The Increasing Importance Of Fellaini

Now in his fifth season at Old Trafford, Marouane Fellaini is in the form of his life, and Jose Mourinho has admitted he feels weaker whenever he can’t call upon the giant Belgian…

Jose Mourinho is not often moved to praise individual players. The collective, experience has taught Manchester United’s manager, is of greater importance than its parts, so questions about one man often yield answers inclusive of many.

A recurring theme in his 15 months at Old Trafford, however, is the public elevation of Marouane Fellaini. When late July rumours suggested that the Belgian had agreed a move to Galatasaray, the Portuguese was emphatic in his rebuttal.

"It's easier for Galatasaray to get me than Marouane,” he scoffed. “If they need a manager, they can try and have a chance, but Marouane? Forget it. He's too important for me.”

Over four years on from his arrival at Old Trafford in the dying seconds of the 2013 summer transfer window, Fellaini’s United career can now be categorised as a success for both the player and his club; a triumph which seemed highly unlikely after his difficult introduction to life at a club undergoing its first identity crisis in almost three decades. Seldom can a new signing have arrived at Old Trafford at such a time of tumult. Prised from Everton in high-profile circumstances as the sole signing of David Moyes’ short managerial tenure, and playing with a debilitating wrist injury for long periods in a side struggling for cohesion, he bore the brunt of flak more than any other player during United’s first post-Ferguson season. The label stuck. Unfairly cast as an emblem of the darker times of transition, Fellaini has done more than most to shine a light back on Old Trafford.

Steadily, that has been recognised. Even former Reds midfielder Roy Keane, a famously demanding character, made public his sympathy for the Belgian’s plight. "I like Fellaini,” said the Republic of Ireland assistant manager, ahead of his side’s Euro 2016 meeting with Belgium. “I thought the criticism he had when he went to United was a bit over the top. I think it was just because he came in at the last minute when David Moyes was there. I liked him at Everton and I think he’s a good player for Man United. The criticism he’s had – I think he’s more of a scapegoat than anything else.”

Fellaini has made more appearances with every passing season since his arrival, from 21 in 2013/14 to 47 last term. He has won three major honours in four years; as many as the critically revered talents of Kevin De Bruyne, Philippe Coutinho and Alexis Sanchez combined during the same timeframe in England. Moreover, he has contributed heavily to each success, notching vital goals in the semi-finals of the FA Cup and EFL Cup, plus an assist in the final of the former and last May’s Europa League final in Stockholm. Throw in starring roles in fierce encounters with Manchester City and Liverpool, and it’s little wonder the Belgian’s popularity has steadily increased.

Either as an emergency forward, second striker or central midfielder playing advanced or withdrawn roles, Fellaini guarantees a goal threat, a substantial defensive presence at set-pieces and an out-ball in times of heavy pressing from opponents. His deployment in Stockholm completely negated the gameplan of Peter Bosz’s highly-rated young Ajax side and ensured the Reds had a smooth passage to Europa League glory and this season’s Champions League. His introduction as a substitute in August’s Super Cup final completely loosened Real Madrid’s control on proceedings and almost sparked a dramatic comeback against Europe’s current benchmark. He is, in short, a game-changer.

While United’s preferred style of attack may rely on the devastating, breakneck pace of assorted speedsters Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard, Fellaini’s place within the Reds’ approach is unique. He can either be complimentary or alternative; an all-purpose weapon who has played his way into indispensability. After this month’s draw at Stoke City, which the midfielder missed through injury, Mourinho revealed: "He's an important player for me - a lot more important than you can imagine. I feel weaker without Fellaini in my squad, doesn't matter if it's on the pitch or on the bench. I need him."

When Paul Pogba limped out of United’s Champions League opener against Basel, it was Fellaini who was quickly despatched to action, and the giant Belgian duly opened the scoring with a towering header. Both club captain Michael Carrick and reigning Player of the Year Ander Herrera were named on the bench against Everton four days later, while Fellaini retained his starting place alongside Nemanja Matic for another eye-catching display in the 4-0 dismissal of his former side.

“We gave Michael Carrick a contract because we think he’s a good player and an important player,” explained Mourinho. “He’s just in a team where I think, in this moment, Matic and Fellaini are in the best form that I have ever seen them. I never saw Matic playing so well. I never saw Fellaini playing so well.”

There have, of course, been tough times along this road. Fellaini’s debut campaign was, by his own admission, far from perfect. Throughout Louis van Gaal’s two-year managerial tenure, the Belgian’s involvement was often decried as the tipping point for those yearning for faster, freer football bearing United’s hallmark fluidity. Even last season, the concession of a late penalty at Everton cost two valuable points and prompted a mixed reaction from supporters when Fellaini was introduced as a substitute next time out against Tottenham.

“I accept it because from the fans you have to accept everything and especially fans that are giving so much without getting so much,” Mourinho downplayed at the time. “The only things they are getting are honesty, professionalism and dedication but not the results they expect. They have in their mind the mistake that Marouane did at Everton and no more than that. He is a player and a person I like and the person is more important. He will always have my trust and protection.”

As Fellaini admitted to Belgian press after the Europa League final: “When I feel that people trust me, I’m prepared to do everything. If I have to break my foot for him [Mourinho], I’ll do it. That’s me.”

Mourinho’s man-management quickly yielded results. A month later, Marouane headed home a semi-final, first leg goal against Hull City which proved key to United’s EFL Cup triumph. By way of celebration, the Belgian sprinted towards his manager before enveloping him in a bear hug, laying bare the depth of their relationship. Jose’s trust and protection had been rewarded.

"His mistake [against Everton] last season is what I can accept in a player," the boss recently explained. "If a goalkeeper makes a mistake for a goal, I accept. I accept a player that misses a penalty kick and gives a penalty away – I accept all these kinds of individual mistakes that are part of the game and part of football players.

"What I did with Marouane was what I do normally with players. When players make a big mistake and everyone knows they did it, players are the first ones to know they did it. They don’t need any more criticism from the manager than they get from the fans or the media. It’s just being pragmatic and common sense."

Asked if he has actively tried to bring up Fellaini's confidence levels, Mourinho admitted: "Yes, but in a natural way – not with a specific work or relation, just showing that respect and that confidence. I just think he lives in a good moment in the club and the relation with the manager and the relation with the team, the age of the maturity, the age of the stability – it's a very good moment.

"I always thought that he was a player with special qualities and players with special qualities are players with a place in your team or in your squad. I knew he was a player with a lot to give, but I think the relation between the players and the managers are very important in their performance levels, confidence levels and self-esteem levels. I think Marouane is performing very well because he feels I respect him as a player."

That respect hasn’t always been universally forthcoming for a player long forced to carry the stigma of United’s four seasons of transition. While he was once cast by critics as an emblem of Old Trafford’s downfall, he is now established as a symbol of the Reds’ resurgence under Jose Mourinho