Newcastle V ARSENAL ratings

[Lukazan]

Almunia - 5 Held on to some potentially difficult balls but he really should have done better with the ball delivered for Newcastle's equaliser, and the Newcastle set-pieces in general.

Sagna - 7 Awesome display. Won just about everything in the air tossed his way and battled hard.

Toure - 5 Unusually shakey game today I thought, not at his best. Needs to cut out the aimless long balls forward too, 9 out of 10 of them are just a give away of possession.

Gallas - 6 As solid as you can be when you're being bombarded.

Clichy - 5 Started brightly but then his passing got really sloppy. Never had a chance to get forward really.

Gilberto - 4 Very poor. Sloppy passing, dwelt on the ball and just looks sooooo slow, like he doesn't belong in this new Arsenal team.

Diarra - 5 Great tenacity but he never passed quick enough and he was lucky not to get sent off after continually trying to hack his man down.

Eboue - 6.5 Not involved much but did well when he was. Some good balls in from set pieces and also provided a lovely ball for Ade's goal.

Rosicky - 6.5 A good game I felt. One or two sloppy passes in the first half and wasn't involved too much but he showed some good touches and clever little passes. Second half he stepped up and was probably our best player. He missed Fabregas and Hleb though.

Eduardo - 4 Evident he's not quite adapted yet by the amount of time he took on the ball each time he got it. Had a few chances to make a useful quick pass but hesistated and usually found himself under pressure. Not a good night and not clearing the ball before Newcastle equalised just topped his night off. To be fair though, 1. He got stuck in 2. He showed some flashes of brilliant skill 3. Should never have been on the left wing anyway.

Adebayor - 5 (Copy and paste from Ade thread) I thought he was bad tonight. Class technique and play for the goal but it all went down hill from there. In the second half he looked like a man on a mission to see how many times he could miscontrol the ball or fall over. The sheer stupidity he showed in failing to get himself onside when Rosicky was bursting forward, and THEN having the cheek to scream at Rosicky about it summed his second half up. Not to mention he should have passed to Eduardo early in the first half which would have almost certainl led to a goal.

Bendtner - 6 He should have come on earlier because we looked a little bette when he did. Was too busy being fouled by numerous Newcastle players to do anything though.

Wenger should never have been playing 4-5-1 here and we missed Hleb and Fabregas badly. Without them we couldn't get on the ball and keep it and Newcastle were all over us.

 

[arsmile]

i'm posting my 'whole eff-off 'match review here cos it gets completely sunk in the match thread.......



What I thought at half time (but forgot to post)

1) generally played well without asserting ourselves
2) fantastic goal by ade and good cross
3) really really really good reaction save from almunia
4) toure needs a (to use to colloquial term) ‘chill pill’
5) Eduardo was doing well upfront and rosicky on the left- so we swapped them and they were both poorer in these positions



What I’m thinking now


Uururrgh...

Almunia-7.5- faultless- one fantastic save in the first half, dealt with crosses well- and the amount of pass-backs he got and dealt with well- we don’t have that option with jens and we only play it back to him if we have no other option, so either we would be giving away needless throw-ins, or resort to the pass back and have jens get in another muddle and cause goals- dare I speculate that we might have lost this match with jens in goal…purely because of the important kicking almunia did????

Sagna-7.5- defended well- I like how hw got the booking, got up slowly and didn’t even acknowledy the referee, he looked straight through him…when you put that together with the hair- we may have the coolest man in the world playing for us!- some important headers as well

Toure-6.5- defended impeccably but he’s got to cut out this going mental over every fowl we get cos barton’s challenge wernt even that bad, and Gilberto knew it, kolo stopped glib shaking hands with him and getting helped up- a bit stupid really- doesn’t win headers, and does step out from the backline too much- his athleticism makes up for it though…

Galas-7.5- captain’s performance again, defended well..ditto for toure with the headers though…if we come up against any forward who can header (even smith- who isn’t particularly renowned for the skill) we loose every long ball unless sagna’s defending it

Clichy-7.5- he made the runs going forward but wasn’t used….left exposed on the left when we inexplicably put eddy there…got a massive bump on his head

Eduardo-5.5- did very well playing up front, it was his hustling that forced the Newcastle error, but, as soon as we scored we moved him out left- and he cant defend, not even slightly- you wouldn’t play micheal owen on the wing would you!?- him and Walcott- we cant risk them out wide when their defending is so appalling, mind you eddy’s is better than Walcott- probably should have been cleared probably by ade, but Eduardo took a stupid risk and we paid- was ineffective for 50odd minutes because wenger moved him from upfront, in a 442, I don’t know whether that was because wenger wanted to play 451 from the start with eddy being hleb, and then eddy didn’t listen and went alongside ade in a 442…but he did really well upfront- and well offensively in midfield (which is what put him above Walcott who dosent know what to do with the ball at his feet in midfield…

Gilberto-6- no drive…gave away lots of fouls- good passing with the ball at his feet but a completely passive influence on the game

Diarra-6.5- tried to do what flamini did last game, play in an unaccustomed attacking CM role…..he did have the drive, he does have a good passing range, but he dribbles with it far too often when a simple ball is on- often culminating in him loosing the ball

Eboue-8- I think he’s finally cracked it- great assist, generally a danger- and brilliant defending in the final seconds to stop a certain goal

Rosicky-7.25- did ok on the left…did ok pretending to be hleb … looked lively and dangerous,

Adebayor-6.5- unexplainably good goal, but was sooooo incredibly stupid when he broke with rosicky, a certain goal was on, but he never once got into a position where he was available and onside, and then he had the nerve to have a go at tomas…I think he was saying ‘first time’ but he would have been offside then as well, someone needs to teach him about the offside rule, I know officials never give him the benefit of the doubt, but he has a reputation for mistiming runs, and there is indeed no smoke without fire…generally worked hard but does not win enough headers for a lone man in a 451, bendtner won every header when he came on, I am not saying ade is worse than nik, nor am I necessarily saying that nik should be starting instead…but ade needs to learn how to win these header and then hold up play…I don’t think he’s suited for a 451 as much a nik…..towards the end I think he was fouled a couple of times (maybe the ref had some money on a 1-1) but after the first time, he kept trying to buy fouls when it was clear than the ref weren’t giving them- he might have been able to score had he been cleverer about the whole situation

Bendtner-7- won all the headers was fouled continually- couldn’t have done any more




^^I think I summed it all up there……very disappointing that we couldn’t assert ourselves in midfield, a big shame- I thought that one area in the pitch we had cover was CM….but after cesc, flams, there is a slight drop in effectiveness to diarra, and then a BIG drop before Gilberto….i don’t really know why, I think he’s disheartened at being dropped, but we just could not get a foothold in the game- Newcastle deserve at least their point- in fact, we didn’t have another proper shot on target (bar a weak one from eboue)….back to the CM, maybe this performance was a one-off, maybe the glib-diarra partnership will work if called upon in the future…but the creative impetus that cesc/hleb provides, that was last week picked up by versatile flamini- was completely absent,……or it may be a case of rushing denilson through so we have another creative option in CM……..

Most importantly (positives)- we increased the gap at the top….we are still unbeaten…we fought for a result in a game we could have easily lost

Most importantly (negatives)- it was against NEWCASTLE, and it was our relative ineptitude offensively that brought out the performance in them cos they could smell a result…….




I’m not sure how much longer we can cope without hleb, cesc, flams, AND robin, especially in this busy time period...the last two games- we have got four points when it could easily have been none- we need to fight through this rough patch (which I gots a strange feeling may last the whole of December and into January) without relinquishing the top spot…if we can do that…….then we are good for the title (if!!)

 

[stiiphunn]

Almunia - 6

Sagna - 7
Touré - 6
Gallas - 7
Clichy - 6
Gilberto - 3
Diarra - 5
Eboue - 6
Rosicky - 6.5
Eduardo - 4
Adebayor - 4 (Very frustrating player)
Bendtner - 6

 

[mccroix]

Almunia - 5 bad decisions on set pieces

Sagna - 6,5 Not his best performances, Milner had some decent crosses..well let's say he was given the opportunity..

Touré - 5,5 I agree..didn't look very calm at all..

Gallas - 6 decent

Clichy - 4 worst performance this season..he'll be back though

Gilberto - 0 Not only was his performance a disgrace...his attitude was what disappointed me the most

Diarra - 7 MOTM great strength, composure, yes he held onto the ball a little long today...but I was impressed

Eboue - 6.5 nice assist. loved his corners, he should be taking them rather than rosicky

Rosicky - 5 poor...looks weak and wasn't really in it

Eduardo - 5,5 Was played out of position later on..showed some flashes of good class

Adebayor - great goal. apart from that piss poor. Inappropriate fancy stuff, went down to easy, bad runs, bad timing in the air, bad decisions.

 

[Lord Dula]

Almunia 7
Sagna 7
Toure 6.5
Gallas 7
Clichy 5.5 - frustrating with his output
Eboue 6 - meh
Diarra - 7.5 must have been hard running around carrying Gilberto on his shoulders
Gilberto - 4.5 he's tossing it off these days
Rozza - 6
Eduardo 6
Adebayor - 6.75

Bendtner - 7 ****ing start him!

 

[gstew]

Almunia - 7

Sagna - 7

Touré - 6.5

Gallas - 6.5

Clichy - 5.5 Worst game he has had.

Gilberto - 5 Poor.

Diarra - 7 Needs to do better with the ball, but is an amazing battler. As aggressive (or more) than Flamini, but much quicker. He needs to move the ball along faster.

Eboue - 6 Almost invisible.

Rosicky - 7.5

Eduardo - 5 Poor

Adebayor - 7 Not a very good game, but he was able to provide a release for our long balls. Also, he shielded well. great goal.

Bendtner - 6


We have three truly superior creative players (Hleb, Cesc and RVP). It is quite evident that we are substandard when missing all three. I hope that we sign Modric in the break so that we will certainly have at least one on the field at all times.

 

[Gurgen]

Almunia 5 - Too slow to move across for the goal and erratic on set pieces. His handling is great but mentally he is a wreck.

Sagna 7 - Had a lot of pressure on him and struggled at times. He was still strong in the tackle though and won almost everything in the air.

Toure 7 - A good game from him, didn't do much wrong.

Gallas 7 - See Toure.

Clichy 6 - Struggled with his passing and never got forward.

Eboue 7 - Great cross for our goal and did a lot of defensive work for a change.

Gilberto 5 - Not his best but the ref allowing Newcastle players to foul him every 3 minutes didn't really help.

Diarra 6 - Battled hard with Newcastle and Mike Dean but his passing was often sloppy and he wasted many promising situations.

Rosicky 5 - He was doing ok on the left but couldn't hold on to the ball in the centre.

Eduardo 5 - Started well, lost on the wing as he doesn't have a clue how to play there. Hasn't Wenger learned from Reyes?

Adebayor 6 - Had he not scored I would have given him a 5. He was selfish and stupid for a large part of the game.


Bendtner 6 - Brought presence up front but couldn't find a breakthrough either.

 

[ricky1985]

Almunia - 7. Thought his handling was very impressive. I dont think he controls his area on set-pieces very well. No chance on the goal.

Sagna - 8. I thought he was so isolated, but dealt so well. He just gets better and better.

Clichy - 6. Never as isolated as Sagna but made twice as many mistakes. Non-existent going forward.

Toure - 7. Was in the right place at the right time, most of the time. He needs to be more aggressive on high balls.

Gallas - 7. Was very good at last ditch defending but like Toure needs to be more aggressive when attacking balls in the air.

Eboue - 6. Great cross for Ade's goal. Dont think he did anything else right though???

Rosicky - 6. Thought he was pathetically poor in the first half. But to his credit he stepped it up in the second half. Ade made his life a lot more difficult with his stupidity though.

Diarra - 7. Was amazing at different points of game. The pace the game was scary at times, and this made it almost impossible for midfielders. But for this he would have been even better.

Gilberto - 4. Just thought he was absolutely useless. And that is me calmed down and rational. He didnt contribute anything. He doesnt pass intelligently, doesnt engage in our pass and move game and is so slow, and static. Waste of a shirt.

Eduardo - 6. Thought he showed flashes of class. But the pace was amazing and it was a bit too much for him. Should have put his foot through but it happens.

Adebayor - 6. Awesome goal, awesome. He held the ball up like a God but then inexplicably gave it away or ****ed up in the final third. Wenger left him soooo isolated, once again.

Sub's

Bendtner - 7. Looked absolute class when he came on to me. He is so strong, so skillfull and doesnt just win headers but actually finds teamates with them.

 

[giuliob]

5=average

Almunia - 5- Decent performance...How many set pieces in a row late 2nd half? 4 or 5?? One right after another....
Sagna - 7 - Consistency, quality....The complete package...
Touré - 5 Seemed to be nervous....and rattled....
Gallas - 6 With such a ragged team performance, he did fine.....
Clichy - 5 Disappointing......Sloppy and maybe tired?
Gilberto - 4
Diarra - 5 A warrior....And will get better with time on the pitch....
Eboue - 6. He sent up a beauty for Ade's goal....Has he lost a step or is it my eyes???
Rosicky - 5.5 A very hard game for him...With little support going forward...
Eduardo - 4 Playing out of position......Still seems to be going through an adjustment phase to life in the big league.......
Adebayor - 5 He drives me nuts sometimes, like tonite....He doesn't play smart when opportunities present themselves....Eboue's pass made the goal.....Seemed nonchalant...Wish some of Sagna's toughness would rub off......
Bendtner - 6 He really is a presence on the pitch, doesn't disappear......I think we'll see more and more of Nik...

The team looked disjointed after the early goal, out of sorts which allowed Newcastle to capitalize to the point of turning the game around....And Newcastle is one ugly team to watch......

The referee was okay up until the fouls on Ade....No courage, all fear..........Chicken.........

 

[dutchMasta]

Almunia - 7 (Decent saves)
Sagna - 6.5 (Mixed bag, but mostly good)
Touré - 6.5 (Should've dealt with Smith better, but solid overall)
Gallas - 6.5 (Solid overall, but also should've headed more out)
Clichy - 6 (Good defensively, but couldn't keep ball or attack)
Gilberto - 4.5 (Poor, gave balls away, wasn't aggressive, etc. His passing seems to be SO weak as well, and hard to control since they are so innacurate and bounce a lot)
Diarra - 6.5 (Mixed, but some great power and passion in the 2nd half, needed a better partner)
Eboue - 6 (Decent, but nothing special)
Rosicky - 6 (Poor, but had some good moments which should've changed the match)
Eduardo - 5 (Partly at fault for goal, average otherwise)
Adebayor - 6 (Great goal, but should've cleared for NU's goal, and wasted other great opportunities)
Bendtner - 6.5 (Won some headers and helped win some possession)

 

[Dragon181]

Almunia - 6,5 Good game. He stopped a lot of outside shots, as expected, and made a few really good saves (one of the near post off a corner I think). But definitely was poor for the corner that eventually led to the goal and was unfortunate to concede a sloppy goal from Eduardo's sloppy clearance.

Sagna - 7 Tested often and played superbly all night. I don't understand why teams try to go through their left side especially when Sagna's out there on the wings.

Touré - 6 Wasn't his best game. He was outplayed at times and didn't seem as strong and solid as his usual self. Unnecessarily protested at the ref a few times.

Gallas - 6,5 Solid.

Clichy - 6,5 Solid on defense, was anonymous on offense. Showed one cross, which was too far for Ade, but other than that, made very little effort to go forward. Still a very good defender.

Gilberto - 5 Lost the ball on numerous occasions. Looked slow, unmotivated and weak. Is this the same Gilberto from years past?

Diarra - 7,5 Hard working. Strong. Massive. The man chases after so many loose balls and hounds opposing players. Also holds on to the ball very well. But definitely loses some balls. Showing his talent.

Eboue - 6,5 Good game. Great defending with the block on the shot on goal towards the end, and good cross to Ade (that was him, right?).

Rosicky - 7 Good game. Really had a few good chances. If Ade had stayed onside, we would've had a 2nd goal.

Eduardo - 5,5 Should've done better with the clearance. He shows again why he's a forward and not a winger. Wenger needs to stop putting him on the wings because he cannot defend at all.

Adebayor - 6 Really good goal, but made many mistakes afterwards. Had a chance to pass to Eduardo, but took it instead. Then was offsides when Rosicky could have passed to him. He needs to be more consistent with his play throughout the game.

Bendtner - 6,5 He brought some life back to the team and played decently well. He might actually be able to co-exist with Ade up front, and I think Wenger would do well to at least try it because Theo's not ready and Eduardo doesn't do well in the league.

Overall, it was a bad game and Newcastle pressured throughout. If they were luckier and our players weren't as sharp, we could have lost this game. A very dangerous game; it was one of those seemingly winnable ones that don't quite turn out as expected.

 

[FrankArsenal]

My thoughts:

- Rosicky dissapointed me: He really needed to step up the plate in absence of Hleb and Cesc, but he didn't. A good thing is that he got stuck in.

- Edu: He should really have got that pass from Ade... Ade was way to selfish... But he's not quite ready yet.

- Bendtner: AW should give him a start: He makes an impact when he comes. Interesting that AW opted for him instead of Wllcott, I agree with that decision.

- Almunia: I think people are to hard on him, he's a decent goalie... but not the real deal.

Diarra: Great spirit, tried really a hard, maybe a bit to hard.

 

[Webdesignlab]

I will just give points to a few as so many here gave already said most of that I thought.

Almunia 7. Great stopping. No chance on the goal.
Sagna 7 What a great buy this guy is. How old doers he look with that hair ..16? Funny guy class player. He had Milner.
Rosicky 5. Nowhere as near the quality that we needed without Fabregas or Hleb. I am so glad that those two are not African.
Galls/Toure. 5.5 Very tough game for these two. So I will up it to 6.
Ade? ... er? Lord knows. What is this enigma about? What a bloody cracking goal. What a waste of time apart from it.
Gilberto 4. Ahh what happened to him? I love him I do, but that was so crap. I think he will be gone in Jan. What a pity, I thought he would still be a great for us.

 

[ZanYGooneR]

Almunia - 6,5 Good game. He stopped a lot of outside shots, as expected, and made a few really good saves (one of the near post off a corner I think). But definitely was poor for the corner that eventually led to the goal and was unfortunate to concede a sloppy goal from Eduardo's sloppy clearance.

Sagna - 7 Tested often and played superbly all night. I don't understand why teams try to go through their left side especially when Sagna's out there on the wings.

Touré - 6 Wasn't his best game. He was outplayed at times and didn't seem as strong and solid as his usual self. Unnecessarily protested at the ref a few times.

Gallas - 6,5 Solid.

Clichy - 6,5 Solid on defense, was anonymous on offense. Showed one cross, which was too far for Ade, but other than that, made very little effort to go forward. Still a very good defender.

Gilberto - 5 Lost the ball on numerous occasions. Looked slow, unmotivated and weak. Is this the same Gilberto from years past?

Diarra - 7,5 Hard working. Strong. Massive. The man chases after so many loose balls and hounds opposing players. Also holds on to the ball very well. But definitely loses some balls. Showing his talent.

Eboue - 6,5 Good game. Great defending with the block on the shot on goal towards the end, and good cross to Ade (that was him, right?).

Rosicky - 7 Good game. Really had a few good chances. If Ade had stayed onside, we would've had a 2nd goal.

Eduardo - 5,5 Should've done better with the clearance. He shows again why he's a forward and not a winger. Wenger needs to stop putting him on the wings because he cannot defend at all.

Adebayor - 6 Really good goal, but made many mistakes afterwards. Had a chance to pass to Eduardo, but took it instead. Then was offsides when Rosicky could have passed to him. He needs to be more consistent with his play throughout the game.

Bendtner - 6,5 He brought some life back to the team and played decently well. He might actually be able to co-exist with Ade up front, and I think Wenger would do well to at least try it because Theo's not ready and Eduardo doesn't do well in the league.

Overall, it was a bad game and Newcastle pressured throughout. If they were luckier and our players weren't as sharp, we could have lost this game. A very dangerous game; it was one of those seemingly winnable ones that don't quite turn out as expected.

You gave Rosicky a 7?? My my some of us are easy to please I must of watched a different match to you because in the one I saw Rosicky was poooooooooooooor!!!

 

[ZanYGooneR]

Almunia - 6,5 Good game. He stopped a lot of outside shots, as expected, and made a few really good saves (one of the near post off a corner I think). But definitely was poor for the corner that eventually led to the goal and was unfortunate to concede a sloppy goal from Eduardo's sloppy clearance.

Sagna - 7 Tested often and played superbly all night. I don't understand why teams try to go through their left side especially when Sagna's out there on the wings.

Touré - 6 Wasn't his best game. He was outplayed at times and didn't seem as strong and solid as his usual self. Unnecessarily protested at the ref a few times.

Gallas - 6,5 Solid.

Clichy - 6,5 Solid on defense, was anonymous on offense. Showed one cross, which was too far for Ade, but other than that, made very little effort to go forward. Still a very good defender.

Gilberto - 5 Lost the ball on numerous occasions. Looked slow, unmotivated and weak. Is this the same Gilberto from years past?

Diarra - 7,5 Hard working. Strong. Massive. The man chases after so many loose balls and hounds opposing players. Also holds on to the ball very well. But definitely loses some balls. Showing his talent.

Eboue - 6,5 Good game. Great defending with the block on the shot on goal towards the end, and good cross to Ade (that was him, right?).

Rosicky - 7 Good game. Really had a few good chances. If Ade had stayed onside, we would've had a 2nd goal.

Eduardo - 5,5 Should've done better with the clearance. He shows again why he's a forward and not a winger. Wenger needs to stop putting him on the wings because he cannot defend at all.

Adebayor - 6 Really good goal, but made many mistakes afterwards. Had a chance to pass to Eduardo, but took it instead. Then was offsides when Rosicky could have passed to him. He needs to be more consistent with his play throughout the game.

Bendtner - 6,5 He brought some life back to the team and played decently well. He might actually be able to co-exist with Ade up front, and I think Wenger would do well to at least try it because Theo's not ready and Eduardo doesn't do well in the league.

Overall, it was a bad game and Newcastle pressured throughout. If they were luckier and our players weren't as sharp, we could have lost this game. A very dangerous game; it was one of those seemingly winnable ones that don't quite turn out as expected.

You gave Rosicky a 7?? My my some of us are easy to please I must of watched a different match to you because in the one I saw Rosicky was poooooooooooooor!!!

 

[gunnerGH]

Almunia 7
Sagna 6
Toure 6.5
Gallas 7
Clichy 6
Eboue 7
Rosicky 5.5
Gilberto 5
Diarra 7
Eduardo 5.5
Ade 7

 

[Dragon181]

Almunia - 6,5 Good game. He stopped a lot of outside shots, as expected, and made a few really good saves (one of the near post off a corner I think). But definitely was poor for the corner that eventually led to the goal and was unfortunate to concede a sloppy goal from Eduardo's sloppy clearance.

Sagna - 7 Tested often and played superbly all night. I don't understand why teams try to go through their left side especially when Sagna's out there on the wings.

Touré - 6 Wasn't his best game. He was outplayed at times and didn't seem as strong and solid as his usual self. Unnecessarily protested at the ref a few times.

Gallas - 6,5 Solid.

Clichy - 6,5 Solid on defense, was anonymous on offense. Showed one cross, which was too far for Ade, but other than that, made very little effort to go forward. Still a very good defender.

Gilberto - 5 Lost the ball on numerous occasions. Looked slow, unmotivated and weak. Is this the same Gilberto from years past?

Diarra - 7,5 Hard working. Strong. Massive. The man chases after so many loose balls and hounds opposing players. Also holds on to the ball very well. But definitely loses some balls. Showing his talent.

Eboue - 6,5 Good game. Great defending with the block on the shot on goal towards the end, and good cross to Ade (that was him, right?).

Rosicky - 7 Good game. Really had a few good chances. If Ade had stayed onside, we would've had a 2nd goal.

Eduardo - 5,5 Should've done better with the clearance. He shows again why he's a forward and not a winger. Wenger needs to stop putting him on the wings because he cannot defend at all.

Adebayor - 6 Really good goal, but made many mistakes afterwards. Had a chance to pass to Eduardo, but took it instead. Then was offsides when Rosicky could have passed to him. He needs to be more consistent with his play throughout the game.

Bendtner - 6,5 He brought some life back to the team and played decently well. He might actually be able to co-exist with Ade up front, and I think Wenger would do well to at least try it because Theo's not ready and Eduardo doesn't do well in the league.

Overall, it was a bad game and Newcastle pressured throughout. If they were luckier and our players weren't as sharp, we could have lost this game. A very dangerous game; it was one of those seemingly winnable ones that don't quite turn out as expected.

You gave Rosicky a 7?? My my some of us are easy to please I must of watched a different match to you because in the one I saw Rosicky was poooooooooooooor!!!

I thought he did pretty well, at least as much as I can remember. Either that, or I was too blinded by how badly Bert and Dudu played. I'll go see a replay of the match and focus on Rosicky. :wink:

 

[tactica442]

My rating based on the observation on the terrace. I haven't watched any highlight and etc.

Almunia - 6
Sagna - 6
Kolo - 7
Gallas - 7
Clichy - 5 - Wost performance from Gael this season.
Eboue - 6
Rosicky - 6
Diarra - 7 - some wide passes but managed to fight
Gilberto - 6
Eduardo - 5 - where was he all night? Only sensed his presence when his misplaced pass led to Newcastle's equaliser
Adebayor - 7

Wenger - 6

I begin struggling with the idea of playing Eduardo on wide. IMO Eduarod was signed firstly for his scoring record as a poacher and secondly for his ability to occasionally play on the wing. Maybe AW should stick to a formation that made Eduardo's play his best. I am not sure whether I was affected by the atmosphere, but the team could've done more crosses to extend the lead before the equaliser.

Consider the performance, particularly from Clichy and Eduardo, I don't think a draw is a bad result.

 

[derrickkwa]

Almunia 6.5 - More or less solid throughout the match
Sagna 7.5 - Brilliant defensively. Had Milner in his pocket.
Toure 5.5 - Seemed a bit unsure today. I'd rather see him cut out the long punts upfield.
Gallas 6.5 - Decent performance, tried to get the team going.
Clichy 5 - Okay in defense, but sloppy in his passing, and offered nothing going forward
Gilberto 5.5 - Sloppy passing, gave a way a couple of poor fouls
Diarra 5.5 - I'm still not convinced by Diarra as a CM. I think he takes away a bit of our fluidity. He doesn't release the ball quickly enough. Stupid off-the-ball foul while we were on the break as well.
Eboue 6.5 - A couple of bright moments going forward. Tracked back well to help out Sagna.
Rosicky 7 - Showed good tenacity. Tried to get things going, did quite well, actually.
Eduardo 6 - Did well at the start, not sure why he was moved to the flank, but he was poorer there. Did his fair share of defending, though.
Adebayoor 5.5 - Good goal, a couple of good moves, but on a whole quite poor. Wasted a great opportunity by going for himself instead of passing to Eduardo. And another when he refused to stay onside. Good talent and ability, but needs to start thinking more.
Bendtner 6 - Did alright. I know people say we looked better when he came on, and I agree. But I think it has more to do with the timing, and the fact that we wanted to go on to win it. Meaning I think that even if he hadn't come on, we would still have stepped it up. That said, it was a decent performance from him.

 

[Zico]

I've found that night games are better when doing ratings cos one can go to bed and wake up sober to do the ratings in the morning:

Almunia - 8
I always felt confident when the ball went towards Almunia. He did not face a lot of shots on goal, but he did have to manage his area for much of the game, and was typically in control of aerial balls. Can't fault him for goal.

Gallas - 7
Toure - 7
Our centre backs soaked up pressure well and remained organized. Good tackle by Toure on Martens.

Sagna - 8
Top player. Very mobile, excellent on both feet.

Clichy - 4
Yesterday, Clichy used his left foot in at least 5 instances where using his right foot would've been a wiser decision. The man is hopelessly one-footed (compare with Sagna). He put us under pressure unnecessarily a couple of times due to this.

Rosicky - 5
Completely absent. Was correct, however, not to pass to Ade. This man is like Ljunberg without the goals.

Eduardo - 5
Why is he being misused?! *&&%$ He has wonderful touches, but he is completely out of the action. He should have played in Rosicky's position, as he is better in traffic and a goal threat. He is being wasted.

Gilberto - 4
Very rusty. Was generally good defensively, but woeful when we had the ball.

Diarra - 6
Very up and down throughout the game. Lots of energy, but some silly errors. Neesd to look for outlets when he recovers the ball near our goal.

Eboue - 6
Disappointing following his match against Aston Villa. Great crosss for goal is worth at least two points here.

Adebayor - 6
Scored the goal that secured a point in a hostile stadium. A stunner too. Frustrated Newcastle defenders. Unfortunately, he had the same effect on his teammates.