

I don't know what will work for bayern, maybe im being sensitive to the rush to criticise our players, but i don't care what kompany does at bayern.

Does anybody truly believe if upamecano and Kim started CB for us at the weekend we'd have looked any better? We had maguire and Evans for spells last year who looked no worse than de ligt and Martinez who are clear upgrades in ability.

We have a completely dysfunctional set up and the incessant rush to criticise players operating in it is frustrating. Im guilty of it but generally against players I've seen perform terribly under many managers here
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I think there’s not much in between them in terms of speed. But the way I see it, they both accelerate faster.
The rest of your post I agree with. I don’t believe they would work out better for you. They struggled heavily in a dysfunctional setup under Tuchel. So I don’t believe they would exactly thrive under ETH.
 
FC Porto 3:3 Man Utd New
He's average on a GOOD day...I dare anyone to tell me what attribute he has which makes him half as good as any centre back United has had in the last 25 years. He's a Bayern reject that should be backup but ETH has made him a corner stone of this shockingly poor defence.
 
Started good, was our only defender back there for the first 25 minutes, but then couldn't really keep up with their striker. But frankly I'm gonna hold my judgement until I get to see him play with another CB next to him and not what ever it is that Martinez is doing.
 
Looking at two of the goals, it’s just bread and butter for an aggressive CB. He has to get something on anything coming into the box.
 
So disappointing tonight. I think he'll come good but that was poor
 
Profile wise he’s not very quick, bit clumsy, but impressive in the air and blocking/sliding in deep block situations. Sounds a bit like a player I know…

Don’t think he and Martinez are a particularly good duo. You need an actual runner with a composed brain beside the latter like Varane who did heavy lifting in that regard in Martinez’s first season to let the latter do his ballplaying stuff.
 
Feck me. After Palace and Southampton I was singing his praises but since then he’s been exactly what his doubters said he was. A Dutch Maguire.

Last two games he has been so dreadful. At this point we should just stop signing established players from big teams.
 
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