They have done well. Not totally convincing though and I think they could easily be pushed out by Bailly and Smalling before the end of the season.
Rojo & Jones Must Continue as First Choice
- Thread starter RedRoach
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Commentator mentioned Jones is on one hell of a run, longest run of consecutive games for a while, or perhaps longest run he's ever had with Utd? What kind of witchcraft is at work here?
Anyway, tempted to drop Jones so he can have rest and replace with Smalling in order for Jones to then play vs West Ham.
As for Bailly, only use if other 3 not available and then has to play with Jones after he comes back from duty, assuming he's not out for the season due to playing for so long
Anyway, tempted to drop Jones so he can have rest and replace with Smalling in order for Jones to then play vs West Ham.
As for Bailly, only use if other 3 not available and then has to play with Jones after he comes back from duty, assuming he's not out for the season due to playing for so long
Has Mourinho ever really had an issue with injuries? I think this all comes down to proper management and understanding rest and recovery.
Would somehow, without us losing points, like to see how good the pairing is without Carrick shielding them. That would make it more clear if they're actually just playing really well, or if its a Carrick thing.
I think Mourinho's tactics also makes it easier for defenders to look great out there. Very compact between midfield and defence, which makes Jones' vulnerability towards fast-paced moving forwards not so visible.
No wonder that Terry did a better job than Ferdinand around the same age at Chelsea. Speed isn't a big factor with this system. Also we don't give the ball away. At one point today our pass-success-rate was around 90%
No wonder that Terry did a better job than Ferdinand around the same age at Chelsea. Speed isn't a big factor with this system. Also we don't give the ball away. At one point today our pass-success-rate was around 90%
They suck at build up play, Bailly in as soon as possible please.
ROJO has amazed me how much he has improved. Always knew Jones was a good player jusy injury prone. Hope the boys keep up a great partnership.
bullshit, we don't suffer from that at all, we have never created more chances past four, five years, even the later stages of Ferguson era we havent created chances much but always managed to score... clean sheets are also important and we'd be on a good deffensive record hadnt Borini hit his best goal of his life
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So I am okay with them now, they can drive with the ball forward when need to like Rojo showed yesterday, Smalling can do it too and so can Bailly, his ball playing skills are really overrated here, the only player who can make a difference is Blind there
In the pecking order, probably. Especially when we also consider Mourinho's comments Re: Smalling and Shaw not playing with injuries.
Are they better defenders than Smalling was at his best? No.
But will Smalling be given the chance to get back to his best (having been some way short of it in the short time hes played so far this season) ? I honestly can't say. Wouldnt be the only one not given much of a chance, or the only quality player that Mourinho has seen fit to leave his squad.
I personally think the system with 3 proper midfielders, and with Carrick now a regular starter is helping protect Rojo and Jones. They have not miraculously become fantastic players over a number of weeks. Mourinho is aware, and that is the likely reason for interest in buying another defender. They've both done a great job in filling in whilst Smalling and Bailly were injured. We should expect that at a minimum. They are both international defenders.
Don't change a thing. Rojo-Jones is out starting CB partnership right now. They are effective and Bailly isn't even in the picture as he's off to the AFCON next week, so between his injury and international schedule, we may not see him play too much more the rest of this year. By the time he returns, Rojo and Jones may be so solidly entrenched that it would be far more disruptive to not play them than experiment with the likes of Bailly and Smalling.
Bailly and Smalling would not be an experiment. They both started off as a first choice partnership. Unfortunately, or fortunately this gave a chance to the current pair. Not long ago Jones and Rojo were seen as surplus to requirements due to Jones' injury record and Rojo not deemed good enough for United. I still think they've not been tested against the best forwards bar the Spurs game.
They didn't. It was Bailly and Blind in the beginning of the season, then Bailly and Smalling for a couple of matches until Bailly got injured.
My bad. I think this was due to Smalling being injured in pre-season training.
I agree with leaving things as they are. Don't fix what's not broken and all that.
Still think we can do better than Rojo and probably Jones too (I'll hold off until I see him last the season without injury, never mind his performances). But let's see what's going on in the summer.
They are getting better coverage than I remember any CBs getting last season and early on this season. Carrick/Pogba/Herrera doing a great job to help them out.
Still think we can do better than Rojo and probably Jones too (I'll hold off until I see him last the season without injury, never mind his performances). But let's see what's going on in the summer.
They are getting better coverage than I remember any CBs getting last season and early on this season. Carrick/Pogba/Herrera doing a great job to help them out.
Rojo has been better than Jones so far, and with Bailly being more suited to play in the right side of defense, I think that Jones rather than Rojo might lose his place to Bailly.
I still think that next season it will be Bailly and a new signing (maybe that Benfica guy) with one of Smalling/Rojo/Jones leaving the club in the summer.
They've definitely been tested - Sanchez, Lukaku, Giroud, Kane et al. The only good strikers they haven't yet faced is Costa and Aguero, and lets face it, those were early fixtures where Jose didn't really have a clue as to which lineup was our best and we were using odd combinations like Rojo and Blind, behind yet more experimentation in midfield..
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As good as they've been we still end up getting scored on every game. I still firmly believe Bailly is our best central defender currently, I'd like to see him and Rojo together. Jones putting together his longest run of consecutive games seems way too good to be true anyway, I can't imagine he can go much longer without getting injured.
It might be so, but he was on bench for 3-4 matches or so, despite him being fit. To be fair, Blind and Bailly did really well up to City's match which might have tied Mourinho's hands on changing the defense.
I think this is a bit misleading (although true). Take yesterday's match, put Beckenbauer and Baresi in defense and Borini still scores. On Everton's match it was Fellaini doing a fool of himself that resulted in the pen, maybe in Arsenal's case Jones might have done a bit better but for the most part, they haven't done mistakes and the goals that we conceded would have been goals even if there were other defenders there.
I agree with Bailly being our best CB, but it is not the right time to change our partnership in defense, especially with Bailly leaving for Africa Cup on nations next week or so.
On February-March when Bailly comes, we reevaluate. Until then, if they continue playing this well, they should continue playing, if not, then Smalling should take his chance, which might well be his last one.
Our first goal yesterday, Rojo was the one who drove the ball all the way to Zlatan
Rojo is fortunate to be even playing. He's been very fortunate he was not sent off and missing for the last few matches. Jones is likely on his longest injury free run. Long may it continue.
Yeah that was fantastic. His little run into the box created just enough space for Blind to swoop in.
We needed that bit of luck, it seems that Rojo not getting sent off is one of the moments we can be thankful went in out favour
Borini scored after Rojo's short headed clearance fell right in his path.
Meh, the cross was flat, Rojo had pressure from Defoe and his header cleared the box.
From there it's just a peach, the control and finish is sublime. You can try to attach blame, but it's a little daft.
Bailly and Jones is the best combo, with Rojo rotating when needed.
Rojo's on a good run, but he isn't good enough to be first choice CB for an entire season at United.
That's just my opinion, could be totally wrong!
Rojo's on a good run, but he isn't good enough to be first choice CB for an entire season at United.
That's just my opinion, could be totally wrong!
The bit about Borini's goal is true, no defense could've stopped that really. Still though, we do end up getting scored on most games for whtever reason and I never feel comfortable when only a goal up. It's not necessarily down to just Rojo and Jones obviously but it's still something to consider.
I agree about Bailly as well, with him leaving there's no reason to change Rojo and Jones right now. When he gets back though I think he should slot right back in.
Smalling doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence. Sometimes does monumental feckups and prone to the odd red card...
I think the main point is that everybody is in agreement that it can only be a massive positive if we have former squad players like Rojo and Jones really pushing the men who hold the jersey for their place in the team
They may not be the two greatest CBs to have ever played the game but I think it would send out the wrong message to drop them until current circumstances relating to form and fitness change
They may not be the two greatest CBs to have ever played the game but I think it would send out the wrong message to drop them until current circumstances relating to form and fitness change
Agreed. And in addition to silly pens, there have been a number of "wonder goals" scored against us, including a worldy overhead kick in the Europa. In general the CB's have been solid and Jose has to get some credit for how should we are down the middle regardless of which CB's (excluding Blind) are playing.
Baresi doesn't head the ball straight to an oppo striker in tonnes of space.
So is Romero and Di Maria..
Yup, Baresi never headed a ball clear under pressure that landed to an oppo player in space 20 yards out.. NEVER I tell you. And nor did Vidic, Rio, Nesta, Maldini etc etc etc.
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Romero is quality, Di Maria I will give you.
I'll give you Romero...
Di Maria is world class when he wants to be.
Being an Argentina international is very impressive if you are a forward/winger/CAM, because the competition is enormous there. A little less so if you are a defensive mid, fullback or goalkeeper, because Argentina is relatively deprived of good players in those positions.
I actually thought Carrick should have done better either to flick the ball again (after Rojo's header) or react faster to it.
Might need to see it again but that's what I thought. I don't want to be seen as a Carrick hater given my recent posts but he does have a habit of not closing/reacting fast enough to 2nd balls
I thought Rojo was fecking dreadful before the start of the season. Seemed to not have a clue what was going on in some games he played. This season, whether you think he should start or not, we've got a player now. He and Jones have absolutely stepped up when we've needed them. Delighted for the pair of them. They looked like they were finished.
True, I still remember Robben's goal that knoced us out of Champions League, it happened bacause carrick was too slow to close Robben downI actually thought Carrick should have done better either to flick the ball again (after Rojo's header) or react faster to it.
Might need to see it again but that's what I thought. I don't want to be seen as a Carrick hater given my recent posts but he does have a habit of not closing/reacting fast enough to 2nd balls