Player ratings vs Blackburn

[Biggus]

Yeah it's all part of the learning process, luckily no damage done.

 

[Lord Dula]

biggus - song hair fantastic hair, not quite chamakh greatness but its awesome nonetheless

 

[Lord Dula]

koscielny is adjusting - took evra a wee while. he'll bulk up and gain power as he ages

 

[USArsenal]

yeah, we all know that Kos is partially at fault for the goal (although, where the f*ck were Clichy and TV on the guy making the run in? where was Sagna covering his position that Diouf was actually running in to?) but really, away to a Fat Sam team is hardly the best place to base an opinion on..

lets be honest, our biggest worry on the day was always going to be set pieces and the scrambles in the box, for which we are famous for not being able to handle.. how many goals came from this? none

we won the game.. can we improve? sure thing.. did we do well for an early season away game? you bet.. 3 points is 3 points.. could have been worse, we could have lost at home to Wigan (the team that has conceded 14 goals in their last 3 Prem games while scoring none)

im happy we won.. we didnt play our best, and were never going to in this game with that opponent.

 

[ricky1985]

Okay watched the game again, and I will admit I definitely did Diaby a disservice. He played well yesterday. I still think he has big issues in his game and things that I really don't like, but he did most things well yesterday. One of our better players on the day.

 

[celestis]

Takes a big man to say that Rickster , on ya mate .

 

[Burnwinter]

:respect:

Very judicious Ricky.

 

[USArsenal]

i didnt think he was all that great yesterday (although, he would have had a nice goal if Grella didnt punt the ball off Robinson's face), but he wasnt our worst MF on the day, that was Song (who looked a bit off the pace for a lot of the game).. i thought we in general we were mis-placing way too many passes.. blindly throwing the ball to places or under-hitting them, etc.. and not just Song, but Diaby did it, Cesc did it, etc

 

[Lord Dula]

yeah, i've always doubted ricky's first impressions. top marks for correcting yourself tricks!

 

[jay-d]

Okay watched the game again, and I will admit I definitely did Diaby a disservice. He played well yesterday. I still think he has big issues in his game and things that I really don't like, but he did most things well yesterday. One of our better players on the day.

:respect It takes a lot to admit things especially on faceless internet forums. +10 in my estimation. Good on ya.

 

[Rorz]

Diaby had a solid afternoon, wasn't hugely impressive I thought but made few mistakes and was a good platform for our attacks.

Song seems to be taking after Uncle Rigobert:

 

[dyeruz]

Yet one of the best if not the best player against Liverpool.

This kind of sweeping analysis is how false impressions of players begin. Koscielny actually had a good game today; I know we would not have dealt so well with all of those set-pieces and long balls last season.

Don't agree he had a good game, I was surprised the amount of times he just lumped the ball from the back into the midfield more or less finding a Blackburn player each time, giving the ball away to better teams will be our undoing. He was probably surprised by the pace of the premiership and will adapt his quick passing. The potential is there and with more strength. experience he will get better, but no way is he a failed signing..good god :shock:

 

[Godsend_Gooner]

Yet one of the best if not the best player against Liverpool.

This kind of sweeping analysis is how false impressions of players begin. Koscielny actually had a good game today; I know we would not have dealt so well with all of those set-pieces and long balls last season.

Don't agree he had a good game, I was surprised the amount of times he just lumped the ball from the back into the midfield more or less finding a Blackburn player each time, giving the ball away to better teams will be our undoing. He was probably surprised by the pace of the premiership and will adapt his quick passing. The potential is there and with more strength. experience he will get better, but no way is he a failed signing..good god :shock:

Eh? Not true. Only times when it looked like he "lumped" the ball forward, it were clearances more than balls played out of the defense. Whenever he actually passed out from the defense he was accurate and found the forward or the midfielders.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Song seems to be taking after Uncle Rigobert:

Song's been through a few hairstyles during his time at Arsenal:
One
Two
Three
Four
Five

But his current one is certainly his worst!

 

[Lord Dula]

its awesome

 

[va_va_voom]

Must of been watching a different game to many, particularly Brad.

As much as i would like a new goalkeeper, credit given where credit is due, Almunia did a fantastic job today. Generally had his judgment spot on and was switched on for the entire 90minutes. Great stuff considering the pressure he is under at the moment.

I thought Kosc had some bad moments, but also had some very positive moments as well. He is making mistakes that he would of gotten away with in France. Just needs some time to adapt to the league and i think we will have a very good quality defender on our hands.

As for Diaby, i honestly thought he was an absolute monster today. Held his position fantastically and many times covered for the back four when one of them got sucked. Seems like we have struck a balance in the middle of the park and it is fantastic to see.

Could not agree with this post more, especially about Almunia. Would have added that Sagna was also fantastic both defensively and in attack.

A real solid performance - Only downers were RVP's injury and Cesc's sloppy touch, and if i'm being really harsh, Wilshere's miss. Apart from that thought we looked very assured all over - I like it.

 

[russkiegooner]

Cesc: 7

I most often agree with you, Klaus, and I'm a big fan of Cesc, but how was it a 7 performance from him against Blackburn? Some undoubtful flashes of brillance aside, he was generally very poor, particularly in the first half.

 

[russkiegooner]

Vermaelen - 8. We've all said "he needs to step up this season, become a leader" - well today he did.

I find surprising as well that so many people give 8 ou even 9 to Vermaelen. He was possibly at fault for the goal, handed the ball over to Kalinic for a potential equaliser and did a couple of strange things here and there... He was pretty good, to be sure, but hardly impressive or impeccable, as some posters here suggest.

 

[russkiegooner]

Invincible

You’ve seen Kos play 2 PL games and you think he’s a “failed signing”.

What particular aspects of his game worry you to this extent?!

Physically weak. Doesn't seem to have much pace. An air of naivety about his defending. Allows himself to get bullied.

...and shows some signs of psychological weakness, in addition. After having been skinned by Diouf for the goal, had an absolutely horrible end of the first half. Very nervous, gave away nearly everything he touched, bad positioning, losing his 50/50s... Got much better in the second half but still quite a worrying performance from him. What will it be like against strikers like Rooney or Drogba, particularly if they are on form?

 

[arsmile]

blackburn away is a pretty damn difficult 2nd match,...and that brand of football is completely alien to him...he coped outstandingly in the air and was solid all match except for the bad decision v diouf where he diddnt go in hard and early- he tried to stay on his feet which is a very continental way of trying to deal with situations like that- i dont expect him to be a complete premiership player in less than 180 minutes- i think this CB partnership looks very promising indeed.