Telles never shut down Salah, following him when he cut inside to prevent him from finding space.
He runs harder and looks faster too. Recovery speed is crucial.
12
Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 39
- Clean sheets
- 16
- Goals
- 0
- Assists
- 0
- Yellow cards
- 9
- Status
He runs harder and looks faster too. Recovery speed is crucial.
He's still a lot better than Telles.
Telles' lack of pace was horrific for one. His positioning, his lack of tenacity and his all round defending. You surely can see Malacia is better than Telles in all of those categories?
Expected him to have games like this through the season. It's why we need competition and alternatives. It now gives Shaw a chance and allows malacia to work on things and want to get back in.
We need that
We need that
He’s a much better defender than Telles. His ceiling is unknown. Telles is most likely on the way out but I’d like to see him get a run with a decent PL team. I think he could still be a very creative player for a different team where he is one of the main players.
I don’t mind the mistake that led to their first goal but I want to see him be more purposeful in attack. I don’t get why our young players play with the burden of entire world on their shoulders. At his age and with his pace, I would demand for the ball and run into the opponent’s box every single time.
His energy early on was great but he's struggled in the last few games. Hope he develops over the course of the season especially his play on the ball.
Malacia has been our weakest player in the last two games. He served his role in doing a job for a few games after Brentford when we needed something new but it's clear Shaw has to start now.
He’ll learn from these performances
A sweet left foot that we rarely saw!
Malacia is clearly better at defending and is young to learn more, telles is slower, lazier and older.
He's started off well but his last few performances have been poor overall
I've been really disappointed with him from an attacking perspective, i can't remember a single overlapping run.
I've been really disappointed with him from an attacking perspective, i can't remember a single overlapping run.
That was all Telles had. Problem was he crossed from deep 90% of the time so his crosses were easily cleared. For such good delivery he didn’t get many assists. He was also horribly unathletic and struggled to get up and down the pitch, resulting in him neither overlapping nor being back in position to defend. He was also beaten very easily one on one.
Malacia at least has the speed, determination, decent passing, positioning and is still quite young.
I do think Malacia’s better at defending one v one but I’m not sure his positioning is noticeably better and he’s not as good in the air as Telles. He probably covers more ground but it’s hard to be sure because I don’t think I’ve ever seen him make an overlapping run.
I’m still hopeful he’s playing within himself and will start to express himself as he gradually builds some confidence. But would really only have him ahead of Telles based on his hypothetical future self. Because so far his slightly better defensive attributes don’t make up for the complete absence of any of attacking contributions.
Reminds me a bit of Silvestre. Silvestre wasn't a world beater by any standards, technically very sound, but he also worked hard and had the pace to get himself out of sticky situations.
Shaw first needs to show some kind of form, otherwise he stays on the bench despite Malacia's poor game
He played well for England and against City, then did nothing wrong last night. Shaw comes in.
Maybe, but the past years don't give me much confidence. Let's see if he really turns the corner
As I’ve been saying, is nowhere near Shaw at the moment. Had suspected from very early that he is benefiting almost exclusively from the fact that be is new. Remove that context/asterisk - his performances have not been good. He’s done absolutely nothing going forward - but is no AWB unbeatable full-back either to balance that out either. But the Caf loves a trier.
Anyway, BECAUSE of the context/asterisk - I am reserving any longer term judgement and still have plenty grounds for optimism after the normal intangibles of being new and settled are removed. But in a performance thread judging his performances as they are, they have not been nearly as good as people have been trying to make out. I want Shaw back in the team immediately.
Anyway, BECAUSE of the context/asterisk - I am reserving any longer term judgement and still have plenty grounds for optimism after the normal intangibles of being new and settled are removed. But in a performance thread judging his performances as they are, they have not been nearly as good as people have been trying to make out. I want Shaw back in the team immediately.
It's telles all over again, joins club and has a promising start and displaces shaw but then after half a dozen games you realise maybe shaw is still our best left back and retains his position
Spot on
Telles didn’t deliver attacking contribution either even though he looked like some sort of TAA clone in Portugal
Came in and did better than anyone thought, but last couple of games has hit a bit of a dip. He's done well, and was always going to be a longer term option for LB, and with decent coaching, will hopefully improve in all aspects.
A fit Shaw has always been a good player, but seems to get a raw deal from some posters all the time.
Yes, time for Shaw to come back in, and with Rashford picking up his form and confidence, we should see some good creative stuff on the left flank, just need Dalot and Antony to replicate that on the right, and we could see some exciting forward play.
People will want Shaw back in until the inevitable happens, like his fantastic offside trap or lapses in concentration leading to players ghosting in behind him. He’s not the saviour. Malacia has been good but his level has dropped the past few games. I guess having the pair of them means that the competition should be high and both players should be itching for a starting spot.
Even though he had few bad games recently.. I am not worried about him at all, he is in a totally new environment at a higher level, he is at least working hard and trying his best, still a bit raw in the way he plays but he will definitely improve and at least challenge Shaw, might need some time to be on the bench and come off as a sub but even if Ten Hag insists on starting him I don't mind that really.
I think he’s been average from the start personally. That said, I expect the perception to be that his level is dropping with every game because there’s just a difference in how people assess a player’s debut, a player’s second game and a player’s 20th (not necessarily a bad thing). Conversely, due to time served, people have a lot less time for Shaw now, so I think a lack of objectivity enters in that way too. Objectively speaking, it’s not even close between them - Shaw is far better, and for me, the biggest contribution Malacia could give us this season would be to threaten Shaw enough to be the best version of himself.
I think his positivity, and enthusiasm, alongside Martinez, was a catalyst for the team to improve, as it needed to do after Brentford. He did make mistakes, but his will to stop opponents, and win the ball was second to none.
In his overall play he probably was quite average, but he was what we needed at that time against Liverpool.
He certainly will improve with coaching and playing in the EPL, and hopefully will keep Shaw on his toes the rest of this season.
Alright, my bad
I'm not going to make any sweeping statements about Malacia's ability because he's not played enough matches for us to draw any valuable conclusions from as of yet. With that said, I do feel his start at United has been somewhat over-hyped as a result of him being a new signing and also not being Luke Shaw.
Shaw has shown more in the last two games than Malacia did already
Maybe, but not in the last two years. It is not that he just had a slow start or so
For sure. It was 4 or 5 pretty good games. Need a bit more than that before we're set. He certainly showed he's worth giving a go and can be great competition for Shaw though and hopefully these couple of poor performances are just a blip and he can be relied on to get back to doing that.
I think he has been solid defensively but past 2 games has been shaky. Also, needs to be more attacking down the left. I don't have any worries about him. There is potential but anyone who thinks shaw is the answer needs to get their heads checked. Shaw's defensive positioning and awareness is just up and down. But right now, shaw gives us more going forward.
Two years ago Shaw was just starting the run of form that saw him be probably the best leftback in the world. People do exaggerate how long Shaw has been bad.
Last season he was bad for just over two months. Then he got a concussion, followed almost immediately by a second concussion, came back and played a couple of games, got a hamstring injury, came back for a month then had covid, then in his comeback game picked up the leg injury which put him out for the rest of the season. In other words he barely played after that first two months. Then this season he was bad for the first couple of games but has looked decent in his last couple.
It's not like Shaw has been putting out consistent atrocious performances for the entire time (like certain other players). He started terribly, but injury and illness stopped him actually getting a chance to play himself out of it.
Best LB in the world… yeah right
In that one season he arguably was. Helped by the other three or four top leftbacks all having off-seasons so there wasn't as much competition as there normally would be, but even if they hadn't been he would have been up there.
I normally do specifically say 'best that season' when talking about that season for Shaw, as one season isn't enough to be considered truly the best in the world. So I did mis-speak there.
Dropped from the starting line up. Can't say it's a surprise, still, too bad.
Small time bump
Eh? I'm just sad about it. I like the kid
You wrote him off before the move!Eh? I'm just sad about it. I like the kid
He’ll be fine.
- Status