Marseille v Inter Player Ratings Numbers

Marseille 1 vs Inter 0

Champions League Round of 16

Ayew is able to score a last gasp winner to put Marseille in the drivers seat of this not so thrilling, evenly matched tie where not one player played exceptionally and chances came few and far between.

First is my rating, then the rating from espnstar, then from goal, and then the fan rating from the guardian.

Marseille

Steve Mandanda- 7.5 - 7.5 - 6.5 - 7.8

Souleymane Diawara- 7 - 7 - 5.5 - 7

Jérémy Morel- 5.5 - 6.5 - 5 - 5

Nicolas N'Koulou- 7 - 6.5 - 6 - 7

César Azpilicueta (Rod Fanni, 80)- 7 - 7.5 - 6 - 7

Morgan Amalfitano- 6.5 - 6 - 6 - 6.8

Mathieu Valbuena- 7 - 7.5 - 7 - 5.7

Alou Diarra- 6 - 7 - 5.5 - 6

Benoit Cheyrou (Charles Kaboré, 84)- 7 - 7- 6 - 5.8

Brandão (Jordan Ayew, 73)- 4.5 - 7 - 4.5 - 3.4

André Ayew- 7 - 8 - 7.5 - 5.8

Inter

• Julio César- 6 - 6.5 - 6 - 5.3

• Maicon (Yuto Nagatomo, 45)- 5 (6) - 6 (7) - 5 (6) - 4 (6.5)

• Lucio- 7.5 - 7.5 - 6.5 - 6

• Walter Samuel- 6.5 - 6.5 - 6 - 5.3

• Cristian Chivu- 5 - 5 - 5.5 - 5

• Dejan Stankovic- 5 - 7 - 5 - 5.7

• Wesley Sneijder- 6 - 6 - 5.5 - 5.4

• Javier Zanetti- 7 - 7 - 6 - 6

• Esteban Cambiasso - 7.5 - 7.5 - 7 - 7

• Diego Forlán- 6 - 7 - 5.5 - 5.6

• Mauro Zárate (Joel Chukwuma Obi, 64)- 4.5 (4.5) - 6.5 (6.5) - 4.5 (5.5) - 4 (4)

Ref- 7

N-H-P

No. Hay. Palabras.

Cristiano Ronaldooo

Disjointed thoughts from the weekend

February - black history month, bad haircut month


1) Bravo Zambia. I'm not going to act like I knew about the tragedy of 1993 before this tournament, nor would I have if I didn't actively seek out information because not a single minute of this tournament graced the American airwaves, or even made an appearance on ESPN's bottom line, but I digress. It's a wonderful story, but it doesn't quite take the awful taste out of my mouth from what happened in Egypt last week.

2) Real Madrid just don't lose in La Liga. This game had all the makings of trap-game. Levante hadn't won in 2012, Barca had already lost so it was practically a freebie. But you just had that feeling that Levante could knick it, especially when they took an early lead. Real just keep trucking along though, this time behind a Ronaldo hat trick with a whopper of a dipping 30 yard shot that you have to see.

3) Leo Messi might be human. I haven't watched as much Messi as some, but I've seen my fill, and every time you watch the little genius you think, "jesus, he's the best I've ever seen." I can honestly say, this was the first game I've watched where Messi didn't leave me shaking my head wondering how he does it. He must have been ill or something...

4) You can take the Mancini out of Italy.... Why oh why does Mancini continue to insist upon playing with Garreth Barry alongside of Nigel De Jong or Yaya Toure? He finally gave Adam Johnson a game though, so I can't have everything.

5) Suarez is a knobhead.

Guest Poster Liverpool v Spurs Player Ratings

Below is Liverpool supporter and friend of the blog @bhprout and his take on the match yesterday. It's always insightful to see other's opinions

Liverpool


Pepe Reina (6.5) – Very little action for the Spain no. 2, but popped up with a good safe after Gareth Bale raced in, clear on goal. Bale should have done better, but Pepe made himself big and denied what would have been a snatch and grab winner.



Martin Kelly (6.5) – the Academy product handled himself rather well, coming in to displace Glen Johnson to LB as Jose Enrique missed out due to injury. Snuffed out several dangerous situations down Spurs’ left flank and got forward on occasion. Provided a great cross that eluded Downing before Carroll blasted over and even tested Brad Freidel with a shot from distance. Solid showing.



Martin Skrtel (8) – The Slovak was excellent on this night, sheparding the admittedly-poor Adebayor out of harm’s way on more than one occasion. He was strong in the air and composed at the back. In truth, didn’t have a whole lot to do but excelled in everything that required of him. Was unlucky to see yellow after cleaning winning the ball off Bale.



Daniel Agger (7) – Again, not much was asked of the Dane in his back-line partnership with Skrtel, but he handled everything throw his way. Solid in the air and confident on the ball – bonus points for the hand-bags with that man Bale following a blatant simulation.



Glen Johnson (7) – The England RB found himself on the left and was likely thankful that Aaron Lennon missed out. Johnson defended well and got forward quite a bit, although the end-product was severely lacking; his inability to put in a good cross with his left boot was obvious far too often.



Jay Spearing (4) – A horror-show for the little man. Full credit for his terrier-like approach to the game, and he is always one that working just about the hardest, but this was not the night for the local lad. Gave away possession too many times to count, often in an egregious fashion. If nothing else, it shows how vital and irreplaceable Lucas has become for this squad in that holding MF role.



Charlie Adam (6.5) – Decent showing from the Scot. He seems to have made a concerted effort to keep things simple in the middle of the park, and it shows with recent performances. Would like to see him get more involved in corners (which have been horrid) and some spot kicks as well.



Steven Gerrard (6.5) – The skipper is trying to find both fitness and form at the same time, which is positive news for his boyhood club. Captain Fantastic wasn’t quite on this occasion, and found it tough-going attempting to break down the solid Spurs back line. Was hugely influential for periods, then seemed to get lost.



Craig Bellamy (6) – Not the best performance from the man who has been the club’s top signing (cough, on a free…). On this day, he ran into a RB, in Kyle Walker, whose own pace nullified the Welsman’s greatest asset. He worked hard and made positive runs all night, but the end product wasn’t there. Too many hopeful crosses that didn’t beat the first defender.



Dirk Kuyt (5) – Poor on the night. Seemed a bit tentative on the ball and was unable to fashion any chances for himself or teammates. Expected much more from the man who scored in two games running.



Andy Carroll (6) – Mixed bag from the big man. He cut an isolated figure at times and did well in his hold-up play; often his flick-on’s went unused as Liverpool had no support players. In a microcosm of his time at Anfield, all that positive play was forgotten as he blasted over from his best chance of the night.



Subs:



Luis Suarez (7) – The little Uruguayan magician is attracted to controversy like a moth to a flame. Was very lively in his 30 minute cameo, for both the right and wrong reasons; kicked out at Scotty Parker and should have scored the winner with a header directed right at Friedel.



Stewart Downing (5) – Continues to disappoint in a red shirt.



Tottenham



Brad Freidel (7) – The American was certainly less busy than he would have expected, but did well when his number was called. Parried away and number of opportunities and was strong on set pieces. A great signing for Spurs, he is.



Kyle Walker (8) – A terrific effort by the likely England RB of the future. The boy is lightning quick and put the right foot in on nearly every challenge down his right side. Very impressive performance, although I would have liked to see him get forward a bit more, it seemed like they were content to sit back and soak up the pressure.



Ledley King / Michael Dawson (9) – As much as I hate to lump the two, it seems fitting. Both were immense on the night, doing any and everything required to repel and sub-par Liverpool attacking effort. Dawson overcame the Carroll height advantage superbly and King didn’t put in a wrong foot all night. Rock-solid defending.



Benoit Assou-Ekotto (6) – Decent enough from the Cameroonian LB, who always seems to be the calmest guy on the pitch – perhaps because he fully embraces that he plays football for a quite large sum of money and sees the lighter side. Didn’t offer as much going forward as he usually does, but handled Kuyt and Kelly well.



Scott Parker (8) – The boy will be sore in the morning. Acted as the terrier in defense to aplomb. Some early fouls soured what could have been a Man of the Match performance. Blocked more shots than most Stanley Cup games. Outstanding composure – England captain? (Be serious, it’s Gerrard or no one).



Jake Livermore (6) – Acquitted himself well in the middle of the park for Spurs. Nothing flashy, like his midfield partner Parker, but solid on the ball and kept possession well.



Niko Kranjcar (6.5) – I’ve always been a fan of the Croat and think a move away from White Hart Lane where he could get regular football would do him a world of good. Has a magical right foot and did well on the night, playing in Bale for the chance of the game. Defended well, to boot.



Luka Modric (6) – Thankfully, for Liverpool, the little man was well off his best. The tactics didn’t necessarily allow for him to be as influential as he usually is.



Gareth Bale (5) – Disappointing from the rising star. Chance of the match fell to his feet late on as he sprung clean through on goal but his finish was poor and easily saved. Booked for diving in the second half and struggled to find a role in the game as he was given license to roam.



Emmanuel Adebayor (4) – Very poor from the Togo striker. Was alone up top and struggled to receive service and then do anything with it.


Subs:


Louis Saha (5) – Touched the ball maybe once. Non-factor.

Danny Rose (n/a) – Didn’t get a touch!



Verdict: Yet another Anfield draw for the men in red will do nothing for their top-4 ambitions. You could hardly make the case they deserved the 3 points despite dominating possession and the few clear-cut chances. They will feel it’s a match they should have won, especially given Spurs reluctance to get forward and attack. You almost sensed it was destiny for Suarez and pop up for the winner in this first game back, but a poorly placed header made it not so. Kenny Daglish will no doubt look back on this campaign and clutch his chest in pain when he sees the sides that have left Anfield with a point.



From Spurs perspective, job done. It was clearly, with Ade up top alone, that they were intent on soaking up the Liverpool pressure and countering when appropriate. They might have done so when Bale had the biggest chance of the night, only to see it go by the wayside. Genuine title contenders? I’m not sure, but on this evidence they are the odds-on favorites to keep that stranglehold on 3rd place and return to the Champions League next year.

Liverpool vs Spurs Player Ratings Feb 6

My two favorite chants in football squared off at Anfield Monday night. One that's mildly offensive to elephants. And another that's horribly offensive to Mrs. Steven Gerrard and the entire Gerrard family. Right, enough chit-chat, Spurs were top of the mini-league for 3rd & 4th position, and with a win would only be five points back of table-topping Man City. I've found it increasingly perplexing that no one really wants to talk up Spurs title chances whatsoever while the two teams in front of them both have serious issues. You almost begin to wonder if Harry himself believes they are true contenders, but in any case they've silenced the critics with their play and are a force to be reckoned with domestically. Liverpool were bringing up the rear to the surprisingly persistent Newcastle at the evening's onset and were boosted by the return of the also mildly offensive Louie Suarez.

Liverpool

Pepe Reina-6.5 (Deyan's Rating- 6) - Crucially denied a tame Gareth Bale effort that would have sucker-punched Liverpool and gifted Spurs the three points.

Daniel Agger-6- (6.5) A mostly quiet evening for the Dane, would have like to see him venture forward a bit more as Liverpool had plenty of numbers to deal with Adebayor and Bale on the counter.

Martin Skrtel-7- (8) Marty was sound in the tackle and fearless in the air. He's a lot faster than Agger.

Glen Johnson-7.5- (7.5) He looks just as comfortable playing at left back as he does on the right, and he did incredibly well to keep the lively Kyle Walker in check for the most part.

Susan Kelly-4- (5.5) Got a decent shot away, and exactly one decent cross on the evening. BAE afforded him plenty of space and he failed to deliver a decent ball most of the evening.

Jay Spearing-5.5- (4.5) A bit tenative, perhaps from his famous red card. Could have shot on a couple occasions but chose to pass instead.

Charlie Adam-6.5- (6.5) I was curious to see how Adam and Gerrard did in the same side, and there seemed to be plenty of room for both of them.

Dirk Kuyt-3.5- (4) On an evening where Liverpool lacked a bit of ingenuity, the tireless Dutchman dramatically failed to provide the spark. His movement and decision making was wrong, and Suarez should have come on for him at half-time.

Craig Bellamy-6.5- (6.5) Energetic, and typically plucky performance from the Welshman, but I can't see how he can keep Downing out of the side forever, too talented.

Steven Gerrard-7.5- (7.5) Stevie was back to his old self, especially in the first 20 minutes, the game's liveliest segment. England's de facto heir apparent to the captaincy?

Andy Carroll-6- (6) He didn't have the worse game, but he snatched at his team's best chance, and didn't have the speed to elude Michael Dawson early on.

Subs
Suarez- (6) Looked Liverpool's most dangerous threat immediately after he came on, could have used 15 more minutes.

Downing- (4.5) Needs games.

Spurs

Brad Friedel-6.5- (7) Was brave on the one occasion he had to be, and also got down well for Johnson and Kelly's respective efforts.

Ledley King-6.5- (7.5) Seems to stay out of harms way, which isn't normally a compliment for a center half, but I mean it in the most positive sense. Looks fit to me.

Michael Dawson-7- (8) Vintage performance from the reliable Dawson. Kaboul's done well, but this is their best partnership.

Kyle Walker-7.5- (7.5) He's quick, he's confident, he looks the total package. He predictably drifted out of the game as Spurs sat back, but what a quick rise to stardom he's undertaken this year.

Benoit Assou-Ekoto-5- (5.5) Not the Cameroonian's best game of what has been an otherwise fine season. He's probably still scratching his afro for head-lice and wondering how Cameroon didn't qualify for the ANC.

Garreth Bale-6.5- (5.5) This was as out of sorts, and tired as I can remember seeing him. He really didn't have much help and missed VdV.

Scott Parker-7- (8 MOTM) He seems to attract bodily harm like a magnet. Great second half, not the best first half.

Niko Kranjcar-6- (6) Signs of life from the forgotten Croatian. Probably his first start in 2 years.

Jake Livermore-6- (6) Hardly saw any of the ball, but no matter. He did enough to break up Liverpool's passing and defended well.

Luka Modric-7.5- (7.5) The shifty Croat was at his best on this evening, but unfortunately it was all ball retention and he had precious few chances to run forward with the ball. Sometimes you forget how good he is with so many other stars in their side, but he is as good as any.

Emmanuel Adebayor-4.5- (4.5) He wants too many touches, he wants to drop too deep, he wants to make the run too late. Hasn't scored in his last 8.

Subs
Saha- (5) Always been a fan, but this move didn't make sense.
Rose- (NA) No time for an impact

Ref-8- (8) 26 year old Michael Oliver had a great game, and got almost every decision right despite Andy Carroll incessantly telling him to **** off. You'd like to see more young referees in all sports.

Liverpool Verdict - Frustrating evening for the Reds who will see this as two points dropped. They never created enough chances to break Tottenham down, and a draw is probably a fair result. Still not sure what their best XI is.

Spurs Verdict - They didn't really try to win a game, but a point at Anfield is hardly a result to scoff at. I'll admit that I keep waiting for them to come crashing back down to earth, but with a healthy Ledley King, and a reliable Friedel in goal, Spurs look poised to stay comfortably in the top 3.

MOTM-Glen Johnson, Match rating 4/10.

Bolton vs Arsenal Player Ratings

In a game that started like it might have had four goals by halftime, as the game wore on, a nil-nil draw was the inevitable result. Squandered chances, more so from Arsenal's point of view, mean that these two teams rightly shared the points which will leave Owen Coyle as the much happier of the two managers no doubt.

Bolton

Adam Bogdan-6- This fiery ginger will be thanking his lucky stars that he kept his clean sheet. But he came out well to save Walcott when he should have scored early on, and could only watch and hope as Van Persie's chip came off his crossbar.

Zat Knight -5- Left most of the heavy lifting to his partner in central defense, and was caught out by incisive through balls a couple of times. Got away with it.

David Wheater-8- Apart from the odd nervy clearance, Wheater was a rock. He was all over the place and bailed out his fullbacks for their poor positioning, and even got himself forward into the Arsenal half.

Sam Ricketts-4- It was never going to be a fair fight in terms of pace, but Ricketts was lucky that Arsenal weren't more clinical in finishing all their moves which came down his left-hand side.

Gretar Steinsonn-5.5- Fell victim to a few of Oxlaide-Chamberlain's tricks, and allowed Vermaalen in behind to get his crosses in, but did well to stay on his feet after earning a cheap yellow card.

Fabrice Muamba-5- Allowed far too much space for Arteta to operate, not one of his better games.

Nigel Reo-Coker-7.5- Outstanding barnstorming performance from the hyphenated former England U21 captain. He covered plenty of ground and was at the heart of Bolton's more promising attacks.

Mark Davies-6.5- Found himself in promising positions but couldn't convert. Shamelessly dove to earn Vermaalen a ludicrous yellow.

Martin Petrov-4- A real Bulgarian stinker of a performance. Maybe that is why they were depicted as a toilet in this work of art.

Chris Eagles-5.5- Tracked back well, but didn't provide his usual incisive passing and crosses.

David Ngog-5- What we've come to expect from the near-miss man.

Subs
Pratley- 3 minutes?
Davies- usually gives arsenal fits, why didn't he start?
Tuncay- washed up

Arsenal

Wojiech Sczcesny-5.5- Not the most competent with the ball at his feet the young Pole. Nervy moments.

Laurent Koscielny-5.5- Didn't have all that much to do, but this wasn't one of his better games in what has been a fine season.

Per Mertersacker-4.5- He is arguably adapting, but I remain unconvinced that he's cut out for the pace of England.

Bacary Sagna-7.5- Launched himself into a challenge in the first 2 minutes to announce his return. Arsenal's defense are ten times less vulnerable with him at right back, and this performance was a small positive to take for Wenger.

Thomas Vermaalen-8- If you asked him to play right winger, I bet he'd do a decent job at that as well. The Verminator is Wenger's best buy in recent memory.

Mikel Arteta-7- Looked like he might be bullied out by Muamba early, but really dictated the tempo and flow of the game. Another smart signing.

Aaron Ramsey-4.5- It's hard to stay patient with the youngster after he keeps failing to deliver. Wenger has made up his mind that he is going to let the Welshman learn on the fly, only the results aren't quite on par with what Arsenal fans saw from Wilshire last year.

Theo Walcott-5- Speaking of frustration, there is so much to like about Walcott that you have to rate him. But he's like that pretty girl that just a bit out of your league, how many times does she have to break your heart before you move on?

Alex Oxlaide-Chamberlain-8- Theo who?

Robin Van Persie-9- He deserved to score with his delightful chip with his weak foot, and his set piece delivery was outstanding all night. But this game was always going to be 0-0...

Subs
Henry- Washed up I'm afraid.
Rosicky- Should be starting over Ramsey, but look to the future Arsenal fans, the future!

Bolton Verdict- They seem to have recovered from their horrendous start, and certainly have the players to stay up. Reo-Coker and Wheater were spectacular, and Mark Davies looks a decent young talent.

Arsenal Verdict- It's become a familiar refrain, and it'll go down as another agonizing opportunity missed to pick up valuable points for fourth place which neither Liverpool, Chelsea, nor Arsenal really seem to want to take control of.

EPL Black Holes

It is said in life that it is better to not buy something you might need then buy something you definitely don't need and overpay for it. This works in buying a business, a sweater, or even just a piece of food, because if you don't buy it you can (usually) just buy it at a later time. But if you do buy it and overpay for it, you (usually) are stuck with something you don't want and are unsure on what to do with this overpriced something.

This happens in sports all of the time and is one of the main themes of what separates a management team run successfully, and one that is run poorly. Unless you are the Yankees and Man City's of the world, vastly overpaying for a single player can ruin a team financially and make it extremely difficult for a team to be successful in the years directly after signing the idiotic contract. In American sports, think of the Dodgers after signing Dreifort, the Wizards with Arenas, Redskins with Haynesworth, the Devils with Kovalchuk now, and the Knicks with basically everyone Isaah signed. These buys put the teams in a black hole that can take years to overcome.

I bring this all up because of what happened recently with all the top teams in the EPL and how its directly affected this past Jan transfer window. The past month has seen rumors fly and go of huge multimillion dollar buys, Tevez in particular, but ended with an unknown Senegalese forward being bought by EPL's new stingiest management as the biggest buy of the transfer window at a cool 9 million quid. (yes guys I had to put a Newcastle comment in there) Even just recently as a year ago, a buy of that scale wasn't big enough to be a top story in the English back papers (kidding slightly), but o how the world changes when you purchase a black hole. Of most importance, it is what the team does after the buy that is worth talking about. Let's take a look at the top 7 teams in the EPL and how it has affected them.

Newcastle- After purchasing an already on the decline Michael Owen for over 18 mil (rather then a future superstar 16 year old Rooney for the same price), Newcastle took in a player that got injured so frequently that even if he still had the speed from his Liverpool prime, he still would have been one of the worst buys in EPL history. The good news for fellow Newcastle supporters is that compared to the rest of the list, this signing occurred less recently and the new Newcastle management team spends their money much wiser.

Tottenham- Pavlenchenko and Defoe have not been as bad of a signing as the others on this list, but put together, they are around the same field. I do not rate either of them as more then a mid table starter, but on a team with title aspirations such as the Spurs, with superstars around them such as Bale and Modric, they are simply not good enough. Redknapp, with his high acumen in transfer dealings, feels the same and was basically begging other teams to take these players in the last month just so he can bring in a poorly out of form Saha. (I would put Crouch in the same boat but Stoke were dumb enough to buy him for around 10 mil)

Liverpool- A player with essentially a good half a year in the top league is worth 35 mil? Yes Andy Carroll is young, English, and looked unstoppable for a decent Newcastle team, but 30 or more mil should only be spent on the superstars of the world, not for a great player whose max potential is star status. I do think Carroll will come good in the somewhat near future, and Dagleish needs to keep playing him to build his confidence, but that will most-likely come at the price of missing the top 4 this year and at about 15 mil more then what he was ever worth. (Downing should be here but 35 mil is much worse then 19)

Arsenal- Due to Wenger's stinginess, unlike the other top teams who have bought a black hole, Arsenal has created their black hole by losing 2 of its 3 superstars and replacing them with players not of the same quality. By losing Fabregas and Nasri so late in last summer's transfer window, Wenger got desperate and everyone knew it. Thus, he payed over 26 mil on Santos, Arteta, and Mertesacker when their real combined value is around half that. Because none of them cost over 10 mil, none of them are true black holes, but they are not of title EPL quality, and its being shown this year.

Chelsea- When star players get sold from within the same league, the buying team almost always overpays, because the seller never wants to give away one of its best players to one of its rivals. Add in a desperate, billionaire owner who always gets what he wants, no matter the price, and you got all of the ingredients of a black hole buy. The perfect example of this is when Abramovich payed 50 mil for a hamstring issues, don't even want to be in this country, Torres. While, at the time of the buy, I still believe the Schevenko signing was even worse because he was already past his prime and Torres was supposedly hitting his. But now, either way you look at it, they may end up as the 2 worst signings in EPL history. I do believe, though, that Torres still has some left in him, and once he gets his scoring confidence back, he will be a force to deal with.

Man U- Besides Buffon, goalies don't get bought for huge amounts of money. That's just how its always been. Ferguson bucked the trend recently when paying almost 18 mil for 20 year old Spanish star, Da Gea. Da Gea has showed his young age and inexperience this year in the big games. However, the biggest concern for Man U fans has been that for a keeper known to be a spectacular shot blocker, his shot blocking has been particularly poor. And poor does not cut it at Old Trafford so Ferguson has essentially given the starting job to Lindegard. The good thing about Da Gea, even more so then Carroll, is that he is so young so there is a lot of time for him to come through and justify his high price tag. But will Ferguson jeopardize the title this year for a better chance of long term success? We shall see.

Man City- After another horrific game yesterday in their loss to Everton, I am not sure how much longer Mancini will keep playing Dkeko. Even earlier in the season when he was on form (besides one of his hat trick games where he played out of his mind), Dkeko did not look like much more then a solid hold up striker who can score with his head. His touch, movement, and skills on the ball are average, and on a squad surrounding him with the best players in the world, average is not even close to good enough. For a price of around 30 mil, I see Mancini cutting his losses and selling him in the summer for half that and using that money plus the Tevez money to buy a young superstar striker. Since Neymar seems better suited for the Spanish League, I have no idea who Mancini will buy in the summer, but I do know he will buy someone young, good, and expensive. Man City has so much money though, that even with a signing such as Dkeko, they still should have enough leftover to take the title.