Match Ratings v City

[ravo]

By the way (MODS), can we have a separate section for ratings threads. It would be really useful to be able to look back throughout the season and reference them - we could even use them at the end of the season to pick a player of the season etc.

They also provide a unique perspective and individual record of every single game we play.

I'll second that one.

 

[Gilzeanking]

Can you provide 1 example of a blast?

Defoe through on goal on the one on one vs Hart occasion and others, uses a hit and hope system . To me it underlines that he's a good striker...but not a top one .

Its a standard skill for top forwards to dink the ball over an onrushing keeper in a one on one situation . We are throwing away goals until JD decides to do a bit of practice and learn this basic striker's skill...or we get a top forward .

He's also a very poor penalty taker...though mebbe he'd do better if he blasted it...guile , cunning..these are not Defoe's strong points .

 

[Kendall]

Bring back lethal bizzle.

 

[Coyboy]

No thanks.

 

[RussellYid]

Defoe through on goal on the one on one vs Hart occasion and others, uses a hit and hope system . To me it underlines that he's a good striker...but not a top one .

Its a standard skill for top forwards to dink the ball over an onrushing keeper in a one on one situation . We are throwing away goals until JD decides to do a bit of practice and learn this basic striker's skill...or we get a top forward .

He's also a very poor penalty taker...though mebbe he'd do better if he blasted it...guile , cunning..these are not Defoe's strong points .

Alan Shearer didn't do too bad without dinking?

In fact, I once heard a premier league manager tell a player to "hit the ball as hard as you can at the keeper. That way, if you miss-hit it slightly it'll go either side of him."

To this day I tell my Sunday league strikers to do the same!

 

[Gassin's finest]

Benni for me. He was immense!

But can't overlook Bale or Modric either, both were excellent. Hudd's displays of technique were eye catching too.

 

[brasil_spur]

Gomes - 7 (solid when called upon)
Corluka - 8 (solid all game long)
Dawson - 8 (solid all game long)
King - 8 (solid all game long)
Ekotto - 9 (excellent game and brilliant recovery, shame he had to recover though)
Lennon - 8 (constant attacking presence throughout)
Huddlestone - 8 (quiet game by his standards, but did well to thwart City attacks, really unlucky with the Hart save too)
Modric - 8 (great defensive showing from the little man, would have been nice to see more going forward in 2nd half)
Bale - 10 (i honestly don't believe you can ask more of a player from a game than that, truly outstanding, unlucky to have hit the post)
Crouch - 6 (just not that effective in attack and lacking some bite)
Defoe - 7 (bit more bit than Crouch, but lacked sharpness)
Keane - 6 (can't remember any really notable contributions from him)
Pavyluchenko - 7 (showed a lot of willingness when he came on, just lacking in sharpness too)
GDS - 8 (really got stuck and was a great replacement for Lennon)

Harry - 8 (good starting team and good substitutions, City were playing very defensive and Harry tried everything he could with an attacking team selection)

 

[Pringle]

Alan Shearer didn't do too bad without dinking?

In fact, I once heard a premier league manager tell a player to "hit the ball as hard as you can at the keeper. That way, if you miss-hit it slightly it'll go either side of him."

To this day I tell my Sunday league strikers to do the same!

so if he hits it cleanly it will then go straight at the keeper? hmmmmmm id love to know which PL manager said to do that!

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Gomes - 7 (solid when called upon)
Corluka - 8 (solid all game long)
Dawson - 8 (solid all game long)
King - 8 (solid all game long)
Ekotto - 9 (excellent game and brilliant recovery, shame he had to recover though)
Lennon - 8 (constant attacking presence throughout)
Huddlestone - 8 (quiet game by his standards, but did well to thwart City attacks, really unlucky with the Hart save too)
Modric - 8 (great defensive showing from the little man, would have been nice to see more going forward in 2nd half)
Bale - 10 (i honestly don't believe you can ask more of a player from a game than that, truly outstanding, unlucky to have hit the post)
Crouch - 6 (just not that effective in attack and lacking some bite)
Defoe - 7 (bit more bit than Crouch, but lacked sharpness)
Keane - 6 (can't remember any really notable contributions from him)
Pavyluchenko - 7 (showed a lot of willingness when he came on, just lacking in sharpness too)
GDS - 8 (really got stuck and was a great replacement for Lennon)

Harry - 8 (good starting team and good substitutions, City were playing very defensive and Harry tried everything he could with an attacking team selection)

I think they're pretty generous

As for Bale getting a 10 - he missed a very, very good chance at the end

As great a player as he is, not in a million years was that a 10 performance

 

[StartingPrice]

Bale - 10 (i honestly don't believe you can ask more of a player from a game than that, truly outstanding, unlucky to have hit the post)

I think they're pretty generous

As for Bale getting a 10 - he missed a very, very good chance at the end

As great a player as he is, not in a million years was that a 10 performance

This.
I felt like Gareth could have taken the ball onto his left, but didn't realise how much time he had...so, just in that instance lacking a little composure.
Playing a 100% game is virtually impossible.

 

[steve]

Agree with a lot of what you say Steve, but as Ashley Young found out in our win at Villa park 08/09, Corluka isn't fazed by pace really, especially not with Lennon protecting him so well.

I agree that Ekotto made a mistake, but he made up for it superbly, and every player made an error at some point. One of City's best counters was off the back of a sloppy pass from the generally magnificent Modric, while, as you point out, Bale missed an absolute sitter. I don't think Ekotto can be put down too much for that. King also made a mistake in a dangerous area, just outside our area, losing the ball, before using his power and skill to regain it, it happens to anyone.

As for Silva, he'll play better than that if City realise that they've signed a central midfielder with a left foot, not a winger, and given that they play 3 in the middle anyway it shouldn't be an issue accomodating him. They just need to drop that lump Barry and make him second fiddle to Yaya. Obviously I hope that it's too late before City realise this.

I think Bellamy is more direct than Young and generally a better player. If I was a Citeh fan I would've been screaming for Bellamy to be playing down the left. I'm not saying Corluka would've been overwhelmed but it would've given him plenty to think about, and occupied Lennon defensively more than Silva/SWP did. If Bellamy can skin Ferdinand at OT, then he can do the same to Corluka.

As for Ekotto he did play well as I said, but unlike the other mistakes you highlight it was a fundamental error of judgement rather than a misplaced pass/lack of control etc. His making up for it interception was fantastic but against a better player it would've cost us the game. It's summink he's prone to (both pens at Stoke and Man Yoo last season for example) and it needs ironing out of his game because at his best he is a very good player. The same could be said of Palacios at times too.

 

[spurs_viola]

Gomes 6 nothing to do
Corluka 5 very poor passing in first half
Dawson 7 robust when needed
King 7 the usual rolls-royce
BAE 8 hoddlesque passing
Lennon 7 unlucky not to score and always a test for the full back
Hudd 8 immaculate passing and control, denied a goal by an outstanding save
Modric 7 buzzed about without great creation but worked hard
Bale 8 in the same groove from last season
Defoe 7 another player denied a goal by an outstanding save
Crouch 6 lack of any pace nullifies his possession at times

Pav 6 attempts at goal on target but too weak
Keane 6 no noticeable impression after first few minutes
Gio 6 moments of dynamicism

Apart from Gomes who did not put a foot wrong and deserves a higher mark, I agree on starting 11 - but not on subs.
Pav and Keane 7 for injecting new purpose into Spurs attack and making several chances in the 20 min they were on. Would have been higher if one of those chances went in!

Gio 7 for more or less same reasons as above, plus work rate and unselfishness. Would have been higher if he took more initiative and made more direct runs at/past defenders, but really, 15 min was just not enough to make a real impact.

 

[Gilzeanking]

Alan Shearer didn't do too bad without dinking?

In fact, I once heard a premier league manager tell a player to "hit the ball as hard as you can at the keeper. That way, if you miss-hit it slightly it'll go either side of him."

To this day I tell my Sunday league strikers to do the same!

This doesn't sound like top class striking to me RY . Its not only the dink thats missing from JD's one on ones . Its unpredictability , he could take the ball round the keeper for example...anything but just whack it straight at him .
Same with his pens ,theres no cunning ,or any display of precision . He's not outsmarting keepers there either .

He does have many other compensating skills of course , but to watch one on ones go a begging (they should usually result in goals) is painful to see . We've just dropped 2 points , it hurts .

 

[Legend10]

This doesn't sound like top class striking to me RY . Its not only the dink thats missing from JD's one on ones . Its unpredictability , he could take the ball round the keeper for example...anything but just whack it straight at him .
Same with his pens ,theres no cunning ,or any display of precision . He's not outsmarting keepers there either .

He does have many other compensating skills of course , but to watch one on ones go a begging (they should usually result in goals) is painful to see . We've just dropped 2 points , it hurts .

I'd love to know what the overall prem conversion rate of 1 on 1's is, I would bet it's way less than 50%.

What is a 1 on 1? Clean through down the centre with just the keeper to beat with no pressure, or what people are calling the Defoe chance Saturday where he is wider and under pressure from a defender meaning he has to get his shot away quicker and from a tightish angle?

 

[Gilzeanking]

I'd love to know what the overall prem conversion rate of 1 on 1's is, I would bet it's way less than 50%.

What is a 1 on 1? Clean through down the centre with just the keeper to beat with no pressure, or what people are calling the Defoe chance Saturday where he is wider and under pressure from a defender meaning he has to get his shot away quicker and from a tightish angle?

True , defining a one on one isn't easy . I'd argue though that one on one (forward through on goal no immediate defender pressure) conversion is particularly low at Spurs . We don't seem to have an ice cool man for the job.
Easy from the stands to say what would have been better of course , but imo the chance would have been converted by a smarter player and a dink would have done the job . I'm not just on about this particular instance btw.

Defoe has never dinked in my memory ,or rounded the keeper .I find that disappointing in our highest scoring striker in a CL year . Defoe has many great qualities but plain smartness aint his strong suit imo .

I'm hoping we can get a top class forward and start converting some of these sort of chances.

 

[StanSpur]

I agree our left side was excellent but i have to go for Mods as his workrate was exceptional. He didn't have the creative influence on the game that he could have done but his tackling, interceptions and closing down were superb. Also for those criticising Keane and Pav i think it is a little harsh. By the time they came on Hud and Mod had fallen very deep and there was no service/connection from the midfield which made the strikers fall deep and reduced their chances of scoring from advanced positions - hence Pavs long range shots that were a little tame.

 

[WhiteStripe]

The correct ratings for Spurs v Man. City are as follows;

Gomes 6 - did all that was required, which was not a lot. Kicking seemed better than previous season.

Corluka 5 - his distribution is the biggest dissapointment for me. We get forward well, the ball comes to Charlie, we lose the ball and everyone is out of position. It's a common problem in our attacks down the right hand side.
Dawson 6 - Jumped in a few times, but overall was a strong presence. Good passing when needed.
King 7 - As usual, faultless. Even at the end, when visibly tired he carried on working.
BAE 8 - Vastly improved yet again. He is becoming an excellent left back. Strong, quick, passing has ipmroved, reading of the game has improved. A real success story.

Lennon 6 - looked somewhat off the pace for me. Made a couple of inroads, however was a little too reluctant to stretch his legs when given the oppertunity.
Hudd 7 -assured performance in the middle of the park, with good vision at times and an excellent volley on goal.
Modric 7 - covered more of the pitch than anyone else. Not his most spectacular game, but effective nonetheless in binding the team together.
Bale 8 - tormented City in the first half with another top class performance. Tired in the second half, but was given less of the ball to show what he can do. Always a threat, although should have done better in front of goal.

Defoe 6 - got in good positions and unlucky not to score, however seemed a little laid back in some areas of the pitch and at times failed to fill the hole he needed to when we were in posession and was visibly frustrated by the time he was subbed.
Crouch 6 - tried hard, however should have done better in a number of situations. Too weak in the air against Man City's brick shit houses.

Pav 6 - controlled the ball well and showed good endeavour, but should have done better with his chances and seemed too focussed on scoring a goal than taking the best option.
Keane 6 -got less effective the longer he was on the pitch. Started with enthusiasm, but faded quickly, losing posession a number of times.
Gio 7 - A new Gio I haven't seen until this season. Willing to show patience on the ball, and pass to teamates in better positions when needed. I would start him against Wigan in the next home game. Impressive cameo.

 

[EastLondonYid]

2 questions?

where are all the ....modric and hudd will get raped brigade???

who really thought that when keane came on..he would score?

we need to buy 2 world class strikers..no midfielders please.

 

[StartingPrice]

2 questions?

where are all the ....modric and hudd will get raped brigade???

who really thought that when keane came on..he would score?

we need to buy 2 world class strikers..no midfielders please.

My primary concern is that, in games like that, employing Modric in that role inhibits his creative game (though, in fairness, he did still mange to get up and create chances).

 

[EastLondonYid]

My primary concern is that, in games like that, employing Modric in that role inhibits his creative game (though, in fairness, he did still mange to get up and create chances).

:shrug:im confused SP...if it inhibits him,how ,in your words,did he manage to create chances and get up?

explain please... the way city were set up,with a top clas defensive midfield unit..which will be hard to match..luka was outstanding.
surely if luka can play against them,he will destroy others far easier.

de jong ,yaya with barry..is probably as tough as it can get,but they couldnt stop luka!!