"and can slot in at right-back if required" - close season transfer banter 2014

Blind's a left back, left midfielder. He ain't no dm vacuum cleaner, not by a long shot.

did he not play all of last season in central midfield for Ajax though? I've been reading a lot misleading articles if not

I mean

His familiarity in the role and Ajax’s modern interpretation of totaalvoetbal (modified by Johan Cruyff and Louis van Gaal, which De Boer has gradually re-implemented) has made his assimilation smooth. His energy and discipline has become the kernel around which the rest of the side’s panache is constructed. In the role Blind is essentially a ‘third centre-back’ – dropping between the central defenders – and conductor rolled into one. He’s tasked with retaining and recycling possession: averaging 68.6 passes, 2.1 tackles and 2 interceptions per game (according to WhoScored.com).

Blind, who often operates as single-minded man-marker – normally designated to do a job on the opposition’s playmaker – shuttles across the pitch following the ball once with it his impeccable metronomic passing and grandiose football intelligence triggers their positional game/ Ajax in possession morph into a 2-3-2-3, one-touch combination football is second nature to them. In the Eredivisie their pass accuracy (86.8%) and average possession (62.9%) is ranked first (stats from WhoScored.com). He dictates the tempo: whether Ajax needs to slow things down or raise it. This also depends how high up the pitch they are.

The controller, or in De Boer’s system ‘third centre-back’, is the most important position. Sergio Busquets – a revelation under Pep Guardiola and easily Barça’s second most important player – plays a similar role and has long fascinated the former Oranje captain. Guardiola, now managing Bayern Munich, played alongside De Boer for three seasons at Barça and has been a silent influence. As teammates they enjoyed lengthy conversations about the game. De Boer noted how Guardiola back then was effectively a coach. Guardiola equally saw the same.

Always on the left. And he prefers playing on the left. I dunno, you could perhaps say he's a left dm, but it's stretching it. Blind's no Nigel de Jong. He's not got the fysique or power to be a dm. He's a technical player (and therefore quite shit at pure defending).

Xp don't know where you got that article from, but 50% is right off the bat bollocks. "Ajax morph into a 2-3-2-3" in possession? Totaalvoetbal? Get the fuck outta here. It all sounds very nostalgically romantic and nice and stuff but that quote, sorry, is half wishful thinking and half bollocks. It's say too much a theoretical interpretation of the chaos that is football.

Dutch Football @football_oranje
Blind's agent Rob Jansen told Fox Sports that Louis van Gaal plans to use Blind in midfield, in a "controlling" role.

"Morph into 2-3-2-3"... In don't know whether to laugh or cry.

Sure, Van Gaal can use him that way, but it's not where his strength lies, nor is it his natural position.

there are loads more that I can't be bothered c&p'ing. They all say he played at the base of the midfield

He's not Nigel de Jong but he's a decent simulacrum of Busquets. He played that role excellently when Ajax beat Barcelona 2-1 in the CL group stages last year - only for the first 30' or so, until the starting LB was injured and Blind had to move there, replaced by Christian Poulsen - but I'm certain I've seen him do it on a number of occasions. Didn't he play there for NED for at least part of this World Cup as well?

Personally I always thought a deep-lying midfield role might suit Vertonghen better than CB or LB too, and that he'd get a chance to prove himself there when he moved to Spurs, but that never happened.

He does NN, but way left usually. He dictated the pace at Ajax too, this is true. But he dictated the pace wherever he played, because he was the best player of Ajax. Don't get me wrong, like the dude, he's a good player, but Ajax never even once played 4-1-3-2 like rtc painted, so for him to take on that 1 role? I dunno. God speed.

Still cracking up about that morphing into 2-3-2-3 quote, where's that from?

FALCAO TO MU: DONE DEAL

@Boxall, yeah, that was where Vertonghen was really good at at Ajax

http://afootballreport.com/post/72079101700/reinvented-by-de-boer-ajaxs-daley-blind

you'll enjoy the first sentence I'm sure

So is this rip Rooney then? Hard to imagine LvG dropping RVP tbh

xp lol yeah, that's a hoot, for a team that has been dreadfully stagnant for four years now.

RVP has to have an operation apparently

Rooney is now dictator for life

Yeah what is that with rvp's knee? Rumors buzzing here that he'll never be fully fit again? Hiddink, the new holland manager, declaring "in theory" RVP will stay captain? Mysterious.

I don't know if I want to live in a world where Rooney rules all.

Falcao speaks! In suspiciously press-release friendly sentences! “I am delighted to be joining Manchester United on loan this season. Manchester United is the biggest club in the world and is clearly determined to get back to the top. I am looking forward to working with Louis van Gaal and contributing to the team’s success at this very exciting period in the club’s history.”

Louis van Gaal speaks! Constructing sentences in a very similar way to his signing! What a coincidence! “I am delighted Radamel has joined us on loan this season. He is one of the most prolific goalscorers in the game. His appearance-to-goal ratio speaks for itself and, when a player of this calibre becomes available, it is an opportunity not to be missed.”

Love this Guardian reporting. And Falcao's script written "at this very exciting period in the club's history" line.

and after all that i totally forgot that no one came in for adel :)

Spurs' failure to land a striker made all the more bitter by the news that Helder Postiga was available on a free.

that's a complex emotional string that

everyone out

We've signed 3/4 of a new back four and a DM so it's not a disaster, but well done creating a situation where there's basically zero pressure on Adebayor to perform. This will end well.

Pretty sure Hull won transfer deadline day in the same way Everton did last year.

We'll have to hope that Togo don't storm the ACN qualifiers.

steady now....

Cleverley to Villa BACK ON

(on loan)

he'd do well to get a game during lón imo

so do loans not have to happen during the transfer window (and if not, why all the hoo-ha with falcao?)

free agents can move whenever is my understanding

Paul Parker talking sense re: Rooney
https://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/paul-parker/falcao-coup-brilliant-for-united---but-rooney-will-be-left-out-in-the-cold-114609509.html

ouch

"The only thing in any way remarkable about his performance is that he collects £300,000 a week to play that badly."

jamie jackson ‏@JamieJackson___ 7m

Cleverley to Villa on season-long loan, Prem have allowed

this is a disgrace

if it had been a smaller club trying to get rid of Cleverley they wouldn't have been allowed to

lol "mexican tony cottee"

ha! my son asked if little p had to leave united because there was a big q in front of him in the team

where's he get it from eh

prolonged exposure to dad joeks will do that to a kid, what can i say

Di Maria just set up three and scored one vs Germany.

One of the three scored by Lamela.

sweet

that's what sandro reducers are for