MacDonald Mariga

[blackmore]

Vieira was never as explosive as Essien, there's a difference.

wow dude are u serious...go check out the season that arsenal were "unbeatable" and then say that.....viera was not only powerful but quick red the game very well and was the ultimate central player at one time...essien=vieras left nut in his prime

 

[rockball]

True, Vieira in his prime was a complete midfielder. He could tackle brilliantly, read the game very well, make incisive passes, run forward and also had a good finishing touch.

Essien is not that great. He has tons of energy but isn't half as good on the ball as Vieira.

 

[The_Eradicator]

um, yes he was.

there's a reason why he was the #1 DM in the world at one stage

thats also a BIG call, considering we're trying to compare mariga to vieira/essien

you trying to say mariga is closer to essien that to peak vieira?

Well the Veira I saw was mostly in Serie A I guess (not just with us but Juve as well), was slower and tried to dictate play from the centre, Essien makes a lot more forward runs, bursts from midfield etc. So I don't think Mariga will ever be the type of guy who will be orchestrating the show...

Every african DM is "the new Vieira" Mousa Sissoko, Alou Diarra, Darrly Goulon...

 

[Stefan]

They are different players. Viera at his beat essien hand down when it comes to offensive play but michael chews him up and spits him out when it comes to defensive play.

Not saying viera was bad at defensive work but essien is a true beast when it comes to that.

 

[InterBigMac]

for the few minutes he was on today he maintained the team shape (DEFENSE lol) and made on superb tackle on the left side in the dying minutes.

 

[uny_arturo]

Mad-Dog is very promising. Frankly, he looks even calmer than Deki in big games. Stunning kid.

 

[vassago]

Mad-Dog is very promising. Frankly, he looks even calmer than Deki in big games. Stunning kid.

yeah i was surprised too...seems he doesnt mind hearing 90000 people screaming

 

[Stefan]

That tackle at the end was immense.

 

[lonewolf19]

This kid definitely has a bright future here man. Immense under pressure and a bit contrast to Muntari in other games. We gotta make the deal permanent by summer.

 

[blackmore]

big mac is slowly becoming one of my favourite players...ive been saying for a while now that this guy is one for the future and he showed it with his composure today...

 

[Besnik]

That tackle at the end was immense.

Yeah, indeed.

 

[AndyLT]

he came on with intensity you could see it

 

[sakana]

I say this after every match, but his mentality is fantastic -- never intimidated, never afraid to make a mistake. I can think of a lot of older players who don't have that.

 

[F U C K MILAN]

lol for some reason i was going crazy when he made that tackle at the end of the match, as if he scored a goal, porbably because i was on the edge, drunk, waiting for the game to be done lol

 

[Sassuolu]

He's a beast and he's not bad on the ball either with a bit of tweeks here and there he's going to be great. Last year he was in Serie B this season semi final of the champions league... NICE

 

[uny_arturo]

I say this after every match, but his mentality is fantastic -- never intimidated, never afraid to make a mistake. I can think of a lot of older players who don't have that.

Yes. And I found his turn very Vieira-ish. You get what I mean? Receive the ball. See a player in front of him. Instead of passing it horizontally or wasting it, he turns slowly, change the direction, and create some space for a pass diagonally. Not many young players can do that. He handles the ball very very calmly under pressure. Mad dog is definitely my favourite back-up in the whole midfield.

 

[sakana]

Yes. And I found his turn very Vieira-ish. You get what I mean? Receive the ball. See a player in front of him. Instead of passing it horizontally or wasting it, he turns slowly, change the direction, and create some space for a pass diagonally. Not many young players can do that. He handles the ball very very calmly under pressure. Mad dog is definitely my favourite back-up in the whole midfield.

Know just what you mean, his movement and patience on the ball remind me so strongly of Vieira.

 

[coolmavs]

He has the right ingredients, including technical skills and explosive pace (goal against Atlanta) to be a world class performer for years to come. But most importantly, he has great confidence, with the right attitude to perform and work hard, but yet appears very humble! However, he still is tactically naive, and no one can deny that.

Once he gets more integrated in the starting 11, and becomes more experienced tactically, he will be a great asset for Inter.

 

[minterke]

I really like Mariga. He can tackle like Muntari but he has Vieira-esque finesse and intelligence.

 

[Fabio]

Slowly but surely, he seems to be progressing. Has neurons too.