by Colin the King » Sat Feb 27, 2010 4:59 pm
Given 8- Back to his best. His shot stopping was as you'd expect, he took control of his area and wasn't afraid to give his defenders a telling off where necessary, his throwing and kicking was generally incisive. He looked comfortable with everything they threw at him, although I think having Kompany and Lescott, our best partnership, in front of him is hugely beneficial. Let's stick with that now. Touré's on the bench because he deserves to be.
Richards 6- Plenty of eagerness and aggression, solid on set plays and everything in the air, but reckless with his tackling. The free kick in the first half was needless and could have proved costly. Little sloppy in possession, but not a bad showing overall.
Kompany 7- Positionally, he was schoolboy in the first half not only on the goal but a couple of other times. He got his act together big time though and was an absolute rock along with Lescott in the second half. His tackling and aerial ability seems to be getting better and better.
Lescott 9- Sensational. He started life at City slowly but ever since the last Chelsea game, incidentally, he's been great. He's frighteningly strong- disposed of Drogba like he was a fly and bossed him all afternoon. Outstanding in the air, strong in the tackle, sensible and tidy in possession, held his position expertly. More of this please Joleon and you won't just be making up the numbers in South Africa.
Bridge 6- It must have been a difficult day for him, and I'm sure he'll have been surprised that their lot kept booing him. Absurd. No glaring errors, he supported quite well going forward and was decent in possession. My one concern is that he was tucked in a lot, and when Chelsea/anyone decide to spread the play, he can get caught out. It's probably a tactical thing so he's only following instructions but it does concern me. I understand the thought process- crowd the box and make it difficult for the opposition, the problem is that we're exposing ourselves in the wide areas. Rather than be prepared to deal with crosses, why not prevent them from happening in the first place?
de Jong 7- Typically dogged stuff. You can't underestimate his influence to this team. Against sides like Chelsea, who look to dominate in the middle of the park, Nige makes sure their options and time are as limited as possible. He'll never be Kaká in terms of splitting defences open but it's not his job. The role of a holding midfielder has become a prominent one in recent years- look at how influential Makalélé was for Chelsea. Nothing fancy, just functional, hard working covering and destructive play. The responsibility to attack lies with others- and he fulfilled his job description today. I think it's fair to question how effective he is in certain situations- home games against struggling sides- but in these games he's crucial, and has proved it yet again.
Zabaleta 7- Looks more comfortable and more influential in midfield. Because he's that little bit higher up the pitch, there's less of a risk when he commits to challenges and I think he enjoys that. Some great tackling and tracking today. Nothing special in possession, but didn't let us down either.
Barry 8- Defensive covering, forward surges, slowed down the play when necessary, sprayed it forward with class and precision. It was the archetypal box-to-box performance and that's the Gareth Barry we all thought we'd bought. More of these performances please, at the heart of things he can be devastating in his own understated way.
Johnson 5- Tried his best to get things moving but he looked nervous and, in fairness, was unfortunate that everything seemed to go against him. I thought Malouda at left-back was a weak link we could exploit, Johnson never really looked like doing that though. He'll have great days and then there'll be days like this. As a young lad still developing, we need to be patient and get behind him.
Tevez 9- Simply outstanding. We're so, so lucky to have a guy of this class in our side. 21 goals by the end of February is bloody impressive in itself, but he has SO much to his game beyond goals. He's impossible to knock off the ball when he's got it, I don't know whether it's his feet or his mind that's quicker, but they're both dazzling. He's aware of what's around him all the time and never, ever gives up. How many players would run after the ball and eventually concede that they had no chance? What Carlitos saw was an opportunity, and in his head he wouldn't rest until the ball was in the back of the net. Invaluable, class, everything. One of the best all round players we've ever had the privilege of playing for us.
Bellamy 8- Lethal on the counter-attack, we knew that, but for anyone who needed a reminder...it seemed an impossible angle to score from for his first but he's confident enough to do it, just like at Old Trafford. He's always been well known for his determination and 'heart on the sleeve' approach, which he showed plenty of today, but he's a genuinely first rate player and finisher- which has surprised a lot of people, myself included. Great skill, great effort, clinical finishing. He and Tevez are our golden jewels and we're just a completely different team without them.
SWP 7- Came on to stretch them and kill them on the counter-attack and that's exactly what he did. Direct, fast paced running at Malouda and it paid dividends. Great awareness to square the ball to Bellamy and seal the points. Top contribution.
Santa Cruz 6- Some nice touches, helped us retain possession in the final third when we needed to.
