Player Ratings - PL: Tottenham vs Arsenal | 15/09/07

[vanpersiethegoldenboy]

Almunia...... 6 two mistakes that could have cost us a game BUT made an excellnt save in second half

Sagna......... 7 he actually he stuck to his job did pretty well some of his passes were good really was very good at his job
but his link up play with Hleb was abysmall

Toure ...........9 Kolo=God no doubt saved our match with a tackle that can help us win the title he is God or rather Tony Adams

Gilberto........6.5 Not a great perfomance was below par may be got jet lagged

Clichy...........7.5 was brilliant going forward and that Block was match saving turning point of the match

Hleb............. 7 was lively today i liked him good clever passes and runs and worked hard for team but wasnt damn effective

Flamini.........7 Did his job well nothing exceptional but worked hard as always

Cesc ............7.5 oho the Match winner nothing special except that strike didnt look fresh but that strike was sensational we have missed that quality in midfield even during the invivcibles days good pass to Ade for his second but didnt look in game during whole match

Diaby............6 Didnot a good game but was good making runs but his shooting ability needs to improve further and his decision making also has to improve

van Persie.. 6 very quiet match but whenever got involved looked to get opposition players away from team mates for eg he drew his defender with him to create space for Cesc's Goal

Adebayor..... 7 he was absoulutely brilliant
with his two goals but he also missed sitters is looking better prospect day by day has big big heart

Rosicky.........7.5 looked very lively added more confidence and stability to wings and worked very hard and gave a good assist

Denilson....... 6 very short time he came on looked good made a good run has lot of cleverness this boy as he matures he will show
...............and.......
Song................10!!!his mere sight sends shivers down the oppositions neck

 

[Soler]

Almunia: 6
Sagna: 7
Toure: 8
Gilberto: 5
Clichy: 7
Hleb: 7
Flamini: 7
Fabregas: 9
Diaby: 5
van Persie: 5
Adebayor: 8

Rosicky: 7
Denilson: 6
Song: 6

I think some of you are being too harsh on Gilberto giving him 3. Played out of position, jet lagged and fatigued from his useless journey to the USA meant he was never going to play that well against Sp**s.

 

[bazza_afc]

Re: Matchday Ratings, Spuds/Arsenal

Almunia 6

Sagna 8
Toure 8
Gilberto 5
Clichy 8

Hleb 7
Flamini 8
Cesc 9
Diaby 6

van Persie 5
Adebayor 9

Rosicky 7
Denilson 7

 

[Lukazan]

could have done better with the early chance on goal (FINESSE IT!!, watch the bergkamp 100 goals video weekly for six months, please alex).

Heh. It's funny you should say that because I was quite pleased with his effort. So many times we've seen Hleb shoot with his laces and, unfortunately, get it horribly wrong. I was starting to think maybe he's never heard of shooting with the inside of his foot! However he had the right idea but it was just abit too close to Robinson.

 

[Mr Wolf]

I can't understand how the majority of you could give six to Almunia. He has taken a goal in his own post, an incredible mistake for a professional keeper that simply shows that - definitely - he's not good enough for being the Arsenal number one.

 

[Clrnc]

could have done better with the early chance on goal (FINESSE IT!!, watch the bergkamp 100 goals video weekly for six months, please alex).

Heh. It's funny you should say that because I was quite pleased with his effort. So many times we've seen Hleb shoot with his laces and, unfortunately, get it horribly wrong. I was starting to think maybe he's never heard of shooting with the inside of his foot! However he had the right idea but it was just abit too close to Robinson.

tbh, i think the best option was to actually take another touch and then chip robinson or shoot or bring the ball past him. with hleb ability, he can score those chance with a little more composure

 

[dutchMasta]

could have done better with the early chance on goal (FINESSE IT!!, watch the bergkamp 100 goals video weekly for six months, please alex).

Heh. It's funny you should say that because I was quite pleased with his effort. So many times we've seen Hleb shoot with his laces and, unfortunately, get it horribly wrong. I was starting to think maybe he's never heard of shooting with the inside of his foot! However he had the right idea but it was just abit too close to Robinson.

tbh, i think the best option was to actually take another touch and then chip robinson or shoot or bring the ball past him. with hleb ability, he can score those chance with a little more composure

i think either option would've been ok. he had the ability to take another touch, but had he done that and screwed up, people would've complained that he should've taken it first time. his effort was decent and he had the right idea, just that extra clinical-ness and it would've been a goal. to be honest, i can't imagine many others scoring that using their weaker foot either.

he definitely had the hardest chance of all our easier chances, and had the best effort too, compared to either denilson or ade on their chances.

 

[hesham]

Almunia 6
Sagna 7
Toure 8
Gilberto 4
Clichy 8
Hleb 7
Flamini 7
Cesc 8
Diaby 6
van Persie 5
Adebayor 8

Rosicky 7
Denilson 6

 

[scruzgooner]

could have done better with the early chance on goal (FINESSE IT!!, watch the bergkamp 100 goals video weekly for six months, please alex).

Heh. It's funny you should say that because I was quite pleased with his effort. So many times we've seen Hleb shoot with his laces and, unfortunately, get it horribly wrong. I was starting to think maybe he's never heard of shooting with the inside of his foot! However he had the right idea but it was just abit too close to Robinson.

i can see what you mean, but a little more arc and a little less power and he could have looped it around robbo, giving him no chance. still, i'd rather he shoot than pass the ball in that situation, which is what he has been used to.

that bet between he, cesc, and rozza...wahey! cesc is winning it at this point, but keep the pressure on, boys.

 

[ricky1985]

My Rating's;

Almunia - 5. Showed yesterday he isnt in Lehmans class. Organisation of his wall on their goal was awful and he was very slow getting down to the shot. His decision to rush out when Berbatov went through was an aberration.

Sagna - 9. Solid as a rock. Never gave them a sniff down his flank. Great run and set-up for Adebayor. Love his 'message' to Fat Huddlestone. He has the attitude and ability of a world class full-back.

Clichy - 9. Completely dominated the left side of the pitch. Concentration was exceptional, and some devastating searing runs down the left. I really dont htink there is a better left back out there at the moment.

Toure - 10. Absolute Warrior. Blistering speed saved Gilberto on numerous occasions. When is this man gonna get the credit he deserves. I wouldnt take another centre-back in world football over him. In my opinion he is the very definition of world class.

Gilberto Silva - 6. Heroic performance. Played Thursday morning, in America and his legs were failing him at the end, and when Bent went through I felt for him as he literally couldnt run to pressurise him. Just to play and give everything he had like he did, is surely an inspiration to the rest of the squad.

Hleb - 8. Mesmerising close control, always available, rarely gave the ball away, and was very creative and incisive at times. What a great player he is fast becoming.

Fabregas - 9. Awesome performance. Great passing, ball retention, movement, and an explosive match winning strike. Although this are fast becoming the norm for arguably the best centre-midfielder in the world.

Diaby - 6. Kept the ball well at times, with his strength and power. Should have scored showed good composure, struck the ball well, an inch lower and it would have been a great finish. Ultimately though it was clear he was playing out of position.

Van Persie - 7. Played a more withdrawn role. His link-up play was top drawer he played some very incisive, probing passes, and his exemplary technique enabled him to bring others into the game. I know he has been criticised for his performance, but you have to take into account the role he is playing. Bergamp-esq is the best way to describe it. He is being transformed into a different player, and adding to his ability to explode in around the box which made him awesome as a super-sub but not so good as a starter.

Adebayor - 10. I thought he was an absolute monster. Terrorised their defence, so strong, quick, and athletic. I know he missed a sitter, but some of his efforts on goal were outrageous, and simplay not achievable for 99% of the strikers in world football. Not to mention his goal was out of this world.

A bit on the positive side I know, but I really feel we were that good. We have been severely underated, and now we are showing everyone the quality we possess.

Thats now 12 games unbeaten BTW..........37 more to go

 

[phenn]

I think some of you are being too harsh on Gilberto giving him 3. Played out of position, jet lagged and fatigued from his useless journey to the USA meant he was never going to play that well against Sp**s.

I'm just rating the performance not the player. He played very poorly, not saying it's completely his fault but that's the case. I like Bert a lot as a player but he was really bad.

 

[Goalkeeper]

Almunia 6 - A couple of terrible decisions, but was solid enough. Hard to judge the free kick.
Sagna 7 - Solid
Toure 9 - Really covered for Gilberto and Almunia
Gilberto 5 - Shouldn't be a CB. Don't blame him for fatigue though.
Clichy 8 - Brilliant attacking the left.
Hleb 7 - Not a bad game.
Flamini 7 - Tireless as usual.
Cesc 10 -brilliant performance. MOTM.
Diaby 5 - poor finishing
van Persie 4 - needs to do more
Adebayor 9 - missed a sitter, but really made up for it with the two brilliant goals

 

[banduan]

Smiley ratings:

Almunia :| Sagna Toure :clap Gilberto :? Clichy
Hleb Cesc :thumbup Flamini 8) Diaby :?
RVP :| Ade 8) Denilson Rosicky :thumbup Song

Team Verdict: A victory handed to the Arsenal on a plate as the team that was destined to lose its edge by the end of the match loses to the team that was destined to sharpen it as it went on.

Sp**s needed a second to kill the game but couldn't find it despite it being easily found from Wenger gambling on an unfit Bert at the back, who was incoherent. Wenger should stop with the experimental Diaby winger now, though we don't know the fitness levels of those left out.

 

[ronitc]

Almunia -5
Clichy - 8
Toure - 8.5
Gilberto - 4.5
Sagna - 7.5
Hleb - 7
Flamini 7.5
Cesc - 9.5
Diaby - 6
van Persie - 5
Adebayor - 8.5
Rosicky - 7
Denilson - 6

 

[gstew]

Almunia 6

Clichy 9.5 - Played almost a perfect game. Absolutely awesome.
Toure 9 - Was excellent.
Gilberto 1 - Ghastly. I have been a supporter of playing Gilberto at CB, but this performance was shocking. Possibly the worst performance I have ever seen by a Gunner. Cygan's worst ever game was a masterpiece compared to this.
Sagna 8.5 - Arsène knows!

Hleb 7.5 - Uneven game, but he always brings some magic with him.
Cesc 9 - The mark of a great player is the ability to turn weakness into strength. His shooting is now a strength.
Flamini 8 - Played one of his best games. But soon Diarra will take all of his minutes and Flams will end up captaining the Carling Cup side.
Diaby 2 - Quite fortunate that Gilberto was on the field. It took everyone's mind off of the absolute shocker that Diaby phoned in. He needs to understand that intensity is required from the opening whistle. Was the staff partly to blame for Diaby being completely unready to play?

RVP 6 - I still believe that he should be playing wider right similar to Henry playing wide left. He seems lost in the center of the pitch among groups of defenders.
Ade 9 - If he hadn't missed the sitter, then 9.5. Awesome 2nd goal. Hopefully this will shut up some of the Ade haters.

Rosicky 8 - Very effective.

And a special mention for Tom Huddlestone. This was the first match that displayed to me why he is considered a good prospect. He was absolutely dominant. If he were to play like this most matches, then he would be Arsenal/England quality. Also, Dawson played very well. I'm beginning to wonder if he is always going to be better than Senderos. If King & Lennon were to stay fit Tottenham have a very good squad.

 

[banduan]

i think either option would've been ok. he had the ability to take another touch, but had he done that and screwed up, people would've complained that he should've taken it first time. his effort was decent and he had the right idea, just that extra clinical-ness and it would've been a goal.

When it comes to scoring Hleb's weaker foot is his stronger food. :lol Apart from that you're spot on.

That said, I'd disagree with the big ratings for Hleb but won't be too bothered, because in the second half almost all play went to our left and it wasn't his fault.

 

[bojed]

arsenal - 3

spuds - 1

are you watching are you watching are you watching tottenham! are you watching tottenham!

 

[RocktheCasbah]

Almunia- 6.

Sagna- 8. Just for the don't f'ck with the Arsenal tackle on Huddlestone.

Clichy- 8.

Flamini- 7.

Kolo- 9. He's getting even better.

Bert- 5. Think 1 is a bit harsh. The man must have been on vapour fuel.

Cesc- 9. Goal of the month, until the 90th minute anyway...

Diaby-6. I'm a fan, but he wasn't very good.

Adebayor- 9. Has a knack, not just of scoring, but scoring crucial, game turning goals againt the spuds. Not to be discounted.

RvP- 6.

Hleb- 8. Another player growing in stature this year. First class control and he's become much more direct of late.
----------------------------

Rosicky- 7. Thought he was effective without being that noticeable.

Denilson and Song N/A.

 

[MDGoonah41]

Here are your charts for this week's match

For a larger version, click here

part 2

For a larger version, click here

Overall chart

 

[gstew]

MD...First I would like to thank you for all your work. It is great to see results side-by-side. But I did want to point out a data entry error. I believe that you got Ricky1985's data wrong. The only reason that I noticed it is that you have him down for a Gilberto - 10 rating. And that just didn't seem possible.

It appears that most are using a 4-9 scale, while some of us are using a full 0-10 scale. This really does skew the numbers. Personally I do not understand a scale starting at 4. If I were to score a hat trick of own goals and then leave with a red, would I be deserving of a 4?

Also, multiple people graded Gilberto, Diaby, RVP and others on a sliding standard based upon talent or other factors. Therefore, all three had fairly equivalent ratings. The travel is a perfectly good reason to consider Gilberto's performance a complete aberration, but it doesn't mitigate the value of his performance. Nor does RVP's vast potential reduce the quality of his performance (below average). I think that we do you a disservice when we consider other factors besides performance, as you put time and effort into this. Of course I am taking this too seriously, but 3 months from now one will look back at these ratings and think that Gilberto, RVP and Diaby had equivalent below average performances. But that is not the case. Diaby lost the ball almost every time he possessed it and was moving a step or two slower than just about everyone else on the pitch. Gilberto gave the worst Arsenal performance I have ever seen. IMO, he was worse than Stepanovs against ManU. RVP, on the other hand, was below average, but he still kept possession much of the time and laid the ball off for Cesc's goal.