Spurs 0 – 0 MAN CITY: Blues Take HART From Battling Performance – VOTE FOR MoM
14 Aug
A match we would have previously lost. A total onslaught in the first half from the host side, with their fast tempo and movement making a mockery of our newfound wealth. Shots galore, reminiscent of the siege of the Alamo, as Spurs peppered our goal. And yet we held on.
Defensive strength, battling mentality and resourcefulness have never been City’s forté. But against an impressive Tottenham, thanks mainly to Joe Hart, who fought off the challenge of Shay Given to be named as goalkeeper, the Blues escaped from White Hart Lane with a draw. Whilst goalless stalemates are often renowned for their boring nature, with a dearth of chances, this was the exact opposite: full of excitement and tension.
Despite the home side’s dominance, which resulted in Hart making a number of world-class saves, City had their chances too, with SWP, surprisingly handed a start, missing a gilt-edged opportunity at the beginning of the second half. The impressive Yaya Touré fired a couple of shots wide, but was a powerful, dominant presence in midfield, whilst the centre-back partnership of Kolo Touré and Vincent Kompany looked more assured as the game went on. Spaniard David Silva showed great spatial awareness, vision and a creative spark and, when fully fit, will be a sight to behold.
PLAYER RATINGS
Joe Hart – This sterling performance will have given (no put intended) the youngster a great amount of confidence. His save from Defoe’s close range effort was top drawer and along with that, he made a number of other outstanding stops. His command of the box and his handling were also impressive – 9.5
Micah Richards – We’d been led to believe that he’d improved over pre-season, but he was back to his usual self. The liability in the team, Richards lost possession on countless occasions, and never looked to be fully concentrated. Gave Bale far too much space, and never gave us an attacking threat either. When Jerome Boateng is fit, we will be a much better side – 5
Kolo Touré – I would not have picked him in the side, but he gave a solid showing, especially in the second half. Crouch and Defoe are a pair of tricky customers, but Touré handled them manfully, with his pace and strength coming to the fore. His aerial prowess at set-pieces was also evident – 7.5
Vincent Kompany - The Belgian was last year’s standout defender and he carried on that form against Spurs. Along with Touré, he had a strong second half and used his height and pace to good effect - 8
Aleksandar Kolarov – He looked to be struggling with an ankle injury from the start, and found the going tough against the pacy Lennon. He managed to get forward quite a bit but didn’t produce any end product. Went off at half-time injured - 6
SWP – Disappointing showing from Shaun, who failed to grasp his chance. Looked lively enough, but needed more end product. Tracked back well and supported Richards - 6
Nigel de Jong - Only returned recently to training following his World Cup exploits, but threw himself with his customary gusto into tackles. Looked strong but needs to keep possession better. Gave the ball away too much - 7
Yaya Touré – A dominant figure, using his strength to good effect and showed a delicate touch with a few delightful chipped passes. Looks to be a shrewd signing and will improve as he gets used to the English game - 8.5
Gareth Barry – Looked slightly sluggish to start with, but grew into his role as the match went on. Finished strongly, using his knowledge of the game and positional awareness. Adds sturdiness to the side, but got forward quite well down the left – 7.5
David Silva – Clearly lacked full fitness but still managed an impressive 90 minutes. Finds a yard of space and is constantly looking for the ball. He will be quite a player to watch in the coming season – 8
Carlos Tévez – Appointed captain by my good friend Mancini in an effort to appease him, but he failed to produce the goods. Looked out of sorts, but still worked hard for the team. His partnership with Silva will blossom soon, but could do with another striker partner as he has a tendency to drift too deep - 6.5
Subs
Pablo Zabaleta – Replaced Kolarov at the break and coped well with Lennon, nullying the wide man of any space and time. Looked solid and although he may not many games, I’m sure he will be useful squad man this campaign - 7
Adam Johnson – Livelier than SWP, the man whom he replaced, Johnson added an extra spark to the side and ran well with the ball at his feet - 7
Emmanuel Adebayor - Quite a surprise to see him start on the bench, but he looked impressive when he came on, holding up the ball well. Should start in the Europa League in midweek – No time to mark
There is not much point in the conventional Man of the Match poll, as I just have a gut feeling that Hart might nick it, so vote for your ‘runner-up’!
To be perfectly honest, the only standout players who deserve more than 5 as the rest of them did not were Tevez and Johnson.
Hart of course deserves the England no.1 spot.
Luckily for him, Capello was watching.
However, you were damn lucky he was in goal for you.
Otherwise it would’ve been a very convincing 3-0/4-0 victory over you. Oh well, there’s always next time at Eastlands
You fail to mention that Richards should’ve given away a penalty, but on that form Hart probably would’ve saved it! Oh well, we all benefit cos he’s English and shortly to become one of the best keepers in the world IMO… Enjoy the rest of the season, but not too much, and beat Arsenal please!
My view of your ratings is closer to Dave Yid’s than yours. How can you rate so many players at 7/8 when the only think that stood between you and a 4-0 drubbing was Joe Hart. Even if you had lost by that score, Hart would still have been your best player.
Apart from twenty minutes in the second half, this was the most one sided 0-0 draw I have seen in a long time. I have high hopes that Spurs breakthrough last season was the beginning of the end of the “Sky4″ stranglehold on the PL, but your team is miles away from challenging for a CL spot based on this performance, and in my opinion, you have gone backwards
Steven I have to pull you up on a few ratings here….
1.) Kolarov was better than you think – he struggled with injury but put in a solide performance….didnt think he was posed many problems by Lennon at all. My only annoyance was that he gave the ball away a bit too easily and me thinks communication problems….
2.) Yaya was useless….8.5?! ARE YOU MAD!!
3.) Silva deserves higher than what you gave him and so does Kompany who was outstanding. My vote did go to Silva for runner up though!
Also, whats Tevez captain for? Daft move which may prove fatal….too much responsibility for the lil magician.
Over and out
Ched
Normal service has been resumed – 10 overpaid players running around, no TEAM! SH**E
8 for David Silva?
8.5 for Yaya Toure?
Is this the same game I was watching?
At that rate Bale would be ranking in at around 17 (despite the missed chance)!
horrible game no doubt… hart is the savior. big money… no talent