Villarreal 0 – 3 MAN CITY – PLAYER RATINGS
3 Nov
Hart – Made three good, solid stops and on each occasion his handling was secure. Villarreal were so poor offensively though that he wasn’t tested a great deal - 7
Zabaleta - As dependable as ever but lacks that yard of pace to cause teams problems. Whereas Micah Richards bombs down the right with his strength and powerful running, Zabaleta plods. Does a job defensively though and limited threat down Villarreal’s left - 7
Kompany - In complete control. Villarreal only played one up front and hardly threw any others forward so it was a relatively quiet night for our captain - 7
Savic - A very assured and confident Champions League debut. Oozes comfort with the ball and his passing was crisp. Always open to receive the ball, read the game well and his positioning was immaculate throughout - 8
Clichy - Showed a good turn of pace on a couple of occasions when he advanced down the left. As per usual, very solid at the back and tried as much as possible to get forward - 7
De Jong - Since returning from injury, he’s looked off the pace and has failed to provide protection for the defence, but he was back to his destructive best last night. An incredible 100 out of 101 passes found a teammate and he offered us the balance we’ve occasionally lacked this season - 8
Milner - Didn’t quite reach the heights of his display at Old Trafford, although that would take some doing! An accomplished, neat showing, full of energy and made one superb last-ditch challenge - 7
Y. Touré - Once again, proved he’s a player for the big occasion. Took both his goals brilliantly and was a force all night with his powerful surges. Now all he needs to do is repeat this in the Premier League from time to to time! - 8.5
Nasri - Looked bright but never really had the end product. Plenty of pretty footwork and sideways passes but I’d like to see more from Samir, especially in these types of games where we look to our creative players to break down a defence - 7
Silva - Magnificent. His movement all game was second to none, constantly searching for that extra yard of space in which to weave his magic. Showed a surprising turn of pace as well a couple of times to escape a cluster of defenders. Went off injured around the hour mark but Mancini doesn’t think it’s anything too serious - 8.5
Balotelli - Flitted in and out of the game but scored one and assisted another. I don’t think it was a penalty but the way he dispatched it was typical of his calmness in front of goal. First touch at times lacking but he worked hard and linked up well with others - 7.5
Subs
A. Johnson - Lost the ball twice in dangerous positions and, oddly, didn’t contribute anything in attack. Not the best way to convince Mancini that he should feature more often - 5
Aguero - Looked chirpy in his brief cameo, chasing down defenders and winning the ball back - 6.5
Kolarov - Came on for the last ten minutes and I can’t remember him touching the ball - No time to mark
Bit harsh on Clichy & Milner I think, another game where their quiet efficiency and workrates provided the platform for others to shine….constant ’8s’ for me in recent weeks.
Bit over the top on AJ considering how good he has been in the final 1/3 recently, yes we know bout him defensively but no one is a world beater every game, lets not get as fickle as the rags
Incredibly harsh on Samir, who muscled and span away from two players on many occasions, not least the move with Clichy that led to the Balotelli pass for a fantastic third goal, made from Nasri turning defence into attack. Don’t forget Silva has been with us a year. Nasri’s task for now is to get the ball and give it to match winners, and he has done it so well people haven’t noticed. Aguero’s wonder goal at Spurs? Made by Nasri.
Nasri needs to start impressing
Nasri will come good. He has been okay since he joined City which is a good sign. As times goes on, he will settle more. Now all we need to do is to dismantle Napoli
Kolarov had 3 touches to be exact. AJ was instrumental when he came on. (joke).