Man United v Arsenal Player Ratings – Youngsters earn all the praise

This was a game that Arsenal fully expected to lose but our makeshift side played extremely well under the circumstances. Man United had twice as many chances as us and 9 corners to our fat zero so it is no wonder that the Arsenal defenders were under the spotlight. And they came out looking good – with the brand new pairing of Mavropanos and Chambers doing a great job. Our defence of the future?

Well here are my ratings….

Ospina 6
Could hardly do anything about either goal, but I still think that Cech is the better option for Thursday…

Bellerin 7
For once the Spaniard had to spend most of his time defending and he did a very good job. Maybe he should stay back more often in future..

Chambers 8
Excellent performance and he linked up well with his new partner to keep out a very strong United forward line. Mourinho changed tactics to long balls into the box because he couldn’t get past the defence

Mavropanos 8
What a debut from Sven Mislintat’s first signing. Calm, commanding, unfazed and strong. He has a great future. Let’s hope our new chief scout has a few more of these up his sleeve…

Kolasinac 6
One of his better performances but injury prone it seems. good to see him defending well before going off injured (again!)

Xhaka 5
Rubbish in the first half and got booked for a stupid pull-back as usual. Nowhere near a captain’s display. Improved in the second but lucky to have even stayed on the pitch…

Maitland-Niles 8
Excellent performance in his preferred position at last. Another with a great future

Iwobi 6
one of his better performances this season. Improved his possession and passing but very little end product

Nelson 6
Least impressive of the newcomers but got a couple of shots off and showed a bit of promise. Maybe needs a long run out on loan?

Mkhitaryan 7
Was our most potent threat going forward and scored a great goal leaving De Gea stranded. If only he could stay fit all season

Aubameyang 6
It just wasn’t his day. Got into good positions but he lacked pace and hardly worried the United defence

Subs:

Welbeck 7
Very good performance in his half hour. Should be sharp for Thursday

Monreal 5
Didn’t do much and was probably conserving himself for the Madrid game

Willock N/A
Hardly involved at all in his 15 minutes

33 Comments

  1. think ratings ar fine xcept if chambers is an 8, then bellerin was as well, great match by hector,

    1. I think Bellerin get lower marking as everyone expect him to be Dani Alves solid defender with exceptional passing ability. I beaive he is just young and can learn how to pass the bloody ball.

  2. I am going to stick my neck out and predict a big future with us for Mavropanos. He showed composure , judgement, coolness and toughness. Very early days and NORMALLY I would never judge on so litlle viewing. But all my instincts shriek that this young man wil be a future star. Thank Goodness Wenger will no longer be around to ruin him. Obvious question arises, WHY THE HELL HADS HE NOT MADE HIS DEBUT BEFORE NOW, and saved us all from the appalling Mustafi and his stumbling clown act?

    1. Being the first on these forums (under my earlier ID) to predict Mavropanos’ rise, I was very happy that both he as well as AMN have proven me right.
      It’s not really astrophysics, though.

      AMN is fast, good stamina, smart, confident, quite good ball control etc
      Mavropanos – tall and strong, fast for his height, excellent jumping, disciplined and highly motivated, confident on the ball etc

      If Mislintat manages to unearth at least one young gem per season and we also spend big on a GK, DM, and a dribbling winger, we should be competing for the title in 2 or 3 seasons.

      So let’s see if Stan is okay with that. (probably not okay with the last part).

      1. Stan will definitely be happy if they’re all free players e.g. academy or signed for virtually nothing and we still compete for the title!

  3. The kids played really well. I’m glad Niles got to play in his preferred position. Why AW kept playing that kid at left back I don’t know…

    1. He played LB when Monreal and Sead was out and done well to get some game time.
      I have wanted to see AMN in the middle for a while now, I honestly think he can do a better job than Xhaka but he will benefit from knowing how to deal with players on the wings if he is going to be a top DM.

      I am not saying he should be playing LB or RB. Just pointing out that it can aid a player as long as he can settle into his CM role and not ruined like The Ox…

    2. It’s called discipline. He has to learn that . And it was only way to get him in the team and gain
      experience

  4. Looking at Uniteds late goal, the shortish OSPINA ACTUALLY TOUCHED THE BALL BEFORE IT WENT IN. The far taller and longer reaching Cech would probably have saved it. That extra few inches of reach was the crucial difference.

    1. Agree with you.

      That’s also why Cech’s or say Courtois’ saves don’t often look spectacular.

      Since we won’t be able to sell Cech right now due to his salary, we should buy competition for Cech instead of Ospina, and a year later an okayish sub for the new blood.

      1. I would also keep Cech for the last 12 months out of the two, he has experience and has won stuff, he could be more aid to the new GK than someone like Ospina who would be seeing yet another GK come in ahead of him, I think that could be demoralizing.

        Cech knows his career is winding down and can still play a role for us until the new GK has settled, with no Wenger then we may be able to get Cech GK coach… I wanted him to join with Cech and to train Szcz 🙁

    2. I also agree. I do not know if he would made it, but i feel much more save than with ospina every cross look so dangerous. Cech have is near post weakness. However he is still very solid GK. I think we need new GK, but everyone slating him for our defence mistakes is just wrong.

  5. Niles justified my proposal of him playing ahead of Jack in the last game against athletico. Solid performance and under the right tutorage the future looks bright.

    Very happy with Dino’s and Chambers performance, our senior defenders should take notes.

    Might not be a popular suggestion but I think the club should let Kola leave along with a host of players such as Jack, Iwobi, Mustphi, and Ospina. Kola does not seem to have the fitness to play at LB going up and down all day for most part of the season. There’s a reason most full backs have leaner bodies and are more mobile as compared to centre backs or central midfielders.

    Auba needs to improve his workrate and to get more involved in the game (how I miss the days TH14 and Van Persie), hell even Adebayo and Giroud made a nuisance of themselves in games and made the defenders have something to think about.

    Tired of the strikers we now buy who want us to play to their strength, hope the new manager is brave enough to change the mind-set of these players and drop then when under performing no mater the price tag.

    1. I’d lose those players too except for Kola, lose Kos instead.
      Maybe have a buy back option on Iwobi because he has good all round attributes it’s just whether he can amp up his tempo and hone his shooting and passing ability.
      Kolasinac, maybe Kolasinac needs to slim down a bit rather than being all muscle, I’d say he’s naturally stocky so he prob doesn’t need all that bulk, though the woman in his life might disagree. Some good mentions there mate.

      1. @ Break-on-through, you might be right about Kola especially since its his first season too but his Mrs. should reduce on saving him those London fries.

        It wouldn’t be a bad ideal to be in the market for a younger, technical and faster LB though since age is catching up with Nacho and I don’t think we have a left back star in the reserves hence AMN being played there in the past.

        Mixed feelings on Kos, if we offload Mustaphi plus per moving on we might need some experience on the bench to help the young guys plus the potential new guys bed in.

  6. Hopefully you all remember that these lads will have some bad days and obstacles…………they were all good last Sunday against ManU…….I think Nelson needs to bulk up a bit……….and in the mean he needs to release his balls to avoid being nudged off the ball……….I’m waiting to see more of Nketiah and Osei Tutu in the first team games…….

  7. Replace Xhaka and the whole team would be better. In fact, just take him off and we would be better!!

    Useless pile of S**T!!

    1. He looks a touch quicker lately though, not in the mind he’s still slow upstairs. But against Atletico I remember a couple of moment were I believed it was Bellerin at first but then saw it was Xhaka chasing back and he looked quicker. I missed most of the utd match did he look quick at all in that game.

      1. He did show some pace. He has surprised me a few times since Wenger announced he is leaving with more pace than what I grew to expect from him.

        1. Xhaka has looked fitter and faster to me for a while now courtesy of arsenal top class training facilities. His reaction time has improved as well but he is still awfully slow in his head. His lack of reading the game will hold him back from playing at a good level.
          Xhaka is physically similar to kroos or alonso plus he is stronger than them but kroos/alonso quick reading of the game and positional awareness covers the lack of pace.

  8. Allot of articles today saying the same thing about Mavrapanos, Greek national Samolis payed good tribute. Wrighty says he hasn’t seen an Arsenal player perform like this in defence for a while, anticipation, pace, awareness. Holding was having similar said of himself last season. Myself, I reckon Chambers has also showed good anticipation this season, he hasn’t got Mavrapanos pace though. He’s quick for a large dude. Am really looking forward to seeing more from him. We still need that DM slot sorted out, Niles looks more suited to a box to box role, I don’t think he would choose to scout the small area DM players need to keep eyes on.

    1. Until we can sign a top DM then I think AMN could be trusted with that role until the window opens.

      I have said for a while that AMN can be our new Vieira, maybe better if he pushes himself, he has better composure on the ball while showing the other traits as well.

      This young man looks like a complete footballer, he can do the def side and attack, he has vision and a tidy pass like a creative player… I wonder if he could play in goal? He can play every other role right? XD

      The main negative I spot with AMN is his chilled out aspect, a bit too much like Ozil and for a B2B player with such quality, I would like to see him boss the CM like he could and that means being more assertive.

      New manager though 🙂
      It is why L.Jardim is one of my favs to replace Wenger, the other is Enrique but Jardim I feel could show the trust and train our ‘kids’ into WC players.

      1. Totally agree on AMN.

        He needs a abit of Gatusso or Vidal in his game for him to the best in that position. Makelele was not the nastiest player or a pitbull like those two but he also didn’t show the lethargic approach to the game. At some point I though AMN would pass out on the field because of his style of play.

  9. Players not performing due to age, quality, constant injuries etc: Mustafi, Xhaka, Kos, Jack, Iwobi, Welbeck, Ospina, Cech, Per, Santi.
    That’s 10 players who should not be in our first team. Some maybe squad players, but none deserve a first team place in Arsenal anymore.
    This is a chance to rebuild, let’s do it right with some quality players mixed in with some promising youth, and chuck the rest to the bin.

  10. Chambers had a good game and I have been praising him and saying he can be the future, look at how well he performs next to Holding and now Mavrop, it isn’t Chambers that is the weak link when he plays alongside Kos.

    Let us not forget how well Holding did when he 1st came to us.

    This is exciting when also thinking about a new manager, with hope that the new manager can develop the def side in players, we have THREE top young CBs and they have all shown they can be quality if played right.

    I would actually reward that CB partnership with the AM game, along with dropping Xhaka and play AMN in his role, the performances I feel has earnt them the trust.

    Cech
    Bellerin/Chambers/Mavrop/Monreal
    Rambo/AMN/Wilshere
    Ozil/Mkhi
    Laca

    1. Some of the youngsters are showing some good quality and Mavrapanos actually looked quite commanding and confident at times!

      I’m hoping a new manager with new ideas, coaching staff and working methods will be able to turn some of the more “negative” side to some of our squad into positives. I’m sure some of them are as good as Wenger believes they are. They just need a new teacher with a bit of “spit n’ shine”! 🙂

      COYG 2018!!!

    2. Seems everyone jumps on the band wagon all the time. Xhaka wasn’t as poor as you guys are saying. he had a good game, nothing spectacular thought. AMN cannot play in the Xhaka role so please stop the hype. AMN is more of a box to box, his passing range is limited, no where near Xhaka’s. Xhaka is one of the best passers in the league, go and check the stats. he adds a lot to our game. These pundits are paid to say sensational shit, they won’t tell you what Xhaka adds to the team. Apart from the needless foul what did he do wrong?

  11. Tbh these scores are beside the point we need a clean out plus some serious new blood if we are to move ahead next year … some of these players might come through .. best not forget that a year ago Iwobi was flavour of the month with most fans.. some will not and a decent manager who can work with them over the summer can decide which to keep which to loan out and which to move on .. so its all about a game on thursday (and i doubt wenger will be throwing any of these in to the wanda met) and a new manager now

  12. Am Really Happy For Mavroponas And Nilea And Also Nelson.
    Chambers,holding,mavroponas Are Our Future.
    Hope To See Nketiah In The Next Few Games.
    #COYG

  13. I saw Pogba having a chat wit AMN. I thought he was saying ‘you out fox us’ . The best performance by him maybe the MOM.

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