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2014-15 Performances


View full 2014-15 profile

6.0 Season Average Rating
Appearances
11
Clean sheets
4
Goals
0
Assists
1
Yellow cards
2
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If it wasn't Rafael would any one mention that yellow? Probably not.
I was going to make this exact point.

You see yellows like that basically every game and nothing is said about it, but Rafael picks up his first yellow of the season and its evidence that he is "impetuous" according to Neville.
 
He is weirdly the catalyst for most of our attacks. Some of the balls he played when januzaj moved to the right were exquisite.
It's because as someone mentioned above, he's just so filled with energy and tenacity. He don't give up, and that just seeps through into the attackers and increases the tempo. It isn't that rare seeing a fullback dictate attacking play, really. Baines and Coleman are Everton's key attackers.
 
I felt really sick after he received the yellow card straight away, but he showed some real maturity after that and played a really good match overall. Considering he played with that booking for around 80 minutes against one of the best dribblers in the world, makes it even more impressive. Well done.
 
Tell me how did he get a yellow card and yet 6 mins later or something the exact same foul was executed at the other end and even though Mata and maybe RVP, im not sure, brought Dowds attention to it, he waved it off. Either both are yellow or none of them are!! Simple as.

There seems to be this misconception that we got away with stuff for years and its time to take everything we get and shut up about it. This season alone we had at least 5 good penalty claims that we didn't get a look in. It looks like an opposition member needs to take a machete to a United player before we get a pen. However that said... I thought Phil Dowd had a good game that missed yellow aside. I don't get all this penalty claims from the corner. Every corner is a penalty if that's the case. There is no defending team who don't foul at EVERY corner and foul is a foul no matter how blatant or not. Shawcross was just unlucky last week to be the one who it gets called on, so its in fashion for these 2 weeks.

NOW back to Mr De Silva... I thought he was good without setting the world alight. Was solid, defended well, covered well, closed down well and protected that yellow card well. Still more of an attacker than a defender and as such he needs to be drilled as to when to over lap, when to cut in, when to take on a man and when to 1-2 it. To fit into the system he is needed to play.
He has yet to show the level of defending that i would like from a right full but what you gain on the swings you lose on the roundabouts. Can't fault his attitude and his willingness to get up and down the field. Needs to build on this, I'd rather have him than any the others at right back. But maybe its a position that needs adjustment in the windows. There is a certain 26 year old, Irish Toffee that would suit us well, but he wont be cheap. Maybe a swap plus cash?
 
My only real complaint is sometimes he gets too tight to attackers on the wrong side or wrong situation as seen with Hazard in the game. I cant put my finger on it but there is a bit of Gary Neville about him. I think maybe its his energy.
 
My only real complaint is sometimes he gets too tight to attackers on the wrong side or wrong situation as seen with Hazard in the game. I cant put my finger on it but there is a bit of Gary Neville about him. I think maybe its his energy.

Could just be the quality of the winger forcing Rafa to go to the wrong side? He definitely was close to Hazard a lot. Didn't want to allow Hazard to run and dribble, which makes sense. Risky if he slips him though, like he did for the yellow.
 
He has this tag of being liable to make mistakes now, irrespective of the fact he very rarely makes mistakes of any consequence now. If you consider someone like Kompany who has made a good few mistakes in the last year or so and compare the coverage he gets to Rafael and you see how unfair it is on his behalf.
 
It was a silly piece of defending for him to get himself booked, though.

<runs away>

Did well after, though.
 
Not his best game. He didn't impose himself as much as he normally does, but he did keep Hazard quiet for most of the game. A bit more lacklustre in attack than he normally is, but he was probably told to show some restraint in attack.
 
Chelsea were very good organized, it was quite difficult for him to find space to whip a cross in I thought. Di Maria wasn’t helping much either. When Januzaj played on the right in the closing stages he made some good runs.

Anyway, his offensive contribution is very good most of the time so I’m not worried. On the other side, it was really impressive how calm he remained during the game after that early yellow. Keep it up.
 
Who's bright idea was it to have him marking Didier fecking Drogba?! :wenger:
Van Gaal mentioned in the post match that there was some sort of miscommunication between him and Fellaini :lol:
 
Van Gaal mentioned in the post match that there was some sort of miscommunication between him and Fellaini :lol:
Fellani was told to mark Drogba but Matic, who's about 6'3, came into the box for the corner when they scored. Fellani got caught trying to mark Matic for the corner.

It was good tactics from Chelsea, Matic came into the box, waited for Fellani to pick him up and then he left the area and stood on the edge, leaving Fellani marking no one and miles away from Drogba.

One of the biggest culprits for the goal in my opinion was Van Persie. If he stayed on the line he would have cleared that easily.
 
It was his yellow card which resulted in the game being messy and flooded in yellow cards. Bar the one missed earlier in the game (i think it was Ivanovic) Dowd had to give yellow cards for any pesky foul - which is why there were 8 Yellow cards and 1 red in the game - despite the game not being dirty at all. Thankfully/Luckily, it worked to our advantage in the end.
 
Van Gaal mentioned in the post match that there was some sort of miscommunication between him and Fellaini :lol:

Rafael on Drogba was throughout the match - so that was a coached thing. The miscommuniation LVG was referring to that one particular play in that we ended up 3 players on 2 at the back side and possibly Fellaini could have communicated to Rafa that he'll come take Drogba.

Am sure those things happen almost every set piece play, someone could have done something different but, because most don't end up in goals, they don't get broken down the way that one corner was.
 
Defended well against one of the trickiest players in football, there wasn't much going forward for either of our full backs because how Mourinho had Hazard and William situated, over all another decent performance.
 
Michael Cox's analysis

Chelsea’s right-sided midfielder Willian took up some very narrow, deep positions throughout the game, offering short-passing options for his centre-backs rather than seeking to spin in behind and receive long balls. As a result it presented the Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw with a problem – should he stay in position alongside his centre-backs, or stick tightly to Willian?

Van Gaal had evidently urged him to stick tight, because Shaw was never more than five metres from Willian, sometimes advancing ahead of his midfielders to track the Brazilian. This epitomised the bravery of United’s full-backs – with and without the ball – and their aggressiveness pushed back Chelsea’s wide players.

On the opposite flank Rafael da Silva’s unnecessary early caution for a foul on Eden Hazard was extremely worrying – but while other full-backs would keep their position and ensure they did not find themselves on the wrong side of the opposition’s danger-man, Da Silva continued to push forward. Hazard was forced back into his own half – and his final act was being cautioned for a foul on Da Silva, summing up the role-reversal.
 
I think once shaw improves his attacking game we will be much more attacking as a unit. Sometimes i feel we are lop sided with rafael attacking more than shaw. Its clear van gaal wants our natural width from our fullbacks while our wingers cut inside to provide more midfield numbers.
 
I felt really sick after he received the yellow card straight away, but he showed some real maturity after that and played a really good match overall. Considering he played with that booking for around 80 minutes against one of the best dribblers in the world, makes it even more impressive. Well done.


This. A lot of players look foolish going up against Hazard. Rafael did very well, especially considering the early booking. He also linked up well in attack with Januzaj and the two looked like a promising partnership (though I doubt we will see much of it as I imagine we will go back to two strikers now that Rooney is back)
 
Needs a more mature game today than usual in our big matches.

He's been getting praise for last week but I think the early booking meant he was afraid to get involved after that. If its Milner/Nasri over there I think Rafa should be able to cope.
 
a new RB was on my shopping list for last summer. It just kills us to keep on having to go half seasons with the likes of Valencia or Jones or Smalling "doing a job" at right back. I'm sure it will be addressed next summer, but it's going to cost us again this season.
 
It doesn't bother me that he is injured as much as it will bother others. the issue is we don't have a decent back-up. If we did then it would not matter as much. We need to sort that out ASAP. Valencia doesn't cut it.
 
I'm sure he's as annoyed as us. Quit the insults.

We do desperately need cover and competition for Rafael and I expect Van Gaal to bring somebody in as early as January.
 
Jeez, played the last 6 games on the bounce and puts in some great performances for us, after little preseason and misses a game due too a knock, cue the: always injury prone, not worth it etc.
 
a new RB was on my shopping list for last summer. It just kills us to keep on having to go half seasons with the likes of Valencia or Jones or Smalling "doing a job" at right back. I'm sure it will be addressed next summer, but it's going to cost us again this season.
Coleman, Piszczek, Clyne or even Dani Alves

I'm really sick of players like Rafael and Jones
 
For all the moaning about our training regimes, why is it that it's always the usual suspects that picks up knocks in trainings?

Jones, Rafael, Smalling, Evans.
 
we definitely need another right back. I like Rafa but he's far too injury prone to be relied upon.
 
Really bad news. We really do need to sign a right back. Valencia at right back, when Rafael is injured, is a scary prospect.
 
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