Man City v Arsenal - Player Ratings

[Viper]

Mannone - 5 - Terrible clanger which led to City's goal.

Jenkinson - 8 - Very impressive performance. Let us hope he shows some consistency
Mertesacker - 9 - MOTM. He was a rock.
Koschielny - 7 - Grew into the game, nice goal
Gibbs - 6 - Was solid, but I felt he made very poor decisions in the beginning of the game and first half. He should have scored.

Arteta - 6
Diaby - 6
Cazorla - 7 - Played well at times, needs to shoot more often.

Gervinho - 0 - ABYSMAL.
Podolski - 4 - Anonymous
Ramsey - 6 - Slightly better, but wayward passing and sometimes poor decision making. Needs to retain possession better.

Subs...

Walcott - 3 - Crap. Can leave the club for all I care
Giroud - 6 - Some good touches. Hasn't really had any clear cut goalscoring opportunities.

 

[arsenalfc0719]

Mannone - 3 - Terrible for City's goal and terrible coming out for crosses. You just can't feel confident with him in goal

Jenks - 8 - Outstanding performance, once again showed that he's been one of our best performer this season. Great drive, good in defense and good in attack.

Mert - 8 - Such an intelligent player, solid in the back.

Kos - 7 - Overall solid game from him and a good goal.

Gibbs - 5 - Not bad in defense, but his crosses and offensive contribution leaves a lot to be desired.

Diaby - 5 - Had some good moments and some very bad as well, typical Diaby performance.

Arteta - 6 - Not his best performance, but was solid overall.

Ramsey - 6 - Surprisingly good I thought, although as usual broke down a lot of our attacks with bad decision making or taking too many touches on the ball before passing.

Cazorla - 7 - Some good touches here and there and some nice passes but seemed very tired towards the end of the second half.

Gerv - 2 - Big headed waste of space. Terrible first touch and awful decision making. For having such a big head he really has a small footballing brain. Took far too many touches before passing, slowed our passing game, terrible finishing and very wasteful in general.

Podolski - 6 - Ok game, not his best though.

Walcott - 3 - What an awful little **** of a player. Sell.

Giroud - 6 - Looked good when he came on. His movement and passing is good. Should have come on earlier.

 

[outlaw_member]

Mannone 5/10

Jenkinson 6.5/10
Mertesacker 7/10
Koscielny 7.5/10
Gibbs 6/10

Arteta 6/10
Diaby 5.5/10
Cazorla 6.5/10

Gervinho 5.5/10
Podolski 5.5/10
Ramsey 7/10

 

[mo50]

Mannone-5 Had two good saves but his positioning for Lescott's goal was criminal.

Jenkinson- 8.5 Top class performance. He simply bossed the right hand side, supplementing the attack well and defending heroically. To put in a performance like that away to the current champions was special

Mertesacker- 7 Excellent reading of the game and made key interceptions.

Koscielny- 8 Kos the Boss is back. Hopefully he'll be starting games now. Not only is he a rock at the back but is a genuine threat from set pieces. That goal was priceless.

Gibbs- 7 I thought he was very good. A few of his crosses could've been picked out better but that'll improve over time. He's got the makings of a top class fullback and I'm delighted he's staying fit.

Arteta- 5 Was a below average performance from him. Looked sluggish getting into defensive positions and his passing was off.

Diaby- 6 Didn't have much of an impact on the game.

Ramsey-7 Looks a completely different player from last season. Great engine, some excellent passing and doesn't take an eternity to move the ball.

Cazorla- 7 Great little player.

Podolski- 5 Had no impact on the game. Rightfully substituted, probably should've gone off earlier.

Gervinho - 5 Shockingly bad misses but made some encouraging runs and made space for himself effectively

 

[Airknight]

Mannone 4 - Some cool saves don't save the pointless error sadly
Jenkinson 8.5 - Terrific
Mertesacker 6 - Stepped in second half when City tried to play long ball, Silva been poor helped him too
Koscielny 8 - Some mistakes, but loved how he got the better of Tevez and managed to contain Aguero, and the goal
Gibbs 6.5 - His good form continues, lack of understanding in attack though

Arteta 5.5 - Started well, faded badly second half.. it's been like that for a few matches, a bit worrying.
Diaby 6 - Typical Diaby, does some good stuff, then gives the ball pointlessly.. Supported well the defence on first half
Cazorla 6.5 - Awesome player, but i think he's starting to feel the intensity.

Poldi 5 - Saw nothing worthy today, not an awesome defensive display, not great linkup, no finishing power.
Gervinho 5.5 - Had his frustrating moments and ended the match doing very little. but first half and part of second half were inmense in all aspects bar finishing
Ramsey 7 - Accurate passing, good ideas, good engine. The Ramsey we all like to see.

Giroud 5.5 - Decent, but some hit and hope linkup imo.
Walcott 3 -
Coq NA - Nice Cameo

 

[ferrarif50hunt]

Mannone - 5

Jenkinson - 8
Mertesacker - 7
Koscielny - 8
Gibbs - 7

Arteta - 7
Diaby - 6
Cazorla - 7

Podolski - 6
Gervinho - 6
Ramsey - 7

 

[1970*Gooner]

Mannone 6/10

Jenkinson 7.5/10
Mertesacker 8/10
Koscielny 7.5/10
Gibbs 6/10

Arteta 6/10
Diaby 4.5/10
Cazorla 6.5/10

Gervinho 1.5/10
Podolski 5.5/10
Ramsey 7/10

 

[Gooner_Stu]

Mannone - 5 - Not convinced

Jenkinson - 7.5 He looked solid, hard to think this is the same player from 12months ago
Mertesacker - 8.5 outstanding display, how many times he cut out their passes
Koschielny - 7.5 Got the goal, yet almost conceeded after but small blight on an otherwise very good performance
Gibbs - 7 Good game

Arteta - 7
Diaby - 6.5
Cazorla - 7.5

Gervinho - 5 He did a lot of good things.... and undid them all he'll loose sleep thinking about his missed chances
Podolski - 5
Ramsey - 7

 

[musicmonkey]

Mannone - 6 - Couple of fairly important saves, parried all away from danger but poor from the corner and it cost us. Still don't fancy him for no.1 but i've seen some fairly extreme ratings so far and Szczesny has done similar and gained similar rating last season, would be unreasonable or even "knee jerking" to give him lower.

Jenks - 8 - Brilliant, if we'd gambled on a couple of his crosses we'd have won and was also very solid at the back. He's such an athletic player and seemed to find an extra yard, reminds me very much of a Lb in my Sunday team in that he gets the best out of himself through his enthusiasm. Aguero slipped in from between him and Merte once but that was it, no shame in that either tbh since he's a tricky player.

Mert - 8 - Some very valuable interceptions, the fans i were with in the pub put it down to poor City passing but it was clear his positioning showed through today.

Kos - 7 - Fairly solid, think he could have done more for the corner, good goal though.

Gibbs - 6 Fairly good but lacked a little end product, reasonably tidy at the back but went missing every now and then.

Diaby - 5 - Didn't do too much, had one of his off days, some good tackles but couldn't weave out of situations like he had before.

Arteta - 6 - Didn't give the best performance that he has defensively but offered more going forward than normal. I hope we see him combine both this season.

Ramsey - 7 - Good but tired later on, he ran his bollocks off, played some nice passes, slipped in a few players and didn't lose the ball too often. Everything i'd ask of him at RM. The midfield trio of him, Cazorla and Arteta looked really good when used though, a very good pace to play with those three, shame the attackers went to pots.

Cazorla - 7 - Dictated play in our midfield for most of the match, can only recall one miss placed pass. (I've also only just realised he spitting image of Adam Sandler )

Gervinho - 5 - Beat his man on a few occasions but wasted chances, not the first Arsenal player to have this and i'm surprised by the reaction.

Podolski - 6 - Tidy again, few chances for him but it's tough to fault his deeper play. I think he'll only come into his own against teams out of the top four where he has more free reign.

Walcott - 5 - Didn't do too much, he's improved on his runs recently i feel taking on a multiple players but the end product is lacking and even the simplest of passes are going stray.

Giroud - N/A or a 6 - Held the ball up reasonably, didn't really have the time or got the ball enough to make a difference.

 

[giuliob]

Mannone - 5

Jenkinson - 7.5 A pleasure to see him grow from game to game...Today against top football team...
Mertesacker - 8 His reading of the game is outstanding, although was a bit shaky at getting rid of the ball...
Koschielny - 7.5 The goal, his pace and vision contributed to an excellent game...
Gibbs - 7 Both fullbacks grow before our eyes...

Arteta - 7 Patient, no panic, sets the tone...
Diaby - 6.5 A lot to work on though improving...
Cazorla - 7 Tired in the 2nd half, but shows his great class...

Gervinho - 6 This is a hard one...He works so hard, and yet wasted so many scoring opportunities...Use your brain, man....
Podolski - 4 Anonymous
Ramsey - 7 Another pleasant performance from a young'un...He showed hunger, determination, can pass, and what an engine...

 

[Wouterus]

Mannone - 5

Jenkinson - 8
Mertesacker - 7
Koscielny - 7
Gibbs - 6.5

Arteta - 6.5
Diaby - 6
Cazorla - 8

Podolski - 5
Gervinho - 4
Ramsey - 7.5

 

[Taylor Gang Gunners]

Mannone - 5, made some good saves. But went flapping on the corner which kind of gifted them the opener.

Jenkinson - 8, wonderful performance from the ever improving CJ. Never stopped running, showed outstanding pace and acceleration, and is probably the best crosser in our squad. Owned Sinclair too

Mertesacker - 9, fully deserved his MOTM award. Made so many key interceptions I lost count. His positioning and decision making is top notch, as is his composure. He's starting to become a mainstay in our starting line up and deservedly so.

Koscielny - 7, you'd think he has been playing all season with his display. Picked up where he left off from last season, snuffed out danger whenever he could, bar the end where his clearance fell right to Kolarov who thankfully fluffed it. Drilled home the equaliser too, such a satisfying site seeing Joe Hart at full stretch with no chance.

Gibbs - 6, improving with each game, he needs to improve his crossing though, once he learns to ping in a decent ball he'll rival Baines and Cole for the England lb spot, of that I'm sure.

Arteta - 7, our new Mr. Consistent. He's doing a fantastic job in front of our defence, misplaced one or two passes today which was unlike him but for the majority of the match he was brilliant. Linked up well with Diaby and Cazorla too.

Diaby - 5, bit of a mixed bag from him today, made one or two good driving runs but also lost possession due to dwelling on the ball. Still, he's a great midfield option to have and I'm looking forward to his contribution over the season if he remains fit.

Cazorla - 7, what more can be said about this guy? His technique is among the best I've ever seen grace the Premier League. His close control and vision is just something else. World class talent.

Podolski - 4, did try, not his best game though I'm afraid. Missed wildly with his right foot in the first half. Still, he's getting in good positions and is so passionate about his football, quality acquisition. Came of in the second half because of tiredness I think, league cup coming up so he'll be getting a good rest before Chelski.

Gervinho - 5, again another mixed bag. Has an exceptional work rate and attitude, but his technique occasionally lets him down. He never stops moving though, and he's always a danger for the opposition, if he had his shooting boots on today we might have won comfortably.

Ramsey - 7, slowly getting back to the Rambo I knew he would be. Made a dangerous pass near the end but aside from that he was brilliant, didn't know he was quite so good at taking players on! Wouldn't mind him dominating Coventry midweek to aid his process of regaining form. He can be a top player.

Giroud - 5, hassled City's back line when he came on. This guy will come good. He's a must start for Chelski IMO.

Walcott - 4, didn't produce a lot.

Coquelin - N/A, Didn't get enough time.

 

[RandomHero84]

Some harsh ratings today. We were away vs the champions.

Except gervinho....terrible.

 

[FinnGooner]

People over-reacting to Mannone's mistake. Even if he hadn't gone for the ball Lascott was given a free header between our defenders and he couldn't have saved it had he stayed on the goal line. It was a mistake but not a blatant one.

Otherwise some decent ratings. I think the most positive outcome is that we can actually be a bit disappointed with a draw at City.

Mertesacker MOTM. Absolutely stunning display. We truly have a positive problem in our hands when selecting the starting CB pair!

 

[Buhry]

Mannone: 4 - poor on their goal. made some decent saves but also gave some dangerous rebounds. Looks shaky whenever he plays really.

Gibbs: 7 - Great in defence overall, but I believe he gave away a cheap corner for their goal and his crossing was poor.

Per: 8 - Great performance, very composed and solid.

Kos: 7 - Great goal, nearly gifted Aguero at the end though and gave away a few easy passes.

Jenkinson: 8,5 - our man of the match with Mertesacker for me. Great defending, did well in posession, and even had a few cheeky turns and 2 bombing forward runs. Well done!

Diaby: 6 - Broke up play at times and had a few bright moments but also gave away the ball too much.

Arteta: 7 - I thought he was solid, especially in the first half. Team as a whole was rather poor in the 2nd.

Cazorla: 7 - Good in the first half, faded in the 2nd.

Rambo: 7.5 - I thought he had a good game. Great pass for gerv in the first half, kept posession well and had a lot of good touches. Best I've seen from him in a long time.

Gervinho: 4 - infuriating. Got into scoring positions but he had a lot of poor touches and shots, also the way he puts his head down and tries to just dribble through the whole defence without looking up is annoying.

Podolski: 6 - Anonymous, decent in posession.

Walcott - 3 - clumsy dribbling and one horrendous cross

Giroud: 6 - Won quite a few headers and should have gotten the ball from gerv at the end.

 

[dysphoria]

Mannone - 6

Could and should have done better for their goal, that said, he definitely kept us in the game with the sharp save from kompany's bicycle kick attempt.


Jenkinson - 8

My MOTM simply because of how much confidence and physical ability he showed today, did anyone else see that beautiful bit of skill he executed against silva in the first half, the quick turn with the ball? Also, you wouldn't think it by looking at him but he's got very good pace and stamina to back it up with, kept sinclair quiet in the first half and proceeded to do the same against silva for the 2nd. Granted, one could say both opposition players in question are not in any vein of good form but then again, when you consider how much and how fast jenkinson has improved in such a short period of time, you cannot help but be proud of the lad.
I'm going to admit that i was one of his doubters and he's definitely put in some performances of late to reinforce the fact that is what wenger knows > what we all know(me included). That bursting run in the final minutes of the game he made where he gave garcia no choice but to bring him down really surprised me because by then, almost all our players looked off the pace but Corporal Jenkinson showed a turn of pace and stamina that he previously didn't look to have.


Mertesacker - 8

He's essentially become the figurehead of our defence and for me, our most important defender because in all senses of the position, he is the most 'intelligent' defender we have. Relies on his vision and reading of the game which will work very well under our new set up because we're now defending better as a cohesive unit, less 'reactionary' as we take more steps to take up better positions when we do not have the ball and stay solid. He plays a very important part by organizing it from the back, forwards, love the fact that he's also now started bollocking the players around him when he sees fit.


Koscielny - 6

Although he scored our winner, i think he wasn't as good defensive as he can be and has been, despite mannone's flap, should've taken more responsibility in making the clearance which ultimately led to their goal. Maybe he was blind sighted by mannone's attempt at coming out and flapping, either way, you have to say, between him and podolski taking that zone, they should've done better. Also, his poor clearance after mannone's snap save almost cost us a second because he did not get a proper connection with the ball to hoof it out properly, still, it goes a far way when you can bring in a CB of koscielny's quality. Was quite lucky not to have conceded a pen against aguero, quite a clumsy tackle that definitely would have brought a penalty had augero gone down, kudos on him for being honest *hint hint at manure *****. Very good finish for our goal, 2 joe harts would not have saved that given the power he put into the shot.


Gibbs - 6

Has to take some of the blame in giving away the corner for their goal, was unnecessary and completely avoidable but i love the understanding he's clearly built up with podolski in such a short time. If anything, it reminds me of the partnership podolski has with lahm for Ze Germans where podolski will drop back when necessary and allow lahm to venture forwards, granted, gibbs has to work on his final ball but because of his pace and willingness to venture forwards, we now have a more balanced left flank.


Cazorla - 7.5


I love watching him play, especially with arteta because of the quick passing they bring to the team, also, for all his excellent touches, willingness and ability to take a shot from distance and test the opposition GK which he did today, i think he doesn't get enough credit for the amount of ground he covers, he really works hard and puts the opposition under pressure with his pressing, at many points during the game, he was the player first to put city's team under pressure from the front when we didn't have the ball, i think he's due a goal from range sooner rather then later considering how well he pulls them off. The long passes he made today were superb, always looked to give us more width by spraying it out wide to the flanks. Looked tired towards the end but when you consider how well he's adapted to the pace of the league, you wonder why city themselves weren't in for him.


Arteta - 6


Didn't look quite as sharp and as tidy as we've seen him, perhaps some tiredness setting in but he definitely always manages to maintain positional discipline and is clearly our most 'experienced' player in midfield in the sense that he knows best when and how to draw and commit fouls when necessary, his passing was a tad wayward at times today which resulted in us giving away the ball unnecessarily but for me, he's a definite one of the players we NEED in midfield because he's essentially the 'mertesacker' of midfield in the sense that he directs, instructs and control the rhythm of our play from deep.



Diaby - 6


Was good in the first half but dropped a couple of notches in the second, he's clearly not 100% in terms of match fitness and sharpness but then again with diaby, you're never quite sure if he could ever be 100% because he'll need to play consistently. He does however appear to be stronger and more disciplined with the positions he takes, what i really liked was when he dropped deeper to provide cover for our fullbacks on the flanks, he kept communicating with the defender behind him, pointing and shouting at his defender on where to cover. Also, when the space opens up for him as it did in the first half and he proceeded to go on a run, that's when he's most dangerous because it provides the rest of our lot with space to run into. Must improve on releasing the ball quicker at times when there is obviously no space to play out of, he lost it twice against montpellier, deep in our defensive half and then 1 against city today when he was surrounded by 3 opposition players.


Ramsey - 7.5

Definitely one of his best games for us in a long time, he showed great energy levels and took players on with pace and tenacity. There was one bit in the ending stages of the game where he did a 'yaya toure' against city and took most of their midfield on and burst through with a powerful run, that through pass for gervinho was perfect, he did delay with his passes a few times in the first half but considering this is his first start of the season against a midfield of city's quality, i hope he continues to build on this form, God knows the likes of him and diaby deserve a huge bout of luck.


Podolski - 6

Was not as influential in attack as we've seen him to be, clearly not as sharp and looked to be a little flat, tired even. Definitely switched well with gibbs to allow the latter to venture forwards more but i think zabeleta did well in keeping podolski quiet today. As i mentioned with koscielny, between both of them, they should've cleared the corner.


Gervinho - 5


I've noticed that how gervinho will preform in a game can be quite accurately predicted within the first 15 minutes, if he looks jumpy and has generally poor start to the game, he seems to carry that nervousness and mental barrier throughout the game, basically, the moment he messed up the touch from ramsey's excellent pass, i knew it'd be 'one of those' performances from him, his movement and pace are very hard to deal with but he seems to have very little composure when it comes towards the end of a possible chance. If anything, the chance he wasted late on was just as bad because he had more time and space to pick out a corner of the goal to aim at, i feel he's not the kind of player who will easily be able to replicate good form from game to game because he does not seem to have the mental fortitude to build on from previous games, he also made some poor decisions today when he could have released the ball quickly but instead chose to try to turn his marker. Against weaker teams, he will find more joy because they will allow him more time and will probably be allowed to exploit more space in midfield but i do not think he can be relied upon, week in week out to deliver if he's selected to be our main attacking option through the middle.



All in all, it was a good point when you consider our opponents and that we were playing away from home after a tough midweek UCL game, we probably should have taken podolski off in midweek to give him more of a rest in liew of this game, still, when when you consider the chances gervinho and aguero failed to take, i'm happy with the point. 5 games in, 2 goals conceded primarily because of GK mistakes is a mixed bag, our defense and overall defensive work we execute as a team is so much better now but both our goal keepers need to buck up.

 

[iced22]

Mannone - 4

pathetic excuse of a keeper, let alone a backup in a top 4 club.

Jenkinson - 7.5

His best performance for us. Good defending, great commitment, some nice runs forward, and didn't lose the ball stupidly.

Mertesacker - 8

As usual, very steady at the back. The type of player who you only really notice if you pay a lot of attention, but few do his job better.

Koscielny - 7

Some good moments, some bad ones. Some rust is understandable since it's his first start, but hasn't done enough to dislodge Mertesacker and Vermaelen yet.

Gibbs - 7

Very good defensively other than giving away the corner, but did little offensively.

Diaby - 5.5

Little input going forward in the first half but made some good tackles, but went into brainless mode in the second half.

Arteta - 6

Surprisingly invisible on both ends.

Cazorla - 6.5

Much less input than we're used to seeing from him, but still managed to create the odd chance.

Podolski - 5.5

As usual, struggled against teams that sit deep and pack the middle. At least he tracks back.

Ramsey - 7

Great energy and some good passes and runs. I'd have him over Diaby in midfield next week, playing midfielders up front and out wide is just ridiculous and completely detrimental to our system.

Gervinho - 5

Off day with the ball, but still some solid movement and work rate.

 

[Yaya]

Mannone-5
Jenkinson-7
Mertesacker-8
Kos-6.5
Gibbs-5.5
Arteta-6
Diaby-5
Cazorla-6.5
Ramsey-7.5
Podolski-5
Gervinho-5

 

[USArsenal]

i think some of you are being absolutely f*ing ridiculous with your ratings of 1's and 2's for Gervinho. yeah, he missed 2 golden chances, but he worked his a** off, made a bunch of great runs and was generally positive. he was average overall for the good and bad that he did.. that would at least give him a 5..

 

[TheLoneFalcon]

Mannone - 5
Jenkinson - 8
BFG - 8
Koscielny - 7
Gibbs - 6
Arteta - 7
Diaby - 6
Cazorla - 7
Ramsey - 7
Podolski - 5
Gervinho - 5