Burnley v Manchester City - Player Ratings

[ClaretTony]

Please leave ratings for all players who have played 20 mins or more.


Scoring is from 3 to 10 as follows:

10 - Out of this World
9 - Excellent
8 - Very Good
7 -Good
6 - Average
5 - Below Par
4 - Poor
3 - Abysmal

[Pickles]

Trafford - 7
Roberts - 7
O'Shea - 6
Beyer - 6
Al-Dakhil - 8
Vitinho - 7
Cullen - 7
Berge - 6
Koleosho - 8
Amdouni - 7
Foster - 9 - MOTM - Seems high but considering the opposition I thought it was only a goal away from being a totally forward performance. Hold up play, pace, pressing, decision making. All really good.

Zaroury - 6
Benson - 7
Bruun Larsen - 7

[bf2k]

Trafford - 7
O'Shea - 7
Beyer - 7
Al-Dakhil - 6
Roberts - 7
Vitinho - 7
Cullen - 7
Berge - 6
Koleosho - 7
Amdouni - 6
Foster - 8

Zaroury - 6
Benson - 5
Larsen - 7

Ok we got beat but for a large portion of that game we gave City a game. The difference was their machine Haaland.

[Claret1900]

Trafford - 7
Roberts - 7
O'Shea - 6
Beyer - 8
Al-Dakhil - 7
Vitinho - 6
Cullen - 7
Berge - 6
Koleosho - 8
Amdouni - 8
Foster - 8
Zaroury - 6
Benson - 7
Bruun Larsen - 6

[HahaYeah]

Encouraging performance.

Trafford 6
Roberts 6
O Shea 6
Beyer 7
Al Dakhil 7
Berge 5
Vitinho 6
Cullen 7
Kolosheo 7
Amdouni 7
Foster 7

Subs :
Bruun Larsen 6
Zaroury 5
Benson 7
Brownhil na
Redmond na

[JohnDearyMe]

Trafford - 7
O'Shea - 7
Beyer - 7
Al-Dakhil - 7
Roberts - 6
Vitinho - 5
Cullen - 6
Berge - 5
Koleosho - 5
Amdouni - 5
Foster - 7

Zaroury - 4
Benson - 5
Larsen - 5

[Ampth7]

Trafford - 7
Roberts - 6
O’Shea - 6
Beyer - 6
Al-Dakhil - 6
Cullen - 6
Berge - 6
Vitinho - 5
Amdouni - 6
Koleosho - 6
Foster - 8

Anass - 5
Benny - 6
Bruun Larsen - 6

[warksclaret]

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
Beyer 7
O'Shea 6
Al Dakhill 6
Vitinho 5
Berge 6
Koleasha 7
Cullen 6
Amdouni 6
Foster 7

Benson 6
Zarourry 5
Larsen 6
Benson 6

[RVclaret]

Trafford 7 - sound debut for the young lad, thought his passing was generally very good and made a few good saves
Roberts 7 - used the ball ok and nothing really came down his side from them
Al-Dakhil 6 - competed well and will be a big player this season
O’Shea 6 - some good bits of defending and some not good bits
Beyer 6 - felt he was the most at fault for the awful first goal and couldn’t quite find his range with his forward running
Vitinho 6 - part of some good bits of football but he’s not a very good defender
Cullen 6 - struggled to impose his game but important minutes after missing the past few weeks
Berge 7 - really composed on the ball, looking forward to seeing him once settled in
Koleosho 7 - promising, some raw bits some really exciting bits
Foster 8* - he’s absolutely got the physicality for this level, works hard and some good moments going forward
Amdouni 7 - really like this lad and he’ll help create stuff through the middle that we perhaps lacked last season

Benson 7 - lively
Zaroury 6 - unlucky I think with the red
Larsen 7 - tidy and some good movement

[taio]

Trafford - 7
O'Shea - 6
Beyer - 7
Al-Dakhil - 7
Roberts - 6
Vitinho - 5
Cullen - 6
Berge - 6
Koleosho - 6
Amdouni - 6
Foster - 8*

Zaroury - 5
Benson - 7
Larsen - 5

[Iloveyoubrady]

Trafford 8 Did nothing wrong - a couple of good saves and good feet
Roberts 7 solid against top class opposition. Didn’t affect much going forward
O’Shea 6 slightly wobbly on occasions but looks promising
Beyer 7 He looks like a premier league player. Will have to be a little more careful doing his forward runs in this league.
Al dahkil 7 did well in a left back/centre back roll which is new to him. Looks athletic but clearly better as a central defender.
Berge 7 impressive enough debut, looks as complete a midfielder as we have signed in recent years.
Cullen 6 quieter tonight and slightly sloppy on occasion but he’ll grow in fitness.
Koleosho 6 looks an exceptional talent. Thrown in at the deep end but he coped alright.
Amdouni 8 Absolutely class for me. Think he could be an awesome talent.
Vitinho 6 probably our quietest tonight but he was playing wide left to give us some defensive solidarity which he did well.
Foster 8 A different player. Seems to have had a really good pre season. Looks so fast - absolute lightning - he beat walker in a foot race a couple of times. Going to be a suprise package this season.

[FCBurnley]

I clearly watched a different game certainly didn’t see any 8’s and 9’s

[spt_claret]

Trafford- 6. Didn't have a ton to do despite the 3 goals. Decent passing.
Roberts- 6. Quieter than usual
O'Shea- 6. Not there yet for me, but was up against the toughest he'll face.
Beyer- 7. Had a couple shakes and his surging runs weren't as effective, but as the game went on he began to clamp down on Haaland. Hope he's not injured.
Al Dakhil- 7. Here, there, every bloody where. Is box to box centre back a position now?
Vitinho- 7. Involved in a couple of real nice pieces of play, did far better than I expected when I saw his name on the team sheet.
Cullen- 6. A couple of nice passes but some mistakes, was a bit bullied.
Berge- 6. He's not been here long and was against City. Did okay, think he'll be good with time.
Koleosho-6. Very overawed and raw first half, settled a little after. Bags of potential.
Amdouni- 7. He'll give teams a lot of problems. Seems very versatile.
Foster- 8. MOM. All new Lyle Foster, think this is what everyone wanted to see. Biggest positive of the game.

Zaroury -5. Stupid red, didn't get going much before.
Bruun Larsen-6. Showed moments of potential.
Benson- 6. Again hope he's not hurt. Had a couple of moments where he panicked City. Keep him fit and he'll terrorise anybody.

[Neil]

Trafford 6 did nothing wrong and not at fault for the goals but can't mark him higher.
Roberts 6 didn't see much of the ball but did ok
Beyer 6 tried a trademark mazy run in the first half, got caught out and put us in trouble. Love to see him do this but I bet he got a shock.
O'Shea 6 I'm not sure. Not a criticism as such, just a feeling
Al Dakhill 7 did well but not sure the position suited him
Vitinho 6 surprised at his inclusion (majorly) but did as well as could have been expected.
Berge 6 not a game to judge him, particularly given how long he's been here.
Koleasha 6 raw with potential
Cullen 6 didn't dominate as we're used to but who does against city's midfield
Amdouni 6 definitely something different and will be interesting to watch this year
Foster 7 I didn't criticise him much last season (not that anyone would notice my opinion being a casual poster) but I have to admit I didn't think he'd make the grade. Tonight I thought he showed pace and aggression and could be a key player against lesser opposition

Benson 6 can't give anything else
Zarourry 6 unlucky but fair I suppose, thought he would have started
Larsen 6 nothing to add

It went to script. No time to think when the ball was with our back four. You need a pass in mind and available against their press. No indication of how we'll do this season can be gained from this game.
My only other thought was that we need an orthodox left back moving forward.

[Buxtonclaret]

Trafford - 7
O'Shea - 7
Beyer - 6
Al-Dakhil - 7
Roberts - 6
Vitinho - 6

Cullen - 6
Berge - 6
Koleosho - 7
Amdouni - 7
Foster - 7 **

Zaroury - 4
Benson - 6
Larsen - 6

[Vino blanco]

From tv
Trafford 7 still not certain if he or Muric should start.
Roberts 6 didn’t get forward as much he would would have wanted
Beyer 7 our best central defender tonight
Al-Dakhil 7 good in bits
O’Shea 6 didn’t think he was that great
Vitinho 6 don’t thinks he’s a starting eleven player
Cullen 6 hasn’t played pre-season and you could tell
Berge 7 played well once he settled in, tired in second half
Kolo 6 surprised to see him start, did well early doors but faded
Amdouni 6 did well first half hour then faded
Foster 8 mom, so it must be time to loan him out to the Championship or even League One, after all he is pony.

Zaroury 6 unlucky with red card, yellow to me. Would VAR looked at it, if Foden or Haaland had done it.
Larsen 6 didn’t have chance to get involved

Surprising starting eleven, with 5 new, young players starting in the PL. we were very naive tonight and we need to wise up to the PL quickly. Longer term, I think we’ll be okay. I hope the two idiots (so-called fans) get banned for a long time.

[FCBurnley]

Trafford. 6 no errors but poor slow distribution
Roberts 6
Beyer 6 man marking not his game and not fully fit
Al dakhil 5
OShea 5
Vitinho 6 not a starter for me
Cullen 6 again not fully fit
Berge 6 looked lost and will need time to bed in
Kolo 5 lots of pace but very raw. One for the future
amdouni 5 couple of flashes and seemed to tire
Foster 7 good effort great pace but lacking control

Zaroury 3 Stupid Red Card. Suspended now

[MDWat]

Trafford 6
Roberts 6
O’Shea 7
Beyer 6
Al-Dakhil 7
Vitinho 7
Cullen 7
Berge 6
Koleosho 7
Amdouni 7
Foster 8*

Larsen 6
Zaroury 5

[Papabendi]

Be good to see Foster score a goal

[SalisburyClaret]

Trafford - 7 very assured
O'Shea - 7 damn good debut
Beyer - 6 poor by hods standards
Al-Dakhil - 7* pretty good throughout
Roberts - 7 class showed
Vitinho - 5 not PL quality

Cullen - 5 totally anonymous
Berge - 4 not his fault, idiotic to play him
Koleosho - 7 some bright moments
Amdouni - 6 ok
Foster - 7 Good challenges

Zaroury - 4 no impact
Benson - 5 no impact
Larsen - 4 no impact

[Carwin261]

Told folk next to me to go to the bookies and have a bet on Foster scoring a least a dozen goals this season,looked loads leaner ,and sharper than last season.

[Dark Cloud]

Trafford 7
Roberts 7
Beyer 7
Al Dakil 7
O'Shea 7
Cullen 6
Vitihno 6
Berge 5 (a very anonymous/disappointing debut)
Koleosho 5
Amdoumi 5
Foster 8

Subs N/A imo because they did absolutely nowt, but as others have said, Zaroury makes a poor challenge which has been a nailed on yellow card since Burnley played in pink. Everyone knows it, ref waves his card, Walker gets up and we all move on! But wait....It's never in a million years a sending off until bloody VAR gets involved. If that's a red card, then every game should really end with 7 a side!!! Joke (IMO!)
I didn't enjoy a single minute of that game and it was simply deja vu with the PL revisited! Crap atmosphere, rubbish game, ridiculously rich opposition, awful ref, utterly shitty VAR and despite Burnley actually playing pretty well overall, never a chance we were going to actually win it. I'd really looked forward to it and by the 30th minute I couldn't for the life of me work out why and just wanted to go home!!!

[KlyBfc]

Trafford 6(.5)
Roberts 6
Beyer 6
O’Shea 6
Vitinho 5
Al dahkil 6 (.5)
Cullen 6 (.5)
Berge 6
Amdouni 6
Foster 7 MOM
Koleosho 6

Zaroury 5
Benson 6
Larsen 6

[maidenover]

Trafford - 6
O'Shea - 6
Beyer - 6
Al-Dakhil - 8**
Roberts - 7
Vitinho - 6

Cullen - 6
Berge - 6
Koleosho - 7
Amdouni - 6
Foster - 7

Zaroury - 4
Benson - 7
Larsen - 6

[claretspice]

Not a bad effort against the best side in the world, but you can't afford to start slowly against a team that good.

Trafford - 7 - not sure he did much wrong, and there were glimpses of why we've paid so much for him, but he does look rather callow for a top flight keeper and there were a few moments when he might have shown a bit more command- not unlike Muric in the first half of last season.

Roberts - 7 - OK after a slightly awkward first 15 minutes.

Vitinho - 5 - kept going manfully with a herculean task on that left side but at fault for the first goal and possibly given we were playing a back 5, for the second too.

O'Shea - 6 grew into the game after conceding a cheap corner and losing Haaland for the first goal.

Al Dakhil - 6 - hard to work out where he was playing at times but showcased his pace impressively at times and generally defended ok - but through third goal was a product of a silly free kick he gave away and a bad defensive header.

Beyer - 7 - looked very at home against the hardest of opponents and matched Haaland reasonably well for the most part.

Cullen - 6 - a few slightly awkward passes around our box but considering the lack of pre season minutes did pretty well.

Berge - 6 - clearly still adapting to our systems and patterns, but did plenty to suggest he'll be good for us.

Koleosho- 6 - lively and clearly has the raw materials, but his end product was a bit lacking at times and clearly has plenty to learn.

Foster - 8 - really promising. Looks leaner, more imposing, more powerful, and quicker - get a goal and its the full centre forward package. Diligent defensively even if he lost Walker for the second goal.

Amdouni - 7 - really lively in the first half. Reminded me a bit of Roberto Firmino in the positions he took up.

Zaroury- 6 - thought the red card was reckless but a touch unlucky and owed everything to an overreaction from Walker. Neat enough in his link play but will now miss 3 games.

Larsen - 5 - rangy and a few nice touches suggested something to work with but no major impact.

Benson- 7 - looked sharp.

For long periods this was promising. The man marking at the back was a bit helter-skelter but generally fairly successful, we pressed well and got decent field position. But we started slowly and at times looked like a team getting to know each other. On terms of winning tonight's game, we might have stood a better chance had Zaroury, Brownhill or perhap Benson started, but I assume Kompany was willing to sacrifice that to integrate players. Berge, Foster and Amdouni shaped up nicely and that augurs well for the rest of the season. If there's a worry, its the lack of command at set pieces and occasionally defensively generally, and we clearly had a problem at left back. But the options up front look a bit more reassuring after this performance.

[fatboy47]

Trafford. 7.no howlers.prepared to launch it when required..well behind Muric with the distribution.
Roberts. 7 solid.
Al-dak.. 7 great engine.
Beyer.. 7 wasn't a pushover, but not his best ever game
OShea.. 6..Give him time.
Vitinho.. 5 the weakest link.. He's not looking like a PL player tbh.
Cullen..6 Slightly off it tonight.
Berge..6 jury out atm.. Some decent bits, but a lot of James Oconnor-esque stuff running 5 yards behind the opposing midfield, and not as physical as you'd expect from such a unit.
Koleosho..7 He'll torment most left backs he faces this season.
Amdouni..7 good start... Another who'll shine against most teams.
Foster.. 8 he's going to be a real handful.. Danny Ings with real power...plus 3 good headed clearances and a solid block. Mom.

[quoonbeatz]

Figure we were treating this free hit as a friendly, an opportunity to get minutes on the pitch and develop some understanding of how we play for the new players, given the fairly odd starting lineup.

Terrible start that killed things from the off gave way to a really good period where we were full of energy and managed to impose ourselves on the game. The second ensured there was no way back but I thought we still made a decent fist of things and took the game to them in short periods. Not really a game to judge us given we were up against the best team in the world.

Trafford - 6 ok. Less of the nonchalance of Muric and less pingers.

Roberts - 6 different from his role last year but solid enough

Al-Dakhil - 6 some good some just OK

O'Shea - 6 looks the part, will be a decent addition, talks a lot

Beyer - 5 a bit off it

Vitinho - 4 nah

Cullen - 5 dominated by the fantastic Rodri, no shame in that

Berge - 5 same

Koleosho - 5 tricky, tidy feet and he's quick but he's very raw

Amdouni - 6 a bit in and out, showed some good flashes but was out of the game for stretches

Foster - 7 his pressing and interceptions were key to our good stuff, looking way better than last season

Larsen - 5 looked slightly better when he swapped wings but difficult game to make a real impact

Zaroury - 5 not convinced by him in the middle. The red card was garbage. Yellow at the very worst.


We looked a like a young, naive team who hasn't played together very much against a machine that wins trophy after trophy; exactly what we are then. A promising start.

[CatonClaret]

Trafford - 6 from my view nothing he could do with any of the 3 but thought his distribution wasn’t as good as Muric
Roberts - 6 relatively quiet but steady
O'Shea - 7 good debut
Beyer - 7 dealt with Haaland pretty well and would have been an 8 but for a few loose passes and dribbles
Al-Dakhil - 7 positionally fantastic
Vitinho - 7 was concerned seeing him start but he was pretty solid
Cullen - 6 ticked over but difficult game for him and Berge
Berge - 6 as Cullen
Koleosho - 6 some real glimpses of quality but faded
Amdouni - 7 again some really nice control and movement but a few too many loose passes
Foster - 8 - MOTM - really really impressive. Surprised at how at home he looked in his first PL game. If he can get a few goals early doors, think he could be the surprise player of our season.

Zaroury - 6
Benson - 6
Bruun Larsen - 6

[jdrobbo]

Trafford - 6
O'Shea - 7
Beyer - 7
Al-Dakhil - 7
Roberts - 6
Vitinho - 6
Cullen - 6
Berge - 6
Koleosho - 7
Amdouni - 6
Foster - 7

Zaroury - 4
Benson - 5
Bruun Larsen - 5

[helmclaret]

Trafford - 6 - shocked to see him start, but looks like he’s the future
O'Shea - 6 - looks to have a lot of potential
Beyer - 7 - steady, won’t have a harder game this season
Al-Dakhil - 7 - looks comfortable anywhere across the back four
Roberts - 7 - steady
Vitinho - 6 - worked hard

Cullen - 6 - kept going.
Berge - 6 - will be great when fully fit
Koleosho - 7 - looks raw but can’t wait to see him develop. Seemed to run out of steam after 30 mins
Amdouni - 7 - the way he took the ball and turned in central positions was great
Foster - 7 - looking forward to him playing against the lesser teams - could be a real threat

Zaroury - 6 - I like him central. He can pass as good as anyone in the team
Benson - 7 - bright
Larsen - 6 - few nice touches

Really excited about this team

[DycheAlmighty]

Trafford 6
Roberts 6
O'Shea 6
Beyer 7
Al Dakil 8
Vitinho 6
Berge 5
Cullen 6
Zeki 7
Foster 8*
Koleosho 7
Zahroury 4
Larsen 6

[Jakubs Tash]

Trafford 7 No chance with the goals. Distribution was ok.

Roberts 6 Stuck to the task but fairly quiet by his standards.
O’Shea 7 Good on the ball and in the challenge.
Beyer 6 Did ok v Haaland. Tough gig.
Al Dakhil 7 Looked comfortable in and out of possession.
Vitinho 5 A clear weak link. Should be nowhere near a starting XI in the PL

Cullen 6 Superb to get through the full game with limited recent game time. Tidy enough.
Berge 6 Quiet but showed glimpses. Will improve and be a strong addition imo.

Foster 7 Great work ethic. Ran hard and showed good pace and strength at times.
Amdouni 7 Liked the look of him in the final third. Slippery and good on the turn.
Koleosho 6 Had a bright first half hour but tired very quickly. Looked very raw. A few rushes of blood….but need to remember he’s only 18.

Zaroury 5 Should’ve come on as soon as we changed shape. Silly challenge though.
Bruun Larson 6 Neat touches.

[claretgimmer]

Trafford - 7 Did okay but a bit Muric esq with the distribution
O'Shea - 6 Steady away
Beyer - 7 Had probably the toughest game of his life and 1 of the 2 this season, and although Haaland got two I thought he dealt really well
with him the rest of the game
Al-Dakhil - 6 A lot to learn but will be okay this season
Roberts - 5 Only backward and sideways passes, never really looked like trying to playing a positive or creative forward pass
Vitinho - 5 Gave the ball away and looked lost positionally at times not good enough at left back at this level
Cullen - 5 Game seemed to pass him by and lack of pre season showed
Berge - 6 Looks like he will be agood addition if he gets a bit fitter
Koleosho - 6 Needs game time
Amdouni - 7 Like the look of this lad, sharp good close control but a bit sloppy with his final ball
Foster - 8 Just needs a goal and I think he will produce the goods

Zaroury - 5 All the subs need to get some game time to show their abilities at this level
Benson - 5
Larsen - 7

A decent performance that against many other lower half prem teams would have got us something out of the game but against City was never going to be quite enough, if we could have capitalised on one or two of our early chances then who knows, but onward and upward at least we made City work harder for their points than in previous seasons.

[CoolClaret]

Trafford 7 - disappointed that he got the nod over Muric but will always support the team, did well on debut
Roberts 6
O’Shea 7
Beyer 5 - at fault for first goal, could argue that he should have closed down Haaland on the second but then again.. it’s Haaland
Al-Dakhil 7 - think this lad could have the highest ceiling out of any of them
Vitinho 6
Cullen 6
Berge 5 - offered some good touches but completely ran out of steam and was poor out of possession
Koleosho 6
Amdouni 7 - looks a real player
Foster - 8* so glad to see him get MOTM… the goals will definitely come

Zaroury 5
Benson 7
Brunn Larsen 6

[Swizzlestick]

Trafford 6 - didn’t do much wrong but doesn’t have that zip in the distribution that Muric has
Roberts 6 - ok
O’Shea 7 - thought he grew into the game well
Beyer 6 - class moments, then shaky moments, but talk about a test
Al-Dakhil 7 - was everywhere, a player with so much promise
Vitinho 5 - he’s willing but not a starter for me
Cullen 6 - ok but tough job in there
Berge 6 - as above. Played some nice pinged balls first half.
Koleosho 7 - extremely lively. Fizzled out but he’s going to be a lot of fun
Amdouni 7 - looks very handy, good movement
Foster 8* - looks a new player. Quicker and stronger.

Larsen 5
Zaroury 4

[Boss Hogg]

Trafford 6
Roberts 6
Al Dakhil 7
O’Shea 6
Beyer 7
Vitinho 6
Cullen 6
Berge 5
Koleosho 7 exciting but raw
Amdouni 7 promising
Foster 7 mom did well and tempted to give an 8

Subs
Zaroury 6
Benson 6
Larsen 7

[Claret1900]

Trafford 7
Roberts 6
O’Shea 6
Beyer 8
Al-Dakhil 7
Vitinho 5
Cullen 6
Berge 5
Koleosho 6
Amdouni 7
Foster - 8 *

Zaroury 5
Benson 6
Brunn Larsen 6

[CrosspoolClarets]

Trafford 7 - did well but I do think the young kid is not yet Muric and it is an error by Vinny, both on current talent and on fairness / squad togetherness, I do think Vinny is very clever, but also not quite as clever as he thinks he is, potential over thinker, seen a few over the years.
Roberts 6 - quiet
O’Shea 6 - struggled at times
Beyer 7 - couple of minor errors ruthlessly punished but very good overall
Al-Dakhil 8 - two big errors for 3rd goal to give away free kick then a poor header, but majestic beforehand, this kid is something else
Vitinho 6 - did well and wasn’t found after good runs
Cullen 6 - looked a bit unfit
Berge 6 - up against maybe the best player in the world in Rodrigo but still did OK
Koleosho 7 - gave it away but exciting and mature for 19 - tough being sent from States to Europe as a teen but looks like old head on young shoulders
Amdouni 7 - lovely feet, will be good, whether false 9 / no height is an error remains to be seen, City struggled for years without a target man and we aren’t City
Foster - 9 - a top performance of verve, skill, pace and desire. The only thing missing was the final ball. The big positive. Frankly, I was astonished, and I liked him before.

Zaroury 5 - sticking him in centre MF against City, see my overthinking comment for Trafford above, tackle a bit rash but understandable
Benson 7 - caused chaos against the best team in the world, if that was 0-1 at the time they’d have panic,ed
Brunn Larsen 7 - some really good moments, bodes well as one of our 23 wingers (or so it seemed)

Overall, very impressed, bodes well, and I think Vinny is being ambitious and thinking ahead, blooding these young players when older heads may do better in the short term. Exciting, for aure.

[addisclaret]

I clearly watched a different game certainly didn’t see any 8’s and 9’s

No you watched the same game but have a different opinion; these things happen, nothing to get concerned about.

[Carlos the Great]

Disappointing a few have suggested Berge isn’t fit … wonder if they haven’t been training yet at Sheffield for the start of the season.

[Luppy]

Trafford - 6

Roberts - 7
Beyer - 6
O’Shea - 6
Al-Dakhil- 8^
Vitinho - 5 - a premier league left back he most definitely isn’t
Berge - 6
Cullen - 6
Koleosho - 5
Foster - 8
Amdouni - 6

Zaroury - 5 - thought red was harsh on the ground - he can have no complaints having seen TV
Laarson - 5
Benson - 6

We gave a good account of ourselves. We need a left back. Felt we needed width 1st half as never thought either wide man would beat a man. Foster looks a different player

Bench was unbalanced - 5 wingers, really? Don’t get that at all

Seperate note. I enjoy watching good footballers. City have lots of them but the one who for years I have thought doesn’t get the plaudits he deserves is Bernardo Silva. What a player he is. Another effortless outstanding performance from him last night.

[strayclaret]

Trafford - 6
O'Shea - 7
Beyer - 7
Al-Dakhil - 7
Roberts - 6
Vitinho - 6
Cullen - 6
Berge - 6
Koleosho - 6
Amdouni - 6
Foster - 7

Zaroury - 5
Bruun Larsen - 5
A good work out against probably the best league team in the world, with some good debuts. Lessons will have been learnt that some things we did in the championship we can’t do in this league.
Season starts in a couple of weeks

[Hipper]

Trafford - 6 - I’m glad he had a solid debut. Had surprisingly little to do but made some competent saves and passing was no worse then anyone else.
O'Shea -6 - looked solid and steady in difficult circumstances.
Beyer - 5 - looked lost. Couldn’t deal with Haaland, his movement and strength. City were too good for him to try his forward runs (I only recall one which ended with him losing the ball in his own half).
Al-Dakhil - 7 - MoM - he played in different positions and looks a real prospect.
Roberts - 7 - much better then the cup match. Got in some reasonable defending and some forward runs, even got in their penalty area. He looks like he’s progressed.
Vitinho - 7 - best I’ve seen him. Defended well given the circumstances and supported some of our attacks.
Cullen - 5 - I know he just gets on with things and is not much noticed but I can't recall anything he did in this match.
Berge - 6 - he looks a bit slow moving for this sort of match but still showed signs of being a force for us.
Koleosho - 6 - good pace and attacking intent. Didn’t offer the sought of threat that Benson immediately did when he came on.
Amdouni - 5 - worked really hard and was knackered by 60 minutes and rightly hooked. Offered little threat.
Foster - 5 - as usual he impresses in some ways but offered little goal threat.

Zaroury - 4 - a point off for stupid red card challenge. No more effective then our other forwards.
Benson - 5 - looked the only player who could beat a man but never actually did as he was well marshalled by City.
Larsen - 6 - neat and tidy low key debut.

Watched on TV. Well, the whole experience was awful.

I wasn’t looking forward to it anyway - another City thrashing. I turned the TV on just before the KO to avoid the usual drivel before the match but still caught by loads of betting adverts. Then there was ‘the knee’ - I keep the sound off to avoid the commentators so I didn’t hear the booing but it doesn’t surprise me. It’s now a pointless exercise achieving nothing. At least we were spared the minutes silence that forces acknowledgement of something (I sound like the proverbial grumpy old man but my thoughts are ‘why should I put up with all this crap‘).

Anyway, to the contest. Contest!!! After three minutes and Haaland that was the end of that. I really enjoyed last season because in every game (except the City cup match) we could compete and so could our opponents. It really was a contest. This wasn’t. It was so one sided and must surely have been an awful spectacle for the neutral too. It was slow, tedious stuff. City just waited for opportunities that they could exploit. They didn’t have to display too much skill as when we tried to play we would certainly loose the ball far from danger to their goal. Most of our half chances came from City errors but they comfortably recovered quickly. Quite frankly I could see little progress between this and our cup thrashing - I thought City didn’t seem so ‘brutal’ yesterday. (interestingly I looked up my ratings for that game and I’ve been more generous with my markings for last nights match. Can’t think why as we did carry a small threat in that game. viewtopic.php?f=2&t=68358&p=2052467#p2052467

Although City are certainly the best team in this country there are another half a dozen or so clubs with top quality players. I would say a quarter of our games could be like this, many of them on TV. Something to look forward too!

Positives. If we look at this match like a friendly (the Mainz game say) then I can see some positive things. First, obviously, we only lost 3-0. Then we saw some OK debuts, in particular Trafford who made a solid start. Cullen and Benson available. We've got pace in all parts of the team, a real asset in the coming months. And for me the stand out was Al-Dakhil‘s performance.

Let’s see, who have we got next? Aston Villa, yes possible. Then Tottenham, Man United (on TV), Newcastle and Chelsea. Oh. I have to look forward to them don’t I?

[Cirrus_Minor]

Trafford 7
Roberts 6
O’Shea 6
Beyer 6
Al-Dakhil 6
Vitinho 5
Cullen 6
Berge 5
Koleosho 6
Amdouni 6
Foster - 7

Zaroury 4
Benson 6
Brunn Larsen 5

[Hipper]

I should have added, there were a couple of interesting stats shown on TV amongst the usual rubbish:

1. The cost of City's defence on the pitch last night was more then the combined total Burnley have ever spent on defenders.

2. In the last thirteen Burnley - City games, we have scored 1, City 42!!!! Actually I thought it would be more then that as this equates to just over three per match.

[Colburn_Claret]

Trafford - 7
O'Shea - 7
Beyer - 7
Al-Dakhil - 7
Roberts - 6
Vitinho - 6
Cullen - 6
Berge - 6
Koleosho - 6
Amdouni - 7
Foster - 8

Zaroury - 5
Benson - 6
Larsen - 5


We lost 3 0, couldn't mark them higher, but so many positives to take from last night.
Against the best team in the world, one of the most expensive in the world.
5 players making their debuts, 9 players making their PL bow.
An untried CM pairing
A new forward line.

Al Dakhil, O'shea and Beyer absolute quality.

Kolesho made some lovely runs, let down by his passing, but that was down to the quality of City and being unused to the pace of the prem.
Amdouni looked a real handful lots of nice touches in close quarters.
Foster was so strong, so quick to the ball, so good at protecting it when he won it, so good at picking out a team mate, well deserved mom.

Against lesser teams we will be fine, and this team after they've played together for a month or two will just get better and better.

[Scott Arfield's Swag]

Trafford - 6
O'Shea - 7
Beyer - 7
Al-Dakhil - 7
Roberts - 6
Vitinho - 6
Cullen - 6
Berge - 7
Koleosho - 7
Amdouni -7
Foster - 8

Zaroury - 4
Benson - 6
Bruun Larsen - 6

[Im_not_Robbie_Blake]

Trafford - 7
O'Shea - 7
Beyer - 7
Al-Dakhil - 8
Roberts - 7
Vitinho - 6
Cullen - 7
Berge - 7
Koleosho - 6
Amdouni - 6
Foster - 7

Zaroury - 5
Benson - 6
Larsen - 5

[ClaretTony]

Trafford 6
Roberts 6
Al-Dakhil 8 - MOM
O’Shea 7
Beyer 5
Vitinho 6
Berge 6
Cullen 7
Koleosho 7
Amdouni 7
Foster 8

Bruun Larsen 6
Zaroury 5

[ervi34]

Trafford - 6
Decent debut. Showed nice distribution, looked calm when put under pressure and made a few decent saves. Couldn't have done much to prevent any of the goals.

Roberts - 6
Didn't do much wrong and looked OK defensively.

O'Shea - 5
Maybe I'm a little bit harsh on him, but I thought he was the weak link yesterday. Gifted them a corner before the first, was poorly positioned before their second goal and had a lot of trouble in the second half. I fully expect him to improve and look better against weaker teams.

Beyer - 6
Never an easy job to mark Haaland but he definitely improved as the time went on. Had a few misplaced passes and his runs were not as effective as in the Championship but it's never easy against City. Shame about the injury because he's integral to our playstyle.

Al-Dakhil - 7
Very good game and definitely the best player from our back five. Hardly put a wrong foot and managed to show that he's both quick, solid and has good passing ability.

Vitinho - 6
Tried hard but I'm not sure he has enough quality to start for us. Can be more useful as an utility player.

Cullen and Berge- both 6
Overall OK game from them. At times they struggled but who doesn't against midfield as good as City's.

Koleosho - 6
Lively at the start, shown a lot of promise but on the other hand, it's clear that he is still very raw and that there's a lot of room for improvement.

Amdouni - 6
Very good at pressing, nice feet.

Foster - 7 MOTM
Maybe his best game for us. Worked his socks off, pressed well, linked up well, was helping our defenders and had a decent effort. Hopefully he scores soon to boost his confidence even more.

-------
Bruun Larsen - 6
I was surprised he got in before Benson or Redmond but he looked OK.

Zaroury - 4
Not sure he should play centrally. I can't even remember if he touched the ball. No real malice in the tackle but it was not the smartest thing to do.

Benson - 6
Looked lively and will be an important player for us if he manages to stay fit.