Everton vs Manchester City Player Ratings 1/31

Roberto Mancini shook his head in frustration at the sound of the final whistle, but he'll have to shoulder some of the blame for City's 1-0 loss at Goodison Tuesday night. In a game that featured one of the more bizzare fan-related incidents in recent memory, Mancini's men couldn't break through an Everton side, that gained confidence as the game wore on.

Player Ratings

Everton

Tim Howard - 7.5 - The Camoflauge-clad American would have thought he'd have been in for a busier night, but he was as commanding as ever on crosses and punched and parried well when he had to.

Phil Neville - 5.5 - Looked grossly over-matched in the early going, and resorted to going in two-footed on more than one occasion which was somehow overlooked by the referee. He uses his veteran guile all he can, but I hope for his sake that this season is his last.

Tony Hibbert - 6 - Much like his aged colleague, Hibbert looked horribly outpaced in the early going, only to settle into the match and not let Dzeko or Aguero in behind him when he could help it. Commendable effort for a 31 year old right back playing out of position who looks like he's 41.

Johnny Heitinga - 5 - With Jagielka and Distin out, the Dutchman was tasked with being the dominant aerial presence that we've come to expect from Everton center backs. He was lucky to get away with giving far too much space to Aguero in the first half, but also found life less difficult after the intermission.

Leighton Baines - 5.5 - Somewhat of a mixed bag from the talented left back. He always looks to be one of Everton's more dangerous threats going forward, but he made some shocking decisions tonight at the defensive end and would have been punished on another night.

Darren Gibson -6 - Take nothing away from the strike, he's already built himself up the reputation as a man who can hit them. Failed to influence the game in any other facet.

Tim Cahill - 5.5 - He looks more useful as a defender rather than someone who offers anything in buildup play, as evidenced when he was content to watch Drenthe and Baines try and break through some 30 yards in front of him down the left flank.

Royston Drenthe - 6 - The talented Dutchman still clearly has a case of Real Madrid lose-your-head-ness and was lucky not to be shown a red card for branding Micah Richards thigh with his studs. Moyes promptly took him off after that.

Marouane Fellaini - 6 - He can be clumsy at times, but he's got so many assets that epitomize Everton. Workrate, bullish in tackle, physicality. He's ideal for England.

Landon Donovan - 5 - Shocking first half, those lollipop corners might suffice in the MLS, but he was out of the game for long stretches. Progressed in the second half, and of course assisted the goal, but I was expecting better from the American talisman.

Denis Stracqualiursi - 7 - Lively performance from the former top scorer of la primera division de Argentina. Not sure he has the pace to cut it in the Premiership, and might be better suited to Italy, but should get an extended look now that Louis Saha is off to Shite Hart Lane.

Subs
Baxter - Meow, Meow, Meow
Velios - a paltry 5 minutes for the Greek

Manchester City

Joe Hart - 5.5 - Really had nothing much to do all night. Had a minor freakout when he thought that Steve Bennett hadn't blown in his favor when it was one of the three fouls he gave all night.

Joleon Lescott - 6 - The excellent play of Kompany this season hasn't done him any favors, but he is a good player in his own right, and England could probably do a lot worse.

Vincent Kompany - 8 - The four game hiatus didn't do Vincent any harm, and his anticipation and positioning have been excellent all season and tonight was no exception.

Gael Clichy - 6 - Relatively quiet, but solid night for the left back who got a few dangerous crosses into the area even from a brief, uncharacteristic cameo at right back, which I presume was a first for the horribly one-footed player.

Micah Richards - 6.5 - I cannot remember a more dominating aerial performance from a right back, perhaps ever. The physical gifts of this boy are sublime, and he also seems to have a good understanding with David Silva, just unfortunate that it couldn't amount to anything on this occasion.

Garreth Barry - 3.5 - Revealed for the player that he is without the shield of Yaya Toure. That might be a tad harsh, and he's had some decent games this year, but surely De Jong would have fared better.

James Milner - 6 - Incredible start to the match, and deserved a goal for one of his pullback-crosses. Faded out of the game in the second half.

Samir Nasri - 5.5 - Near-contender for goal of the season rattled the woodwork, but the Frenchman was forced to drop deeper and deeper into his own half to pick up the ball with Barry failing to do his job effectively. Still looks a bit uncomfortable and aimless in City's system.

Edin Dzeko - 3 - I'd like to tape this match and show it to aspiring strikers as to how not to move off the ball. His repeated choice of the wrong run was infuriating to watch as a spectator and must have been all the more frustrating for Silva and Aguero. The Bosnian clearly has a nose for goal, but his skills outside the box are not up to par with his teammates'.

David Silva - 8 - Operates on a different level than his teammates at times, which is his biggest problem, much like Ricky Rubio and the Timberwolves. And his delivery from set pieces was outstanding. Couldn't unlock the Everton defense on this occasion however.

Sergio Aguero - 7.5 - Did incredibly well to work a half yard and a few half chances for himself. Must have been wishing he had a halfway competent strike partner up top with him so he could have played them through on the numerous occasions he found himself in promising positions.

Subs -
Kolarov - Ineffective
Adam Johnson - One of his less inspired cameos, but still deserves to be starting.
De Jong - Surely will start next match.

Everton Verdict - For a team that offered precious little in the opening 45 minutes, Moyes team talk combined with Gibson's strike inspired them to turn in a vintage workman like performance we've come to expect at Goodison Park.

Man City Verdict - Mancini's has to shoulder some of the blame for this loss. Dzeko and Barry were having nightmares out there, and instead of giving Adam Johnson 45 minutes, moving Milner to CM, and pushing Nasri forward, he stubbornly waited until it was too late, and left three points out there today.

Referee - Peter Watson handled the odd choice of some wanker to handcuff himself to the goal post admirably, but then forgot that he had a game to officiate. He refused to blow his whistle all evening for a foul either way, it was bizarre.

Real Problems (pun intended)

What do you think of when you think about Real Madrid? What's the first thing that pops into your mind? The answer is probably not one thing. Zidane's plucking the ball out of the sky with his left footed volley, Guti's flowing blond locks, Raul popping up to score in the Champions League for the umpteenth time, la plaza mayor, pompous Spanish arrogance, ridiculous transfer spending, Cristiano, Mourinho, or perhaps it's Bernd Schuster?

Unfortunately for Madridistas, you haven't been able to talk about the club without talking about a certain villan this past week. The nerve of that Pepe who's seemingly done all he can to spoil their proud tradition by making it his personal business to act as shameless as humanly possible whenever they play Barcelona. So much so that he pro-Madrid la Marca are calling for Pepe's head. But if you ask me, Pepe is an all too convenient scapegoat to shoulder the criticism for the darker arts that Madrid tend to employ against their bogey side. It's clear that Madrid resort to these tactics because they are technically outmatched and frustrated (who wouldn't be) for lack of the ball in los superclasicos. But is Pepe really that much worse than Sergio Ramos? Perhaps. I'm not for a second defending Pepe, how could anyone after he trod on poor Leo's hand, but every Real fan who will tell you how appalled they are at Pepe's behavior has been turning a convenient blind eye to the Mourinho-era Madrid.

About the Wizards

I know it's not football, but I thought I'd checkout the local roundball club, and headed down to the Verizon Center to see the winless Wizards host the T-Wolves at the behest of my Spanish roommates and their love of anything remotely spanish and sport related, (in this case Ricky Rubio).

It was a surreal sight. Granted it was a 1pm tip, on a sunday, but I'll venture to say that you won't find a more subdued crowd at an NBA game this season, unless Stern decides to punish someone and a game is played behind closed doors. There was absolutely no energy in the arena, and that probably has a lot to do with the Wizards players. John Wall is electric in the open court, and he did provide this eye-catching moment (notice what the announcer is saying as the clip starts). But in the half-court he is quite ordinary, and the rest of the Wizards, are, well, scrubs.

I'm glad I don't have anything invested in them, because they look like an absolutely hopeless team. Absolutely no leadership, disenchanted fans their first round pick's first FTA looked like this, and a city that could care less.

Rubio however, somewhat made up for the egregiously priced ticket. He really knows how to manage a game, sees the whole floor, and is pretty quick to boot. Think Nash, but taller, and the kid's only 20!

Premiership: Worst XI of 2011

they make so much money


Some obvious observations that have been written about in many other places than this, but none the less...

GK - De Gea - You can say he's young, but he's hardly seized the opportunity of a lifetime.

LB - Wayne Bridge - (well, you can't make the list if you don't play I guess). So I'll go with Ashley Cole, who leads the league in whining.

CD - Johnny Evans - It seemed just the other day that he was a promising young prospect. How did we miss that he has white man's disease?

CD - David Luiz - Good entertainment value at least, but I wouldn't pick him at center back for my Saturday co-ed league.

RB - Phil Neville - Hang em up already old man. I think the world has had more than enough Nevilles to last them 2 lifetimes.

RW - Sir Charles N'Zogbia - I absolutely love N'Zogbia. Loved him for Wigan, and Newcastle before that, but his first few months have been absolutely defenseless. Villa were obviously counting on more from him, and still might get it as he's shown signs of life lately.

CM - Charlie Adam - The harshest inclusion on this list, I'm actually a Charlie Adam fan, and of course he was going to come back down to earth after his ridiculous campaign for blackpool, sadly it's become painfully obvious that Prince Kenny is asking too much of the Scot.

CM - Taarabt - All the hype for what? Some sulker who isn't even going to play? Pshh. Clearly talented, but it just doesn't seem to be happening for him.

LW - Samir Nasri - My my my how the mighty have fallen. But in truth, he really shouldn't be getting too many games ahead of Johnson/Milner, certainly not with the form he's shown this season.

ST - Andrei Arshavin - He's almost become painful to watch. Wenger has given him every chance to do something, anything positive, but he could clearly care less when he comes on for his little 20 minute cameos. Gervinho probably isn't half the player of Shava on his day, but he's 5 times the player at the moment.

ST - Wigan, Fulham and Everton Strikers - You know who you are...

Newcastle 3 v Man U 0 Player Ratings

Newcastle 3 v Man U 0 Player Ratings

A fantastic display and result for the Magpies tonight against a dismal Man U side that looks dreadfully short of creativity and guile. Back to back defeats against two opponents not in the “top 6”, combined with a shockingly early exit from the Champs League, has put Sir Alex in a position he hasn’t seen in years, desperate for Jan reinforcements. While I do not believe Sneijder is the answer, Man U will surely need to bring a creative midfield star if they want to keep up w/ Man City (or hope Balotelli blows up Silva’s house with him in it). Newcastle, on the other hand, are in dreamland after deservedly beating Man U for the first time in 10 years and finally having a few players in the squad capable of playing for a Champs League contender. The spine of the team is terrific and if they are to keep their stars in this transfer window, get lucky with injuries, and sign a quality CB and/or attacking player, the top 6 is not implausible.

Newcastle

Krul 6.5- Surprisingly had little to do today and did his job as well as he could. Got lucky that Berbatov’s deflected header hit the bar and Simpson was there for his goal line clearance.

Santon 7.5- For such a young player, he is so composed and intelligent when on the ball and when in defense. He looks like pure class and will only improve if he is able to remain off the injury table.

Coloccini 8- Since Lucas tore his ACL, Collo has officially taken over the mantle as most underrated player in the league. While he lacks the speed to keep up w/ quick strikers, his positioning, intelligence, and skill on the ball are simply world class. Ashley must resign his captain before he leaves for greener pastures.

Williamson 6.5- Won his headers, positioned himself well, and had another solid performance. For a backup CB, he is mighty impressive.

Simpson 7.5- Had one of his best performances of the season against his former team. He kept Park in check throughout and capped off his performance w/ a fantastic goal line clearance to preserve the shutout.

Gutierrez 5- After starting the season so brilliantly, he has looked completely average in the last month. He couldn’t beat Valencia 1 on 1 to save his life today but as usual, he worked his socks off and helped out his defense when need be.

Tiote 8.5- A beast among men. He took Rooney out of the game while protecting his backline brilliantly and looked back to his powerful best. A bid of at least 20 million from one of the top teams will be the only way he doesn’t become a Newcastle legend. Along w/ Ba, he will be sorely missed the next couple weeks.

Cabaye 8- A brilliant all around display capped off by one of the free kicks of the season. For less than 5 mil, he surely is one of the buys of the season and could be starting in midfield for France when Euro cup rolls around this summer. Twice the player of Barton w/ less than half the headache.

R. Taylor 6- The utility man was back to his normal position in midfield and had a decent game. He does not possess the speed to cause much havoc on the right wing but did his job well today.

Amoebi 4.5- With Best playing so poorly lately, and Arfa not having the physical presence needed against Man U, I was actually happy Pardew decided to give Amoebi the surprise start today. While it did not matter because Newcastle won and Amoebi was able to set up the first goal w/ a brilliant flick on header, his touch was awful, positioning even worse, and still looks to have the intelligence of a preschooler on the pitch.

Ba 8.5- Easily the buy of the season so far. To sell Carroll for 35 mil and get Ba on the free has to be one of the sports coups of the century. His touch was world class throughout the match and his goal was taken absolutely brilliantly. His ability to make runs behind the defense, while also being able to play in the zone between the oppositions defense and midfield, has made him one of the most complete strikers in the world. Newcastle fans all over the world will be praying his glass knees hold up until the end of the season.

Subs

Perch 5.5- Did what he needed to do to preserve the shutout.

Best/Obertan- NA

Man U

Lindegard 5.5- Could do nothing with the first goal, needed a stronger tip for the second goal that would have been a sensational save if he had made it, and was left helpless by Jones for the third goal.

Evra 5- The former best LB back in the world had another average game today. He has not looked like the same player since he boycotted the French squad in the WC and will need to get back to his old form quickly if Man U is going to win the title.

Ferdinand 5- He is past his prime and couldn’t really cope w/ the sensational Ba all game. Not a bad game by any stretch of the means but needed to position himself better for Ba’s strike in the 1^st half. He was extremely lucky to have not given Newcastle a penalty when he took out Ba in the box.

Jones 5- He will take a lot of shit for his performance today because of the horrible own goal at the end. However, the own goal was inconsequential as it came when the game was already over and he played pretty decent until then. His yellow card tackle on Ba which led to Cabaye’s free kick rocket was actually an intelligent foul because Ba looked surely to have broken free. Only if Man U wasn’t in such an injury crisis, Sir Alex could have given Jones a game off that he surely deserves.

Valencia 6.5- The fact that Man U’s best attacking threat was from the makeshift RB pretty much described their performance or lack of performance. He dealt w/ Guiterrez easily and was unlucky to be on the losing end today.

Park 5- Was on the periphery all game and don’t remember him doing anything of note. A very average performance from the Korean star.

Giggs 5- At this stage in his career, he is better used as an impact sub and it showed today. He was chasing shadows all game and lacked his typical penetrating touch.

Carrick 5.5- His positioning and touch were above average but he simply could not cope with Newcastle’s dominant midfield. He is the definition of a confidence player and has been playing brilliantly in the last month covering up most of United’s injuries, but he didn’t do enough today.

Nani 5- Besides the move that setup Man U’s best chance in the 2^nd half, he didn’t look like his usual self today. He wasn’t taking on and beating his man 1 on 1 and Santon looked to have him locked up for most of the match.

Rooney 4.5- Maybe he did party too much over the xmas break (British tabloids are having a frenzy over this right now), maybe he lost his form like the beginning of last year, or maybe (and most-likely) he just had one of those poor games superstars have once in a while. Whatever it was, this was his worst game in over a year and he looked completely out of sorts today.

Berbatov 4.5- He played today? Are you sure about that? Besides his weak, lucky deflected header that hit the post, he did absolutely nothing worth noting all game.

Subs

Anderson 5- Didn’t do much when he came on.

Walbeck 5.5- Nice touch which lead to Rooney’s shot that Simpson cleared off the line. Will surely be starting next match.

Chicharito 4.5- Was offside more than he was onside today. Looks badly out of form.

Ref 5- Missed the biggest call of the night as Ferdinand clearly took out Ba’s leg in the penalty box in the 1^st half. However, he was lucky it did not matter as Newcastle won the game handily anyway.

1st Half best XI

The MVP holds off the LVP

GK - Krul/Vorm - These 2 + Stecklenberg and Holland have a surfeit of keepers going forward

RB - Richards - The EPL's answer to Marshawn Lynch. This man is just a beast, a man's man.

CB - V. Kompany - If there's a better center back in the world right now, I'd like to see him.

CB - Coloccini - One of the many vastly improved parts of Pardew's formidible Newcastle.

LB - Jose Enrique - Not as pacy as the typical Prem LB that we've grown accustomed, but boy is he comfortable on the ball.

LM - David Silva - Cooled off since his ridiculous start, still vital to City's success.

CM - Scott Parker - He'd be the first name on my team sheet if I were Fabio Capello right now.

CM - Ramires - Lots of choices here, but it's hard not to like the plucky Brazilian, high ceiling.

RM - Mata - Adds a different dimension to the typically dull Chelsea.

ST - Van Persie - Arsenal suffered without Fabregas, but losing Van Persie is unthinkable for the Gunners.

ST - Louie Suarez/ Sergio Aguero - Take your pick between these two new arrivals, both have had no problems adjusting. Only their teams are headed in opposite directions.

Just Missed: Friedel, Walker, Phil Jones, Vermaalen, Baines, Sinclair, Lucas, Song, Moses, Adebayor, Walters