He's average I think. Decent in the air, definitely strong and quick, great at covering but a lot of the time that is because he has messed up in the first place (positionally or giving the ball away) and average at 1v1s because has has a tendency to be rash and dive in.
4
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 24
- Clean sheets
- 7
- Goals
- 0
- Assists
- 1
- Yellow cards
- 3
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) was joined by comedian Ali Woods to look back at the best and worst moments of a rollercoaster season with the annual United Hour Awards.
Has Ten Hag been sacked yet? We're not sure and we hope not, but it's looking more likely as the days pass.
Who should replace him and why is it taking so long to make a decision?
He just needs to calm down. He seems to be high on the pitch most of the time.
not if he continues to run around without thinking. all the physical tools , lacks a footballing brain. the peno this season when he just stuck out a leg without any intention of winning the ball is a prime example. he is young but i don't think he'll be here or at any top club when he's 25.
So bad I dont even want to comment.
That is the philosophy though. Play from the back. Problem is that in England the lesser and pragmatic teams just sit in on Van Gaal's philosophy and nail us on the break. It means that Jones has no one to pass to because everyone is marked. It is big a problem for us and why we play more backwards passes than any other team in the league.
I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that most people on this forum could take a better corner than Philberto Carlos.
That's not really a dig at him as he shouldn't be anywhere near the conversation of corner-takers anyway. Maybe his name was drawn out of a hat or something...?
That's not really a dig at him as he shouldn't be anywhere near the conversation of corner-takers anyway. Maybe his name was drawn out of a hat or something...?
How so?
And Fergie never actually compared him to Edwards, Paddy Crerand said it was Sir Bobby who saw similarities between them.
That's unfair, he's definitely after getting a lot better at defending since his arrival imo. You used to really worry with him in the side as a centre back and that's not really the case anymore I feel, now it's just his on the ball ability that really lets him down.
Exactly. How many times was he allowed to storm forward with the ball last night? Quite a few as I recall and each time there was no end product because Cambridge had sealed all avenues off. So the ball goes back and we rinse and repeat ad infinitum.
Rojo's improvements in just 6 months really do put to shame how little (if at all) Jones has improved in 3 years.
Stop with this logic. Phil Jones is just shit and can't pass 5 yards.
I didn't think I could reduce the analysis any further but there you go.
Taking corners too. FFS.Midfielders need to make themselves available. Its what causes the likes of Jones to look shite. There were numerous occasions yesterday when he had no option but to punt it. Our lack of movement is baffling, one of the things I expected Van Gaal to correct.
Seems to be cementing his place as 3rd in the CB pecking order which, given what can be safely assumed as to our summer transfer plans, is not an ideal place to be.
Why did he try hoof ball so many times when an easier pass to Carrick was available ...
Because he's the thickest person to have ever played professional football.
He makes Rooney look like the brain of Britain.
On one hand, he looks a bit afraid to pick another injury and engage more in risky runs in the opponent's half which were quite effective in the Fergie era, on the other, injuries already stopped his development and it may take whole season to get him into shape and perhaps find him a nominal role in the system.
Some defend him, some like myserlf think he lacks the intelligence to be a top player, regardless though LvG likes his CB's to play a certain way and I don't think Jones can play that way and is nearing the end of his contract.
Im baffled as to why Phil Jones is being made a scapegoat all of a sudden - our defence has actually been much more solid than earlier in the season, we are conceeding very few goals lately.
The problem is lack of chances and goals
The problem is lack of chances and goals
No one is debating his defending abilities from what i'm reading, and certainly from what i'm saying, but with the ball at his feet he is totally limited when playing the ball out. If we wanted him just to stay back and defend then he'd be great, but modern football and the 'philosophy' require more from our CB's and that is were big Phil falls down - spectacularly.
If your build up play from the back and midfield was more fluid and crisper, then we may start creating chances. Kind of fecked if our CB can't even pass 10 yards correctly.
I think we need to play both Carrick-Blind on top of our defence.. to be effective.. Have we ever played this ?
This has to be the fulcrum on which we build on..
----Demaria--
Blind--Carrick--
---Back4---
This has to be the fulcrum on which we build on..
----Demaria--
Blind--Carrick--
---Back4---
It's refreshing to see an opposition fan actually get it correct. I hear so many hail Jones (a lot say he's shit too) as the far greater player between him and Smalling, but it couldn't be further from the truth. Smalling and Rojo both have a future here, even in just a squad capacity, but Jones and Evans are just simply not very good players and not good enough here.
No, the problem is how our defenders' limitations force a change of approach that is hindering the whole team instead of moving forward into a more exciting style of football. Jones is part of the problem, not the solution.
That's just a lame excuse. We haven't exactly leaked goals in any formation except Leicester game really where there was all sort of in game chopping changing. Actually that has been a theme too.'
Exactly.
Actually it's a theme with our defenders. They are almost as good as their last or last 2 games on here.
Jones is just 22 still and overall from the start of the season on average of each game been probably our best CB when he's played this season in all sorts of different formations with all sort of different partners. Also i think he and Rojo don't complement each other well in a partnership.
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taking corners? no problem I bought him luckily to my fantasy premier league side and he will make points! watch out, two assists from corners and clean sheet. I also made him my captain so may he double that up.. I would bench him in real life, hopefully Smalling missing last match was due to the knock as the performances before were the best I ve seen this season from our Center back. Unlike Jones who started quite well but after injury he looks even more hopelesss in terms of using his brain than before, watch some interviews with him he is so dumb.. I am not sure if such brainless player can make it to the top but surely Smalling-Rojo should be considered our first option now
He is strong, he is fast, he can tackle, he is a good header of the ball. Sounds like a top CB when you put it that way, but all his qualities are negated sometimes by him being a headless chicken. Half of his interceptions this season were necessary only because he fecked up and gave the ball away in the first place.
How can you trust him in big games when he is a mistake waiting to happen? I honestly believe that if he can be more composed he will be one of the best around.
How can you trust him in big games when he is a mistake waiting to happen? I honestly believe that if he can be more composed he will be one of the best around.
I wasn't able to post the last couple of days but I knew he would be destroyed in this thread. He had a rotton game
Still think he is our best defender. LVG is asking him to do things he is not comfortable with. Just get him to do what he does best..,defend and then if he has the ball play it simple.
Still think he is our best defender. LVG is asking him to do things he is not comfortable with. Just get him to do what he does best..,defend and then if he has the ball play it simple.
He tried to play it simple and still have the ball away.
He is being forced outside his comfort zone and it is affecting his performance
I don't get why he cannot play to each players strengths
Except Varane wasn't ever going to choose us over Madrid.
So can about 90% of PL standard defenders. Being a top defender is about so much more then physical qualities. Its about reading of the game, positional awareness, tactical nous, decision making etc etc Phil Jones lacks any of that, and sadly hasn't improved in 3 years.
A sideways pass to Carrick should not be out of his comfort zone.
His confidence with that ball is being affected, so even easy passes are not so easy. That was my point
We know he is a lot better than what we saw last night.
I'd say that was his worst ever game. It happens
He's definitely better than the Cambridge match performance, but he doesn't seem to be at the point everyone thought/hoped he would be. I think he still has a little bit of time but he has to be consistently better.
We tried to sign Varane after we had signed Jones, and previously Smalling.
The Caf of course said we didnt need him now we have Jones. He wasnt wanted here at the time
Because then you're limiting the collective performance to the inadequacies of your weakest link.
It is interesting that Gerrard Pique used to get derided by Man Utd fans for not being able to 'defend', but the while he fitted into Guardiola's Van Gaal inspired philosophy, and now Phil Jones is being derided for not being able to fit into Van Gaal's ball playing philosophy, but he is an excellent defender.
How can anybody watch Jones' positioning and awareness and come to the conclusion he's an excellent defender? He's not.
He does those last ditch dick hard tackles that are great for highlights and all that. He wouldn't have to do 90% of those tackles if he didn't position himself weirdly or feck something up while playing the ball (just like he did against Cambridge, fecked up pass to Rojo just to do a sliding tackle in the box, it's classic Jones basically). Great reactionary defender but with very poor awareness.
I think he has near the top on average interceptions per game this season in the prem or at least did few games back.
He'd be the first man I'd pick to man-mark someone in a big game. A game against a better side that'd back us in the corner, a game that needs heroes at the back. In those other 90% of matches though, games that we need to dominate and play in the opponent's half and just have a bit of security and calm at the back, he wouldn't be anywhere near my line-up.
I just hope that with time and game experience he'll mature and learn. He's got all the qualities to be a world class defender. Physicality and instincts are superb, just has to learn when to rely on them and when to use his head.
I just hope that with time and game experience he'll mature and learn. He's got all the qualities to be a world class defender. Physicality and instincts are superb, just has to learn when to rely on them and when to use his head.
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