How Marouane Fellaini Reinvented Himself at Manchester United in 2014/15

Marouane Fellaini was reportedly on his way out of the Manchester United door.

In the summer of 2014, with Louis van Gaal newly installed as manager, rumours circulated that Fellaini was destined for a move to Napoli. Ian Herbert of the Independent reported that the move was eventually "scuppered by the player’s ankle injury" in August 2014. 

If indeed it was the injury which kept him at the club, then both club and player can be thankful for that twist of fate. Wherever Fellaini's United career goes from here, he made an important contribution in 2014/15. The reinvention which took place was not of Fellaini as a player, per se, but rather of Fellaini as a United player.

As a player, much of what he did well this season was familiar to those who had watched him play for David Moyes' Everton—particularly against United. He was an outlet for longer passes—a euphemism designed to avoid Van Gaal's ire should he stumble across this. He was an effective battering ram. He scored key goals at key moments.

He faced an uphill battle of perception at United. His arrival symbolised many people's worst fears about the Moyes era. If he had arrived as part of a package of signings, or had he cost a few million less, the negativity surrounding his acquisition might have been less pronounced.

As it was, after a summer of being linked with far more glamorous targets, Fellaini was Moyes' only signing in his first transfer window. That solidified the impression that United's new manager was a man who lacked the star power to attract the best players to Old Trafford.

Even worse was what it implied about the football Moyes planned to play. With Fellaini on the books, would he be looking to turn United into Everton? Functional, relatively effective but ultimately a conservatively minded safety-first side? Fellaini had terrorised United on a number of occasions, but it had never been pretty.

Ultimately, of course, Moyes did not really use Fellaini in the advanced role from which he had so damaged United. As if the manager was afraid of what people would say if he did, he instead played Fellaini as a deep-lying midfielder, a role in which he rarely impressed.

Van Gaal, of course, does not appear overly concerned about what people will say—unless they mention long balls, as has already been alluded to. He has been perfectly prepared to use Fellaini as a direct Plan B and eventually incorporated the Belgian into his Plan A.

The first game in which Fellaini changed for Van Gaal was in October 2014. A Monday night trip to the Midlands saw United struggle to break down a stubborn West Bromwich Albion. The Baggies had struck early, thanks to United's all-too-penetrable defence.

Ander Herrera, apparently not yet fully fit following an injury to his rib, had an old-fashioned shocker in the first half. Van Gaal acted, replacing him with Fellaini.

It was a telling change, and Fellaini immediately made a difference, scoring a superb goal within three minutes. It was his first for United in a competitive game. From then on, he became an important part of Van Gaal's side. It was not the goal of a battering ram, rather he took the ball beautifully on his chest—where else—and volleyed home.

As United scrapped their way to a decent run of midseason results, Fellaini was an almost-ever present. He scored against Queens Park Rangers and Stoke. He made life difficult for opposition defenders and, frankly, put himself about a bit.

By the end of the season, he had committed more fouls per game than any other United player, and by a considerable margin at that.  He averaged 2.3 fouls every 90 minutes. Next in line was Robin van Persie—a long way behind with 1.3.

United attracted plenty of criticism for their style of play over that period. After United's draw with West Ham United, Sam Allardyce, presumably with his tongue firmly in his cheek, told the BBC: 

In the end, we couldn't cope with the long balls Manchester United kept putting in the box.

It was just, thump it forward and see what they could get. In the end, it paid off for them.

Van Gaal, infamously, did not take that well. However, while he may have produced a dossier defending his tactics, there was a good deal of lumping the ball long to Fellaini in the winter of 2014/15.

For the most part, up to this point, Fellaini's reinvention was less a reinvention and more him doing what he had always done best.

That all changed against Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in March. In retrospect, United's good run of form was not all that sustained, but for a brief moment, they looked superb, and Fellaini was instrumental in that. It was he who kicked started the run with his opener against Spurs.

This was not the goal of a battering ram, either, rather he used a turn of pace to get himself in behind Spurs' defence and slotted home a beautifully side-footed finish.

Playing as an inside-left, he combined brilliantly with Ashley Young and Daley Blind. Young provided the cross which Fellaini headed home against Manchester City to give United the lead in the Old Trafford leg of the Manchester derby.

He was not among the goals or assists at Anfield, but Fellaini's aerial dominance was crucial in United's win. He won 11 aerial duels in that game, more than twice as many as any other player on the park.

Again, Fellaini winning aerial duels was hardly reinvention. What was different was the sense that he had become a genuine big-game player for United.

However, what is not yet clear is whether he has the necessary ability to be important for United if they return to football's elite. Van Gaal has found a way to make effective use of his strengths, but does that mean he should be part of United's starting XI going forward?

As a thought experiment, imagine any of the four teams who made this season's Champions League semi-final and try to place Fellaini in their starting XI. It does not seem a natural fit.

Even when he used to terrorise United, his limitations were eventually exposed by Sir Alex Ferguson. In the Belgian's last game against United at Old Trafford for Everton, Sir Alex deployed Phil Jones to man-mark him.

That game came just ahead of Real Madrid's trip to Old Trafford, and Ferguson was giving Jones the chance to hone his man-marking skills before trying to nullify Cristiano Ronaldo. In doing so, he completely nullified Fellaini.

During United's brief good run, Fellaini had endured a poor game against Aston Villa, who had sat deep—denied space, he looked much less effective. Jose Mourinho took a page out of Ferguson's book and played Kurt Zouma in defensive midfield as United lost to Chelsea, arresting their progress.

In the subsequent game, West Brom's attempts to deny United space were so successful that Van Gaal resorted to using Fellaini up front to try and occupy defenders, theoretically allowing Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney more space to operate in advanced-midfield roles.

It did not work.

It will be intriguing to see where Fellaini goes from here at United. He has been important this season, but will that mean he is important next? He is a player whose skill set and physical presence will make him very useful in some specific situations, but as an attacking midfielder, he lacks creativity.

He did not provide a single assist in the league this season, for example, in spite of playing much of it just behind a striker.

His reinvention has mostly been a product of letting Fellaini be Fellaini. He has worked hard for the cause and has been there when United have needed something. It is hard to shake the feeling, though, that an upgrade in his position would make Van Gaal's side into a more fluent unit.

Time will tell, but for now, United fans will be grateful for—and perhaps surprised by—the impact he made in 2014/15.

All advanced statistics per WhoScored.com