₦airaland Forum

Robin van Persie and Jonny Evans both enjoyed gentle re-introductions into the game as Manchester United’s Under 21 side drew 1-1 at Leicester, although Rafael and Adnan Januzaj limped off.

Leyqute:
what's the injury status for the injured first team players? We play at Goodison park this weekend

We should know after LvG press conference on Friday.

ElFenomeno1:
Mtcheeeew
You have a short memory... We have been to the finals so what is quarters?!

Ofcourse I know. The next time you make it

ElFenomeno1:
You have not answered my question dude....

How do you feel about going trophyless YET again?

How does it feel to be in the top four with 6 games to go?

SMh!

We will meet soon... A tonking awaits ya!

Will give you an answer the day you make Q/F in CL

ElFenomeno1:
Afternoon scummies....
As the season nears the finish line, how are we feeling about getting back into the big boys league?
And how does it feel to be trophyless for a consecutive season?

Can't believe you went through this for a decade.

elampiro:
1. There is no doubt that Di Maria is very productive, he has lost his place to less productive Young and Mata. But when you look at the overall picture, you will conclude that stats can be misleading.

Key pass per minute: Di Maria 32 mins, Janujaz 48 mins, Mata 50 mins, Young 66 mins.
Assist per minutes: Di Maria 156, Mata 475, Young 549
Goals per minute: Mata 237, Di Maria 522, Young 824.

Looking at the stats, tell me why Young or Mata should bench Di Maria for any reason? But we know better from what we see in matches.


2. Falcao's unsuccessful touch and dispossession is worse in the EPL than his former average from other league. The writer produced the stats per game. The fact that Falcao doesn't play 90 mins makes his dispossession more alarming. His unsuccessful touch is every 29 mins while his dispossession is every 30.5 mins. This is his stats when projected over a game of 90 mins, that is, if he were to play 90 mins regularly.

Unsuccessful touch: 3 per game.
Dispossession: 2.9 per game.

3. Do you think Falcao has the speed of Hernadez to outpace EPL defenders while staying on the shoulder of the CBs? Even Hernadez find it hard to do in his last two seasons before he went on loan.

4. I am sure Di Maria will be great for us once he adjust his game. I heard too they are working with him in the gym to toughen him up a little. It's just a matter of adjusting to the EPL style. He has to work on his ball retention. When he came on for Mata against City, the very forst ball he got that was totally his control, he passed it backward trying to find our defender, but it was intercepted by a City player.

I am not one of those who think Falcao is finished. But he will have to rebuild his scoring confidence over several games. With four strikers in the team, the coach and fans wouldn't have that patience. Chelsea can afford to play Drogba because there is no much competition in that department. Sometimes, as a striker, if you are not scoring, you should have something else to compensate that deficiency. At the moment Falcao has nothing to compensate us with. When I saw Falcao beastly against Cheslea, I thought he was such a beast like Tevez with some skills of Maradona. May be I have not really followed him in the past.

When a player like Tevez doesnt score, he puts the defence under pressure. He keeps the ball for others to run into space. When a player like Kanu doesnt score, his overall play and technique compensate. May be we should wait for next season if he will be here. His confidence at the moment is down. May be over competition in that position is also a problem. This was part of Nani's problem when competition became stiff with arrival of Valencia and Young. And Nani couldnt express himself freely.

Yeah I got your point. The point is that the writer is actually blaming(or maybe asking why) our scouts and the coaching crew for getting such players when they know their style of play which can't fit into the club's recent style of play/philosophy.

Saw this from United Fanzone

Falcao and Di Maria are actually playing good?


I believe like Evans these players are getting unfair stick yet again for no reason whatsoever. When we signed Falcao I was very against it because I said he was no different from Hernandez apart from the fact that Falcao has a slightly better touch but not by much. This however is not a criticism because if you watched Di Maria and Falcao play you realise they are playing the same as they have always done but are not getting the same results back because of a philosophy that plays to their weaknesses.


Falcao has always been a player who makes bad first touches and he has always been a player who loses possession every game when it was played to him but in every team he has played they understood this so they would not play the ball to him but in front if him


BAD FIRST TOUCHES
In Monaco, Porto and Atletico he averaged 2.8 dispossession per game and here he is averaging 2.1 here so its actually better here and he is also averaging 2.1 bad touches a game better than his previous 2.5 in other clubs


The same can be said about Di Maria who is averaging 1.4 which he has done throughout in his career in Europe.


END PRODUCT
Di Maria has 8 assists and 3 goals vs Santi Carzola who has 6 goals 7 assists and is being tipped for player of the year is not that far off
Falcao has 4 goals and 4 assists(for some reason his assist for the pen has been given to him) in 12 starts. He hardly ever finishes a game and is always subbed when he starts to enjoy the game.


GOALS
Falcao return of 4 goals in 17 apps is bad in terms of player of his reputation but why is that? Well he has only finished the full 90 mins 4 times so had he played the full game vs Sunderland there were a few occasions in the last 10 mins where I believe had it been Falcao we would have scored a few more goals. And also the same problem we have always had is still here. No player plays the early pass it has happened ever since Scholes retired and nothing has changed till now. Blind is another safe passer, the amount of times like Hernadez when Falcao is on the shoulder of the CB just waiting for that ball over the top is astonishing. The worst part of all Falcao is dropping deeper because of lack of service which is leading to us at times having no one in the box. The whole philosophy needs woerk IMO
.

CONCLUSION
So the issue is not that these players are bad its the fact they never were going to flourish in this philosophy. There needs to a serious inquest in the scouting. I am no football scout but Falcao's stats and Di Maria's show obviously that they are going to struggle keeping possession so why is someone being paid 85k a year not seeing it. And its so obvious Falcao's game is to play on the shoulder so why is he being made to play the target man role

Ans:X, - and I

ie: X with vertical n horizontal lines tru the middle of the X

elampiro:
SailorXY, you guys should discuss how we are to finish top 4 before you talk next season? City and Liverpool still putting pressure on us.

Winning our games should be our concern. More 3 wins and we're OK.

Caveatemptor:
I have been impressed with LVG as the season progressed. We are not there yet but we are very,very near. Every player in the squad appears to understand the fact that we need to keep possession at all times and maintain the balance of the team. Who ever is being brought in should be done quickly so that the team jells before the start of the next season in August.
Chelsea played as they usually play against a top team-parking the bus and hitting on the counter. They were lucky last night. They will not be so lucky next season.

Yeah, he has done well so far but needs to find another way if the possession style fails sometimes. SAF for eg, would have resorted to crossing the ball using the wingers toward the last 10mins.

Unto da Next Game!

SailorXY:
well within our targets for the season

& you? when will you raise your bar? any hope of winning the league or UCL this century?

Assnal fans in the restaurant:
'Madam give us the usual'.

They remain the same

Debroslink:
They were still under 30 years when they came to Spain

And YES, the present Madrid team will whitewash 2008 man utd team

Both were 30 when they went to Spain.

So you would expect RvP to win the golden boot if he moves to Laliga now?.

Debroslink:
And YES, the present Madrid team will whitewash 2008 man utd team

Joke of the weekend!

Debroslink:
Owen went from 23 goals in England to 7 in Spain
Van Nistelrooy went from 44 goals in England to 25 in Spain
Henry went from 42 goals in England to 9 in his final season in Spain

Is it not a shame that Diego Costa went from scoring freely in UCL to scoring ZERO goals for Chelsea in UCL this season. Is this not how Chelsea have ruined the careers of good strikers?


Bring Real Madrid team to EPL and see how Ronaldo will break Messi's 91 goals record

Retired Nistelrooy and Henry? You must be having a laugh.

Is this present Madrid team better than what Ronaldo had in around 2008?

Unto da Next!

Our injured players, especially Carrick, should be back.

It's like United has never won an away game without Carrick!


Abeg make una carry this una PAWA thing go another thread

What's actually the problem between LvG and Shaw cos I don't why he's never allowed to complete 90mins?. The lad created our best chances and penetration and was subbed for Blackett

What a joke!

afrodoc2:
I posted 2 line ups before the match, in fact yesterday.
both had rooney in attack and falcao on the bench. but i also said i knew lvg would make that mistake of starting falcao.
i would have started rooney in attack, i have more faith in young,rafael,mcnair,valencia in midfield than falcao in attack

C'mon. How would you start Rafael in the mid that hasn't been playing games when we've Pereira and McNair.

Dadehmola:
Rooney's starting role Is the issue here.

Let's forget hindsight - Look me in the eye and tell me you wouldn't have started Rooney in midfield today

Even in my line up I put Rooney in the mid that's why I said as the game progressed cos Mc Nair was doing better there.

Guys are exaggerating Falcao's performance 2day. He wasn't bad to me. How about Fellaini and Young?

Dadehmola:
Who should have taken rooney's place in midfield?

I thought as the game progressed, LvG should've put Blackett at the CB, move McNair to the mid, remove Falcao and push Rooney forward.

The useless sub is when he put Blackett for Shaw. Di maria played virtually as a LB since Blackett can't support him in attack.

Very useless sub.

LvG just laid to rest our attack down the LHS

I think McNair will do better in this midfield

My nightmare is to play against JM parking the bus.

The kind thunder wey go fire Smalling eeh!

Falcao always falling like a toddler.

coogar:
who plays carrick's role?
that's the key in today's game. i hope rooney does. let him burn his energy fighting with zouma. the mata-herrera-fellaini-young should be preserved.

Rooney plays Carrick's role

montelik:
We are in a bad corner. In situations like these, u go back to basics. DDG stays in goal, Shaw comes in for Blind and one of Blackett or Mcnair in defence for Jones, try not to make too many changes to the back 4.
In midfield we have no choice but to go with Herrera, Rooney and Fellaini across the middle. Young switches to the right to assist Valencia in taming Hazard and Di maria returns on the left, while Falcao gets to start up top.

------------DDG------------
Val----Smal-----McN-----Shaw
You--Roo--Fella--Herr--Maria
----------Falcao-------------

And why Di maria over Mata

There's a Big question mark on these injured players. Well, until I see the line-up 2moro.

Omg! If Herrera is given the holding midfield job that means his good partnership with Mata on the right would be lost.

Can Rooney play as the holding midfielder

SailorXY:
I said if we had a replacement. I won't play too many rookies, else it would have been better Pereira plays as he's a midfielder - one with very bright prospects @ that.

Our problem is lack of a DM and Pereira is not even one.

I'd rather gamble Herrera there than a rookie.

SailorXY:
all these guys including Blackett in their line ups seem to just be typing based on names! Blackett is managing minutes for the reserves for God's sake, there's a reason for that!

if we had a CB who could replace Jones, I'll just play McNair as holding midfielder. he is composed & defensively aware. heard he even started as a CM, so why not?

If he's played as a holding midfielder, which I say NO to, who then plays at the CB?



Maybe we should try that Thorpe.

folba:
Reports in Spain suggest David de Gea has already
agreed a summer transfer to Real Madrid. The
Manchester United No.1 has said yes on a deal to move
to the Bernabeu and just needs an agreement between
the two clubs.

If true we should cop a good amount and go for Cech.

United is bigger than anyone.

I'd go with 4-2-3-1:

..............DDG...............

Val...Smalling...McNair/Blackett...Shaw

.......Herrera....Rooney........

..:Mata.....Fellaini....Young...

.................Falcao.................