MAN CITY 4 – 0 Aston Villa – PLAYER RATINGS
29 Dec
Hart - Must have got bored watching as he had virtually nothing to do. Saw a couple of Warnock free-kicks sail over his bar and made one half stop from an Albrighton effort. Only real save was a great one from Lichaj near the end - 7
Richards - Replaced Boateng at right-back but wasn’t tested a great deal defensively. Downing has been playing well recently so it’s testament to Micah that he wasn’t a threat. Got forward with pace and power - 7
Kompany - One slightly worrying moment in our box apart, was never troubled. Recovered from that situation with a piece of impressive skill and went on one or two barnstorming runs forward - 7
Lescott - Kept his place in the side due to Touré’s injury and like Kompany, wasn’t tested thoroughly. Good to see him score a header, City’s first of the season. Bit of controversy about the goal but it was a powerful header - 7
Zabaleta - Will be a crucial player in this hectic part of the season due to his versatility and did well here at left-back. Solid enough, doesn’t get forward like Kolarov but he’s not in the team to do that - 7
De Jong – A storming performance. Won everything in midfield, distributed the ball quickly and successfully, making 59/64 passes. Partnered Vieira very well - 8
Vieira - Valuable in situations like these. Hasn’t got the pace but his reading of the game and use of the ball is second to none. Great deputy – oozes class- 7.5
Y. Touré - In the first half, he was a real force to be reckoned with but faded in the second as the tempo slowed. Good pace, power and strength but needs to stop demanding the ball and then passing it straight back. When you watch out for this, it’s so irritating! - 7
A. Johnson - One of his best games in a City shirt. Was a real threat going forward, terrorising Warnock with his pace and trickery. Won the second penalty. Tracked back as he should every game and won a couple of sliding tackles - 8.5
Silva - I’ve said it before but what a pleasure to watch. Has so much time on the ball and uses it to such devastating effect. Beautiful pass to Balotelli for the first penalty - 8.5
Balotelli - Normally, I’d say that a hat-trick would boost a player’s confidence. But Balotelli’s doesn’t really need boosting! Took both penalties calmly, sending Friedel the wrong way twice. Worked very hard which was pleasing too - 8
Subs
Milner – Looked up for it. Full of energy - 6
Jo - One of those days when I despair. Possibly the only Brazilian with no skill - 5
Bridge – In the shopping window - No time to mark
Referee: Michael Oliver - I was very impressed with him. Controlled the game, albeit not a difficult one. Got both penalty decisions correct. But for someone of his age, he was very good – 8
They all played a really good game but for me special mention goes out to De Jong, Silva and of course Balotelli for his hat-trick. I think you pretty much cover that in your ratings anyway. You were right about the ref as well, best game by an official I’ve seen in a while at home.
HOW DID YOU NOT GIVE KOMPANY AT LEAST AND 8.5? HE WAS ABSOLUTELY CLASS? THIS IS A FARCE!
Kompany gets 7, Balotelli gets 8??? What else did Balotelli do bar score….nothing? It was the laziest, uninfluential hattrick that could ever be scored. He contributed nothing to the side and giving him an 8 is a joke. I know you’ll say he scored 3 goals, but on merit, he does not deserve and 8. He was awful? Bring on Dzeko.
As for Yaya getting a 7, thats beyond me too. He was useless. Made one good pass which BALOTELLI failed to get as he wasnt up to speed. Silva deserves better acolade too for his performance, and in my opinion, De Jong was BAR FAR the man of the match
There are attackers like Rooney or Tevez whose contributions are visible throughout the whole game and there are others like Mario Balletoli, my old good pal Paulo Rossi who are not as much visible but have the knack to be in the right place at the right time and have the job done gracefully. As long as they manage to put the ball in and City bags up 3 points, they all get a 10 in my book. In professional soccer, you succeed if you are result-oriented as opposed to show-oriented
I could not disagree with you anymore!!!