Burnley v Luton - Player Ratings

[MDWat]

Battering is a bit extreme but Tbf Luton had something like 7 shots on goal in the first half to our 2 I believe.

They were the better team in the first half but I don’t think they dominated

Five of those were from 20 yards at the end of the first half which all got blocked in the same passage of play

[Newcastleclaret93]

Five of those were from 20 yards at the end of the first half which all got blocked in the same passage of play

Highlights my point tbh.

I think they were the better team in the first half but ultimately they never battered us.

We were in control the majority of the game

[Big Vinny K]

Muric 6
Roberts 5
Taylor 7
Harwood-Bellis 6
Maatsen 8
Costelloe 6
Cork 6
Cullen 6
Brownhill 7
Bastien 6
Barnes 6

Benson 6
Vitinho 6

Luton physical and big but not much quality. Though we improved as the game went on and after a first half where we needed to move the ball quicker and hold the ball better up top. We made a few wrong decisions in first 20 mins and their goal knocked us off our stride.
Second half much better. Pressing was like last week and we were zipping it about again. They couldn’t get near us most of that 2nd half. Maatsen was a massive part of the improvement as he came forward a lot more and got on the ball where he has real quality.
Barnes and Benson both had great chances in the last 20 minutes.
We are lacking some height and strength in the team and we clearly need one or possibly two quality strikers.
If we can bring in 3 or 4 more players with a couple of them of real quality and starters I think we will have a chance.
We also have Twine to come back and based on his goals last season there were many times today when we passed on the opportunity to have a shot on goal……and I’m sure Twine would have had a go.

[Nori1958]

Battering is a bit extreme but Tbf Luton had something like 7 shots on goal in the first half to our 2 I believe.

They were the better team in the first half but I don’t think they dominated

Those 7 shots must have been pretty poor apart from the goal, because the goalkeeper didn't have to make a save. I think our 70% possession tends to suggest they didn't dominate

[ClaretTony]

Muric 6
Roberts 6
Harwood-Bellis 7
Taylor 8
Maatsen 8
Cullen 7
Cork 7
Brownhill 8
Bastien 5
Barnes 5
Costelloe 7

Benson 7

[Newcastleclaret93]

Those 7 shots must have been pretty poor apart from the goal, because the goalkeeper didn't have to make a save. I think our 70% possession tends to suggest they didn't dominate

I think DC nailed it. 5 of them were outside the box.

They were definitely the stronger team first half but I would argue we were considerably better them than second half and would even go as far as saying we dominated that half

[Burnleyareback2]

Muric 6 - I’m going to need spare underpants. Will be a hero 1 week and not the next week.
Roberts 6
Harwood-Bellis 8 brilliant- won some strong headed against some big physical players
Taylor 8 - brilliant
Maatsen 8
Cullen 7
Cork 7
Brownhill 8
Bastien 5
Barnes 8
Costelloe 8 2nd real game and played with huge confidence

Benson 8

Amazed with 4 points so far. It’s going to take time but we are already further ahead than I expected

[Matt_Whalley]

Muric 6
Roberts 7
Harwood-Bellis 7
Taylor 7
Maatsen 8
Cork 7
Cullen 6
Bastien 6
Brownhill 8
Costelloe 7
Barnes 5

Benson 7

Put the first ten minutes aside and it was a really good performance today. Encouraged.

[bfcmik]

Muric 6
Roberts 5
Harwood-Bellis 6
Taylor 7
Maatsen 6
Cork 6
Cullen 6
Bastien 5
Brownhill 8
Costelloe 6
Barnes 5

Benson 7

[Swizzlestick]

Muric - 6 - he’s a character, shall we say. He’s undeniably good on the ball and crucial to how we want to play but he’s going to keep us on our toes.
Roberts - 6 - I admit, I remain to be convinced
Harwood Bellis - 6 - looked nervous on occasion but not an easy gig today against a powerful, direct team
Taylor - 7 - surprising me with how he’s playing in that position
Maatsen - 7 - Luton did a bit of a number on him esp 1st half but constantly drives us forward
Cullen - 7 - again, think Luton did their homework, but showed some classy touches again
Cork - 7 - buzzing about well, good use of the ball as always
Bastien - 6 - didn’t quite happen for him
Brownhill - 7* - type of player we need for these type of games. Good goal.
Costelloe - 7 - saw a lot of the ball first half. Grew into the game.
Barnes - 5 - not for me. Some ok link up, but the dying swan act retuned and we need better up there if we want to be challenging

Benson - 7 - great ball of energy when he came on, caused problems, though he’s clearly going to be a little erratic

Two points dropped, but I loved watching us play today especially second half. Some nice passing moves, good movement etc. It’s going to take some getting used to - certainly still an element of our support wanting it launched in the box and getting frustrated when it wasn’t - but we kept going. Luton are a classic physical, cynical Championship team and you can see how they got results last season. We’ll have learnt a lot from it going forward. Shame Twine was injured because I think his craft in general play and on set pieces would have took us over the line. Striker definitely needed so hopefully that’s top priority. Still lots to admire today.

[Dodobdobodobo]

Muric 7
Roberts 6
Harwood-Bellis 7
Taylor 7
Maatsen 8
Cork 6
Cullen 6
Bastien 5
Brownhill 8
Costelloe 7
Barnes 5

Benson 7

[Bosscat]

Muric 8
Roberts 6
THB 6
Taylor 6
Maatsen 7
Cullen 7
Cork 6
Bastien 6
Brownhill 8* MotM for the goal
Costelloe 8
Barnes 6

Benson 7

[Rumbletonk]

Muric 7
Roberts 6
Harwood-Bellis 5
Taylor 5
Maatsen 8
Cork 6
Cullen 6
Bastien 6
Brownhill 8
Costelloe 4
Barnes 7

Benson 8

Hb and Taylor were shocking. Utterly out muscled and out paced. They improved in the 2nd half but thats because we stepped up out game so much in outher areas of the pitch. They are too weak a in the CF roles. We were worth the draw but no thanks to them. We are desperate for a commanding CF. Costelloe may improve but did nowt worthy of praise

[Jakubs Tash]

Muric 6

Roberts 6
THB 7
Taylor 6
Maatsen 7

Brownhill 7
Cullen 6
Cork 6
Bastien 5

Costelloe 6
Barnes 6

Benson 7

[AlargeClaret]

Muric 6 cool as beans
Roberts 5 bit off
T HBellis 7 calm collected
Taylor 6 decent though CB doesn’t use him properly
Maatsen 7- class act
Cork 6 steady
Cullen 6 good but not able to create like last week
Bastien 5- out of sorts today
Brownhill 7 always involved nice goal
Costelloe 6 got going after tricky 1st half
Barnes 5 square peg round hole…

Benson 6 speed and potential

A comatose first half which sent crowd to sleep, good early 2nd more energy against a well drilled Luton

[ashtonlongsider]

Muric 6-I'll reserve judgement but so far I'm far from convinced. He makes me nervous when in possession.
Roberts 7-Thought he played well and will be an integral cog in a unit that's evidently not clicked yet.
THB 6-Again early days, the lads dominant in the air but for me a little suspect on the ground.
Taylor 8-Had another excellent game although I'm not quite sure what his remit is. Certainly not an out and out CB.
Maatsen 8-This lad looks like the real deal as an attacking wing back.
Cullen 7-Industrious, couldn't fault his endeavour.
Cork 8-First of all i'm glad he's captain and long may it continue. For me the first name on the team sheet.
Brownhill 8*-Had an excellent game and scoring the goal just makes him MOM for me.
Bastien 5-Hard to call, jury out in our household.
Barnes 8-Thought he was excellent and if he'd put his chance away he could have been my MOM.
Costelloe 7-I think we may have a player on our hands if he keeps developing as he is.

Benson 7-He made a big difference and was impressive but.. he was frustratingly wasteful at times.

[ksrclaret]

Muric 7 - learn to accept the nervous moments, folks. He might make an error or two over the course of a season, but he's absolutely key to allowing us to dominate the ball for 70% of a game.

Roberts 6 - always available for the pass on the right, but didn't use the ball as well as he should. Not sure this deeper position totally suits him.

Harwood-Bellis 7 - wins all his headers and generally okay on the ball, aside from a moment when he took temporary leave of his senses in the second half.

Taylor 7 - dealt very well with Luton's forward line. Growing into the role of a centre-half at this level.

Maatsen 7 - excellent with the ball, but didn't seem to offer the same width and attacking outlet as he did at Huddersfield.

Cork 7 - kept the ball moving around to good effect. Does his job very well in this system and it suits him. Helped out defensively as well with some aerial duels.

Costelloe 6 - some promising things, not least the skilful turn away from a defender in the first half, but too often he made runs and his teammates weren't prepared to find him in the first half, and wasn't on the same technical level. He was much better in the second half and was key to us being a bit more direct when carrying the ball.

Brownhill 8 - our best player with the ball in advanced positions. An extra point for a finely taken goal. Suits his number 8 role.

Cullen 6 - Luton pressed him extremely aggressively in the first 20 minutes and they shut down our forward passes as a result. Second half he was key to us moving the ball faster. We'll need to prepare for teams shutting him down and have a plan to deal with it without losing our composure like we did yesterday.

Bastien 5 - I thought he was very poor. The physicality of Luton took him by surprise, but I was disappointed his response to slow down rather than rise to the challenge. Don't think he's suited to a wide left role (he was playing more centrally against Huddersfield).

Barnes 5 - unfortunately, he's not on the same wavelength as the rest of the the side. Too often, our possession and territory was lost when the ball was played to him. As ever though, was prepared to do the physical dirty stuff with Luton's defenders.

Benson 7 - very promising debut given he only signed on Thursday. Gave us a totally different threat in the second half, and had Luton's defenders back peddling which didn't happen first half. Final ball and shot needs work, but that was to be expected.

The sort of game we'll face time and time again this season. Rather than teams coming and sitting back from the start, they'll look to be very aggressive in the first quarter of the game and shut down any passes through the lines. I'm sure Kompany will be working on a plan for that, and I suspect a large part of that will be the recruitment of some pacey and direct players in the three forward positions to allow us a real threat over the the top. Yesterday, Luton were able to squeeze the pitch because our three forwards in Costelloe, Barnes, and Bastien didn't offer anything in behind.

[Buxtonclaret]

Muric 6
Roberts 6
Harwood-Bellis 7
Taylor 8
Maatsen 8

Cullen 6
Cork 7
Brownhill 8 **
Bastien 6

Barnes 5
Costelloe 7

Benson 7

Takes time to gel a new time.
There's going to be mishaps.
Some promising stuff going on though.

[quoonbeatz]

An excellent learning experience for our new lads as we'll face plenty of big, spoiling teams like Luton in this league. 1st half wasn't great as we struggled to find space but the positive half time change gave us what we were missing. Its still all yet to fully click but that's two decent performances from a team that has kargely been thrown together. Having one fit striker isn't ideal and we're not being very effective at set pieces as we're lacking height throughout the team.

Muric - 6 no saves to make again, passing fine but a bit risky. Did really well when he charged out of his area to make that block.

Roberts - 6 better second half, much like everyone

Harwood-Bellis - 7 a couple of excellent blocks and did well in the air considering he was giving away inches to their beanpole up top

Taylor - 7 another decent game at centre half. Long term answer? Not convinced just yet.

Maatsen - 7 not quite the heights of last week but he's always going to be an outlet

Cork - 8 so important to us keeping control in the middle of the park which was vital

Cullen - 5 Luton Ji Sung Parked him and had someone stuck to him the entire game - no surprise after last week - and had little influence as a result

Brownhill - 7 wack set pieces. Having Benson on the pitch helped him find better positions and that was some finish into the corner

Bastien - 4 not the game for him, think he'll take a little bit more time to really get used to this league

Costelloe - 6 decent enough but hes not a winger and having him out there means no support in the middle for

Barnes - 7 should probably have had a couple at least one target but second didn't really fall right for him. Lovely dink over the top for Benson's chance and in general he held the ball and got us up the pitch. Like last week though, he's up against 2 big centre halves so he's not going to win much and its largely pointless putting a cross in for him.

Benson - 7 brought things to life, should get better as he settles in

Plenty of positives, plenty to build on and some obvious areas we need to strengthen but 4 points from the first 2 is a very nice start indeed .

[ClaretTony]

I'm not sure what Dara Costelloe has to do when he's getting a rating of 4 on here.

[Newcastleclaret93]

I'm not sure what Dara Costelloe has to do when he's getting a rating of 4 on here.

One of our best players yesterday

[Marty Dobson]

Muric - 7
Roberts - 6
Harwood Bellis - 6
Taylor - 7
Maatsen - 7
Cullen - 6
Cork - 7
Bastien - 5
Brownhill - 8
Costelloe - 7
Barnes - 5

Benson - 7
Vitinho 6
As for Costelloe getting a 4 we've seen this nasty stuff before with Hendrick and Brady. I guess some people watch the game through Orange tinted specs.

[ClaretLoup]

Muric - 6 did the Okey - Cokey on occasions - exciting times!
Roberts - 6 didn't really seem to gel with Costelloe in the first half, I am hoping VK will select Lowton for Watford as he looks the better full back to me. Completely daft booking.
Harwood Bellis - 6 not really put under too much pressure so difficult to rate.
Taylor - 7 looks like he is left side of a back three as and when Maatsen bombs forward, part of a back 4 when they are defending, performed both roles efficiently, quite good at playing the ball out, seems to have adapted reasonably well to his new role but might be more severely tested next week against a side that will have more threat and quality forwards.
Maatsen - 7 quiet first half but combined well with Dara in the second
Cullen - 7 looks like one of a middle triumvirate that gave Burnley almost complete control of the game for 80 minutes
Cork - 7 ditto above
Bastien - 5 runs around a lot but on this showing looks feeble and easily brushed off the ball. Rightly hooked.
Brownhill - 8 extra point for well taken goal
Costelloe - 6 had a good second half, held the ball up quite well, got forward and put some decent crosses in plus won a few corners, but not really a threat.
Barnes - 6 on the end of a couple of chances, teed up a couple more including the goal. Another stupid booking.

Benson - 6 changed the game for us in second half, but end product needs to be better, fluffed a good chance, it's the last thing you do with the ball that counts.
Vitinho - 6 looked frisky, like a wild pony.

Almost total control of the game in second half, attack vs defence at times, but only one shot on target which was set up by a mis=control. Their goalie looked very shakey, but wasn't given a going over. This has to be a concern for VK, as this is probably the way most teams will set up when they come to TM. The manager's big challenge will be finding the right tactics and combination of personnel to break down rugged, organised defences.

[Belial]

Muric - 6 (he's going to keep us interested in the game)
Roberts - 5 he tries but makes quite a few errors - can see Vitinho being RB very shortly
Harwood Bellis - 6
Taylor - 6 both CBs did ok, but were all over the place in that 1st 30 mins
Maatsen - 7 a real threat down that wing and cutting inside
Cullen - 6 like his simple passes to keep the ball moving
Cork - 7 steady
Bastien - 5 didn't offer much
Brownhill - 7 will be good at this level and already showing it
Costelloe - 6 took teh ball down well at times and played others in... struggling to see how he could be a 4
Barnes - 6 thought he held it up well at times and showed some experience, but a bit lumbersome as well
Benson - 7 changed the game. No end result yesterday but you can see he has something

[MACCA]

I'm not sure what Dara Costelloe has to do when he's getting a rating of 4 on here.

4 is harsh, but can see why he hasn't scored well.
Caught out for their goal, offered very little in terms of creativity or goal threat, and that is his role.
Quite a bit of naive play, but it's to be expected

He's only young so will learn, but I don't think he will be a long term starter this season, and IF he is, ( as with Barnes ) goal contributions will be few and far between.

But as much as 4 isn't fair, some have given 8s , if that's his "very good" performance, I hope he never has an off day.

[IanMcL]

Muric 6
Roberts 6
Harwood-Bellis 5
Taylor 7
Maatsen 7
Cork 7
Cullen 7
Bastien 6
Brownhill 8
Costelloe 7
Barnes 7

Benson 7

Vitinho added something too, although a little selfish.

[claretblue]

Muric 6
Roberts 6
Harwood-Bellis 6
Taylor 6
Maatsen 7
Cork 6
Cullen 6
Bastien 6
Brownhill 7
Costelloe 7
Barnes 6

Benson 8

[PhiladelphiaChris]

Muric 7
Roberts 6
Harwood-Bellis 7
Taylor 8
Maatsen 8
Cullen 7
Cork 7
Brownhill 8
Bastien 6
Barnes 6
Costelloe 7

Benson 8

[Newcastleclaret93]

4 is harsh, but can see why he hasn't scored well.
Caught out for their goal, offered very little in terms of creativity or goal threat, and that is his role.
Quite a bit of naive play, but it's to be expected

He's only young so will learn, but I don't think he will be a long term starter this season, and IF he is, ( as with Barnes ) goal contributions will be few and far between.

But as much as 4 isn't fair, some have given 8s , if that's his "very good" performance, I hope he never has an off day.

I think your assessment is incredibly harsh.

Had the best pass accuracy on the pitch at 89%, had the second most crosses (most successful crosses) and second highest number of successful dribbles.

He was arguably one of our best players yesterday.

As the for blaming the goal on him, it’s just complete nonsense he had less than a second to react after numerous other Burnley players failed to clear it. Plus Brownhill then made a hash of stopping the cross in the first place.

[MACCA]

I think your assessment is incredibly harsh.

Had the best pass accuracy on the pitch at 89%, had the second most crosses (most successful crosses) and second highest number of successful dribbles.

He was arguably one of our best players yesterday.

As the for blaming the goal on him, it’s just complete nonsense he had less than a second to react after numerous other Burnley players failed to clear it. Plus Brownhill then made a hash of stopping the cross in the first place.

We shall see, I think come a couple if weeks, VK will have agreed with me, the only reason he hasn't so far, is he can't.

However, You nearly went a full post without managing to criticise Brownhill... give it a rest its boring.
I'm unwilling to acknowledge your opinion on Burnley for 2 reasons

1. You don't go on
2. You think Brownhill isn't in our 4 best midfielders, and that was pre Benson signing.

So until I see a knowledgeable post from you, your opinion is null and void

[taio]

I think your assessment is incredibly harsh.

Had the best pass accuracy on the pitch at 89%, had the second most crosses (most successful crosses) and second highest number of successful dribbles.

He was arguably one of our best players yesterday.

As the for blaming the goal on him, it’s just complete nonsense he had less than a second to react after numerous other Burnley players failed to clear it. Plus Brownhill then made a hash of stopping the cross in the first place.

Agree - can't pin the blame on him for goal on him because he had no time at all. He played well.

[Newcastleclaret93]

We shall see, I think come a couple if weeks, VK will have agreed with me, the only reason he hasn't so far, is he can't.

However, You nearly went a full post without managing to criticise Brownhill... give it a rest its boring.
I'm unwilling to acknowledge your opinion on Burnley for 2 reasons

1. You don't go on
2. You think Brownhill isn't in our 4 best midfielders, and that was pre Benson signing.

So until I see a knowledgeable post from you, your opinion is null and void

1. I do go on.
2. When I have ever said he’s not in our 4 best midfielders.

Please if your are going to come after please don’t spout bull ****

[Jambo]

I like the look of Costelloe, his touch is good, his movement is excellent and he seems tactically solid for such a young player. It's fair to say we haven't seen much end product from him yet, but the attack as a whole is yet to gel. If we don't have Jay/a new striker for Friday I'd be tempted to try him down the middle tbh as Barnes is a poor fit for VK's team

Muric 6 - Yet to make a real save, might take years off our lives watching him
Roberts 6 - I'm surprised he isn't getting forward more, but perhaps he's being asked to stay back
THB 6 - Couple of dodgy moments on the ball, bad for their goal, otherwise fine
Taylor 6 - Both Taylors got in a mess for the goal and struggled a bit against their physical attackers
Maatsen 7 - Always an outlet but we didn't get him in the game enough, especially first half. Loves a shot doesn't he
Cullen 6 - Largely marked out of the game by their no22. What's our backup plan if and when that happens?
Cork 7 - Rock solid at this level
Bastien 5 - Not involved enough, probably not his best role, probably doesn't start when everyone is fit and available
Brownhill 7 - A point for a well-taken goal, a point off for the pretty rubbish set pieces. We must have someone better for them
Costelloe 6 - Felt Luton were very happy for us to play it wide to him rather than to get Maatsen involved on the left
Barnes 5 - Another accidental assist but you know what you're gonna get from Barnes and it won't be enough

Benson 6 - Lively but end product lacking, snatched at his chance. Going to be exciting to watch though

Marks might look low but we were largely bum in the first half and didn't create great chances for all our possession. Benson and Twine should make a big difference when they're ready to start but it is so obvious that a striker is the missing piece. I'm not fully convinced by the Taylors either.

[CoolClaret]

I think your assessment is incredibly harsh.

Had the best pass accuracy on the pitch at 89%, had the second most crosses (most successful crosses) and second highest number of successful dribbles.

He was arguably one of our best players yesterday.

As the for blaming the goal on him, it’s just complete nonsense he had less than a second to react after numerous other Burnley players failed to clear it. Plus Brownhill then made a hash of stopping the cross in the first place.

This is where stats are used wrongly

He rarely looked to go past anyone with dribbles and lots of his passes were low risk sideways passes.

He looks like he has great game iq and overall football intelligence, good at trapping the ball as well but it’s as though he doesn’t believe in himself when on the ball in the final third.

Think he could be a good one but as Macca said I don’t want to be depending upon him for regular goals

[Newcastleclaret93]

This is where stats are used wrongly

He rarely looked to go past anyone with dribbles and lots of his passes were low risk sideways passes.

He looks like he has great game iq and overall football intelligence, good at trapping the ball as well but it’s as though he doesn’t believe in himself when on the ball in the final third.

Think he could be a good one but as Macca said I don’t want to be depending upon him for regular goals

Fair points,

But I do think it’s worth remembering that was his second ever professional game and I think he was one of the better players on the pitch.

As much as his goal threat isn’t quite there it will develop with more game time.

I suspect Kompany will continue with him as he seems to be developing quite quickly.

[MACCA]

1. I do go on.
2. When I have ever said he’s not in our 4 best midfielders.

Please if your are going to come after please don’t spout bull ****

Your team for Luton...

Muric
Roberts, THB, Taylor, Maatsen
Cork, Cullen
Costelloe Bastien
Brownhill Twine

So what did Brownhill do so badly against Huddersfield to warrant being dropped for the Luton game?

Or was you just resting one our best players?

Like I said your opinion is null and void whilst you choose to sit at home not attending games, and taking swipes at 1 of the teams most committed and valuable players at every opportunity you get.

[Newcastleclaret93]

Your team for Luton...

Muric
Roberts, THB, Taylor, Maatsen
Cork, Cullen
Costelloe Bastien
Brownhill Twine

So what did Brownhill do so badly against Huddersfield to warrant being dropped for the Luton game?

Or was you just resting one our best players?

Like I said your opinion is null and void whilst you choose to sit at home not attending games, and taking swipes at 1 of the teams most committed and valuable players at every opportunity you get.

Can you read?

Brownhill is in that team

[MACCA]

This is where stats are used wrongly

He rarely looked to go past anyone with dribbles and lots of his passes were low risk sideways passes.

He looks like he has great game iq and overall football intelligence, good at trapping the ball as well but it’s as though he doesn’t believe in himself when on the ball in the final third.

Think he could be a good one but as Macca said I don’t want to be depending upon him for regular goals

So as harsh as the 4s are, as he wasn't that bad, tye 8s are just as extream.

For a promotion chasing side, it was a below par performance for a winger, forward or number 10 as ultimately he didn't do the role he was deployed to the required standard

He will learn, he will get better, he will make better choices, but i score on the performance not the potential.

[MACCA]

Can you read?

Brownhill is in that team

Well he shouldn't be, he's not a forward!

And no, I've forgot my glasses today ( true story )

[CoolClaret]

So as harsh as the 4s are, as he wasn't that bad, tye 8s are just as extream.

For a promotion chasing side, it was a below par performance for a winger, forward or number 10 as ultimately he didn't do the role he was deployed to the required standard

He will learn, he will get better, he will make better choices, but i score on the performance not the potential.

Yeah I think you’re right - 6 is fair score (think I scored a 6)

[Newcastleclaret93]

Well he shouldn't be, he's not a forward!

And no, I've forgot my glasses today ( true story )

I wanted to push into that role because I think he offers a greater goal threat than our current striker options.

He is kind of playing that role now anyway just off behind Barnes