UEFA Champions League: Player ratings for Arsenal versus Barcelona (Part 1)
A night which saw Arsenal beat Barcelona by two goals to one also saw some spectacular performances. Arsenal were the deserved winners on the night due to their tactical astuteness and ball control.
Wenger’s men didn’t dominate the play and neither did they have superiority in terms of possession but their effectiveness with the ball meant that the Gunners were always a threat on the counter attack against Pep Guardiola’s team.
Ratings for Arsenal
Wojciech Scezney
Arsenal’s young goalkeeper was spectacular on the night for Wenger’s team. The Polish national team goalie was on hand to save his team’s skin throughout the first half and then in the second half as well.
In the first fifteen minutes of the match, Scezney was a master of his penalty area. Thwarting shots and standing tall to deny http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lionel-Messi-c22296 in the 16th minute of the match.
Similarly, in the 29th minute, Manuel Almunia’s replacement denied Pedro inside the Arsenal goal. All in all, it was a solid performance from Wojciech Scezney. And oh! His celebration at the end was top class too. Rating: 9/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Emmanuel-Eboué-c12540
Average in his terms of performing his defensive responsibilities and poor when it came to retaining possession in the final third of the field, Eboue’s performance reeked of mediocrity.
The Ivorian national team full back was deputized for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Bacary-Sagna-c7148 at the right back spot. Within the first 45 minutes of the match, the veteran defender had showcased signs of weak decision making at the back.
Against a team like Barcelona, Eboue’s erratic ball handling was costly for Arsenal as the Catalans surged forward building an attack after attack. Rating: 6/10
http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Johan-Djourou-c18779
At the start of the season, Arsenal were panicking due to their lack of a physical centre back, step in, Djourou. The Swiss defender exhibited experience beyond his years as he curtailed the threat of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/David-Villa-c10629 and Lionel Messi alongside Pedro throughout
the match, in tandem with his defensive partner, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Laurent-Koscielny-c21742.
Even through, Villa scored within the first 30 minutes of the match, Djourou’s performance deserves applause for consistency. Rating: 7.5/10
Laurent Koscielny
A revelation in his own right, Koscienly’s performance against Barcelona should be hailed as the performance of the match. The centre back was intelligent in possession calculated with his tackles and shrewd with his fouls.
It was a typically headline grabbing performance, which made it easy for Arsenal on a very difficult European night. Koscienly’s display was also a prime example of how to deal with the Villa-Messi duo.
Spanish centre backs must’ve been taking notes as the Frenchman was giving out free lessons. Rating: 9.5/10
Gael Clichy
Contributing with an assist for Van Persie’s equalizing goal, Clichy’s performance on the night was one for the ages. The French full back has been criticized over the past twelve months for a failure to maintain his growth curve.
However, against Arsenal, Gael was impervious in attack and in defence. Showcasing predatory positioning in defence and youthful ambition in attack, Clichy not only dealt with the marauding runs of Daniel Alves but also played in Van Persie for Arsenal’s
first goal of the match. Rating: 8.5/10
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