Raphael Varane: Man Utd’s Rolls Royce
A look at the record with and without the Frenchman in the MUFC side
Let’s talk Raphael Varane, the Rolls Royce. For me, this guy is our best defender and one of our best players. But I find it odd that he doesn’t get discussed as much as he should.
The fashionable choice is always Lisandro Martinez. This is a player whom we all love because he has superb ability, amazing passion and heart, and the fact that he’s proved so many wrong. I sorely miss seeing The Butcher in our team tbh. And what a nickname that is as well: The Butcher 👌.
Varane though, it’s almost as if it’s just a given that he’ll put in a solid 7/10 performance, play well and everybody moves on. If Martinez does the same, everyone praises him. That is perhaps due to the fact that nobody expected Lisandro to be as good as he has been for United (especially on such a consistent basis), as well as knowing that Varane has been one of the best center-backs of the past decade so we can bank on him to display top performances on the regular.
But that still doesn’t mean we shouldn’t give him his flowers when he deserves it. United look a lot better when he plays as he brings so much to the table: leadership, experience, winning mentality, all things this current side has dearly missed and lacked for so long.
On top of that, the abilities he possesses are second to none. He’s brilliant in the air, fast, strong, has the ability to play well with both feet, has amazing communication and great organization of the back line. For me, he is the complete center-back.
Unfortunately though, injuries are his only fault. That got me thinking: what are we like with and without the Frenchman in the side?
Here are some stats that show how MUFC have performed when Varane has played compared to when he hasn’t in all competitions this season. Ngl, some of these were eye opening, and not for the reasons you might think:
Stats via Transfermarkt
See what I’m saying about it being eye opening? I couldn’t believe it either. Had to double-check, a couple of times actually. However, the numbers are the numbers though 🤷♂️.
Mind you, he was substituted or injured before conceding some of the goals and was brought on after goals were already conceded which skews his goals conceded a bit more in his favor when he has been in the team. E.g. he came on after we conceded the 4 to Brentford so that means he didn’t concede those 4 goals.
With him in the side, the stats show a decent record but nothing too special. I suppose when you’re part of a team that has had a couple of hammerings, decent is what you’re likely to get.
The fact that we appear better without him is pretty weird indeed. We watch football with our eyes and we can all see that we are better outfit with Raphael in the side, we all feel more confident and there’s just a feeling of ease whenever he plays compared to when he misses out.
These numbers though 😕?
Alright, some of the games without him were in the Cups where we had the advantage of playing at home where we’ve been fantastic but more clean sheets, more wins, fewer draws, only one more defeat and a significantly higher win percentage are seriously odd, all in less games played as well.
👆 that, is how I feel.
I prefer Varane in the side. Even in those defeats, I can’t really remember him actually doing anything to suggest that he wasn’t good enough. Sure, when you lose 6–3 and 7–0 you’re gonna have to take the shit because you were part of horrific performances. But, I very rarely find that he puts a foot wrong in any game in fact.
Can you single out any time he has played badly and/or caused us problems? Neither can I.
I seriously love this player. I’ve been a fan of his for a while and wanted us to sign him a few years prior to him joining United. A part of me still can’t believe we have him 😍. The professionalism he has and ability to perform at a high level consistently while making it look so effortless is unbelievable.
Raphael Varane, what a player 👏.
What do you think of these numbers? Should ten Hag keep using him or are we better of without him?
