Marouane Fellaini: Something may not necessarily be better than nothing

When United lost the title to their cross town rivals a couple of seasons ago, a lot of people believed major part of the failure was due to a single weakness – Carrick lacking a quality partner in the center of midfield. Last season Kagawa was brought in to strengthen the midfield and for a major part of the season Rooney was deployed in the center of midfield and surprisingly did well. Other players chipped in with contributions in bits and pieces but it was the other signing in the form of RVP who with an outstanding first season in attack ensured the title returned to Old Trafford.

Rooney was always going to be a temporary fix and when Sir Alex bid adieu and David Moyes was appointed the manager, the search was well and truly on for finding a partner for Carrick. Kevin Strootman quite often dubbed as the ‘Dutch Roy Keane’ was the first name that sprouted in the tabloids. But it was widely believed an incoming manager would try to bring in a few of his old players with him and thus Fellaini was ever present in the transfer rumour updates.

But Strootman signed for AS Roma and that is when the media circus started at Old Trafford. There was a sort of media interest in United’s transfer interest like never before, all gunning for a central midfielder to be signed. Thiago Alcantara who was shinning for Spain in the UEFA Under-21 Championships was labeled as United’s next big hope. But all the wooing on United’s part fell short when Thiago’s former manager Pep came calling. United next tried to bring in another improbable target – Cesc Fabregas an ex-Arsenal talisman and who was playing for his boy-hood club – Barcelona.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 28: Marouane Fellaini of Manchester United looks dejected after the Barclays Premier League match between Manchester United and West Bromwich Albion at Old Trafford on September 28, 2013 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

However, none of the transfer moves materialized. And with the transfer period about to end, United finally made their marquee signing – Marouane Fellaini. A player David Moyes knew all about but still hesitated to bring in, till the final moments. And that too at a steep price of £27.5 million when he could have brought him for less when the release contract of Fellaini’s contract was still active. A move which raises questions whether Fellaini was a just a back-up plan or Moyes didn’t trust him enough to be the number 1 target.

The neutrals liked what Fellaini did at Everton. The goals, the headers, the physical presence in the box – it was great to watch him scare the opponent’s defensive line by his sheer presence. But that was when he played in an advanced role.

When he played deep in the midfield, he became just another midfielder with hit and miss average performances. He mistimed some tackles, his closing down wasn’t at a level a deep lying midfielder needs. And then there were those occasions when in frustration he became ‘rash’ to say the least – making the most number of fouls by a EPL player in 2012.

At United, Fellaini will not be playing much football in advanced position considering that the role is well and truly Rooney’s. Given his prior experience and skill sets and the fan favorite that he is, Kagawa will be next in line for that slot. So that means a majority of times in the current system that Moyes uses, Fellaini will be playing deep alongside Carrick.

But the combination has not worked that well for United. Although both of them lack a bit in flair, Fellaini doesn’t have Carrick’s passing range nor can he read the game as Carrick can. Both of them operating together in the middle of the park at the same time hampers the team in terms of dynamism. And Fellaini is not able to shield the back four to the extent a holding midfielder should.

Yes, it takes time to adapt in a new team and environment but even considering that, Fellaini’s performances till date have been quite disappointing. He has been guilty of giving away possession very often and his passing is also lacking the usual sharpness. His performances at times have been so poor that even when the team was defending a slim lead 1-0 with few minutes to go, the manager has had to substitute him out of the game. Although ironically United went on to concede a goal both against S.Donetsk and Southampton after Fellaini was substituted out from the game.

Moyes has come out and defended Fellaini and his decision to buy him by praising Fellaini’s versatility and how he can play different roles for the club. But when a club spends an amount as high as United payed for Fellaini they are generally buying an impact player – the difference maker like RVP was last season.

Paying £27.5 million just for the sake of versatility and then not having the confidence to play him regularly – something has not gone quite right with Moyes’s plan to buy Fellaini. That is if there was a plan at all and Fellaini was not just a last ditch attempt to save the club from embarrassment of not being able to sign any player of serious credibility. Something is better than nothing has not quite worked for Moyes, yet.