[kundalini]

Went missing. Shocking performance.

 

[Drifter]

This player goes under the radar ,But he really as not shone for us yet.

 

[Patrick08]

Same like 3rd season in Chelsea. His form is directly linked to our form. He has a shocker we struggle. He is not breaking up the opposition play in the middle. The island of personality he was supposed to have is missing.

 

[FootyGirl88]

This is why people wanted Pereira to replace him hes so slow!

 

[Patrick08]

This is why people wanted Pereira to replace him hes so slow!

Pereira can't win the possession in the middle which is what precisely Is matics jobm

 

[Devil may care]

People love to get on Pogba's back about dawdling on the ball but Matic is just as guilty and moves like an oil tanker unless he's running in a straight line, to me I'd be looking to him becoming the squad DM next season and getting Neves in.

 

[Bobski]

The fortunes of Sanchez and Matic make it not entirely unreasonable that the club would be wary of Mou signing more 30 year olds on big contracts.

Matic in the right system is still very useful but he limits how the team can play, not mobile enough to cover space so forces the team to play deep and compact. The passing from the back and his unwillingness to take any progressive responsibility is also an issue that has been blamed almost exclusively on the CB's, with people ignoring how slow he has been in his use of the ball.

 

[Patrick08]

People love to get on Pogba's back about dawdling on the ball but Matic is just as guilty and moves like an oil tanker unless he's running in a straight line, to me I'd be looking to him becoming the squad DM next season and getting Neves in.

True, any manager with vision to play along the ground would have jumped on jorginho and put out matic in second string.

It's so obvious Matic ain't doing his job since the start, but Jose will never single him out.

 

[Ekeke]

Pereira can't win the possession in the middle which is what precisely Is matics jobm

Incorrect. Pereira averages 3 interceptions per game in his 2 starts so far and winning the ball 3 times in our midfield is a huge deal. He also has a tackle per game on top of that.

Most of this season our CMs barely manage 2 ball recoveries a game. Ander has been good for 4 on average from his 2 starts. Its a very small sample size but the point is when he's actually been given the chance, he's been our best CM or DM winning the ball.

From his 3 starts Matic averages 1 tackle and 1.3 interceptions.

Fellaini 1.3 tackles and 0.2 interceptions although he's at 3 starts and 3 sub appearances which will lower his numbers.

Fred 1.3 tackles and 1.8 interceptions

Ander has started 1 single game and it was at RCB in a back 3 so he has no numbers for ball recovery either.

And overall Pogba has gone back to not bothering when we dont have the ball. 0.8 tackles a game and 0 interceptions this season.

So Andreas based on his few chances this season is one of if not our best midfielder at winning the ball in the middle. He probably shouldnt be, but his competition hasnt been up to much.

 

[Patrick08]

Incorrect. Pereira averages 3 interceptions per game in his 2 starts so far and winning the ball 3 times in our midfield is a huge deal. He also has a tackle per game on top of that.

Most of this season our CMs barely manage 2 ball recoveries a game. Ander has been good for 4 on average from his 2 starts. Its a very small sample size but the point is when he's actually been given the chance, he's been our best CM or DM winning the ball.

From his 3 starts Matic averages 1 tackle and 1.3 interceptions.

Fellaini 1.3 tackles and 0.2 interceptions although he's at 3 starts and 3 sub appearances which will lower his numbers.

Fred 1.3 tackles and 1.8 interceptions

Ander has started 1 single game and it was at RCB in a back 3 so he has no numbers for ball recovery either.

And overall Pogba has gone back to not bothering when we dont have the ball. 0.8 tackles a game and 0 interceptions this season.

So Andreas based on his few chances this season is one of if not our best midfielder at winning the ball in the middle. He probably shouldnt be, but his competition hasnt been up to much.

Oh come on , let's not base this arguments on stats. He will get badly exposed against decent side in terms of defensive display. He's just a kid yet whose best position is still debatable. He struggled big time against brigton to hold the play.

 

[FootyGirl88]

Oh come on , let's not base this arguments on stats. He will get badly exposed against decent side in terms of defensive display. He's just a kid yet whose best position is still debatable. He struggled big time against brigton to hold the play.

But how is supposed to improve if we don't give him a chance? We need to start fading Matic out imo

 

[Ekeke]

Oh come on , let's not base this arguments on stats. He will get badly exposed against decent side in terms of defensive display. He's just a kid yet whose best position is still debatable. He struggled big time against brigton to hold the play.

So your argument of "he cant win the ball like Matic" disregards the stats that he wins the ball more than Matic so far this season?

Oh come on yourself.

 

[TheFlagStaysDown]

Oh come on , let's not base this arguments on stats. He will get badly exposed against decent side in terms of defensive display. He's just a kid yet whose best position is still debatable. He struggled big time against brigton to hold the play.

Oh come on, please don’t lie first, people jusging Matic very stereotypically, he’s strong and tall and can win a challenge for sure but he’s too slow to cover the ground for a top team which likes to play other than deep. Judging andreas as a kid who can’t defend is also stupid. He for sure has a lot to learn but he’s done absolutely great to up his defensive game, his quick feet and lower gravity/body strength gives him good chance in challenges while covering much more ground and that’s what stats show. He can miss a tackle here and there but I’d much rather have him or herrera charging at players tryna win the ball higher and set up a quick attack rather than covering the space and sitting back waiting for the opposition to make mistake, sitting back like Matic or Carrick, at least Carras could release the ball quickly, whereas Matic takes absolute ages to do that.

We surely have to upgrade on the Serbian, as much as like him, he should be a squad player. You are saying that Andreas WOULD be exposed against top teams but copletely ignoring the fact that Matic couldn’t hold the midfield against fecking Derby last night. Cmon stop this ignorance and stereotyping. Unfortunately until Mourinho is here we won’t move much forward

 

[Fracture90]

I do love Matić but he hasn't been himself this season, he lingers on the ball too much. Is it due to not wanting to pass back because of lack of forward passing options, idk.

 

[Renegade]

We spent 40m on a 30 year old were more than likely going to have to replace next summer. Just like Sanchez. In this time both would have contributed to us winning nothing. Poor poor investment. This is why the board weren’t keen on splashing £60m plus on Toby & Willian and I don’t blame them.
Matic is a good player but he has untouchable status with Jose and has looked rubbish so far. So ponderous. He has a cracking shot on him but rarely shoots.

 

[ErranMorad]

Is it me or is he playing a more box to box role this season? His positioning has looked suspect to me this season.

 

[Shinjch]

He doesn't come under anywhere near the scrutiny that he should.

Since the second half of last season he has been mostly poor, but his start to the season has been awful. Made to look even worse without Pogba next to him as well.

 

[Robbie Boy]

This is exactly why I didn't want us to sign him. He performed far above what I expected from him last season in all honesty, but what I'm seeing lately is exactly the Matic I watched at Chelsea in his final season there. He is one of the players that oddly avoids much criticism. He started out well for us but some of his later performances were woeful, too.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Was so excited after his first few games for the club but - like most of our squad - he seems to have regressed under Mourinho's stewardship. So fecking depressing.

 

[FootyGirl88]

Jose ran him into the ground last season - making him play 90mins in every game.

 

[Adam-Utd]

Matic and Herrera just never work, I remember them being awful together last year too.

He's just too slow and not agile enough for a player that's the hub of building play.

Derby did their homework and knew if they pressed us they'd win the ball back easily - so they did.

 

[Patrick08]

But how is supposed to improve if we don't give him a chance? We need to start fading Matic out imo

So your argument of "he cant win the ball like Matic" disregards the stats that he wins the ball more than Matic so far this season?

Oh come on yourself.

Mate we can not compare stats with an unequal sample size.

Oh come on, please don’t lie first, people jusging Matic very stereotypically, he’s strong and tall and can win a challenge for sure but he’s too slow to cover the ground for a top team which likes to play other than deep. Judging andreas as a kid who can’t defend is also stupid. He for sure has a lot to learn but he’s done absolutely great to up his defensive game, his quick feet and lower gravity/body strength gives him good chance in challenges while covering much more ground and that’s what stats show. He can miss a tackle here and there but I’d much rather have him or herrera charging at players tryna win the ball higher and set up a quick attack rather than covering the space and sitting back waiting for the opposition to make mistake, sitting back like Matic or Carrick, at least Carras could release the ball quickly, whereas Matic takes absolute ages to do that.

We surely have to upgrade on the Serbian, as much as like him, he should be a squad player. You are saying that Andreas WOULD be exposed against top teams but copletely ignoring the fact that Matic couldn’t hold the midfield against fecking Derby last night. Cmon stop this ignorance and stereotyping. Unfortunately until Mourinho is here we won’t move much forward

We can give him all the chances he wants, but young players are always inconsistent and so will he, I think Cdm becomes our most important position when we play without the ball and someone who's qualities suit that position and have done it before is the need of the hour rather than experimenting, because if it fails peirera too will have massive confidence dip if he gets exposed at it and gets dropped as a result.

We all desire to have a passing metronome in that area who can dictate the play in that position and he looked good in that position for few instances and this all is coming from that although he can do the same job if played as a Rcm and spread the ball around while let matic or Fred play as a Cdm in the centre to break up the play, throwing him in the centre against attacking oppositions would be too much of a risk which if is unsuccessful can dent his confidence.

If Matic is struggling to move and cover the space I think Fred can cover that position better than peirera while peirera should be used in right or left of the cdm's if he were to given chances against attacking opponents. I am not at all against him playing, but playing him in a position where his strengths don't exactly lie, we are not in a situation to take those risks and experimenting in such a crucial period where we have not had the best of starts.

Also, not defending Matic at all this season , he has been poor since the start, though I feel if his fitness improves we will see a much improved matic. Fred could be better used as the alternative to matic more effectively than pierera.

 

[MadDogg]

Pereira can't win the possession in the middle which is what precisely Is matics jobm

We don't need both Matic and Fellaini though, and Fellaini is comfortably outperforming him. I'm uncertain about Pereira playing as the defensive midfielder, but if we continue with Fellaini in that role behind him it should be fine.

 

[Patrick08]

We don't need both Matic and Fellaini though, and Fellaini is comfortably outperforming him. I'm uncertain about Pereira playing as the defensive midfielder, but if we continue with Fellaini in that role behind him it should be fine.

Ideally yes, we don't need both but Matic has been off form, while fellani is just played for his physicality to counter physical play and long balls of opponents like Watford and burnley.

 

[Frank Grimes]

Thought he played well v Watford (despite sending off) but has not been good other than that game. May step it up the next few games and release the ball quicker.

 

[Pacificgi]

Worst player on the pitch for me and that took some doing today. Kept hold of the ball for far too long or ran with the ball only to pass it sideways or backwards baring in mind we were behind from the 6th minute onwards. He showed no urgency whatsoever. Disgraceful performance.

 

[Ekeke]

A completely pointless player this season. Lots of square, slow paced passes and didnt make a single tackle or interception. He's big, he can win the ball in the air at times and he makes lots of ordinary passes. Thats your lot

 

[Roboc7]

lucky he plays with Pogba because all the fuss detracts from how bad he is playing.

 

[IAmAWinner]

Looks absolutely past it this season.

 

[GledTheRed]

slow as fcuk

 

[ivaldo]

Aye. My dad's a fan of his and I spent this game pointing out his shortcomings; I think he's changed his mind now. Everything about him is slow. He takes too many touches before passing, he doesn't press or tackle; Herrera will do a significantly better job in that role if he's replaced. In the right set up he can still be an asset, but we simply don't have the support players to accommodate him.

 

[Enigma_87]

Wouldn't read too much in it. The squad as a whole is under performing and we lack cohesion whatsoever.

 

[Ashley R1+O]

He's an anchor in front of a defense and that is about it. Trying to ask him to play anywhere away from in front of the defense is just asking for performances like this. If Fred was a year settled in he would have started today in between Pogba further forward and Matic anchoring midfield. If we aren't going to play him at the anchor spot then he rides the pine until we need him.

Another combo breaking player that has an important role unfortunately.

 

[MemphisDepay]

Too slow, too ponderous on the ball — although he does always at least show for it while others shrink. There was a bit in the game where he got shrugged off the ball by Mark Fecking Noble.

 

[Ace of Spades]

A pointless player, but no one will talk about how shit he has been this season.

 

[el3mel]

Same form as Mourinho's last season at Chelsea. Awfully bad like this time.

 

[Wumminator]

I actually think he has been our worst player consistently for two years now. Don't get him.

 

[Adam-Utd]

Absolutely awful.

Can somebody explain to me what he was doing for the 3rd goal? Just stood off noble about 10 yards away, put him under zero pressure, just let him line up a pass and made no effort to stop it.

Pathetic. He know he’s safe under Mourinho and as long as he keeps saying yes boss he gets in the team.

 

[FootyGirl88]

Pereira needs to replace him like I said before. Pogba, Fred, Pereira needs to be our midfield going forward.

 

[settembrini]

Glad to see people are starting to realise how average he is. It was so bizarre how much praise he got last season considering he cost £40m and was worse than the player he replaced in the team.