MAN CITY 3 – 1 Everton – PLAYER RATINGS
6 Oct
Hart - Every touch was scrutinised to such an extent after his latest blips against Bayern so he would have been relieved that this was a fairly quiet afternoon’s work. Could arguably have done better for Everton’s goal, but that’s only if we’re being super critical, whilst he was otherwise assured. Handling was good, distribution was quick and it’s now hoped that he has a couple of incident-free matches for England - 6
Zabaleta - Solid enough defensively and his bursts forward were more of a feature yesterday than they have been much of this season. With Milner ahead of him as opposed to Navas, it increased the need for Zabaleta’s overlapping surges to provide width and he duly obliged - 6
Kompany - Given a tough early period by Lukaku’s upper body strength and the away side’s propensity to counter-attack at speed, before suffering yet another injury which forced him to be replaced. He’s such an important figure for this team that we have to hope any absence is as brief as possible - 6
Lescott – Disappointingly weak defending for Everton’s goal but recovered very well after that, matching Lukaku physically and aerially. Showed his experience to overcome a nervy opening and helped to guide Nastasic through what could have been a tricky spell – 7
Kolarov - Everton weren’t able to work the ball too often to Mirallas and that meant Kolarov wasn’t tested a great deal defensively. That played into his hands as it enabled him to bomb down the left and provide width and a couple of dangerous balls into the box - 7
Y. Touré - His work ethic and lack of awareness/desire in tracking runners continues to be a concern when he’s part of a midfield two but he was a creative influence in the final third. Supplied a lovely throughball to Negredo for City’s first goal and played the pass which lead to Zabaleta winning a penalty - 7
Fernandinho - For everything he does well, there’s a negative around him. Seems to anticipate danger quite quickly but then goes flying into a tackle, committing himself far too easily and he’s often bypassed in midfield. Very lightweight and must learn when to pass and when to get rid but he buzzes about in the centre with purpose and plenty of energy - 6
Milner - Brought into the side to help combat the threat of Baines down the visitors’ left and did his job impressively, supporting Zabaleta and forcing Everton’s fullback towards his own box. A bundle of vitality and willing, it was another strong showing from Milner, whose graft complements his teammates’ quality nicely - 7
Silva - The magician is back. It’s credit to Samir Nasri and his much-improved recent performances that we didn’t overly yearn for Silva during his absence, but what a difference it makes when he’s playing. Has so much more time on the ball than anyone else, oozes class and creativity and inspires those around him - 8
Aguero - Took his goal clinically but had hitherto had something of a nightmare in front of goal, wasting a couple of glorious chances. Worked tirelessly to stretch Everton’s backline and create space for himself and others, and continued to show positive signs of a budding partnership with Negredo - 6
Negredo - Another outstanding performance full of aggression and physicality, yet matched with great vision, awareness and a goalscorer’s instinct. It makes the decision to omit him in favour of Edin Dzeko for the visit of Bayern even more staggering. Simply put, he’s a class above the Bosnian. A hugely powerful, intimidating and cultured display. My man of the match - 8
Subs
Nastasic - Fortunate not to concede a penalty for a needless shove on Lukaku but settled down very well after that to produce a surprisingly dominant showing. He has struggled in the past against physical strikers who have enjoyed success in overpowering him, but he competed manfully, getting tight to his man, denying him space to turn and taking on responsibility after Kompany’s departure - 7
Clichy - Replaced Kolarov early in the second half and introduced an element of pressing and energy - 6
Nasri - Retained possession well in the latter stages as we looked to close out the game - No time to mark
Strange. Sitting there in the stadium watching us beat Everton ‘relatively’ easily, all I could think about was how badly we got hammered by Munich and what the future holds……then Kompany walks off……and whatever future I could see was evaporating before my eyes!
For all the money we have spent we really are not very well covered in certain positions – like centre half for instance. 3 weeks ago I thought we were in for a great season….now I just don’t know!
I have revised my ‘get rid of’ list:
Actually it is the same but I now wish to add Fernandinho to it. I’m afraid the lad isn’t up to it and never will be!
C’mon City!
Give him time I dunno what it is about him I just got a feeling he’s going to come good
I don’t understand all the Fernandinho hate. He covers a lot of ground and works hard.
Joe Hart and the defense need to stop these dumb errors. I love Kompany, but he was just as responsible as anybody for that goal . He literally just sat there and watched Lukaku.
You and me both but don’t fash, JJ has a ‘get rid’ list longer than the Forth Road Bridge!!
Fernman is home sick according to the press, but not sure he works in well with Yaya.
He may need more time to settle. As for CBacks we need two more to back up Nasty and Vince. This assumes Micah remains as #2 RB. All other options are not up to City standard, except for Yaya at CB, and that would be a waste of his mega talents.
Wasn’t going to comment on this match – marks and comments good as usual – until I read Jac’s joke! Yaya cover at centre back? Can’t head a ball, won’t tackle, never tracks a runner, but apart from that……….. What we really need are two class centre backs so that Vinnie can go into midfield and show Yaya how it should be done.
So u think we should get the best cb in the world and stick him in midfield
He was a midfielder when we signed him – he could be the best midfielder in the world and he would have much more influence there, dominating games for 90mins, as a man with Yaya’s stature and ability should be doing but sadly can’t be bothered.
YaYa cannot track his man and gives the impression he picks his games. I was of the opinion we needed a world class centre back even if we had a fully fit Kompany. Now his injuries are becoming more frequent it is paramount.
Oh dear. VK out for 4 weeks….
Couldn’t agree more with Alan about YaYa. I think one of the reasons Fernandinho may be struggling to adjust is that he has to shoulder Yaya’s defensive responsibility so he’s had to curb his natural game as a box to box mf.
RE: Kompany, he came to the fore as a 17 year old cb at Anderlecht, where his performances in the CL & the Jupiler league brought attention through Europe. Hamburg HSV signed him as a cb but converted him to mf. CB is his natural & preferred position for club & country.
I think Demichelis can do a good job for City as he is an experienced cb with guile and knows Pellegrini well and excelled for him last season at Malaga.