Marouane Fellani is all set to make his Manchester United debut against Crystal Palace. Fellani will wear United colors for the first time in his career. Fellani will team up with his ex Everton boss David Moyes. Fellani presence for Manchester United will be quite useful. Fellani is termed as header machine in various parts of England. Only concern for United boss is that Fellani is super good at headers but United gameplay has different tradition. Can Fellani dissolve with other players?
It is a reminder of United’s traditions. Pass and move, pull defenders out of position, be confident on the ball, keep it on the deck. The balls at Old Trafford are not accustomed to being in the air for long. They are cherished, rather than hoofed. Fellaini, in a forward role, does not match that heritage. Henning Berg suggested earlier this week that Fellaini should play in an advanced position, supporting Van Persie.
United fans remain concerned. What they truly craved this summer was a midfield player of guile and invention, that would inject pace into this United side and commit opponents. They wonder whether Fellaini, for all his steel, possesses the silk United
It is intriguing, for example, that Fellaini’s passing percentage in the opponents half clocked in at 77.59 per cent. Every United midfielder last season, with the exception of Ryan Giggs, recorded a percentage exceeding 80 per cent. Paul Scholes, Tom Cleverley and Kagawa all bettered 87 per cent.
Even in his own half, Fellaini had a tendency to be wasteful, with a pass success rate of just 83 per cent. United are precise and careful in their own territory. Carrick, Scholes, Cleverley, Kagawa, Antonio Valencia, Giggs, Nani and Darren Fletcher all boasted percentages in excess of 90 per cent.
Carrick, Scholes and Cleverley averaged better than 94 cent. That is the standard expected in the centre of the Manchester United midfield. Nonetheless, to dismiss Fellaini as a mere battering ram, or an ‘outlet’ is to do the Belgian a disservice.
It is a reminder of United’s traditions. Pass and move, pull defenders out of position, be confident on the ball, keep it on the deck. The balls at Old Trafford are not accustomed to being in the air for long. They are cherished, rather than hoofed. Fellaini, in a forward role, does not match that heritage. Henning Berg suggested earlier this week that Fellaini should play in an advanced position, supporting Van Persie.
United fans remain concerned. What they truly craved this summer was a midfield player of guile and invention, that would inject pace into this United side and commit opponents. They wonder whether Fellaini, for all his steel, possesses the silk United
Even in his own half, Fellaini had a tendency to be wasteful, with a pass success rate of just 83 per cent. United are precise and careful in their own territory. Carrick, Scholes, Cleverley, Kagawa, Antonio Valencia, Giggs, Nani and Darren Fletcher all boasted percentages in excess of 90 per cent.
Carrick, Scholes and Cleverley averaged better than 94 cent. That is the standard expected in the centre of the Manchester United midfield. Nonetheless, to dismiss Fellaini as a mere battering ram, or an ‘outlet’ is to do the Belgian a disservice.