Europa League player ratings: Juventus v Manchester City
Given – Krasic gave Shay the opportunity to acrobatically tip over a drive in the 55th minute. Elsewhere this was another solid performance from the Irishman. 7
Richards – Captain for the night and was typically eager to get forward whenever possible. Defensively Micah was turned inside out by Del Piero when the veteran set set up Juve’s goal. 6
Bridge – Given the difficult job of keeping Krasic quiet, Wayne had a surprisingly good game. Looked fully fit and got forward well to augment the attack. 7
Boateng – Playing at centre-back, Jerome’s positioning and decision making were suspect at times. The talent is there but Mancini and the coaches need to work on the flaws in his game. 6
Boyata – Allowed Gianetti to beat him to the ball and score in a manner which Kompany and Kolo probably wouldn’t. Otherwise he was solid and reliable in a game that gave him more experience. 6
Vieira – Veered from dominating the midfield to looking a little creaky. Overall the quality told as Patrick organised his less experienced team-mates on his return to Turin. 7
Milner – Playing alongside Vieira in a midfield pair ensured James was more involved than on the flanks. Got up and down the pitch to good effect, but some of the passes were poor. 6
Wright-Phillips(Chantler 90) – Started on the right and ended up playing most of the second half on the left, where he fared better than usual. Tracked back to make one vital interception in defence and showed good spirit throughout. 6
A Johnson – At one point Adam was faced with four opponents and the quality of Italian defending will have been a good lesson for him. Kept plugging away and got his reward with an assist for the goal. 7
Nimely (Zabaleta 63) – Showed some nice touches and was unlucky not to win a penalty for a shot which struck Chiellini’s arm. 6
Jo – Could have had a couple from close range, unlucky to have another disallowed for offside. Finally scored with his hardest chance. The new Tevez? Not quite, but the goal was the best piece of quality in the match. 7
Subs:
Zabaleta – Came on to play in the de Jong role and did an admirable job. Enabling Vieira and Milner to push higher up the pitch was key to turning the game. 7
Chantler – A time-wasting substition that had the bonus of giving a birthday debut to the 20-year-old.
Man of the match: Patrick Vieira.
invisibleboff
16 December 2010 - 11:33 pm
Vieira – Veered from dominating the midfield to looking a little creaky. Overall the quality told as Patrick organised his less experienced team-mates on his return to the del Alpi. 7
2 reasons I don’t agree with this:
1, proved he hasn’t got the legs anymore and probably he’s that split second behind for every ball, this led to too many mistakes, he made Melo look like he had a good game.
2, His return to the del Alpi?, was that before or after tonight’s game at the Stadio Olimpico?
Apart from that your ratings are pretty good ;p
Steve P
19 December 2010 - 11:58 am
I thought Jo was one of the worst performers of the game. Yes he scored our only goal but his lack of awarness when timing his run is unreal and he missed a goal from up close that even Margaret Thatcher could have kicked. The problem is that these mistakes are common for Jo.
Even though Adebayor has not exactly helped his cause off the pitch, his on field performences make it inevitable that at least until january hes is the No.2 striker behind Tevez…