Player Ratings - LC: Tottenham vs Arsenal | 24/01/07

[Jameel46]

I'm going to ignore Sabre from now on.

have you not started to already? :wink: , anyway Walcott can only improve, and Denilson looks like another great wenger find, still keeping my fingers crosed for Walcott's first goal to be against totts

 

[YuenBiaoFan]

He loses posession way too much, nearly as much as Song

Now don't get me started dude :evil:

 

[sabret00the]

The attitude of many on here is getting really annoying, Not just in this thread but in general. Such as slating Walcott and considering him a waste of money, he's 17 FFS a boy in football terms. And Baptista, he scores goals, that's enough but still there are those who want him gone for one reason or the other. Seriously a lot of you must have really sad lives.

As this was clearly directed at me, or at least seems to be i'll answer the points you raised.

First off, Walcott... please know a joke when you see it. he's had some brilliant moments in his short career here but today and in the last game he's had real nightmares. there is a genuine concern for his ability at the moment, not because of the fact that he's young, but because of the fact he's looked better against a lot better opposition. he seems to be trying to do too much at the moment and it's not coming off for him. unluckily for him, he's deployed on the wing in a fashion where it's hard for him to get back to basics in order to build up his confidence so yes, total nightmare.

Baptista is a good player but he doesn't have the attributes required to fit our style. I've slated van Persie for similar performances though sadly none as bad in order to prove my impartiality but to be honest, bar Baptista's goal's he had a nightmare. some of the thing he was trying to do were cringe worthy an yes i stand by my statement that i don't want him next year. for a player of his status and 'calibre' a performance like that is just not acceptable. this is s striker who moved for £24m pounds and had a £12m price tag on his head at the start of the season. I'm sorry but two goals and a dire performance neither justify man of the match or an extended stay. how you can suggest otherwise is beyond me.

 

[Gunner4Eva]

Manuel Almunia - 7
Was at fault in my mind for the first Tottenham, but made some good saves to keep Tottenahm from ending the tie in the first half. His save in the second was top notch. No chance for the second goal.

Justin Hoyte - 8
Was solid on the right and made a sensational run to set up the equaliser. Is really getting more confidence the more he plays and isn't afraid to make some runs.

Kolo Toure - 7
Looked a bit shakey in the first half, but was solid in the second. Snuffed out numerous attempts for the through ball from Tottenham, but a fair few were horrid passes.

Phillipe Senderos - 7
Like Toure, looked shakey in the first half. Seems to continue with his 'one serious blunder' per game, almost gifting Tottenham a goal with his erratic miskick.Grew some balls at half-time though, and played much like we want him to in the 2nd.

Armand Traore - 6
Had the task of trying to keep Aaron Lennon quiet, but was unable to do it. He is only 17 though, so I'm glad he got this experience because he will learn from it. He's not the only left back who has been outdone by Lennon.

Theo Walcott - 5
Really did look a mess on the right hand side. Seemed very unconfident on the right hand side, and never really put any pressure on Ekotto, who Ljungberg absolutely demolished earlier in the season. Improved when he was moved up front with Baptista.

Cesc Fabregas - 8
Really did take control in the second half. Did a top job in tracking back and making tackles, winning 50/50's and setting up plays. The influence he exudes on the pitch is enormous.

Denilson - 7
I really like the look of Denilson. Started a bit slowly, but so did the entire team, but really got into later on in the game. He seems very calm on the ball, and in my mind, has a future at this team more so than Song and Flamini. Definately was not a foul for Tottenham's second goal.

Abou Diaby - 6
Interesting to see him playing on the left, obviously he was out of position. Did give up the ball a lot with errant passes, but you could possibly put that down to his long absence. Showed he has a lot to offer with some of the runs he made, just needs to get back intune with the team.

Jeremie Aliadiere - 6
Wasn't able to do much in this game. First half, along with everyone else, didn't do much. Although he did almost set up Cesc for a goal with a neat run. Held the ball up nicely on a few occassions also. Disappointed to see him injured, but would we have made the comeback with him still on, leaving Eboue on the bench?

Julio Baptista - 7
Disappointing first half, but was solid in the second. Ran at defenders, used his bulk to hold up play and used his strength to bully his way ahead of Dawson for the second goal. Needs to be a bigger threat through-out the entire game, but would like to see him playing more now that van Persie is injured.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Aliaksandr Hleb - 9
Changed the game when he came on. Ran at the defenders continuously, moved the ball all over our final third and helped link up a few 1 - 2's. Absolutely gutted he got injured.

Emmanuel Eboue - 8
Along with Hleb, changed the match entirely. Ran at Ekotto and out-did him numerous times. Helped set up the 1st goal, and never felt out of place. Seemed to enjoy it more knowing he didn't have to worry as much about his defensive duties. Hope his injury is not too seriious.

Mathieu Flamini -
Can't really make any judgement on his performance. I was out of it too much to realise he was playing.

 

[sabret00the]

Diaby was hardly shocking. He had a couple of decent touches on the ball. Granted he looked off the pace, but the lad has been injured for almost a year ffs!

His decision making was fairly poor, but over time I'm sure he'll be a great midfielder. He was also being played out of position, so you can't really blame him.

How can you expect a midfielder like him to impress on the wings?

I'm giving him the benefit of the the doubt because he was out for s long and out of position tonight but his passings was that bad before he got injured and I'd be surprised if its any better by the end of the season.

Good dribbler though

I think we're all giving him the benefit of the doubt right now. he's going to need till the end of the season to even get to a point where he can prove whether or not we should persist with him. however Wenger is showing faith in him by starting him in games like this and on the wing enables us to fasttrack his progress while not putting him in harms way. he has a very long way to go and when you take all that into consideration, it's a shame you have to judge him by the standards of a professional but alas, this is a rating thread whether people want to throw their toys out the pram in disagreement or not.

 

[Lev]

Almunia - 7. At fault along with Kolo for the 1st goal, but made a great save against Defoe, and did well during corners.

Hoyte - 8. Great game...running constantly, working hard, tackling well, and a great run and assist for the 2nd goal

Senderos - 6.5 Did well 2nd half, looked a bit dodgy first half

Toure - 6.5. At fault with Almunia for Yids 1st goal, but made some good foward runs, and defended generally well

Traore - 6. Still young, and got a good lesson from Lennon today. But he worked very hard, and made good foward runs, even if his final ball wasnt what was expected

Walcott - 5. We know he can do better. Couldnt really get into the game for some reason,

Cesc - 9. Class act......and still 19. Very difficult to believe. Controlled the game from the middle

Denilson - 7.5. A promising game. Good passing, worked hard, and did his job well.

Diaby - 6. Did well considering being out for 9 months. Worked hard, and tired towards his substitution, understandably

Baptista - 7. Just for the goals. Average game, but did well compared to games prior to Anfield. Couldnt do anything about the own goal.

Aliadiere - 6. Put the effort in, but Sp**s defenders matched him.

Hleb - 7.5. Could say he changed the game, along with Eboue. Disappointed to see him go off injured

Eboue - 8. Did brilliantly, took on his man well, showed good touches, and created chances. A pretty good RM, ey.

Flamini - 6. Not enough time to make any impact, so a standard 6.

 

[Mbaki Mutahaba]

Baptista is a good player but he doesn't have the attributes required to fit our style. I've slated van Persie for similar performances though sadly none as bad in order to prove my impartiality but to be honest,

So did you slate RvP because of his poor game or to prove you are not partial? Either way i pretty much guarantee your attempt to prove your impartially failed. Dont ever ever remember you slating your king.

 

[sabret00the]

Baptista is a good player but he doesn't have the attributes required to fit our style. I've slated van Persie for similar performances though sadly none as bad in order to prove my impartiality but to be honest,

So did you slate RvP because of his poor game or to prove you are not partial? Either way i pretty much guarantee your attempt to prove ur impartially failed. Don't ever ever remember u slating your king.

King? he's had **** games and i've stated so. my point was i've done so and if need be go back and check rating threads. i will never rate a striker based on goal tally, rating threads about performances and to say that Baptista's today was anything other than atrocious is a joke. but then this is arsneal-mania where players get 9's and 10's for running and not doing much else for 90 minutes. Baptista worked hard today but nothing came off for him other than the three goals. It's sad but it's true. Would i have taken a wonderful performance over his goals? NO. but i won't step in a thread and lie because a few wanna be aficionado's and sycophants get carried away with scoreline's, i'm sorry.

 

[ronitc]

You have to factor in the fact that part of a striker's performance is judged on goals. I don't think I could rate a striker lower than 7 or 8 if he got a hat trick, unless of course he also scored 3 own goals.

 

[sabret00the]

You have to factor in the fact that part of a striker's performance is judged on goals. I don't think I could rate a striker lower than 7 or 8 if he got a hat trick, unless of course he also scored 3 own goals.

You have a point, but so many sloppy passes and lost possession, i really can't rate him higher than six. i admit that if someone never gave him a low rating first i wouldn't have had the confidence to give him the rating i felt he truly deserved but i felt his performance was what i rated him. I fully admit that i'm spoilt as an Arsenal fans and up and down the country many others rate based on goals/assists because that's all they have.

personally i'd like baptista to stay in the league next season, just not with us so i do hope he improves.

 

[Christofaux]

I turned the TV on and Sp**s were up 2 - 0 i think it was around the 30th minute or a little bit earlier... cant really remember but heres my ratings from what i saw

Almunia - 6 didnt seem in control at the back, example lennons pass that went across the front of goal he looked rather lucky baptista wasnt there to tap it in

Hoyte - 7 Looked solid and offered some going forward

Toure - 6 Got beaten a couple of times.

Senderos - 7 Looked solid, only mistake i saw was when he went partially to ground in the box.

Toure and Senderos partnership - 8 They seem to be helping each other out alot more then they used to. Communication seems to be there. Is great defence to watch when they are on song.

Traore - 6 Came forward alot, hes no Gael Clichy, needs to improve his Lennon defending skills

Diaby - 5 Didnt seem to offer much looked fairly sloppy on the ball.

Denilson - 8 This guy looked good, as someone said the volley had perfect technique, he was great coming forward and then good sheilding at the back.

Fabregas - 7 he played well, a few loose passes but he was the pivot as always, had a couple of nice shots. Looks like hes looking for the goals now as he said he wants to do.

Walcott - 5 Didnt play well through the first period of me watching. Looked slightly more dangerous in the second half.

Aliadiere - 6 Didnt do alot wrong... but didnt do alot at all. I think he was building as the game went on though and the injury put a stop to that.

Baptista - 7 Good brace. Did well to stay on his feet for the first goal and then a freddyesk right time right place second. Should of had a hat trick though. First half offered little.

Hleb - 7 Changed hte game, when he came on he gave Arsenal the experienced attacking runs that were needed. Just one run he ran to the outside when he should of cut inside for the fabregas 1-2

Eboue - 7 Great going forward, looks like a decent right midfielder against the weaker teams.

Flamini - 6 flamini took away what hleb was giving us. He would pass and then move into a more defensive position as apposed to Hleb who would pass then look for an attacking gap. Did his job well but to fill the gaps.


Poll - 0 - Muppet.

 

[Mbaki Mutahaba]

Baptista is a good player but he doesn't have the attributes required to fit our style. I've slated van Persie for similar performances though sadly none as bad in order to prove my impartiality but to be honest,

So did you slate RvP because of his poor game or to prove you are not partial? Either way i pretty much guarantee your attempt to prove ur impartially failed. Don't ever ever remember u slating your king.

King? he's had s**t games and i've stated so. my point was i've done so and if need be go back and check rating threads. i will never rate a striker based on goal tally, rating threads about performances and to say that Baptista's today was anything other than atrocious is a joke. but then this is arsneal-mania where players get 9's and 10's for running and not doing much else for 90 minutes. Baptista worked hard today but nothing came off for him other than the three goals. It's sad but it's true. Would i have taken a wonderful performance over his goals? NO. but i won't step in a thread and lie because a few wanna be aficionado's and sycophants get carried away with scoreline's, i'm sorry.

The thing is I agree with you demanding more than just goals from our strikers. But what i miss is RvP main asset is goals. He really hasnt done too much outside scoring goals..this season there was a marked improvement but still..his main asset still remains the ability to score goals. But you die by his name. Baptista worked hard today..put more effort than what you usually get from Henry and RvP. And he got the goals. So how do you call that atrocious? It wasnt that good but certainly not atrocious.

 

[ronitc]

they might not have been gems like most of cesc's but van persie is still second on our assist charts so your post is flawed.

 

[sabret00the]

Baptista is a good player but he doesn't have the attributes required to fit our style. I've slated van Persie for similar performances though sadly none as bad in order to prove my impartiality but to be honest,

So did you slate RvP because of his poor game or to prove you are not partial? Either way i pretty much guarantee your attempt to prove ur impartially failed. Don't ever ever remember u slating your king.

King? he's had s**t games and i've stated so. my point was i've done so and if need be go back and check rating threads. i will never rate a striker based on goal tally, rating threads about performances and to say that Baptista's today was anything other than atrocious is a joke. but then this is arsneal-mania where players get 9's and 10's for running and not doing much else for 90 minutes. Baptista worked hard today but nothing came off for him other than the three goals. It's sad but it's true. Would i have taken a wonderful performance over his goals? NO. but i won't step in a thread and lie because a few wanna be aficionado's and sycophants get carried away with scoreline's, i'm sorry.

The thing is I agree with you demanding more than just goals from our strikers. But what i miss is RvP main asset is goals. He really hasnt done too much outside scoring goals..this season there was a marked improvement but still..his main asset still remains the ability to score goals. But you die by his name. Baptista worked hard today..put more effort than what you usually get from Henry and RvP. And he got the goals. So how do you call that atrocious? It wasnt that good but certainly not atrocious.

Rontic makes a fantastic point but i get where you're coming from. however i disagree. Robin tends to drop deep and link up play as gilberto tends to drop deep, he's not great at imposing himself on the game in the respect that you can't not take your eye off him, but he tends to have games where he's an unsung hero. he doesn't make devastating passes when he drops deep just simple passes which often go unnoticed, often facilitating Cesc's runs or Hleb's runs. He tends to provide the movement of the extra man in midfield and tracks back well. I still think he can do better and become more of a goal threat but he's improving from game to game. If you look at van Persie's game, the biggest criticism he gets is sloppy passing, that isn't because he's on the peripheral of the game but because he see's so much of the ball in the middle third. He's still not the player i want him to be though, which is a constant goal threat over 90 minutes which would require him to stop linking up play so much, which is impossible with Gilberto dropping so deep constantly so i guess i'll have to get used to it.

 

[Mbaki Mutahaba]

they might not have been gems like most of cesc's but van persie is still second on our assist charts so your post is flawed.

Like i said he has improved greatly this year..but the sabre's been singing RvP songs since last season or before. And i still believe he will become a real big time player but for Arsenal, he still has a distance to go especially in regard s to being constantly involved in the game. Am not just talking about assists by the way..but just overall involvment in the game...hope you get my point.

 

[Mr. Hotshot]

Almunia: 6 - Some good some bad but he should've been more vocal and comanding.
Hoyte: 7 - Marked his opponent very well and was never caught ballwatching. Solid performance
Toure: 6.5 - Very strong but yeah, was caught beaten quite a few times especially that tw@t Defoe.
Senderos: 7 - Blocked any shot there was and never gave the opponent any space. Should've done better to deal with the cross but meh, he dealt with Lennon and Defoe very good.
Traore: 5.5 - Struggled to cope with Lennon's pace but did enough to not let opponents exploit the left side.
Walcott: 5.5 - sigh, dissapointing. Really should've done better with his decision making and should've scored from that volley. But I'll gring him a break, he's only 17 and inexperienced.
Fabregas: 7.5 - We could've struggle had he not played because the creativity from midfield only came from him before the introduction of Hleb and Eboue.
Denilson: 7 - Survived 93 minutes without getting bullied whatsoever. Didn't made too many mistakes either.
Diaby: 4 - Ok I'll give him a break too because it ain't easy trying to settle in the english game after being out so long with injury. For a guy who just recovered from a broken leg and hasn't played much proffesional football, he was ok. But didn't look fit
Ali: 4.5 - His back to his usual self again. btw, what's a dead leg?
Baptista: 7 - Apart from the own goal, he was brilliant. Very strong on the ball and made those brilliant runs into the box that led to him scoring the two goals. Definitely a beast
Hleb: 6.5 - Was a breath of fresh air and rejuvenated he team. It was not until him and Eboue's introduction that we really played the beautiful football that we're renown for.
Eboue: 7 - Made Sp**s look crap with those dazzling runs and brilliant 1 touch football.
Flamini: 5.5 - Brought back the dead and we played normal football again.

 

[Mbaki Mutahaba]

Baptista is a good player but he doesn't have the attributes required to fit our style. I've slated van Persie for similar performances though sadly none as bad in order to prove my impartiality but to be honest,

So did you slate RvP because of his poor game or to prove you are not partial? Either way i pretty much guarantee your attempt to prove ur impartially failed. Don't ever ever remember u slating your king.

King? he's had s**t games and i've stated so. my point was i've done so and if need be go back and check rating threads. i will never rate a striker based on goal tally, rating threads about performances and to say that Baptista's today was anything other than atrocious is a joke. but then this is arsneal-mania where players get 9's and 10's for running and not doing much else for 90 minutes. Baptista worked hard today but nothing came off for him other than the three goals. It's sad but it's true. Would i have taken a wonderful performance over his goals? NO. but i won't step in a thread and lie because a few wanna be aficionado's and sycophants get carried away with scoreline's, i'm sorry.

The thing is I agree with you demanding more than just goals from our strikers. But what i miss is RvP main asset is goals. He really hasnt done too much outside scoring goals..this season there was a marked improvement but still..his main asset still remains the ability to score goals. But you die by his name. Baptista worked hard today..put more effort than what you usually get from Henry and RvP. And he got the goals. So how do you call that atrocious? It wasnt that good but certainly not atrocious.

Rontic makes a fantastic point but i get where you're coming from. however i disagree. Robin tends to drop deep and link up play as gilberto tends to drop deep, he's not great at imposing himself on the game in the respect that you can't not take your eye off him, but he tends to have games where he's an unsung hero. he doesn't make devastating passes when he drops deep just simple passes which often go unnoticed, often facilitating Cesc's runs or Hleb's runs. He tends to provide the movement of the extra man in midfield and tracks back well. I still think he can do better and become more of a goal threat but he's improving from game to game. If you look at van Persie's game, the biggest criticism he gets is sloppy passing, that isn't because he's on the peripheral of the game but because he see's so much of the ball in the middle third. He's still not the player i want him to be though, which is a constant goal threat over 90 minutes which would require him to stop linking up play so much, which is impossible with Gilberto dropping so deep constantly so i guess i'll have to get used to it.

Unfortunately Yes you do have to get used to it cos it looks like his current coach, does want him to have that ability to drop and get involved and not just be a goal threat for 90 minutes which will restrict his movement even more.

 

[bojed]

Ali: 4.5 - His back to his usual self again. btw, what's a dead leg?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/s ... 131683.stm

a f*cking irritating pain in your leg and you might think your football career is over but as soon as you wake up the next morning, the pain's gone or reduced by a great amount. weird eh?

i've got it once when i played 5-aside footie and hell i thought i was destined to be crippled for life. the next morning everything was fresh and good. ice packs and kool aid are good friends no sh*t

 

[Gryphon]

i dont get the walcott, diaby complaints here. this is only the 2nd time hes ****ed up and some of you are calling for his head, hes only 17 you know :roll: agreed he was the worst player for boyh sides but come on have you forgotten the times hes changed games for us
as for diaby - smith should be flogged not poor abou, it was diabys creativity that let him down but its good to see him play

 

[1970*Gooner]

almunia - 6.5 had one great save and had a decent game.

hoyte - 7. Good solid game, great assist to baptista.

senderos - 6. 5 Not a bad game played better in the second half.

toure - 7. solid, but dropped a clanger with the goal in the first half.

traore - 5,5. ok, ish but has a lot to learn defensively, had a big problem with lennon.

walcott - 5.5. very, disappointing.

cesc - 9. decent first half and a very good second half thank god he was playing..

denilson - 7,5. played well throughout, impressed with this guy..

diaby - 6. had not played for a while and showed, not his best position,some nice nice touches, but a lot of sloppy passing at times.

baptista - 7.5. very poor game first half better in the second half, the beast is starting to get his bearings.

aliadiere - 6. He worked hard and linked up well but no great danger.

hleb - 8. Glad he came on he changed the game for us.

eboue - 8. played well until he got injured no theatricals from him which was refreshing.