Manchester City 0-3 Arsenal: Player Ratings

Adetuwo ‘Yemi Jr. is back again to rate the Arsenal performances at City…

Fabianski: Had an amazing game. It so surprising what a good run of games can do to one’s confidence. Made saves you would normally not expect any keeper to make. His handling was assured, decision making superb and reflexes top notch. 8.5

Sagna: Before this game, I did not understand why Eboue had to return to the bench after some good games. But during and after this match, I understood completely what this lad brings to our defence. He was a rock at the back and put in some good balls into the box. 7.5

Squillaci: Was composed all through the game. His experience really helped him. He made a few blocks and his good positional play led to Richards missing a very good opportunity. 7

Djourou: Looked less comfortable, and slightly less mobile. He was beaten a few times but he grew into the game as it wore on. He improved later on, winning every header and even beating Adebayor in two straight sprints. 6

Clichy: Not the best of games for Clichy. His positional sense was in question but his ability on one versus ones was not. He used his speed where his positioning failed him and helped the attack quite well. 6.5

Song had another strong game

Song: I have been one the people who have been complaining about his forays forward in previous games. This game was no different but it paid dividends. Even though his tackling was rash a times, he was everywhere for us. He made sure we felt his physical presence in the middle and popped in with one goal…a crucial one at that. 8

Fabregas: Cesc did what we knew he could. Not the most spectacular of games but you could sense something was going to happen whenever he had the ball. He put Arshavin through when a wrong offside decision was made, and did the same to Chamakh when Boyata had no choice but to bring him down. There is always something different when he’s in the side. The missed penalty was the only downside to his game. 8.5

Denilson: I was actually surprised to see him in the starting eleven but he justified Wenger’s belief in him. He did not light up the Eastlands but his interceptions and positioning in the game were absolutely outstanding. He did not let De Jong bully him and helped prevent a counter attack by rightly stopping Tevez in his tracks. He complemented Cesc and Song perfectly. 7.5

Arshavin: Our little Russian was not flamboyant but made his class and talent tell when we needed it. He gave the assist to Nasri at the most crucial of times and stuck to the wings, stretching Man City to their limits. He now has 5 goals and 7 assists in 15 starts and still people say he is not performing. 7

Nasri: Nasri continued what he had been doing all season, bringing a cutting edge to our play. His composure and balance is extraordinary. He worked his socks off, combined well with Sagna, socre a well-taken goal and showed great focus to set up Bendtner late in the game. My Man of Match! 9

Chamakh: This lad alone has had 4 different players sent off for his sake. His link up play is wonderful, he puts his pace to absolute use. He has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and he has a fantastic engine in him. He needs to shoot more though. 8

SUBSTITUTES

Rosicky: Came on for Arshavin and helped greatly in retaining possession. 6

Bendtner: Marked his return into the team with a goal reminiscent of Thierry Henry. Made a good run behind the defence, and took a great first touch. The angle was akward but he still showed great skill to curl the ball around Joe Hart.

Walcott: Did not have much to do. Just a moment of raw pace but he fluffed his cross.

Mark Clattenburg: I rarely support referees but this was a difficult game to manage. His decisions for and against us were spot on. He was really in charge of the game.

Thoughts?

Have your say on the Arsenal player ratings by leaving a comment.

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Nigerian-born Adetuwo Yemi Jr’s often brutally-honest assessment of all things Arsenal makes him the ideal man for delivering accurate player ratings. He also runs his own Arsenal blog, Memoirs of a Gooner.

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Comments

  1. Always you undermine the achievements of Gael CLICY BUT HE IS A formidable force and he is the only player in arsenal squad who is not injury prone .Remember last year he played all premier games He does ovelap and i can compare his crosses with those of assou ekoto of Hot spurs

  2. It’s hard to say who didn’t perform well today apart from Cescs penalty miss and Djourou early on. Can’t really decide on MOM between Nasri, Fabregas and even Fabianski was up there for me because those excellent saves were so vital not only because they stopped the goals but for the time when they happened too.

    Things are looking good!

  3. Thought Wenger was spot on with the team selection. I had hoped for Denilson and Song with Fab in mid-field rather than Diaby. I think its good to play the more defensively minded players when playing the big strong physical teams – Denilson is a better passer than Diaby in my opinion.

    Excellent all round performance by the team.

  4. i was so happy when diaby was not picked he is a liability and denislon is a much more composed player on the ball and complements febragas as they have played together so many times over the years diaby is clumsy and must go as he is taking up space in the squad perhaps some of the youngsters should fill cant wait for ramsey to come back as he must be ahead of diaby in the pecking order well done arsenal great result also djourou needs to be sold easily turned and was shaky got better but we should of been 2 – 0 down by then against better teams would of been punished

  5. my MOTM is Fabianski. His 2nd minute save from Silva was the game changer.
    I hope the absence of Diaby will allow the manager to realize how he slows down our game. He dwells too much on the ball & is quite clumsy as well.
    Good win! It’ll build the squad’s confidence & make them believe that they can win the so-called big matches.
    At the moment, Arsenal got a lot of options in midfield. The defense also seems to be well covered. My only concern is the continued absence of RvP.
    And Arshavin continues to puzzle us with his see-saw performances 🙁

  6. Fabianski really put in a great performance, in particular the save in the first minute and a couple of good stops late on! He’s finally starting to show what he’s all about. If he keeps performing like that, I wouldn’t mind seeing him between the posts instead of Almunia.

  7. I think Diaby is suited to play just behind strikers and not as a defensive midfielder. He is hugely hugely talented, and will improve further. Yes he does slow the game down and is not the best player defensively. I think overall I rate him as “keep in the squad”.
    Clichy is a good player too. he does need help from the left winger though, and help should be provided to him

  8. it was great win, every gunner is pretty excited.song played well bt i must admit im nt fan.Nasri is on top of hs game. the team looked very balanced though i still have questions on Clichy’s ability to defend crosses in the box,at times he misses it.i still feel we need to try more shots at goal from outside the 18 yard box

  9. the game was very nice and it helped to keep quiet the naysayers about our young guns ability and i must confess for the first time i rated fabianski highly, hope he continues with the pace,keep it up

  10. my fellow 9ja boy…top notch player ratings but I think fabianski should be the MOTM…if not for fabianski, we would have gone behind so early in the game which is always a difficult position to be in.
    He also made another save at 1-0 to stop them from getting back into the game and a couple more later in the game to give us our first away clean sheet since january

  11. i think you’ve overmarked Song. A good game, but at some times his skills let him down a little, and he was a bit aggressive in his tackling. would give him a 7. but he showed great leadership and work-rate as usual, and i’m glad he’s being rewarded with some goals.

    I had fabianski as MOTM, two crucial saves at two crucial points in the match. nasri was brilliant but his assist to bendtner was when the game was over and man ct were dead on their feet.
    fabregas 8, denilson 7. they both can do more.
    djourou was just defending a bit too tightly at times, but he passes well, has good speed, and was composed.
    criticism of arshavin stems from his defensive efforts and body language and his inconsistency.

  12. In my opinion i believe Samir Nasri was the MOTM…Denilson is much better in the defensive midfield position compared to Diaby cz he can distribute the ball well n’ a much better passer..though i’m nt under-rating Diaby cz i Thnk he can play much better in a position behind the two strikers cause he can keep the ball quit well…
    faby was gud but not at its best maybe bcz he has just come back from an Injury n’ about the penalty i still thnk that was a well taken penalty only that Joe Hart made a good save…
    About the tackling done by both Denilson n’ Song I don’t blame them coz at that stage the game was very tense n’ we weren’t composed though we were infront…but during the second half i saw the pure arsenal which was well composed with the ball n’ u could have seen how denilson n’ song played..!!
    Shaky first half but a classy second..
    UP UP GOONERS!!!

  13. Agreed, agreed and agreed..!! Nasri was my man of the man. He caused mayhem with his trickery and displayed agility against a physical side. Great game, Great outcome. Great team performance (2hrs sleep was worth it) **Yawning as we speak**

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