CSKA Moscow 1 – 2 MAN CITY – PLAYER RATINGS
24 Oct
Hart - One crucial save in the dying moments which protected the three points and he generally coped well on a pitch that made life difficult for him in terms of dealing with shots and passbacks - 7
Zabaleta - Struggled to make any real impression when bursting forward down the right but that will invariably happen due to Navas’s propensity to stick to the wing. From a defensive point of view, he won’t be happy with his efforts for the home side’s goal when he could have tucked in further but was solid for the most part - 6
Garcia - Spread nerves and anxiety with his first-half performance. Caught out repeatedly by the long ball, his lack of anticipation and pace meaning he was often in trouble. Ought to have done better for the goal when he was beaten far too easily in the air but improved after the break. Even with Kompany and Demichelis sidelined, his selection continues to baffle - 5
Nastasic - Bailed out his central defensive partner on numerous occasions in a mature display that highlighted his character. Read the game well and his tackling was spot on - 7
Kolarov - Nothing particularly noteworthy, which is both a positive and negative where he is concerned. The bobbly pitch didn’t suit his tendency to whip crosses in first time - 6
Y. Touré - This match will be remembered for the racist abuse he received, but just to focus on his actual performance, it was a strong, powerful and technically adept one. Coped well with the conditions and always made himself available to receive the ball - 7
Fernandinho - Goes from strength to strength. After a mightily impressive showing at the weekend against West Ham, this was another forceful and diligent display. Bundles of energy, comfortable in possession and knew when to keep it simple and when to show a little more incisiveness - 8
Navas - The uneven nature of the pitch certainly didn’t aid his penchant for getting the ball down and running at defenders but he provided width and a different option. I’ve said it before and will no doubt say it again before too long, but his total absence of a left foot hinders him greatly at times, forcing him to constantly cut inside before passing backwards - 6
Silva - Whereas others struggled with the conditions, he was completely at ease. So gifted on the ball, his first touch and control enabled him more time than his teammates and he probed away in search of chances - 8
Aguero - Two goals continued his excellent recent scoring record, his second in particular a brave effort. Worked tirelessly to close down and create space for himself - 8
Negredo - A delicious assist for Aguero’s second, his vision and quality in evidence with his pinpoint, deft outside-of-the-boot cross. Combined well with the Argentinean and showcased once again his awareness and intelligence - 7
Subs
Dzeko - Desperately struggled with conditions - 5
Nasri - Closed out the game without problems - No time to mark
Clichy - Only introduced for the final couple of minutes - No time to mark
Can’t argue with that, a fair summation.
With the tactics requiring the FB’s to get forward and the CH’s pressing up near the half way line when we were in possession, the selection of Garcia was more than a little surprising. He lacks pace so the ball over the top was always going to be a challenge too far for him.
Micah may lack a bit of discipline and concentration (well no maybe about it) and his first touch tends towards the tentative, but with those tactics he’d have been my choice in that role because he has pace, the strength of an ox and a very effective challenge.
Has Boyata sunk without trace? He has looked better than average when I’ve seen him play and he has the advantage of actually being a right sided CH!
Alph
Aside from Garcia surprisingly losing that header,and the lazy defense behind him, this was a great game .
Gotta love Silvas form, Fernandinho playing great, hart maybe getting some confidence back, and of course Aguero and Negredo partnering brilliantly again.
I love that front 4 we started, it has it all.
Keep the Ws coming
Agree with most of the assessment, apart from Garcia! One of the worst displays I have seen from a City CB in recent years (against a team who probably wouldn’t get in the top 10 in the premiership). Both Micah and Boyata are better than Garcia as CB on the right. So how does he earn a place in the team? Is it because he speaks Spanish or because he was expensive? He must NOT play against Chelsea or it will be a disaster!! Front four were fantastic – well done! Brill. But Hart was the real hero of the match and saved the poor defense.
If football had cricket commentators then I think Sir Geoffrey might have said about Garcia ” m’ gran can run faster than theee lad when she’s tryin’ t’ catch number 52 bus”.