Burnley v Manchester United - Player Ratings

[ashtonlongsider]

Pope 8 Back to something like his best
Roberts 6 Good offensively but Im concerned about aspects of his defending.
Tarkowski 9*-Our most consistent player over the 94 mins. Absolutely outstanding
Mee 8 Exceptional
Pieters 7 Played well but I can't help thinking if CT had been fit....
McNeil 6 Improved in 2nd half
Brownhill 5 Whole hearted but off the pace
Westwood 6 Better 2nd half
Cornet 5 Looked a little light weight to me
Weghorst 8 Fabulous second half when he got some service
Rodriguez 8 Took his goal well. Hope its not another 50 games we need a few more JR this season.

Lennon 6 Credit he got involved and showed plenty of energy.

[andyh]

Pope 9
Roberts 7
Tarks 9
Mee 8
Pieters 8
Cornet 5
Westwood 7
Brownhill 7
McNeil 4
Weghorst 7
Rodriguez 8

Lennon 6

Good job I didnt give scores after 45 mins. Truly a game of 2 halves.

[HahaYeah]

Sorry but I had to comment on the Starfish that you think you saw. It must be a strange shaped starfish.

Just kidding. Great save but absolutely no Starfish.

Was more of a seahorse

[Roosterbooster]

Pope 9 Some superb stops, came out really well, and relieved pressure. Best performance for some time
Roberts 7 Difficult opposition and was unlucky with their goal. He tracked well, just went through his legs
Pieters 7 really poor first half, but more than made up for it 2nd half
Tarks 8
Mee 8 Same for both. Slightly untidy 1st half, dropped a little deep and invited pressure at times. Almost perfect 2nd halves from both
Westwood 6 Just a tad off a 7 for me. Distribution a little slow at times
Brownhill 7 Missed him on Saturday. Yes, his distribution needs improving, but how many times did he save us with picking up the 2nd ball, or breaking down a counter
McNeill 5 Showed flashes of absolute class. But his decision making hasn't improved since he made his debut. Still giving the ball away in stupid areas, an nearly cost us towards the end
Cornet 5 Didn't look at it today. Bit of fitness and rest. And time to work on his role needed
JRod 8 I cannot tell you just how well that goal was taken. He had a lot to do. And did it perfectly. He looked sharp, hungry, busy. Deserves a start on Sunday. Just a bit of a communication/ intuition issue with WW at times, but I can really see them being effective
WW 9 Maybe I'm getting carried away a little, but I thought he was outstanding. Superb touch. Always looking to link play. Fantastic assist. Works hard. Gets stuck in. Deserved a goal. And nearly got it. Quite simply, better than Ronaldo (tonight, anyway)
Lennon 7 Did his job well. He looks better during his 2nd spell.

[Newcastleclaret93]

There are others who don't rate Brownhill and mark him low quite often (we have an element that need a whipping boy) but they don't make dumb comments along the lines of "never make a footballer"

I have asked this before but did you ask him to follow you on twitter and ignored you ? turned you down for an autograph or did you have one of those cardboard signs asking for his shirt and got nowhere. The stuff you post about him while going easy on pretty much everybody else in the squad comes across like a dumped 12 yr old.

I marked Cornet the same and also said Roberts really really struggled.

Read my marking I’ve gave my appraisal of all the players

[Hbclaret007]

Pope 8 – kept us in the game. Back to his best
Pieters 8 – Did really well after a shaky start. Got forward more too
Mee 8 – Some great defending from Ben
Tarky 9 – Looked a class above. Seems to be enjoying his football
Roberts 6 – struggled against Sancho, but many do. Should have blocked the cross for the goal
McNeil 6 – Better second half, but he needs to be out wide to have most impact
Brownhill 6 – Again, can’t fault his effort, but loses possession too easily
Westwood 6 – Poor first half, but did better second
Cornet 6 – struggled with the physicality of Shaw and others
Jay 7 – Linked well with WW. Took his goal very well
Weghorst 8 – Tremendous effort second half. Unlucky not to beat DDG with a long range shot and great play to set up JRod.

I feared for us in the first 20 minutes when they looked likely to score every time they attacked. We battled well to get back into the game and fully deserved a point. Liverpool to come UTC!

[Dark Cloud]

Pope 8
Roberts 6
Tarks 9
Mee 8
Pieters 8
Brownhill 7
Westwood 7
McNeil 7
Cornet 6
WW 8
Jay 7

Marks are actually quite high and would have been rather lower at half time. That second half though, was so, so "Burnley" and I found myself really enjoying it for the first time in ages. I came away on a high and feeling proud (at last!!) Shame we couldn't sneak it, but the commitment, the passion and consequently the atmosphere were great to see. The belief is clearly still there, but I found myself wondering why (sadly) we haven't played like that most of the time this season. I chose to really enjoy that second half in the knowledge that days like those are now looking very numbered as we'll almost certainly still go down unfortunately.

[claretspice]

The interesting thing about Brownhill is that it is both correct to say that his passing was sloppy and caused us problems, and also that his pace, athleticism and physicality were fundamental to us winning the battle in the second half, and even to staying in the game first half.

The problem is not midfield is not Westwood or Brownhill, it's the combination. They'd both be better alongside someone who kept the ball better.

Similarly, it's correct to say McNeil got caught in possession a few times (I made it 3), but to my mind if you're scoring him as "poor" as a result of that, you're not taking into account the fact that overall, he kept the ball better than any other Burnley player (statistically) or that he played 3 or 4 passes that created chances/opportunities, or the work rate which saw him make 6 tackles in the game - more than anyone else except Tarkowski. You're also not taking account of the fact that on two of those occasions, he was trying to buy us time for players to get into better positions to receive the pass, and therefore help us retain the ball and avoid pressure (not an excuse - but a mitigation).

Not everything is polarised.

[Hbclaret007]

"The problem is not midfield is not Westwood or Brownhill, it's the combination. They'd both be better alongside someone who kept the ball better."

The problem is that we have 4 midfield players who are at the same level. Westy, Cork, Brownhill and Stephens.
Any 2 from those 4 would look and offer the same for me.

[Lancasterclaret]

The interesting thing about Brownhill is that it is both correct to say that his passing was sloppy and caused us problems, and also that his pace, athleticism and physicality were fundamental to us winning the battle in the second half, and even to staying in the game first half.

The problem is not midfield is not Westwood or Brownhill, it's the combination. They'd both be better alongside someone who kept the ball better.

Similarly, it's correct to say McNeil got caught in possession a few times (I made it 3), but to my mind if you're scoring him as "poor" as a result of that, you're not taking into account the fact that overall, he kept the ball better than any other Burnley player (statistically) or that he played 3 or 4 passes that created chances/opportunities, or the work rate which saw him make 6 tackles in the game - more than anyone else except Tarkowski. You're also not taking account of the fact that on two of those occasions, he was trying to buy us time for players to get into better positions to receive the pass, and therefore help us retain the ball and avoid pressure (not an excuse - but a mitigation).

Not everything is polarised.

Knew as soon as I got back last night that people would ignore Dwights game, and concentrate on him losing the ball, and that people who would focus on Brownhills distribution, rahter than his other, very clear attributes and performance

I prefer to focus on them both being essential to what (by the end) an excellent performance against a top four side

[RVclaret]

"The problem is not midfield is not Westwood or Brownhill, it's the combination. They'd both be better alongside someone who kept the ball better."

The problem is that we have 4 midfield players who are at the same level. Westy, Cork, Brownhill and Stephens.
Any 2 from those 4 would look and offer the same for me.

Don’t agree with that. The midfield would have been very much overrun again last night without Brownhill’s athleticism. He was also missing at Leeds away when we put in our worst performance of the season.

Spice is right though, I do think another CM is needed to play alongside either Westwood or Brownhill, and I’d favour Brownhill seen as though he’s 5 years younger.

[Zenwisdom]

Pope 7
Roberts 7
Pieters 7 knocked off ball by Rashford ?
Mee 7 solid
Tarks 8 enjoying the game
Brownhill 6 distribution
Westwood 6 up against Pogba and his ref
McNeil 6 looks more comfortable wide left
Cornet 7 well marked they have done their homework
Hope injury not serious
Jay 8 extra point for goal good game
Weghorst 8 great link up play soon forget Wood if
plays like that .
Played with more confidence second half let’s hope it continues

[strayclaret]

Pope 8
Roberts 6
Tarkowski 9
Mee 8
Pieters 6
McNeil 5
Westwood 6
Brownhill 6
Cornet 5
Weghorst 8
Rodriguez 8

Lennon 6

[burnley007]

Pope 8 excellent
Roberts 6 (-1 for the goal)
Tarkowski 9 absolutely awesome...again
Mee 8 a rock
Pieters 7 best game he's had
McNeil 6 not sure what's up with him atm
Brownhill 7 I love his battling in midfield, he must be a nightmare to play against! But struggles to play decent passes
Westwood 8 That 2nd half was excellent from him
Cornet 3 Sorry, but he just looks utterly lost. Needs some time coming off the bench later on in games.
Weghorst 9 WOW, he looks a real player, very impressed
Rodriguez 8 His best game for a long while...

Lennon 5 meh

[THEWELLERNUT70]

Pope 8
Roberts 5
Tarks 9*
Mee 9
Pieters 8
Cornet 6
Brownhill 8
Westwood 6
McNeil 5
Rodriguez 7
WW 8

Lennon 5

I might be in the minority here but I thought Brownhill had a good game (and when compared two the performances of our previous 2 midfield pairings in the league he added energy and tenacity that got us up the pitch, second half especially). It's not all about pass completion rates as a be all and end all

[Dark Cloud]

"The problem is not midfield is not Westwood or Brownhill, it's the combination. They'd both be better alongside someone who kept the ball better."

The problem is that we have 4 midfield players who are at the same level. Westy, Cork, Brownhill and Stephens.
Any 2 from those 4 would look and offer the same for me.

To me this is spot on. 4 midfielders who all perform a similar and extremely important role. Mainly harrying, hustling, tackling, breaking up play and generally running all over the place getting in people's faces. 2 of them in a starting XI with a really creative, far more silky player (Defour?) is not only fine, but actually essential. Our trouble is all 4 in any permutation you like, don't give us enough to unlock stubborn defences and worry opposition defenders by getting quality balls to our strikers. (Or even chipping in with the odd burst into the box to score themselves).

[Rowls]

Pope - 8
Roberts - 9
Tarks - 9
Mee - 9
Pieters - 9
McNeil - 6
Westwood - 8
Brownhill - 8
Cornet - 7
Jay - 9
Weghorst - 9

Fantastic all round. United were brilliant first half and we showed that old strong jaw to stay in the game. That gave us the chance to take the game to them in the second half.

[JohnMac]

Pope 8
Roberts 6
Tarkowski 9*
Mee 8
Pieters 8
McNeil 6
Westwood 6
Brownhill 7
Cornet 6
Weghorst 8
Rodriguez 8

James Tarkowski is putting himself firmly in the shop window. I genuinely think he is just well up for the relegation battle. He may have been turned inside out by Sancho but just got stronger as the game went on.

If the turnaround was from motivational speaking it worked, the players need to believe in themselves.

[BleedingClaret]

Pope 9 1 for Cavani certain goal denial
Roberts 8 1 for covering on the inside of Tarks like he did at Arsenal twice looked nervous last night Mcneil was not helping him much, as I don’t think Lennon did on Saturday despite the plaudits for Lennon
Tarks 9 very good and with Roberts covering his lack of pace at times makes a good pairing
Mee 8 Solid
Pieters 8 Solid … take a touch then shoot
McNeil 6 mmmmmh?
Westwood 7 tried his best
Brownhill 7 just … for the energy
Cornet 6 not fit enough for that role yet
Jay Rod 9 1 for goal clearly up for it from the off
WW 9 MoM sumptuous

Lennon 7 we didn’t drop when he replaced Cornet so job done

[jmu1]

Pope 8
Roberts 6
Tarkowski 9
Mee 8
Pieters 7
McNeil 7
Brownhill 6
Westwood 6
Cornet 6
JayRod 7
Weghorst 8

[quoonbeatz]

We wouldn't have got a point last night without Brownhill.

[JohnDearyMe]

McNeil 5 ... Finally played with a bit more of a chuckle in his boots second half

UTC

Great to see the deployment of one of my favourite football phrases in your assessment!

[Leisure]

Sorr
but everyone loves a runner.

But not you!

[Leisure]

Sorry to disappoint you but he will never be good enough for this level - lost count of how many times he gave the ball away and also nice own goal to boot.

How many assists or goals in a burnley shirt but everyone loves a runner.

So even though you've decided that he's not good enough for PL level and he was playing in a 2 man midfield against a team who were 4th in the PL, you still only considered that his performance merited a score of 3 (abysmal)! And looking at everyone else's scores for him you seem to be in a minority of 1.

[SalisburyClaret]

Pope 8
Roberts 5
Tarks 9
Mee 8
Pieters 8
Cornet 6
Brownhill 7
Westwood 6
McNeil 7
Rodriguez 8
Weggy 9*

Lennon 6

[ClaretTony]

you've really got a downer on Brownhill. I thought he was excellent tonight playing in a midfield two against three. Challenged and won a lot of balls. Ok his passing wasn’t the best but we never really have a midfield than that can constantly find one of our own men. Battled from the first minute until the last.

I find this a very curious response. He had, by the time you posted this, received a rating of 5 by several posters. He'd also received a few 4s and a 3. Why on earth have you not commented on those? Why have you chosen to single me out? I thought his performance warranted a 5.

[IanMcL]

[quote=claretspice post_id=1745569 time=1644398328 user_id=254

Similarly, it's correct to say McNeil got caught in possession a few times (I made it 3), but to my mind if you're scoring him as "poor" as a result of that, you're not taking into account the fact that overall, he kept the ball better than any other Burnley player (statistically) or that he played 3 or 4 passes that created chances/opportunities, or the work rate which saw him make 6 tackles in the game - more than anyone else except Tarkowski. You're also not taking account of the fact that on two of those occasions, he was trying to buy us time for players to get into better positions to receive the pass, and therefore help us retain the ball and avoid pressure (not an excuse - but a mitigation).

Not everything is polarised.
[/quote]

Good stuff Spice.

The only thing I would suggest about McNeil is that whilst he is ok at keeping the ball, there are times when "Clear it" is the essential need. Twice his lost possession caused mayhem. That is decision making ar its worst.

[Oldparkwood]

I cant get my head around the high Pieters scores.... I thought he was bang average and gave the ball away far to many times with slack passing.

[Dodobdobodobo]

I find this a very curious response. He had, by the time you posted this, received a rating of 5 by several posters. He'd also received a few 4s and a 3. Why on earth have you not commented on those? Why have you chosen to single me out? I thought his performance warranted a 5.

you’re the one I always look to for player ratings as you are pretty spot on but I know you don’t particularly like Josh. You more often than not give him a poor mark even when he has played well on such occasions as last night. If it hadn’t have been for his non stop energy last night we wouldn’t have got the draw.

[BOYSIE31]

you’re the one I always look to for player ratings as you are pretty spot on but I know you don’t particularly like Josh. You more often than not give him a poor mark even when he has played well on such occasions as last night. If it hadn’t have been for his non stop energy last night we wouldn’t have got the draw.

Maybe Tony like myself think he is out of his depth at this level

[Lancasterclaret]

Maybe Tony like myself think he is out of his depth at this level

Thing is, I think CT probably averaged out his performance (3 first half, 7 2nd half)

I still think a five is harsh, but for the overall game a 6 or a 7 (he was excellent 2nd half, just a bit too careless in possession)

I have no idea of the midset required to give him a "3" overall though

[ClaretTony]

you’re the one I always look to for player ratings as you are pretty spot on but I know you don’t particularly like Josh. You more often than not give him a poor mark even when he has played well on such occasions as last night. If it hadn’t have been for his non stop energy last night we wouldn’t have got the draw.

I just think it is daft singling me out. 5 is below average, nothing worse, and I think he was.

[xxmunkyennuixx]

McNeil had a good second half and looked more like himself. Just had the pieces of play when he lost possession. Loved the driving run and the cross field diagonal. He's such a good player when playing with confidence. Thought Browny worked hard but him and Westy nearly passed us out of the game. Woeful ball retention. Westy deserves a lower score because Browny did more dirty work and he was important to our second half performance. Wout needs the ball into feet. None of this long ball shite. Feed it into him with back to goal and we can build off him. You can see how he could combine with our more progressive players. Loved his swagger and ego. He seemed to learn from being knocked about by Pogba first half and grew from there. He went after Pogba a few times and knocked McTominay about. Didn't seem fazed by the opposition. Liked his chatter to the ref. We allow the them to get away with too much really. A great signing potentially - he's a bit like Ibrahimovic.

[Elizabeth]

Loved the driving run and the cross field diagonal. He's such a good player when playing with confidence.

A very good observation.

At the time of the play he seemed reluctant at first then you could almost read his mind saying ' I'm going to give this a go'

The cross came to nothing but it was the McNeil we have been used to seeing in the past season or two. Hopefully it is a turning point in his creative play, something that we have missed so much during our struggle to get wins this season. It may also have been an indication that he likes playing with Jay and Wout.

[leelad]

Pope 9
Roberts 7
Mee 8
Tarkowski 9
Pieters 8
McNeil 7
Westwood 7
Brownhill 6
Cornet 7
Weghorst 8
JRod 8

Lennon 7

The second half performance gave me cause for optimism. Back to the Burnley we know and recognise. Playing Liverpool may be an advantage for us as we will have two extra days of rest. We will see.

[Scott Arfield's Swag]

Pope 8
Roberts 7
Tarkowski 9
Mee 8
Pieters 7
McNeil 6
Westwood 6
Brownhill 6
Cornet 5
Weghorst 8
Rodriguez 8

Lennon 6