Marouane Fellaini Can't Play Football, Rants AC Milan Legend Zvonimir Boban
Ex-Milan and Croatia midfielder Zvonimir Boban held nothing back in a scathing assessment of Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini on Sunday evening, stating that "he can't play football."
Boban was part of Sky Italia's commentary team during Belgium's 0-0 stalemate against Wales and had nothing nice to say about the United giant, per the Mirror's Alex Richards:
"Fellaini can't play football. Seriously he can't play football," Boban declared.
Boban won 51 caps for Croatia and a handful for Yugoslavia during a career spanning nearly two decades, during which he captained the former to the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup in France.
One would think, then, that his opinion is to be regarded as a valuable one in such matters, but Boban's criticism of Fellaini seems unfair, especially given the midfielder's recent return to form.
Ryan Bailey and Rob Dawson of Bleacher Report recently discussed what it is that's led Fellaini to rediscover some of his better displays:
After enduring a terrible debut campaign at Old Trafford under David Moyes, the former Everton talisman became the butt of many a joke in the football community.
However, Fellaini was far from the only underperforming player in that squad, and the same might be said of the Belgium team that was unable to penetrate Wales' defence on Sunday night.
Despite summoning some of his former glory recently, there was a moment of not-so-pretty controversy on Sunday, when Fellaini was involved in a thuggish challenge on Wales' Joe Allen. ESPN's James Tyler provided images:
With Daley Blind joining Michael Carrick on Louis van Gaal's injury list, Fellaini will be hoping to book his place in the Red Devils' starting line-up for this Saturday's trip to Arsenal.
Boban may not agree that the 26-year-old is not a Premier League-grade player—or any grade for that matter—but Fellaini's numbers this season tell a different tale.
In six league appearances this season, the anchor has a passing accuracy of 88 per cent, has won 11 of his 22 tackle attempts, 61 per cent of his headed duels and landed an impressive 56 per cent of his shots on target, according to Squawka.
A commentator need not adhere to the old adage about not saying anything at all when having nothing nice to say. After all, it's their job to offer insight and identify faults and give praise in equal measure.
But Fellaini will strive to prove Boban wrong as he continues his rise from the Old Trafford ashes, and a strong display against the Gunners on Saturday would be an ideal way of doing just that.
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