I've got a feeling many will disagree with some of my assessments here, but here goes:
Schmeichel: 7 - Made two good saves in the first half as we saw the first real signs of him showing what we need from him this season.
De Laet: 6 - Growing into the league, perhaps more settled by having a new contract. But I really wish he'd get his positioning sorted out and be more reluctant to leave the defensive line as the opposition keep exploiting the space.
Wasilewski: 6 - Strong, but the ball over his head looked like it could cause trouble in the future as he was often hesitant with it.
Morgan: 7 - Largely untroubled, but maybe he made it look that way. Another good performance from the captain.
Konchesky: 7 - Had a decent game defensively, although have Schlupp in front of him certainly helped him in that regard. Crosses were improved today as well, although ultimately fruitless as they weren't attacked enough.
Mahrez: 7 - Showed some quality in the first half with some excellent touches and looked like he could make something happen. Tired in the second half.
James: 6 - I took careful note of what James was doing today as I felt I hadn't seen much of him so far, and I've been interested in John Gee's reviews about how he doesn't rate his touch as good enough for this league. The results were mixed: On the plus side, he helped to forge a couple of good chances for himself and he put in a solid and energetic display in the middle of the park. However, his passes were often lacking a degree of accuracy, just making it that much more difficult for the receiver to do anything useful with them, so I'm not sure whether he can play football as quick as Drinkwater or King would be able to do.
Cambiasso: 8 - A few passes went astray, but he was the class act of our side today, breaking up play and playing simple but effective passes to get the ball moving the way we need to play it. He was also a one-man organising machine for our midfield, particularly giving Schlupp a lot of guidance. My choice for our MOTM.
Schlupp: 7 - Very strong defensively, while providing an attacking threat by playing in a fast and direct manner. Could have done more if some of his runs had been picked out, and he showed further good signs of being able to cope with the rigours of the league, although of course the end product could still do with much work.
Vardy: 6 - An all-action performance, but his touch let him down badly throughout, scuppering some good moves and one great opportunity in particular when a break gave us a 4-on-2 advantage in attack.
Ulloa: 6 - Worked hard and fought well up front, not given enough service again though and he's always going to be limited while that remains a problem.
Knockaert: 5 - After much clamouring from the fans to get him on, and despite a hard-working performance, he was generally dealt with by Sunderland like a kid had run onto the field and he was only able to assert any physicality by fouling.
Nugent: 5 - Didn't contribute greatly.
Wood: 5 - Largely stifled by a Sunderland defence that looked a lot more comfortable once the pace of Schlupp and Vardy had been removed from the equation.
Overall, there were positives to be taken. Schlupp had a good game, as did Mahrez. We kept a clean sheet despite playing a 4-4-2 and weren't overrun in midfield, and on a similar note Cambiasso was able to operate in that system successfully and lasted the match. While Sunderland didn't have any pace in attacking areas, we were able to deal with their threats relatively well.
The big negative of course was the general lack of quality going forward. We still weren't creating enough decent chances, although we were able to at least create more today than we have done recently. Lack of composure also remains a big problem and a big contributing factor to the low quality of delivery, but that comes from confidence and that's still through the floor at times. Question marks still remain over whether several players we have are just going through a transitional phase in stepping up or whether this is their limit. Personally, I still think they played a lot better than this last season, which points to it being a confidence issue, but the longer it goes on, the further that issue can become ingrained. And we really need to be winning most games at home against bottom-half teams like Burnley, West Brom and Sunderland.
As for Matty James, the jury's out.
Players ratings vs. Sunderland
posted on 23/11/14
Is Albrighton that bad? I remember him being quite well thought of by Villa and the fans were sad to see him go.....
He can put a decent ball into the box and no one is doing that at the minute
posted on 23/11/14
Generally fair ratings Dunge but I would make a few adjustments.
I though De Laet had his best game for some time and dealt pretty well with the threat of Wickham. would give him a 7.5 or 8.
Thought Konchesky was solid defensively but very disappointing going forward. I think this is where his limitations stand out.
Schlupp had an excellent first half but disappeared second half and was rightly hooked.
Cambiasso was class again and does pull the strings. James alongside him worked well and definitely deserved his place as DD has been poor in recent weeks. Several times James showed quick feet and produced a few surging runs that galvanised those around him.
Ulloa looked better today and did see some better service. Vardy is a pest and nearly capitalised on a couple of poor back passes. I still think he could cut it at this level but needs time - remember his first season in the Championship and it took time for him to adapt then.
I like Nugent and I suspect I am alone in rating his contribution to the team this season but yesterday just didn't work for him. Didn't even seem that energetic. Don't remember a time when he has made much of an impact coming on as sub. He's one of those that needs to start.
As for Pearson, I think he picked the right team. I was very pleased to see 4-4-2 and width back on the pitch and we played much better than recent matches without hitting any real heights. The subs were also well considered and I would have made similar decisions (which I am sure Pearson would be pleased to hear!)
posted on 23/11/14
Blackstarr, I'm not saying Albrighton is bad. I think the only real criticism you can level at him is that he's a bit one dimensional.
I'm saying that if we don't start creating chances, that one dimension may be our best hope!!
I am guessing he's doing something wrong in training though, and I can't help but feel it's more mental. Let's hope he can turn it around and does go the same way of Ben Marshall.
posted on 23/11/14
Here's a summary from the 'hospitality suite' lol (with the added benefits of a free programme and a free-for-all for the coffee and tea at half-time, of which I didn't get a look-in)...
KS-A very good game as far I could see, appeared confident and dealt with any issues in a thoroughly competent way (7)
De Laet-Looked good going forward but gave away a needless free-kick close to the penalty area near the end that could have cost us dearly (7)
Wasilewski-I too was concerned by his inability to deal with something that passed over his head. Other than that he was stable enough in his sector (6)
Morgan-Looked fairly strong in his role (6)
Konchesky-A fairly substantial performance (6)
Mahrez-Very creative and was a nuisance to the Sunderland defence. He did, however, tire in the second-half as was previously mentioned. I thought he was our best player (8)
James-Looked fairly solid (6)
Cambiasso-Very good on the ball and showed his class (7)
Schlupp-Very strong and fast at times but his finishing let him down (6)
Vardy-Tried hard but was up against some strong defending (6)
Ulloa-As previously mentioned he didn't receive the service he required to make a real impact on the match but always got 'stuck in' (6)
posted on 23/11/14
Generally agree Dunge but I'm dropping Cambiasso to a 7 and making Kasper MoM, if only because he's the reason we came away with a point yesterday. I thought Wasi was worth a 7, really strong in the air.
James and Vardy did OK but drop from what would have been 7s to your 6 for me as James was guilty of a bad miss and Vardy should have put Mahrez through on goal instead of trying to hog the ball by cutting back. Jeff gets dropped to a 6 for his poor effort on goal. Might be being a bit harsh but we need those goals!
Knocky - I haven't been clamouring for his return and this was another performance which did not inspire me to think there is a Premiership player in there.
Nige - 7. For trying something more adventurous which at least made us look as if we might score.
posted on 24/11/14
As i saw the starting line up i thought was very strong.
Dunge you will be surprised to hear i thought RDL had a poor game and Kasper saved us. although the bounce over his head and the shall i come or shall i go moment did not inspire.
first class first half with the forwards closing down and given the back four no time to set up.
Second half ran out of ideas and as for the Subs well Nug's shot/pass or whatever should of had him hooked straight off.
What about four minutes for Wood,how does that work?
We need a set piece coach and a goal scorer in Jan break the bank.
posted on 24/11/14
Set pieces are an interesting point, Nev. People around me commented how Sunderland tried all sorts of difference set pieces and tricks - we were wise to most of them but they forged a couple of decent opportunities from them. Meanwhile we only pumped balls into the box that generally weren't of good enough quality anyway. At least with one or two of Cambiasso's quick free kicks, they may not have come off but there was an interesting idea there that would have put us in a good position if they had. Perhaps it is indeed time for more invention in this area.
posted on 24/11/14
Dung i and i have been going to watch city for a long time double yours in my case and we have always been pants at free kicks and don't get me started on corners...James beat the first man!
posted on 24/11/14
Except under O'Neill of course.
It is baffling just how bad our crosses are though. It doesn't seem to matter who takes them either, they just don't look as dangerous as the opposition's set pieces and, like you say, so many don't beat the first man it's not even funny. I just wish they'd have someone in front of the front post all the time to at least make it awkward or flick the ball on.
posted on 24/11/14
Get Guppy back.....