http://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2018/05/1...-the-nufc-talent-whose-head-has-totally-gone/ A bit more background on why he's been out of favour... A big shame really.
Poor squad and man management to be honest. For all the pluses Rafa brings, keeping people happy is not his top attribute. I'd have given up if players like Spanish bum boy Manquillo made a squad a head of me - and I'm ****ing ****e.
He seems abrasive and not exactly the arm round the shoulder type, but you only have to point to the likes of Lascelles, Yedlin, Shelvey, Diame and Dummett to see an effective management style. Those players have only improved in their time with him. If anything, he's more demanding on his players than previous management, and I don't actually have a problem with that. Read a story from Lascelles about walking past the manager's office and Rafa popped is head out and said "man on". He then gave him a lecture about exactly how his body should be positioned, where he should be looking, etc. That is a vast contrast from a whole team refusing to get off the team bus for an impromptu run under McLaren. Sadly if your face doesn't fit, Rafa's probably never going to accept you back into the team. It is one of the downfalls, but I'd rather have Benitez than Mbemba so I hope we can use the sale money to get someone more useful to him. Manquillo's definitely got to go mind, I hope to **** he was just a stop-gap and, at 5mil, he probably was.
Young, Versatile, International. Can play across the back 4 and probably a better DM than Hayden. Silly waste of talent for me compared to what he's struggling to get past into the team.
Shame for me. I think he is talented and will go on to do really under a manager who rates him. I can understand his head going after his treatment this season. Its tough at that age when the manager retains you but then has no intention of using you. In the games he was involved in I thought he was good (even at left back). Like Mitrovic its a strange one from Rafa but you just have to accept he doesn't rate him. I don't think Rafa ever jettisons these players out of malice, he is just like any other manager, they want players they want. Mitrovic and Mbemba are someone else's signings and not his type of player. The only bad thing is, unlike Mitrovic, Rafa has pretty much cattled his price tag with how he has used him.
Rafa likes Joselu, Rafa likes Manquillo, Rafa like Haidara enough to put him on the bench ahead of Mbemba so I don't care what Rafa likes... Say it with me now "Rafa is not always right, and I shall try to formulate an opinion of my own regardless of how far up his arse my tongue is"...
you just have to look at that ****ing clown Rodwell to see what happens when you just decide you can't be arsed. Not that he's probably bothered like still trousering £70k a week for sitting playing fifa and playing with the teddy pickers at metroland.
I don't know, Rafa brought Mankini in fairly early in the window. He was quite highly rated in Spain when Rodgers bought him. I think Rafa genuinely thinks he can make something out of him. He is only 24 but I have to say I'm not seeing much to work with.
Not sure it's even work rate - think it comes down to being able to execute the role / plan given in training without going off piste which Mbemba and to an extent Mitrovic have failed to do on numerous occasions. Think this is Rafa'a issue - if you can't be relied on to deliver what you've been asked to do, then you get shipped out and replaced - noticeable that the likes of Diame have improved massively (excellent game again last night) once he knew what he was being asked to so and stuck to it
I read scouts were saying as early as this season he still had potential, but the fact Yedlin played the rest of the season upon fitness suggests Rafa knows Manquillo's a lost cause.
It could be that or may just not rate their ability the way some of us do. I don't see a problem to be honest. As long as Rafa brings in players he can use and help us progress. There is little point in keeping Mbemba or Mitrovic if he doesn't rate them, doesn't think they can follow tactical instruction, or can't see how they fit his tactics. Whichever it is, players are interchangeable, managers only are when they don't do a good job.
Very little chance Manquillo will go. He's a hard worker and though has little talent, he follows instructions. This Summer will come too soon for him to be upgraded. I think Rafa will keep Yedders for next year too. All we may see is an upgrade on Dummett - or more likely just a Manquillo type understudy. The defence will not be tampered much with, nor should it. A year of Dubravka and a fit Lejeune, we'd have been safe in Feb. Rafa will then make the call on whether we need to replace Mbemba, or go with one of the young lads like O'Connor or Yarney.
I think many of you are missing the point. The mans head has gone. He is headless. You can't live unless you have a head. Nothing can be done without a head, especially not football.
