Chelsea v Manchester United – Player ratings: UEFA Champions League - Part 1
After gaining a crucial one goal win over Chelsea in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final matchup, Manchester United will now take a vital away goal advantage to the theatre of dreams. Let us take a look at how different players from
both the teams performed on 6th April, 2011 at Stamford Bridge and shed some light on their displays accordingly...
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Petr-Cech-c29837
Cech hardly had anything to do for the first 20 minutes at Stamford Bridge when Chelsea was cruising in the middle of the park, thanks to their superior ball possession skills. The http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Czech-Republic-c2882 International was never worked heavily thereafter as well.
However, it can be said that Cech was practically helpless with regard to Manchester United’s first goal of the night- a goal that came through Jose Bosingwa’s woeful positioning. Rooney’s accurate finish meant that Cech lost his clean sheet through no fault
of his own, but when both the teams meet again in on 12th of April, 2011 one can be sure that he will have a lot more to do than he did on Wednesday night.
Rating: 7.5/10
Jose Bosingwa
Bosingwa’s defensive lapses throughout the match at Stamford Bridge showcased why he is a second choice full back at Chelsea presently. If it was not for David Luiz’s ineligibility to play in the UEFA Champions league for the Blues, Bosingwa might never
have started the match in the first place. It was a case of same old, same old, for the Portuguese international as he was brilliant in attack but considerably disappointing in defence.
Manchester United’s only goal of the night was a by-product of Bosingwa’s lack of positioning, and Michael Carrick’s wonderful passing. The ex-Porto wing back was caught under the ball, which allowed Ryan Giggs’ to nip the ball away with calculated first
touch. When United meet Chelsea at Old Trafford in a week’s time, one can be sure that they will be focusing their attacks down Bosingwa’s end of the field one more time.
Rating: 5/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Branislav-Ivanovic-c7994
Ivanovic had a solid game against Manchester United but his momentary error of judgment played a massive part in Wayne Rooney’s only strike of the night at Stamford Bridge. The Serbian defender was attracted by Javier Hernandez’s run inside the Chelsea penalty
area, allowing an unmarked Rooney to easily finish of Ryan Giggs’ pass from the left hand side.
Ivanovic decided to abandon his man-marking duties on Rooney in order to help out John Terry with Javier Hernandez, a mistake that can be termed as fatal to say the least. For most of the second half, Chelsea had the ball at their feet, therefore it can
be said that Ivanovic could have supported the Blues’ attack more frequently than he did, but it can also be argued that his cautious approach was a consequence of United’s counter attacking capabilities.
Rating: 7/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/John-Terry-c18895
Terry did a satisfactory job on Javier Hernandez as the Mexican striker ended the match without a single shot on goal. It is Terry’s determined approach to a match, despite high pressure situations that has made the Englishman into an invaluable asset for
the London club. Playing with the demons of the UEFA Champions League penalty-shoot out miss in 2008, John was http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786’s leader on the pitch.
When Chelsea was finding it hard to break through United’s resolute defence, Terry showcased confidence and courage when he marched into the midfield area to provide his team-mates with a different off-the-ball option. All in all it was another reliable
performance from the England captain, a performance that has typified his career thus far.
Rating: 8/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Ashley-Cole-c6809
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/England-c749’s premier left back was at his best in the first half when it came to defending but in a team which requires its wing backs to push forwards almost at every opportunity, Cole was blunt in attack throughout the match.
Chelsea depends on Ashley Cole to give them width down the left hand side of their attack, however, the former Arsenal left back was pre-occupied with Luis Antonio http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Nani-c27299’s trickery in the second one. One a rare occasion
or two when Cole did join his team mates in the attack, his movement was tracked all the way by either Nani or Valencia, who were more than aware of their defensive duties on the night.
Rating: 7/10
In the next part of this article, we shall take a look at Chelsea’s midfield and their overall performance against Manchester United...
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