by Colin the King » Sun Dec 20, 2009 3:40 pm
Given 6- He must wonder when he's going to get a chance to play behind a settled, well organised defence. At Newcastle it was calamitous, and in truth it's not much better here at City. All three goals were needless and the result of shoddy defending, there wasn't nothing Shay could have done, but his distribution in the last couple of games has been disappointing. I'd like to see the ball kept on the ground a little more often.
Zabaleta 7- A couple of needless lunges that might have proved costly, but he was mostly excellent. He's more conservative than Richards positionally, but he picks his moments well to go forward and yesterday, delivered three or four outstanding balls, two of which led to goals. If he could iron out the recklessness (which is only a result of him wanting to give 100%) we'd have one of the best full backs in the league here.
Touré 4- Once again, he was sloppy and disorganised, the little mistakes culminating in that dreadful miskick for their 2nd goal. As a captain, he needs to be vocal and take responsibility- to give the ten others absolute confidence that they have a leader of men around them. I hate to be overly critical of any of our players but the last few weeks have been very worrying. It's as though you can reasonably expect at least three lapses in concentration from him in every game. Let's hope Mancini can do something about this.
Onuoha 5- Better than Touré, marginally, in the sense that he at least got his head on and foot through the ball when necessary- it was no nonsense defending as always from Ned, but his positional sense and, like Touré, concentration are issues that need resolving. Ned has a bright future ahead of him because the natural talent is there in abundance- he just needs someone to fine tune that now.
Sylvinho 4- Exceptionally poor for the second time in a week. I thought he was better than Bridge? Sloppy in possession, slower than a turtle and generally all over the place. I don't see what he offers this team but hopefully Bridge will be back before long because this guy is going to get torn to shreds every week otherwise- managers will circle him as our weak link and bloody well exploit it.
SWP 6- A quieter game than usual from Shaun, but he showed his quality in the turn and cross for our third goal. I've noticed that one aspect of his play that's improved since coming back from Chelsea is his ability to look up and find others with through balls on the ground- his crossing in the air still leaves a lot to be desired but on the ground it's more often than not concise. He didn't look completely up to scratch and there weren't too many mazy runs but hopefully he'll be fighting fit for Saturday. Always capable of changing a game.
Ireland 7- A little bit more composure in front of goal and he'd have had a hat-trick, or maybe more. He got on the end of passes very well and his own passing was sensational at times. He wasn't quite as gritty as usual but still effective, and kept our attack ticking over with neat interchanges and was always an option.
Barry 6- An improvement on midweek without a doubt. He was poor in the first half, giving away possession needlessly a few times and generally not at the races, but picked up after the break and did some really inventive stuff. He showed his eye for a pass and creative aspect with brilliant exchanges with Bellamy and Tevez.
Bellamy 9- Absolutely sensational- again. His pace is terrifying but it's not only that- it's his desire, quality of passing and finishing ability that make him who he is. The first goal was delightful stuff, the second was mostly his doing, chasing down a ball that many wouldn't have bothered with, and his own finish was superb. When he plays, he seems to have a hand in EVERYTHING we do.
Tevez 8- The through ball to Bellamy for the opener was sublime, his penalty was well taken and he might have had a couple more on another day. Always looking for the ball, always chasing down lost causes and always a menace. His vision and awareness are a different class, which I'm pleasantly surprised about.
Santa Cruz 9- On any other day, he would've been man of the match but Bellamy was in a league of his own. Nonetheless, Roque really showed us what he's capable of today. His two goals might have been 'easy' finishes but you have to be there, and I don't think Ade would have been. His willingness to win, hold and distribute the ball was superb and his close control was wonderful. I hope this is the real Santa Cruz!
Kompany 6- Poor on their third goal in truth but he nullified their attacking threat for most of his time on the pitch. Excellent in possession and very forward thinking at times. It was nice to see a different dimension to his play.
Richards 7- Was doing fine until he broke down injured, I hope he's alright.
