Player Ratings - PL: Blackburn Rovers vs Arsenal | 19/08/07

[Gurgen]

Jens - 5
Sagna - 8
Toure - 7
Gallas - 7
Clichy - 6
Walcott - 5
Fabregas - 6
Flamini - 6
Hleb - 6
Eduardo - 6
Van Persie - 7

Subs:

Phil - 7
Denilson - 6
Nick - N/A

 

[qs]

Lehmann - 5 he was good for the most part but when you're a keeper letting in a goal like that negates the rest of your game. Shocking stuff, needs a good slap.

Clichy - 6 Poor game by his standards. Sloppy getting out of defence and he struggled to stop crosses.


Toure - 8 What did he do wrong? Not much that i saw, good game from him.

Senderos - 8 settled after about 5 mins and looked good and solid, got on the end of a couple of set pieces but was unlucky.

Sagna - 8 best defender we had, I've been impressed with him in every game and he has great composure, never let Blackburn wind him up.

Hleb - 5 not great, came in and out of the game. Blackburn unsettled him and Wiley never protected him. That ruined his game so he was pretty ineffectual.


Fabregas - 8 Fought hard and made some nice passes. Was dominant in the frst half but constant fouls got to him a little. Again Wiley failed to protect him. Good showing though and I was impressed he didn't get sent off.

Flamini - 6 Fought hard but got a bit too carried away which ended up with him giving them frees and making life easier on them

Walcott - 6 Same old story, does well and then fails to deliver the final ball. He' so close to being amazing but yet comes in below par.

Eduardo - 6 Ran after the ball alot but never really looked dangerous.

van Persie - 6 Apart from teh goal he did **** all. Really got out of hand in his reactions.

 

[kamikaze80]

i'll more or less go with xcdudes ratings. flamini was too high up the pitch for me, would rather have fabregas there. walcott definitely impedes our midfield fluency a bit, as he panics and gets dispossessed when under pressure. for me, he's not ready yet, and every time he starts, we are potentially giving up points.

lehmann wouldve had a 7 but a 4 is fair for his mistake. sagna, eduardo and van persie were the only real bright spots today. senderos gets a nod too - its great having someone who can win a header. i dont think anyone else in the side won a header all day, and its definitely an advantage we concede.

 

[nazo]

Lehmann - 2.5
Clichy - 7
Toure - 7
Senderos - 7
Sagna - 8
Hleb - 6
Fabregas - 6
Flamini - 6
Walcott - 3
Eduardo - 6
van Persie - 7

I think that's very harsh. He completely did his man several times in the first half, and his early ball through to Eduardo should really have been made into more of a chance than it was.

His pass to RVP was terrible though, but I think he showed a whole lot more than a 3/10.

I don't think so. Maybe i was harsh on Hleb, Flamini and Cesc (i'm still mad at Lehmann :|) but Walcott was certainly horrible. No end product at all and a waste of space. He was just as bad as Eboue in the last game but maybe even worse. His runs make nothing and don't get me started on that horrible pass that would've gave us the win. His decision making is pathetic as well.

The only good thing he did the whole game was that early pass and that's it. I still hope he ups his game and plays better but till now he's been average at best.

I disagree - for starters, he created single that situation where he screwed his pass for RVP on his own anyway.

I don't think he looked too tidy on the outside, but cutting into the middle he looked like he was giving Blackburn a lot of problems. He was nowhere near as ineffective as Eboue was against Prague.

That chance was made by the stupidity of Warnock. He made a mistake and Theo ran off with the ball. When he went clear, he should've took a shot or took another touch and waited for Robin.

He isn't a winger that's for sure and that's why i'm being patient with him, but if Wenger thinks Theo is good enough cover after Hleb and Rosicky i'm disappointed. We lack depth in attacking positions and i hope Wenger realizes that.

 

[Kraig]

Lehmann - 4 - Back to his old ways. Piss poor mistake, can we afford for him to make anymore

Sagna - 9 - MOTM - Solid, assured performance. Has already cemented RB in my eyes. Tidy up play, strong in the air, quick on his feet and good geting forward and linking up. Top class!

Touré - 7 - Did his job. Nothing to write home about but just usual, understated Kolo

Senderos - 7 - As above. No usual big Phil moments

Clichy - 7 - Always looks a threat going forward and has cut out most of the defensive errors he was making last season. another good run out

Hleb - 8 - Our best midfielder today in my eyes. Great close control, probably the best in our team under pressure. Always looked a threat.

Cesc - 6 - Very quiet. Didnt really seem at the races today and hasnt in the first few games of the year. missing thierrys runs perhaps. hope to see him improve next weekend.

flamster - 7 - Loves getting stuck in these days and i like it. i think he is one of the players who didnt take kindly to being called a pushover and has so far this year been gritty, tenacious and carried that one today

theo - 6 - Im not one of the people jumping on the hate theo walcott band wagon. he looked sharp at times, made some very nice runs and the blackburn defense didnt quite know what to do with him most of the time. Decision making needs improving but that will come with games and isnt something you can learn in training. I think the signs look good

R.V.P - 8 - Nice to see him bag another goal (wishing id put him ion my dream team instead of edu) He draws defenders to him and frees up space for the others to get in the box. however, his petulance was very annoying and was lucky not to be sent off. Gets an 8 for the goal.

Eduardo - 7 - A good debut. Loved the fact that he was willing to get stuck in to aerial battles with much bigger and stronger defenders. he did well holding up the ball and almost nicked in a few times to grab what would have been a good debut goal for himself. I look forward to him getting fitter and a few more games under his belt. Looks good though so far

I rate our overall performance at a 7. Did well 1st half but flopped it in the 2nd.

The plus side is that this is the sort of game we would have lost last season and had it not been for Lemons blunder, we would have had all 3 points. there are signs of improvement on last year already if you ask me.

 

[dutchMasta]

Lehmann - 3
Clichy - 7
Toure - 7
Gallas - N/A
Sagna - 8
Hleb - 6
Fabregas - 6
Flamini - 6
Walcott - 5
Eduardo - 6
van Persie - 7

Senderos - 7
Denilson - 6
Bendtner - 6

We really need to cut out crosses and stop doing needless fouls in dangerous areas....

 

[Gurgen]

It's impossible to rate players for this match really. There was hardly any football.

 

[Lancelot]

Walcott - 3

I think that's very harsh. He completely did his man several times in the first half, and his early ball through to Eduardo should really have been made into more of a chance than it was.

His pass to RVP was terrible though, but I think he showed a whole lot more than a 3/10.

I don't think so. Maybe i was harsh on Hleb, Flamini and Cesc (i'm still mad at Lehmann :|) but Walcott was certainly horrible. No end product at all and a waste of space. He was just as bad as Eboue in the last game but maybe even worse. His runs make nothing and don't get me started on that horrible pass that would've gave us the win. His decision making is pathetic as well.

The only good thing he did the whole game was that early pass and that's it. I still hope he ups his game and plays better but till now he's been average at best.

I disagree - for starters, he created single that situation where he screwed his pass for RVP on his own anyway.

I don't think he looked too tidy on the outside, but cutting into the middle he looked like he was giving Blackburn a lot of problems. He was nowhere near as ineffective as Eboue was against Prague.

Wasn't he the one who started the move for our only goal by headed the ball towards the area between Friedel and Eduardo before Dudu charged in and, then with all the mis-kicks, the ball finally arrived in no-man's land just to be finish off by van Persie?

 

[nazo]

Yah it was him.

 

[asajoseph]

Walcott - 3

I think that's very harsh. He completely did his man several times in the first half, and his early ball through to Eduardo should really have been made into more of a chance than it was.

His pass to RVP was terrible though, but I think he showed a whole lot more than a 3/10.

I don't think so. Maybe i was harsh on Hleb, Flamini and Cesc (i'm still mad at Lehmann :|) but Walcott was certainly horrible. No end product at all and a waste of space. He was just as bad as Eboue in the last game but maybe even worse. His runs make nothing and don't get me started on that horrible pass that would've gave us the win. His decision making is pathetic as well.

The only good thing he did the whole game was that early pass and that's it. I still hope he ups his game and plays better but till now he's been average at best.

I disagree - for starters, he created single that situation where he screwed his pass for RVP on his own anyway.

I don't think he looked too tidy on the outside, but cutting into the middle he looked like he was giving Blackburn a lot of problems. He was nowhere near as ineffective as Eboue was against Prague.

Wasn't he the one who started the move for our only goal by headed the ball towards the area between Friedel and Eduardo before Dudu charged in and, then with all the mis-kicks, the ball finally arrived in no-man's land just to be finish off by van Persie?

Yes, that too.

For everything he did wrong, Theo was probably still involved in at least two or three of our best moves today. He's not Cristiano Ronaldo yet though, by no means.

 

[Timleaf]

I'm surprised that Toure hasn't got better ratings. Aside from one slight error when he went for the same header as Sagna I thought he was as solid as the proverbial.

 

[1970*Gooner]

Lehmann -4.
Sagna 8.5
Toure 7.5
Gallas ------
Clichy 6.5
Walcott 4.5
Cesc 6.5
Flamini 7
Hleb 7
Eduardo 6.5
Rvp 7

Subs
Senderos 7
Denilson 5
Bendtner 6

 

[giuliob]

I'm surprised that Toure hasn't got better ratings. Aside from one slight error when he went for the same header as Sagna I thought he was as solid as the proverbial.

I could be wrong (watching on a stream) but when the thugs scored, the thug went by denilson, toure, with ease....

 

[DC Gunner]

JENS "Barthez" 3, not to mention the howler, the ball that hit the post was due to his indecision as whether to come to the cross or not

Sgana 9, no major mistakes, runs fast, wins his headers, and does not give space.

Gallas 6 did not have to deal with much

Toure 6.5 he is getting into the habit of going forward more often than he needs to

Clichy 7, a couple of mistakes here and there but good game.

theo 6.5, good effort on the goal and on chasing the ball, his decision making still shows his inexperience

Flamini 7, chased around, tackled a lot, and did not make mistakes.

Cesc, 7, just solid but did not create many chances As I normally expect him

Hleb, 7, tried very hard, and tracked back defensively very well, the only thing is the chance @ the end where he should have shot instead of passing; STILL hate seeing him on the wings.

Eduardo 6, I know it is his first match, but this man is a hard worker,he really annoyed me with excessive fouling

RVp 7.5, good hustle for the goal and other few occasions, if he only keeps his head straight though.

---
Bendtner 6, did not contribute much, the only chance he had he wasted off target

Denilson 5, I did not see him do anything for about 20 minutes after coming in, a major disappearance act.

Senderos, 6.5 very good performance, I fault him for the header that hit the post, liked his attempts @ heading the ball on the attacking side.

 

[tactica442]

My rating based on my observation on the terrace:

Lehmann - 4 - Didn't command in the box. His performance got worse in the second half. His mistake cost the team two points.

Kolo - 6 - Solid.

Senderos - 6 - Dictated the last line of defense well.

Sagna - 7.5 - A right-back we've dreamed of.

Clichy - 5.5 - Defended well in the first half but sine then went downhill as the game continued.

Walcott - 5 - Very raw.

Cesc - 5.5 - Dissapointing second half. Didn't link up the left and the right. Too often the ball was in one side of the pitch, yet Cesc and Flamini didn't switch the ball to the otherside to probe BB's defense.

Flamini - 6.5 - Work very very hard. His sliding takcles were getting shaper as well.

Hleb - 5.5 - good control but his efficiency went wide along with his starting position.

RvP - 7 - He contributed what his position demand - to score.
Eduardo - 5.5 - tried hard. Unfairly booked and the ref blindly rewarded BB for BB's foul on Eduardo.

Sub:
Denilson - 5.5 - Couldn't hold the midfield together just by himself.
Bendnter - 5 - should've done better with that shot

Wenger - 5 - late substitution. The same line-up had played two full games this week. In the second half, the team's stamina obviously dropped continuingly as BB got the upper hand in the midfield. But AW brought Denilson in too late.

BTW, Theo made the same mistake when pressing Warnock two or three times. When closing down opposition LB, (1) run in a curve path (2) show a channel so the LB can only play the ball forward? Why Theo approached Warnock at full speed but still allowed Warnock cutting inside?

Referee - 1! Bloody hell, he was refereeing a football game, not a WWF wrestling.

 

[asajoseph]

Actually Tactica, I think that's quite a good observation - marks to Theo for trying to pressure Warnock, but he did do the same thing several times and Warnock took it past him each time.

That said, it only needs to go wrong once, and you've got a clear goalscoring chance - which is what happened today. Shame Theo fluffed it, really.

 

[kel varnsen]

Lehmann 5
Sagna 7,5
Toure 7
Gallas -
Clichy 6.5
Walcott 5,5
Cesc 7
Flamini 7
Hleb 6
Eduardo 6
Rvp 6

Senderos 6
[/b]

 

[Viper]

Walcott should've taken a shot instead of crossing it to Van Persie, which was a completely unexpected pass.

 

[asajoseph]

Walcott should've taken a shot instead of crossing it to Van Persie, which was a completely unexpected pass.

Not necessarily.

If RVP was making that run, he should have expected to receive the ball. Theo was in a good position to shoot, but still had the keeper to beat. A pass accross the box to RVP would have left an open goal, and the latter is arguably more straightforward.

Either way, it doesn't matter - he got it completely wrong.

 

[awooga83]

I don't think the decision was wrong but the execution was so bad, he could have waited and passed it with a little more control or just tried to drive it at goal and maybe the keeper would parry again.

He shows intelligence and gets into good positions but he fails at the crucial moment quite a bit now and he needs to get that right or the runs are worthless.