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2019-20 Performances


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5.7 Season Average Rating
Appearances
47
Clean sheets
19
Goals
1
Assists
1
Yellow cards
6
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Revan

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What is John O'Shea doing there?
Joel Pereira?

I had totally forgotten that he still exists, and had no idea that he is still at the club. He was supposed to be good (a few years ago), right?

I am wondering, what are the reasons for the existence of a fourth senior keeper?
 

Strelok

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I mean, it was closest. It was near him, he jumped to head it but totally missed it. Lindelof had to cover for him by leaving his position and go for the ball. Which he did. Maguire then had to cover cause Lindelof cannot be in two places, and went to get the ball fro Stanislav (while Lindelof took Maguire's position on the other hand). Then Maguire got nutmegged and the goal happened.

The main error was him being easily dribbled. Him not being able to head the ball was a tiny mistake but such shit happens and Lindelof was there to cover. Then they (rightly so) switched positions cause Maguire was nearer to the ball than Stanislav (cause Lindelof had to leave his position to cover Maguire's original mistake). In truth the coordination between them was right (Lindelof saw Maguire's bad positioning and covered, Maguire immediately saw the gap Lindelof left for his error and covered for Lindelof, with Lindelof realizing it and covering the other side of the box). Then he got nutmegged.

So all in all, Maguire made a tiny mistake (which happens to the very best) and then rushed to fix it by making a bigger mistake.
Good post, pretty much this.

Guys, I don't rate Lindelof but it's clear af that Maguire had a shit show the last match. Stanislav was no Messi.

However please do not jump on Maguire either. Let's not forget how vulnerable we were to set piece or when facing physically strong strikers prior to his signing. I was like always ready to have an heart attack and expect shit to happen whenever we faced a set piece back then. We're much more solid now.

Let's accept that he had a bad day and move on guys.
 

Isotope

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Joel Pereira?

I had totally forgotten that he still exists, and had no idea that he is still at the club. He was supposed to be good (a few years ago), right?

I am wondering, what are the reasons for the existence of a fourth senior keeper?
I was just joking, mate. Haha..
 

Zoo

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Yep, very good match from him. I remember there was one moment that was a little shaky (although can't for the life of me remember what it actually was :lol: ) but otherwise he did well. Strode forward with the ball a few times as well.
He sliced a clearance but it was no major thing. Had a very good game I thought.
 
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One of the best matches I've seen from him in the air. He shies away from those aerial challenges sometimes but was going in full throttle against Samatta and Davis
 

Yagami

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During his time here I've been very critical of him, but I think he's done well during this unbeaten run. Credit to him.
 

edcunited1878

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At least one person on here who shall not be named said Lindelof couldn't head a ball and was a Championship caliber defender at best while AWB should play CB because AWB is a better header of the ball than Lindelof....ffs.

Iceman was good and dependable again today. Another clean sheet for Lindelof and Maguire. Going to be a good challenge on Monday against Ings and Southampton.
 

MikeKing

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I'm usually quite harsh on this guy and Shaw as they both share the trait of being a bit indecisive on the pitch at times, which just rubs me wrong. Both kept it quick and simple and heavily contributed to a very smooth possession game with not a lot of running back to defend. Some good forward runs at the right moments, which was nice.
 

Tony247

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Had a very good game yesterday. Especially his distribution was world class. Our many attacks started with his pass to midfield. Good to watch.
 

Web of Bissaka

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Losing to Comeback Winning!
So that's why he has that Icy cool nickname.

Remember when he used to be a bag of nerve in his first two seasons, full of nerves, rashness and panic moments.

It's a delight watching him improve quickly and adaptly into this.
 

Craig Ward

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I'm somewhat surprised by the appreciation after the villa game.

Villa were poor and we were under no real threat - i felt Lindelof was average at best.

Admittedly, he didnt have much to do but i felt his passing was slow and laboured and he still managed a shaky spell in the first half.

He's improved overall, but against better opponents i dont think he's all that.

AWB offers him a lot of protection in truth.

The back 5 collectively you cant fault the stats and the run, but there's a mistake in Lindelof for sure
 

Kostov

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I think Lindelof has another solid game despite that bad clearance that could have cost us. Thankfully it didn't otherwise he defended calmly and did well with Maguire.
 

A-man

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He wasn’t really tested yesterday but did the job. My only complaint of the defence is the first 10 minutes where I think they could have played their way through the press better. Not that Villa created much but it is good opportunities to create counters. We saw that later in the match, every time Villa tried to put pressure on the back line, United payed through and counter attacked.


The back 5 collectively you cant fault the stats and the run, but there's a mistake in Lindelof for sure
I can understand those who criticise him for not being aggressive enough, but not for making mistakes. He doesn’t make many mistakes. For me a mistake is what Mings did, losing the ball and there’s a goal. Or when Pogba lost the ball which almost cost a goal.

I can’t remember any goals conceded this season coming from a big mistake from Lindelof. Could be one or two I have forgotten about, but clearly not many. I watch a lot of PL football and would say he makes less mistake than the average CB in the top-10 half of the table. He is not aggressive, but solid and has shown stability.
 

Kamprad

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I love how he has started breaking opposition lines with runs and dribbling. Much needed sometimes.
 

Foxbatt

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I think Matic and Shaw playing well has helped him. A confident defense brings everyone's game up a notch. In my opinion he should shoot when he gets to the edge of the opposing box.
Furthermore he is a decent header in the opposing area. For some odd reason he is hesitant in our own box.
 

Kostov

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I can understand those who criticise him for not being aggressive enough, but not for making mistakes. He doesn’t make many mistakes. For me a mistake is what Mings did, losing the ball and there’s a goal. Or when Pogba lost the ball which almost cost a goal.

I can’t remember any goals conceded this season coming from a big mistake from Lindelof. Could be one or two I have forgotten about, but clearly not many. I watch a lot of PL football and would say he makes less mistake than the average CB in the top-10 half of the table. He is not aggressive, but solid and has shown stability.
A very big part of mistakes and the publicity they will get is whether they actually cost the team a goal/penalty/red card or not. Lindelof's for example yesterday would have been disastrous if Maguire I think it was, didn't manage to block the following shot and Villa scored, something similar happened couple of games back when Lindelof also missed the ball completely in a clearance at the edge of the box but fortunately Matic I think it was managed to clear.

I can remember the goal against Palace that we conceded was bad from the top of my head and pretty sure there was 1 or 2 others this season.
 

A-man

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A very big part of mistakes and the publicity they will get is whether they actually cost the team a goal/penalty/red card or not. Lindelof's for example yesterday would have been disastrous if Maguire I think it was, didn't manage to block the following shot and Villa scored, something similar happened couple of games back when Lindelof also missed the ball completely in a clearance at the edge of the box but fortunately Matic I think it was managed to clear.

I can remember the goal against Palace that we conceded was bad from the top of my head and pretty sure there was 1 or 2 others this season.
Centre back is such a vulnerable position, that making many mistakes would certainly cost the team goals. I can’t remember any this season. I would say DDG has made many costly mistakes this season, but not Lindelof. Being poor in certain situations is another thing.
 

Kostov

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Centre back is such a vulnerable position, that making many mistakes would certainly cost the team goals. I can’t remember any this season. I would say DDG has made many costly mistakes this season, but not Lindelof. Being poor in certain situations is another thing.
I am not saying that DDG didn't make costly mistakes, but so did Lindelof in the instance I pointed out that I remembered. He lost a header to Ayew I think it was in a position he absolutely shouldn't have, Palace then went on and scored to take the lead. It was a costly mistake imo.
 

A-man

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I am not saying that DDG didn't make costly mistakes, but so did Lindelof in the instance I pointed out that I remembered. He lost a header to Ayew I think it was in a position he absolutely shouldn't have, Palace then went on and scored to take the lead. It was a costly mistake imo.
I wouldn’t call losing a header a mistake. But it kind of proves my point that the closest to a costing mistake is something that happened 11 months ago. He has poor sides but he makes few mistakes.
 

Sylar

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Hes been pretty good / great since the lockdown return.
Long may it continue.
 

Kostov

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I wouldn’t call losing a header a mistake. But it kind of proves my point that the closest to a costing mistake is something that happened 11 months ago. He has poor sides but he makes few mistakes.
Depends on the header really, he lost a header from which Southampton equalized to that viking giant they have in defense, that's one thing, that Palace goal we conceded because he was out jumped by shorter Ayew was atrocious imo. Generally he has been more assured and improved and I sincerely hope he continues to grow into his role as partner for Maguire. I would say that Maguire compliments him better with his aerial ability than the other way around, which is a not the best scenario for the Englishman who needs a faster CB to partner him.
 

A-man

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Depends on the header really, he lost a header from which Southampton equalized to that viking giant they have in defense, that's one thing, that Palace goal we conceded because he was out jumped by shorter Ayew was atrocious imo. Generally he has been more assured and improved and I sincerely hope he continues to grow into his role as partner for Maguire. I would say that Maguire compliments him better with his aerial ability than the other way around, which is a not the best scenario for the Englishman who needs a faster CB to partner him.
It was also Maguire/Lindelof’s third match together, and a relatively new defence. They are much better at covering for each other now. In that situation there was nobody covering and nobody tracking the runner.
 

kouroux

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At least one person on here who shall not be named said Lindelof couldn't head a ball and was a Championship caliber defender at best while AWB should play CB because AWB is a better header of the ball than Lindelof....ffs.

Iceman was good and dependable again today. Another clean sheet for Lindelof and Maguire. Going to be a good challenge on Monday against Ings and Southampton.
:lol: Name and shame
 

andersj

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He wasn’t really tested yesterday but did the job. My only complaint of the defence is the first 10 minutes where I think they could have played their way through the press better. Not that Villa created much but it is good opportunities to create counters. We saw that later in the match, every time Villa tried to put pressure on the back line, United payed through and counter attacked.




I can understand those who criticise him for not being aggressive enough, but not for making mistakes. He doesn’t make many mistakes. For me a mistake is what Mings did, losing the ball and there’s a goal. Or when Pogba lost the ball which almost cost a goal.

I can’t remember any goals conceded this season coming from a big mistake from Lindelof. Could be one or two I have forgotten about, but clearly not many. I watch a lot of PL football and would say he makes less mistake than the average CB in the top-10 half of the table. He is not aggressive, but solid and has shown stability.
You have been spot on all season in my opinion. Right now, I actually feel even more confident in Lindelof than Maguire.

Did you read Michael Cox piece in the athletic on the cat and the dog defender? He makes a good argument there claiming that the «cat» is underappreciated in UK. I think this thread could be used as proof! ;)

All that being said, he has come a long way since 2018. In my opinion, it is a reminder that you need a bit of experience and maturity to play a centerback at Man Utd. Very few have the natural talent of van Dijk or Rio. (And even van Dijk was not ready for a club like Man Utd when he was 23.)

https://www.google.no/amp/s/theathl...aglar-soyuncu-jonny-evans-leicester-city/?amp
 

Kostov

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I can imagine using whoscored to make your assesment you will come to a different conclusion. You too, more than any, should read the piece from Cox.
OR you can actually watch us play and appreciate that both have been good, but Maguire is essential to our defense.
 

A-man

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You have been spot on all season in my opinion. Right now, I actually feel even more confident in Lindelof than Maguire.

Did you read Michael Cox piece in the athletic on the cat and the dog defender? He makes a good argument there claiming that the «cat» is underappreciated in UK. I think this thread could be used as proof! ;)

All that being said, he has come a long way since 2018. In my opinion, it is a reminder that you need a bit of experience and maturity to play a centerback at Man Utd. Very few have the natural talent of van Dijk or Rio. (And even van Dijk was not ready for a club like Man Utd when he was 23.)

https://www.google.no/amp/s/theathletic.co.uk/1909441/2020/07/06/caglar-soyuncu-jonny-evans-leicester-city/?amp
I hadn’t read the artikel but thanks for the link. In England it is clear what kind of centrebacks and what kind of qualities that are mostly appreciated. It is it enough to keep clean sheets and to be able to handle press, you must also make tackles and block shots. As example, stalling an attacker and waiting for the rest of the defence to get back in position is seen as a weakness.
 

POF

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I hadn’t read the artikel but thanks for the link. In England it is clear what kind of centrebacks and what kind of qualities that are mostly appreciated. It is it enough to keep clean sheets and to be able to handle press, you must also make tackles and block shots. As example, stalling an attacker and waiting for the rest of the defence to get back in position is seen as a weakness.
Depending on the team you're in, it can be.

For example, against Bournemouth he backed off Josh King all game and any ball into his channel let the opposition out. In a team like United who dominate possession and need to build pressure, that isn't a good thing.

If United are going to dominate the ball, you need your defenders to defend the half way line and be aggressive to win the ball back. Van Gaal's team took that to the extreme but it's necessary if you want to dominate possession.

There's a story I read about Vidic who said that after his debut he realised he wasn't physical enough for the EPL. He then hit the gym and worked on his physicality and turned himself into the best defender in the league.

Linfelof needs a similar revelation. If he works on his aggression and doesn't get bullied he will be fine. Extra strength helps but defending aggressively is as much mental as physical.
 

A-man

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Depending on the team you're in, it can be.

For example, against Bournemouth he backed off Josh King all game and any ball into his channel let the opposition out. In a team like United who dominate possession and need to build pressure, that isn't a good thing.

If United are going to dominate the ball, you need your defenders to defend the half way line and be aggressive to win the ball back. Van Gaal's team took that to the extreme but it's necessary if you want to dominate possession.

There's a story I read about Vidic who said that after his debut he realised he wasn't physical enough for the EPL. He then hit the gym and worked on his physicality and turned himself into the best defender in the league.

Linfelof needs a similar revelation. If he works on his aggression and doesn't get bullied he will be fine. Extra strength helps but defending aggressively is as much mental as physical.
He surely needs to work on his aggressive style, agree.
Also agree that it is important to win back the ball fast to maintain pressure. The example you mentioned are however not good examples. If the CBs move up high to keep the pressure and to win back the ball, there will always be space behind them. To keep pressure the midfield must stop the opponent to hit controlled passes like that. There were three balls down Lindelof’s or maybe AWBs channel. When those passes were hit the momentum was already gone.

Two of the balls, Lindelof stalled the attack for the others to be back in position, one time he tackled the ball to throw in. I prefer a calm defender in those situations rather than someone who tries to tackle or win back the ball. The CB being dribbled is pretty much their best chance to score. Better be safe in those few situations where the midfield failed to put pressure on the passer.
 
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