MAN CITY 0 – 3 Arsenal – PLAYER RATINGS
25 Oct
Hart - One superb penalty save from Fabregas and commanded his box well. Couldn’t have done anything for the goals though, and his distribution was of the highest quality - 7
Richards - I’ve been one of his biggest critics recently, but he shoved all that negativity right back at me, with a display full of vibrancy and attacking verve. He showed great eagerness in defence, biting into tackles and getting forward with panache. He burst past Djourou and Clichy on countless occasions, and although he lacks creativity in the final third, this was a display that was sure to catch the attention of Fabio Capello. My man of the match - 9.5
Kompany - A foolish tackle to concede the penalty, but was otherwise a tower of strength. Made one outstanding block to deny Fabregas and put in a number of crunching challenges. Clearly missed his central defensive partner Touré, but produced a solid performance - 7
Boyata - A huge gamble to play him, but before launching into abject criticism, it must be noted that he has performed admirably whenever given the chance. But his naivety shone through in his play, putting the rest of the side in trouble after just four minutes. It was reckless challenge, but one from which the Belgian will learn - 3
Boateng – Was versatile when required. Started the game at left-back before partnering Kompany in the centre after just twenty minutes. Produced a superb performance at the back, making a number of key interceptions and showing great pace at times. Will move to right-back in the long run but it’s comforting to know he can perform adeptly anywhere across the back - 8.5
De Jong - After a couple of gentle outings following the media backlash, this was de Jong back to his best. He crunched into tackles but won the ball every time. His passing was slightly off colour and he understandably tired towards the end, but it was a solid, if not spectacular, showing from the Dutchman - 7
Y. Touré - The Ivorian was shifted from midfield to defence in the wake of Boyata’s departure but struggled there and was moved forward to his regular position. Was taken off at half-time after a lethargic opening 45 minutes. Can glide past people with ease, but needs to show more energy, desire and passion - 6
Barry - Not one of his better games, but he was unable to flourish in the left back role during the first half. Failed to track Nasri which was key for Arsenal’s opening goal and struggled to keep pace with their free-flowing football and movement. Was visibly tired towards the end, but will come back strong for next time - 5
Milner - Similar in a sense to Barry. He was forced to cover a ridiculous amount of ground after the sending off, but never really got forward enough to threaten the Gunners’ defence. Put in a great shift for the team though - 6
Silva - Could have opened the scoring after just one minute and had a superb game. Mancini was shrewd and attack-minded by deploying the Spaniard just behind the front man after the sending off when many managers would have played him on the left wing. He was our creative hub, setting up attacks whenever the ball was at his feet - 8
Tévez - I spotted after five minutes that he was struggling with injury, and it was perhaps desperate of Mancini to keep him on. He wasn’t able to perform at anywhere near his best, which was a great shame - 6
Subs
Bridge – Replaced Yaya Touré at half-time but was at fault for Song’s goal after his horrific attempt at a clearance resulted in the ball travelling two yards to the Arsenal man. He was the liability in our team and the sooner Kolarov is back, the better - 5
Adebayor - Came on to much fanfare and should have done much better with a header that looped over the bar, but was starved of service as City tired and Arsenal kept possession. Didn’t manage to have the impact he, and we, had hoped for - 6
Balotelli - Was great to see him finally make his Premier League debut but like Adebayor, he didn’t have the service to cause any problems. Showed good pace at one point, but will need much more playing time to show his best form - 6
Didn’t noticed Milner was playing till the 2nd half when the camera did a close up
You know we lost? Some of those ratings are too generous
Micah had a very good game sure. But I am not one of the lads harsh critics, I think he is a young player of great potential and is a great asset to have in the squad, but even I wouldn’t have given him 9.5!!
Hahaha
WHO IS THIS IDIOT? WHY NOT JUST GIVE EVERYONE 9.5
De Jong: ” He crunched into tackles but won the ball every time.”
Seriously -what game were you watching? De Jong is like teflon
Steven – disagree with a couple >>>
Didnt think Boateng was as good as you made out – his distribution was awful, often going for the HOOF approach to no avail – but he’ll come good
Again I think you are too harsh on Boyata, he had to make a challenge or Chamakh would have scored, and it was not his fault everyone else was out of position…
The one im most disapointed by in this review is Barry – i thought he played very well actually, much better than Yaya and Milner anyway – he never gave up and his passing was first rate in my opinion. Think you’ve been harsh on him, but after his recent heroic performances, this performance wouldnt have seemed great, but i thought he played well?
Balotelli looks promising – im excitied to se ehim against Wolves
I love football and i really like your blog about football.
What you on about? Boyatta was a dirty player so dont defend him and just face it, we totally outplayed you!
Get over yourself, with 11 men we would have beaten you – simple as. Do go criticising other peoples blogs when they have taken so much time and effort to produce them. This blog would have taken ages to write and they express the opinions of an individual – thats the whole point of a blog. Try writing one yourself, then you’ll see how hard it is. SO dont jump on the criticism bandwaggon, take a stpe back and complement this writer for the blog he had produced.