United and Dan

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
I’ve never been a United fan. But, since Dan James joined them I have been watching them almost every game to follow Dan and now I find I’m becoming quite a fan. Dan is the pepper to the salt of Rashford, Martial and Lingard. Nothing more exciting than to see Dan pour on the jets and take off down the wing or to the box.

Busby Babes Version 3.0 ... a team to watch as they mature together.
 
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ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
I’ve never been a United fan. But, since Dan James joined them I have been watching them almost every game to follow Dan and now I find I’m becoming quite a fan. Dan is the pepper to the salt of Rashford, Martial and Lingard. Nothing more exciting than to see Dan pour on the jets and take off down the wing or too the box.

Busby Babes Version 3.0 ... a team to watch as they mature together.
The United fans certainly love him and seeing how well he's adapted to that level maybe we should have asked at least £10 million more for him.
 

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
Mentioned this to @jackodiamonds last night then this morning I read a comment from Gary Neville about Dan who reckons that currently Dan should be about 4th or 5th choice out wide for United. This is more or less the feeling I've had for a little while now. We all know that he burst onto the United scene with some goals and assists but that is firmly in the past now.

I watch a lot of United because of Dan and I've noticed that recently he's usually the one to be subbed for Mata or Greenwood etc. Imo, he's just not performing. From being an important part of their attack by taking on defenders, using his pace and cutting in to shoot, he's now become just a cog making up the numbers. He gets a pass and almost always looks to lay it off instantly instead of trying to beat his man and do something dynamic in the game. He's just there, you know, and not making a telling impact. We see far fewer of those exciting bursts down the wing that he used to make for us and, for me, he's now become something of a plastic player and phoning in his performances.

Okay, I get that he's now at a higher level playing against better defences but, imo, he's not even trying to make things happen these days and I wonder about that. Granted it's not our problem now but I'd still like to see the young man do well for himself and his country and there's no question that his game has gone off the boil. In fact it seems to have slipped off the stove entirely. Poor coaching? Tactics not suiting? Confidence disappeared? Don't know but I do know he'd better start shaping up or United might think that Neville's got a point and stop starting him.
 

Borini

Key Player
Mentioned this to @jackodiamonds last night then this morning I read a comment from Gary Neville about Dan who reckons that currently Dan should be about 4th or 5th choice out wide for United. This is more or less the feeling I've had for a little while now. We all know that he burst onto the United scene with some goals and assists but that is firmly in the past now.

I watch a lot of United because of Dan and I've noticed that recently he's usually the one to be subbed for Mata or Greenwood etc. Imo, he's just not performing. From being an important part of their attack by taking on defenders, using his pace and cutting in to shoot, he's now become just a cog making up the numbers. He gets a pass and almost always looks to lay it off instantly instead of trying to beat his man and do something dynamic in the game. He's just there, you know, and not making a telling impact. We see far fewer of those exciting bursts down the wing that he used to make for us and, for me, he's now become something of a plastic player and phoning in his performances.

Okay, I get that he's now at a higher level playing against better defences but, imo, he's not even trying to make things happen these days and I wonder about that. Granted it's not our problem now but I'd still like to see the young man do well for himself and his country and there's no question that his game has gone off the boil. In fact it seems to have slipped off the stove entirely. Poor coaching? Tactics not suiting? Confidence disappeared? Don't know but I do know he'd better start shaping up or United might think that Neville's got a point and stop starting him.
Alan Curtis was exactly the same when he played for Wales. He was not the same player.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
What I have observed with James is that when faced with options, the player with the ball will quite often not choose to pass to Dan even when he is the simplest best option in space. The sense I get is that to other players he doesn't belong, when under these situations he should be the go-to-guy. As a result, when he does get the ball, he often gets the ball late and has been closed down with the only simple option being to pass the ball off. Dan is a speed merchant not a wizard with the ball; to beat a player he needs to be facing the way he wants to attack - forward - and not to any degree towards his own goal. He rarely gets the ball in the right posture because he gets it late.

However, having said all that I think he too often looks flat footed and stationary when he's around the edge of the box and others have the ball, e.g. on the opposite flank. This is when he should be more anticipatory, reading the game and making a dart into the box. If team mates may not pick him up and make him the target of a play, but he will be in a much better position to get on the end of a loose ball or deflection.

According to the commentators during the 'Pool match, Dan leads United with 6 assists. This is why he is starting.
 

ivoralljack

Grizzled Veteran
Staff member
Not being passed to when he's the obvious option is one of the big things I picked up on. Why? It happened a number of times in the 'Pool game and I was getting frustrated on his behalf. Perhaps OGS should be taking a careful look at this and the point you make about him being given the ball in adverse positions is very valid.
 

Yankee_Jack

Key Player
James has seemed the odd-man out in the United line-up since the beginning. Rashford and Martial are naturally magnets for the ball to other United players, but there is a strange reluctance to bring James into the play. I find the lack of coordination with the United RB amazing. The RB seems to regard James as in the way.
 

CroJack

Key Player
I watch Liverpool because of Klopp and United because of Dan.

First of all all, playing Dan on the right flank is wrong. We all know he is best on the left side. That's why I think he doesn't score goals. Now when Rashford is injured Ole will probably play Dan on the left, and Greenwood on the right flank.

Second, he's played in almost every game for United, also cup games. I think his energy levels are lower than normal. Still, he works tirelessly and tracks back when needed.

Third, many pundits agree that he should get the ball more often than he does.

Fourth, he should be more selfish. I've noticed that he often chooses to pass the ball when he is in a good position to shoot.
 
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