both valencia and young are predictable, which isn't something you can level at nani. i'd personally be devastated if he was allowed to leave.

Moussa Dembele would fit into United. Dembele and Kagawa behind Rooney and RVP - sounds good for United if he did join.

I agree with the first section of your post. People are quick to criticize Nani but if Valencia is as wasteful in possession our supporters will never criticize him. For me Valencia is too one dimensional for the modern game!

Valencia may be predictable but that doesn't mean the opposition can stop him. The problem is he has one striker in the box to aim for. Van P is not great in the air and does not yet know where Valencia's crosses are going.

Hopefully Van Persie can learn what to expect from Valencia and get on the end of more of his crosses.

Valencia will give a 7/10 performance every game. Nani, in 7/10 games won't give you a performance.

Think this is pretty OTT criticism of Valencia. I agree that Nani is better but both of them are in our top 6 or 7 players IMO

I can't believe teams find Valencia so difficult to handle.

Literally just runs to the touchline and boots the ball into the box.

Guess it works though.

fulham's left back was impressive as well, to be fair.

Dembele wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference to our midfield today. He's a quality player, and definitely good enough to play for this club. But anyone thinking he would waltz straight in and rid us of our apparent 'midfield troubles' is wrong.

We weren't constantly cut open. We allowed ourselves to be put on the back foot. Infact, I'm kind of hoping De Gea would just belt the ball into the back of the net because only then will a goal we concede not be the midfields' fault.

The midfield was a problem on Monday night. But it wasn't today. No way.

Valencia may be predictable but that doesn't mean the opposition can stop him. The problem is he has one striker in the box to aim for. Van P is not great in the air and does not yet know where Valencia's crosses are going.

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But this is the issue. Not all situations require you to cross the ball when you get it on the wing. Sometimes you have
-to cut inside and play a 1-2
-Cut inside and shoot with your weaker foot
-drift inside Play a neat pass to the edge of the box

Nani can do all of the above consistently!!!Valencia can NOT do any of the above consistently!!!! He will go on the outside and cross regardless of circumstances. His game has to be modified a bit if we are going to transition to more possession based football.

OP have you been reading my posts? almost verbatim what I have been saying re valencia, posted this on another thread and will do so here

IMO the best combination would be
valencia on the right with rooney
and nani on the right with RVP
This is basically based on how I see rooney and
RVP's initial movements
Rooney tends to be running in form deep, RVP
tends to be running towards the winger in the 18
yard box
Valencia will provide cross after cross and rooney
will take advantage of that, although the crosses
are in space (head down) rather than on a
sixpence
ronaldo and nani is a good combo for portugal as
nani puts it on a sixpence for ronaldo and RVPs
initial movement in the box is similar IMO to his at
the moment

Valencia will give a 7/10 performance every game. Nani, in 7/10 games won't give you a performance.
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Very much this

I can't believe this article. Nani is certainly more talented than Valencia technically but Valencia is so much more consistent. Even today, when there was not an option of crossing, he linked up so well with other attackers by coming inside and outside of the foot passes to Kag/RVP.
Also helping out Rafael defensively.
I'll just have to disagree with the op.

Just wanted to add also that valencia had 14 crosses and nothing

Young was poor and had a 3rd of the number of crosses but his flip for rafaels goal was 'vision'

valencia I am afraid lacks this vision, its head down and cross into the box. A lot of industry for little reward

I agree with the first portion of your text really.

I already commented on this on another thread.

Valencia primarily attacks space but he doesnt use the ball well.

How many of his crosses are accurate or even precise? Yet, you hear commentators bloviating about his 'wonderful' crosses?

I am sure if a statistician collated the data, Valencia is more wasteful in possession than Nani.

14 crosses? How many did our player receive? How many was cleared way or out of touch?

Valencia's aimless crosses gifts the opposition possession which puts pressure on our team, creating more chances against us and even leading to goals.

I like Valencia. I know he is a fan favourite and SAF's favourite but the microscope has to be put on his game.

And more often than not, it would be found wanting.

An ideal winger for our forwards? Becks.

He attacks space and uses the ball well and is aware of all that is around him.

Neither Toni or Nani are adept at 'both'.

Nani can do all of the above consistently
----------------
Nani can do nothing consistently.

When we play 4411 as we did today, I would have Valencia in my team every day.

However, the best formation to suit RvP and Kagawa is a 4231, with narrow wingers. This is a role Nani can play and Valencia cannot.

Nani is excellent on his day but that does not come often enough, but if we are going to change to a 4231 he is our only option as an inside right so he should get plenty of chances to impress. If he doesn't, now, after so many seasons of inconsistency his days will be numbered.

Flair, creativity and technical ability are things Nani has in abundance but those things are utterly useless if they cannot be used consistently. Over the years he has had more 3/10 games than 8/10

Over the years he has had more 3/10 games than 8/10
------------
Rubbish.

Valencia will give a 7/10 performance every game. Nani, in 7/10 games won't give you a performance.

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Am sorry but this is a myth. Today's performance is pretty much all you going to get from Valencia. Of course sometimes the crosses might lead to a goal or or at least a clear cut chance but 95% of the time it leads to loss of possession.

I cant class today's performance as anything more than a 5.5. 6.5 at most if any of the crosses led to a goal. Nani on form will give you at least an 8.5 in performance with dribbling, inch perfect through balls, shots, precise crosses too.

Fair enough he is not always consistent but i will still take my chance with Nani's possible brilliance than Valencia's steady mediocrity

Am sorry but this is a myth. Today's performance is pretty much all you going to get from Valencia. Of course sometimes the crosses might lead to a goal or or at least a clear cut chance but 95% of the time it leads to loss of possession.
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I'm sorry, but you don't seem to understand the notion of wing play.

Valencia completed 2/14 crosses today. That means 12 didn't find a United man. But in reality, most those 12 crosses were powerful passes into dangerous positions. Just because the cross hit a Fulham player doesn't mean it gave away possession.

The vast majority of his 'unsuccessful' crosses would have been cleared back to our midfield or put behind for a corner.

It is a way of putting the opposition under pressure so that they are too busy worrying about defending the crosses to worry about attacking our defence.

Nani just didnt fit into our style of play last season, its that simple

TBH today RVP could have had a hatful today but for poor choices/good defending , simply because he was in the box for 90% of the game. when roo came on he dropped deep at times

Usually we dont have a player in the box, its always been rooneys job to run in from MF

Players like young and nani need a focal point, or they simply try too much waiting for play to catch up

here is a thought. Hazard runs into the box and gets penalties, valencia runs to the by-line and crosses

If he was adaptable (valencia) he would run into the box at every opportunity. Walcott would did similar and pull the ball back for RVP

I think we all agree RVP isnt the best with his head, so why 14 crosses from out wide?

So 2 out of 14 crosses is now excellent? Are we now celebrating mediocrity?

We have Dembele whose stats today indicated that he successfully completed 99% of his passes/crosses.

A staggering 99% and Valencia completed about 14% of his crosses and we celebrate this?

Oh dear Lord...

Valencia is Fergie's most inspired signing since Ronado. He may be "one-dimentional" but he's our most effective and most reliable winger.

I'm sorry, but you don't seem to understand the notion of wing play.

Valencia completed 2/14 crosses today. That means 12 didn't find a United man. But in reality, most those 12 crosses were powerful passes into dangerous positions. Just because the cross hit a Fulham player doesn't mean it gave away possession.

The vast majority of his 'unsuccessful' crosses would have been cleared back to our midfield or put behind for a corner.

It is a way of putting the opposition under pressure so that they are too busy worrying about defending the crosses to worry about attacking our defence.

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It seems ppl think the primary job of a winger is to cross the ball!!!Am sorry but that is not the case. Crossing should be one of the elite skills a winger has in his arsenal of moves, not the one and only skill!!!Nani has a variety of elite skills in his arsenal, Valencia only has one skill in his arsenal

By the way how are the crosses putting the opposing team under pressure when they more often than not lead to loss of possession and the opposition getting the ball back!!!.

You should only ideally cross when you look up and see you striker is a good position to attack a certain space you sending the ball to. If the striker is not in the right position to do that, then you have to do something else with the ball. Valencia will cross regardless and it will lead to loss of possession!!!!!

All those aimless crosses should only happen in stoppage time at the end of a half if we are trailing, drawing or just desperately want a goal. Not during the normal flow of a game

'Inspired'. Please explain exactly what that means? Because he is certainly not the best. Van Der Sar, Vidic and Evra can fight that one out.