Exactly this. Can be effective and when it's not working it looks awful and seems to be more often than not these days, we're like a ****e Stoke right now with these angled "passes" never looking like working
David Moyes thinks Fellaini could become Cahill's long term replacement in the hole.
- Thread starter Brennan
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Exactly this. Can be effective and when it's not working it looks awful and seems to be more often than not these days, we're like a ****e Stoke right now with these angled "passes" never looking like working
steken1
Player Valuation: £70m
I get the impression Moyes like a Felli/Cahill type up there as he found them the hardest battles himself when he played. He should be looking at what type of player was the most difficult to play against.
As good as Felli is he's not the hardest to defend against if your sides set up right. We've seen that lately. He can still do a job there but maybe a little bit less effective than he has been.
If we had a better Right winger I'd love to see Kev and Jelavic playing them positions. I reckon they'd run riot.
As good as Felli is he's not the hardest to defend against if your sides set up right. We've seen that lately. He can still do a job there but maybe a little bit less effective than he has been.
If we had a better Right winger I'd love to see Kev and Jelavic playing them positions. I reckon they'd run riot.
mkrudden
Player Valuation: £40m
Im pretty sure the 8 goals hes scored and nation-wide acclaim for his superb performances in that position this season keep the idea firmly 'out of the bed'.
He played well there on Monday at Centre-Mid, actually perhaps not well, but decent.
Against Fulham behind the striker he was unstoppable.
I would genuinely like to hear your response to the above as you usually have decent substance to your opinions...
Seamus Colemole
Previously deathbyropeandglass
Basically he should play some games up front but others in midfield depending on opponents and tactics right?
But that as he's Cahills replacement he'll pretty much play there every game regardless until we need a goal then he'll drop deep?
But that as he's Cahills replacement he'll pretty much play there every game regardless until we need a goal then he'll drop deep?
Yeah what Death said.
Fellaini can play two positions very well so we should be flexible about playing in him either to suit our needs and we're not doing that.
Right now I'd say it's time to play him behind osman rather than in front of him for a bit.
Seamus Colemole
Previously deathbyropeandglass
Its classic Moyes though isn't it.
Good enough to put him up there where he was a success against the beliefs of a lot of people, yet because it worked for a bit he'll stick with it even when it clearly isn't working.
A true top manager would see that he is less effective against grock defenders who wind him up and put him off his game but Moyes will just leave him there because he got the best of Michael Carrick.
Long term replacement implies that he's going to play there on a permanent basis, which based on this season is clearly a terrible idea.
His goals alone do not tell the whole story, he's been scoring but we haven't been winning as many as we should be in part because our central midfield without him and Gibson is non-existant. We would be much better served having a proper CAM playing the CAM position so that Fellaini could drop back to where he is really at his best, instead of playing a 35 year old right back in midfield.
On Monday they were running right through the middle of the pitch pretty much unchallenged by Osman and Neville, and when Fellaini swapped with Leon it made an immediate difference. The stand out moment was when they broke near the end of the first half and Fellaini charged back and made a potentially goal stopping tackle. Doing what he does best, breaking up play.
Wigan, Southampton and Stoke are three examples of him being wasted behind Jelavic, which show he's clearly not the long term replacement for Cahill. He's an option, but he's not the answer. That would be somebody like Landon Donovan, or Mirallas.
This is spot on, it's always been a problem.
....would be good if the big fella stays around as long as Tim.
Brownie
Player Valuation: £70m
Repeating myself here, but it just depends how you see the balance of value in where Fellaini plays versus who plays in the position he vacates. Do you need his physical presence in midfield to help control the game, or do you need more of a target up front? It's easy to say you should adapt it to fit the opposition, but just because one thing doesn't work doesn't imply that something else would work better. Against Southampton Fellaini was much better playing deeper, but the main effect was that we were more solid defensively, Osman was isolated further up just like Fellaini. I still maintain the problem is that we have no number 10, so we're forced to shuffle things around all the time. If Moyes doesn't think we need one and genuinely does see Fellaini as playing that position long term then for me that's a legitimate reason to be irritated, if he's simply making do for the moment then not so much.
mkrudden
Player Valuation: £40m
I do see your point to a certain degree, however:
Leon Osman and Darron Gibson is a fabulous centre-midfield partnership. Gibbo loves a tackle and to hold the force WITH the added bonus of playing a mean through ball, great awareness and "bite". Osman - inventive and for large parts of the season gets us ticking and will grab 5-7 goals a season.
Mirrallas, a definite winger in the Premier League for me. He is so good one on one with any defender that I wouldnt want him trying to fight it out with a midfield three of Stoke or West Ham.
Donovan - well, you and I share a man love for him because we both know how excellant he has been. I hope im wrong, but i think that ship has sailed.
Back to Felli. I just think in light of the above that his long-term position is AMC. His partnership with Jelavic is far from ideal at the moment, and needs some serious hours in training. However is just do damn effective there. I dont buy into this nonsense that we 'lump' balls to fellaini. Strange that against Utd we 'played off Fellaini' because it was working so well. At the moment it isnt so much so its a negative that we love to use that 'soft' chest of his.
Other positives:
He scores goals
He plays back to goal which for me is when hes at his best, bringing other people into the game in the last third
He frightens defenders, forcing them into errors
He plays more, as in DM he is prone to a yellow card a game (exaggeration i know) and therefore avoids suspensions.
I totally understand your points. He is a superb defensive midfielder. Hes got brilliant stamina, reads the play well and puts a mean tackle in. I just think, and im guessing this is shared by our Mr Moyes, that when you have the attributes and the quality he has, why just allow him to sit in front of our back 4 and break things up? Hes too good for that.
If this was a debate over where he should play when theres no Gibbo, then hands down it should be deeper in CM. The debate as you right draw reference to is that of our long-term strategy. Long-term he has to continue ACM for me.
Why are we having this debate anyway? Long term he will be playing for Chelsea probably!
What you think Brennaz?
Flexibility the key but Felli is a box to box player so likely he will still pop up with a goal playing CM. In Gibbos absence he must play CM as he gives us so much in there. 2nd half was so obvious the difference with him in there. The issue is Moyes likes 4-5-1 so he needs to shuffle things ossie in hole, or Mirallas with Anichebe, Naismith working from right. I think V Bolton he may well do this. Felli is a superb player however teams seem to be wise to our style.
AaronTheBlue
Player Valuation: £60m
Not one to spread stuff, But i have it from a very close source to the players fellaini and jelavic have had an argument at some party and it's causing a bit of hassle.
Maestro Haze
Player Valuation: £8m
What confuses me more is why we always have to play with one striker up front.
Why not Jelavic and Anichebe up front, Fellaini and Osman/Gibson in the middle.
How does that sound?
Why not Jelavic and Anichebe up front, Fellaini and Osman/Gibson in the middle.
How does that sound?
Seamus Colemole
Previously deathbyropeandglass
I bet Jelavic put a cocktail sausage in Fellaini's Appletini didn't he.
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