Millwall v Burnley - Player Ratings

[bumba]

Trafford 5 back to last seasons performances
Roberts 6
Egan-Riley 7
Esteve 7
Humphreys 6
Cullen 5 what's happened to him
Brownhill 5
Laurent 7
Koleosho 6
Anthony 5
Hountondji 5 showed a couple of promising moments but then shot from 30 yards when a ball through was on, didn't do anything after about the 20th minute

Hannibal 5
Sarmiento 6
Rodriguez 5

[Murger]

All 3s.

Not 1 player gets any credit.

[JohnMac]

Trafford 6
Roberts 5 - Stop the silly niggly fouls before it bites your ar*e.
Egan-Riley 7**
Estève 6
Humphreys 6
Cullen 5
Laurent 6
Koleosho 4 - So much effort required to lose the ball time after time. Frustrating when he clearly has talent but needs it nurturing.
Brownhill 4 - Not in the game at all today
Anthony 3 - Probably the worst wide player display in 3 seasons
Hountondji 4 - Started with 2 decent snap shots and disappeared completely. Not that anyone tried to find him...

Sarmiento 5
Hannibal 6
Rodriguez 4 - He would be better off starting whilst their defence is cold because he just has no influence on a game late on.

[bfcjg]

Trafford 5 just speed it up man.
Roberts 4
Egan-Riley 7 MOM. agile,seemed to care.
Estève 6
Humphreys 5
Cullen 5
Laurent 5 what instructions did our glorious leader give him ?
Koleosho 4 he'd find a brick wall in Artica to run into
Brownhill 4 dreadful.
Anthony 3 because that's the lowest you can give. He doesn't give a sh1t.
Hountondji 4 couple of early nice touches but after that nothing. That said, Harland wouldn't score with this service.

Sarmiento 4
Hannibal 6 tried
Rodriguez 5 apart from a speculative header did nothing.

[claretspice]

Too many runners and worker bees, and too few technicians, trying to play a style of football which requires far more technicians than worker been runners. As a result, abject.

Trafford - 5 - not much to do but not especially convincing in his distribution or in dealing with aerial bombardment.

Roberts - 6 - tidy in the first half and OK in the second although he threatened to lose his head at one point.

Humphrys- 4 - I get why he started - to add height at the back - but he doesn't look especially comfortable at left back - just about OK defensively but ponderous in possession and added absolutely nothing in attack.

Egan Riley- 6 - diligent enough defensively and one of our more ambitious passers, but he looked to me tp be caught underneath the ball for the goal.

Esteve - 6 - unsettled by Millwall's physicality.

Cullen - 6 - neat and tidy but teams are smothering him and he needs more going on around him.

Laurent - 5 - not sure I understand how he fits into this team long term and it's apparent he doesn't offer the technical quality of guile needed to compliment Brownhill's running game behind a striker.

Brownhill- 4 - as poor a performance as I've seen from him. Got suckered into a battle, got frustrated and lost his composure.

Koleosho- 6 - likevly and sharp in the first half, and in particular the first half of the first half, but swiftly frustrated and a victim of this system. With so little creativity from others in the 4 positons between Cullen and the centre forward, he is being asked to be once our source of width to stretch the game, our source of penetrating quality in the final third and also the most obvious source of goals to Brownhill - all whilst playing on his less favoured side. Hes a talented kid and he's doing his best with a heavy burden but its hardly surprising that this is currently exposing how raw he is.

Anthony - 4 - looked more dangerous from full back but that might be an indictment of his lack of penetration as a winger than anything else. He currently owes his position to a lack of other options because he's not beating a man regularly, he's not an incisive passer, and he's not getting into goalscoring positions enough. He works hard but that isn't enough on its own, particularly in a team trying to play this way.

Hountondji - 5 showed a couple of glimpses early on of what he might offer given a supply line. Then the supply line promptly dried up and he completely disappeared from the game. It might have been fair to give him a chance playing with Sarmiento or Jay somewhere in the same postcode before hooking him because he was no worse than anyone else and 4-3-3/4-5-1 clearly wasn't working..

Jay - 5 - huffed and puffed but looked unable to add a cutting edge, although forcing him to play as a lone striker as we chased the game was odd.

Hannibal - 6 - looked more effective in a deeper role and showed a better range of passing than Laurent, and showed some dynamism, but it wasn't obvious that what the situation called for was s different shade of 451/433.

Sarmiento- 6 - showed some movement and guile without suggesting he was ever going to unlock Millwall. Pushing for a start at West Brom.


This was the culmination of a month or so in which the Parker Project has stalled, and it needs to be a watershed moment because this is both a bad result and a bad performance which suggests that lessons are not being learned.

There are still mitigations in the length of the injured/unavailable list and the relatively short time he, his staff and these players have been together, but ultimately this very deliberate style of football is not delivering results as quickly as it needs to, and nor are there increasing numbers of chances or improved performances to take solace from. There have been some steps forward in terms of the quality of our build up play prior to today, but it is not a knee jerk to a particular bad day at the office today to say there is increasingly concerning evidence that it may never work and a re-think is needed.

There are a number of problems currently, but the most fundamental is that this squad appears a bit like the one Dyche inherited a decade ago from Eddie Howe - full of players being asked to play a very possession based system who would suit something a bit more direct and intense. If Parker wanted to play this way, he didn't need both Laurent and Hannibal and he did need to replace JBG; equally he needed more creativity that he is willing to trust from full back and altogether more quality to replace our departing wide players than Anthony is currently offering.

Today, with Anthony and Humphrys offering the square root of zero creativity or threat on the left, it took Millwall all of 20 minutes to conclude that if they focused on stopping Cullen prompting from deep, and doubled up on Koleosho then they could be confident the rest of the Burnley team would create naff all between them. Hountondji showed a few flashes of promise but he's clearly raw but frankly the fact that every centre forward we've tried this season has looked isolated for long periods suggests the issue isn't individuals, it's the system. It was crying out for us to try either pairing him and Rodriguez, or to play Sarmiento in the "10" position for 10 minutes to see if he could make something happen, preferably whilst switching Koleosho to the left flank where he is happier and trying the more creative Pires at left full back. The decision to replace him with Rodriguez seemed a touch hard on someone who had worked hard with very little service and deprived us off the option of ever going two up front, but it appeared to reflect a concerningly stubborn insistence on retaining a central midfield 3 which other than Cullen is more about athleticism than creativity or guile.

These are Parker's problems to solve and he's got 3 days before the next game to begin to find answers. This wasn't nearly good enough and he can't hide behind circumstances much longer. Keeping the ball is fine but it has to have an end game and at present we don't have one and it isn't obvious that Parker can re-shape this squad to discover one.

[Hipper]

From TV.

Trafford - 7 - Solid apart from one dodgy clearance. Top save from the header just before half time.

Roberts - 5 - OK, got around a bit but being asked to mark Cooper was beyond him.

Egan-Riley - 8 - MoM - Good defensively and our main playmaker.

Esteve - 7 - Generally good defensively but nothing else.

Humphreys - 5 - A bit weak defensively and whilst he tried to be more offensive some of the weighting of his passing caused us problems.

Laurent - 6 - Excellent in our good ten minutes but after that not much.

Cullen - 5 - I’m not sure what his role is. Defends OK but offers little going forward. Surprised he wasn’t hooked in the changes instead of Laurent.

Brownhill - 4 - What did he contribute?

Koleosho - 5 - Usual stuff - blind alleys, unable to beat anyone. He got some space in those early ten minutes and gets an extra point for the post hitting shot.

Hountondji - 6 - Did his best. Was good in our ten minutes, creating space for himself, having two shots (a forward that shoots, there’s a novelty) one a wild one, the other pretty close. Then nothing. I’m not sure I blame him but the supply.

Anthony - 4 - Tried his best but offered nothing.

Subs:

Rodriguez - 5 - Close to a goal on one occasion but not much else.

Hannibal - 3 - A pointless sub as it turned out. Docked a point for another stupid yellow.

Sarmiento - 4 - Gave a bit of life to our attack but not much else. Docked a point for yet another stupid yellow.

(How many dickheads do we need in our side. We’ve already got Roberts. Now we have Hannibal and Sarmiento and of course Cullen isn’t that far off)

We lost this game because we had no idea how to deal with Jake Cooper. I like Cooper. He’s an old school defender who is good at what he does. I’m glad there is still a place for such a player at this level. Putting Roberts on him at corners and free kicks was not very clever, and a better referee would have given Millwall two penalties. As it happened he got an almost free header and that was that.

For the first ten minutes we looked pretty good. Laurent and Hountondji were making space for themselves and balls were played forward quite quickly to find them. This wasn’t far off from bearing fruit but the best we could manage was a close shot from Hountondji and a hit on the post from Koleosho. What happened to stop all that I don’t know but we never really looked an attacking force after that.

After going a goal down some relatively early subs were made for a complete rethink of our approach - three at the back and more midfielders. It gave us more possession but not much more threat. As an attacking force we really offer very little.

We are now starting to play teams higher up the table and it’s not looking good.

Despite the awfulness of all this from a Burnley fan perspective I found two mildly amusing moments in the game:

1. When the injured assistant was hobbling off a Millwall player asked him to move along a bit, presumably as he was time wasting!

2. Trafford, at least near then end of the game, was keeping a spare football under his towel, presumably to allow for a quick resumption of play!

[kaptin1]

Trafford - 6 (one good save, one very dodgy clearance)
Roberts - 6
CJ - 8* (looked very composed)
Esteve - 7
Humphreys - 6
Koleosho - 5 (he tries so hard but just keeps running down blind alleys and has no end product)
Cullen - 4 (didn’t even realise he was playing until second half)
Laurent - 5
Brownhill - 5
Anthony - 4
Hountondji - 5 (at least he got a couple of shots off .. was unlucky with the second)

Hannibal - 7 (added some impetus)
Sarmiento - 6 (runs around a lot)
Jay - 5 (feeding off scraps)

We are awful in attack at the moment

[TsarBomba]

Trafford- 6
Roberts- 6
Esteve- 6
CJ- 6
Humphreys- 6
Cullen- 5. Far too ponderous in possession and got caught numerous times.
Laurent- 5
Brownhill- 4. Anonymous.
Anthony- 3. Terrible.
Koleosho- 5
Hountondji- 5. Showed glimpses but faded. Service non existent.

Sarmiento- 6
Rodriguez- 5
Hannibal- 6

Defensively sound, but only because Parker refuses to let the FB’s get up the pitch.

Ive had sympathy with our wingers this season, because the full backs aren’t overlapping to help create space, but that performance today from Anthony was quite possibly one of the worst I have ever seen.

Doesn’t look to beat his man, can’t cross. The only thing he did was receive the ball, pass it back to defence, or lose it. Bare minimum effort. At least with Koleosho there’s intention.

[ashtonlongsider]

Trafford 6-Extra for v/good first half save but distribution was poor at times.
Roberts 4-For a senior player I thought he was poor.
Egan-Riley 7*-The one positive
Esteve 7-Well maybe 2 positives
Humphreys 4-Gave him benefit last week, but he's too slow in possession and not a LB imo
Cullen 5-Probably got an extra point because he was marginally better than JB.
Laurent 5-Didn't affect the game but who did offensively?
Koleosho 5-You could see he tried, probably too much. Cant understand why SP doesn't switch him at times.
Brownhill 4-Started on the edge of the game and imo it didn't improve.
Anthony 3-Thought he was worse than poor and would have been first subbbed
Hountondji 6-Ive been critical of this guy but I thought he did quite well in 1st half especially

Sarmiento 6-He had an impact when he eventually came on.
Hannibal 7-He certainly had an impact, and I for one was staggered that he didn't start. The sort of player you need for a battle.
Rodriguez 5-Again he tried.

[HB Claret]

Been away on a cruise for last 5 weeks and followed events on here - couldn’t believe that we have been playing as badly as some on here have been saying ….. but after watching today on TV I’ve smelt the coffee !

Trafford - 6 - one outstanding save but still looks weak at corners and crosses
Roberts - 5 - he has passion but I think his attempt at the dark arts will cost us sooner or later
Egan-Riley - 7 - best of a bad bunch today and looked a lot better than the last time I saw him
Esteve - 5 - maybe it wasn’t his day but he seemed quite clumsy with the ball at his feet and missed a few headers
Humphrey - 5 - clearly playing out of position and another who looked awkward on the ball
Laurent - 5 - not his best day but could have lost his shirt in the first half - might have gone down but tried to carry on. Don’t know how the Lino didn’t see the assault on his sleeve.
Cullen - 5 - maybe needs resting as he’s clearly not performing how we know he can
Brownhill - 4 - captain who goes missing - where is the passion ?
Anthony - 4 - we know he can get to the line age out a decent cross in - why does he seem to always cut back and take the easy option
Koleosho - 5 - should be our biggest threat but seems to run into blind alleys more often than not
Hountondji - 5 - a couple of shots and clearly still adjusting to the pace of the game in this country - still a work in progress


Subs
Mejri - 6 - showed a bit of desire but still think he is a red card waiting to happen
Sarmiento - 6 - looked lively for a few minutes and clearly has ability - think at times he was in good positions but the final ball didn’t get to him
Rodriguez - he’ll always be “one of our own” but sadly I think that he is now well passed his best

Parker - 4 - he talks a good talk but his tactics are baffling. I know we have injuries and a relatively new group but having supported Burnley for 60 years I want to see passion, energy and effort as a bare minimum.

[Hipper]

Trafford 5 Doesn’t fill me with confidence on corners or distribution
Roberts 5 very average
Egan Riley 7 MoM Best of a bad bunch
Esteve 6 Average for him. All I remember of him is moving the ball on sideways
Humphreys 5 Not a left back and little forward momentum in his game
Brownhill 3 Think Josh is off in January. Wont be missed on this display
Cullen 5 Didn’t even notice him until he was carrying paper about when the 3 subs came on
Laurent 6 average but pick of the midfield
Anthony 3 Looks like teacher’s pet to me. No determination in his game but keeps getting picked.
Koleosho 4 Forty million my arse.
Houtondji 5 one decent shot all game. Lost Cooper for their goal

Hannibal 7 some energy at least
Sarmiento 7 should be in for Antony from now on.
Rodriguez 6 should have been brought on to partner, not replace Houtondji

Cullen 5 Didn’t even notice him until he was carrying paper about when the 3 subs came on.

I thought he did that rather well!

[TsarBomba]

Cracking post Spice.

The only point I’d counter is the work rate of Anthony. I’m just not seeing it, and if there’s no support from FB, then he needs to work doubly hard to make that space for a cross or shot, which he isn’t. Certainly today, Anthony took the easy route everytime. I’d be looking to bring in Sarmiento on Thursday.

[claretspice]

Cracking post Spice.

The only point I’d counter is the work rate of Anthony. I’m just not seeing it, and if there’s no support from FB, then he needs to work doubly hard to make that space for a cross or shot, which he isn’t. Certainly today, Anthony took the easy route everytime. I’d be looking to bring in Sarmiento on Thursday.

I think Anthony works hard for the team. He tracks runners and I suspect he takes on board tactical information and carries out duties accordingly. He strikes me as a good pro in that respect. But it is certainly the case that right now, he's really not trying to take players on routinely, and when he gets the ball in our build up anywhere near half way, his first thought is backwards or sideways.

He's absolutely someone who plays like a Dyche winger. Works hard, presses well, tucks into midfield effectively. He could do the job Michael Kightly did in our 2014 promotion winning team to a T. But he's just not committing defenders or exploiting the space that is being left at times by the fact opponents see Koleosho as the danger man, and it's not entirely obvious what his USP is. Whether that's in part a function of confidence I'm not sure, but I'm also sure that we don't have much time to find out. Admittedly, the fact that Humphrys didn't offer for him on the outside once didn't help today- Sarmiento looked loads better than Anthony but then he had Anthony behind him offering some semblance of an attacking threat from full back.

[CoolClaret]

I think Anthony works hard for the team. He tracks runners and I suspect he takes on board tactical information and carries out duties accordingly. He strikes me as a good pro in that respect. But it is certainly the case that right now, he's really not trying to take players on routinely, and when he gets the ball in our build up anywhere near half way, his first thought is backwards or sideways.

He's absolutely someone who plays like a Dyche winger. Works hard, presses well, tucks into midfield effectively. He could do the job Michael Kightly did in our 2014 promotion winning team to a T. But he's just not committing defenders or exploiting the space that is being left at times by the fact opponents see Koleosho as the danger man, and it's not entirely obvious what his USP is. Whether that's in part a function of confidence I'm not sure, but I'm also sure that we don't have much time to find out. Admittedly, the fact that Humphrys didn't offer for him on the outside once didn't help today- Sarmiento looked loads better than Anthony but then he had Anthony behind him offering some semblance of an attacking threat from full back.

Does he though? He barely wins the ball even if he does track runners, whereas after winning the ball, players like Kights/Arfield/Boyd would advance it at a much quicker rate, and really attack open space.

Anthony, to me, doesn't fully commit to anything, almost like he's scared of getting injured or something.

[ksrclaret]

Anthony isn’t as bad as is being made out. He’s a limited player but would be more than fine if played in a system that didn’t require him to beat his man every time he gets the ball because that’s the only way we’re set up to score a goal. 2 assists and 1 goal so far is actually decent given how negatively we play.

As Spice says, in a more direct system, most of the squad would look a lot better, possibly Cullen being the obvious outlier. Parker is setting us up to fail at present.

[claretspice]

I think there are two real problems currently. The first is the absence of any real craft in the centre of midfield other than Cullen. We're badly missing a "10" behind a striker or someone with the sort of quality on the ball Jack Cork offered in the first half of the season two years ago.

The second is the amount that is expected of the wingers. They are supposed to be both our sole source of real width (except for Pires in limited bursts, we haven't really seen a full back stay high and wide in possession at all), and our secondary goalscoring threat, all at the same time. That's currently asking too much of Koleosho, but it's certainly asking too much of Anthony (who isn't of the same calibre).

[Newchurch Claret]

Trafford 6 Still not convinced
Roberts 4 Hospital pass after hospital pass. Slow. Wasn’t good enough 2 seasons ago; is worse now.
Egan-Riley 7 He’s getting better with each game. Not the answer, though.
Esteve 6 looked slow today
Humphries 5 Slow. Only a kid. It shows.
Cullen 4 Crab
Laurent 4 Crap
Brownhill 4 Craptain
Koleosho 4 Blind alley man. Has the footballing brain of a 7 year old and plays like one.
Anthony 4 Timid. Shirks tackles.
Hountonji 5 A bright start but then remembered that a) we’re not allowed to shoot at goal and b) he’d won a raffle to play for Burnley. Disappeared as a result.

JayRod 3 He can’t run. Not his fault.
Hannibal 6 Play him as a midfielder. Much better there.
Sarmiento 3 Actor.

Parker 3 Dealt a bad hand but clearly has no idea what to do when his team doesn’t consist of players that are just better than the opposition (rather like Kompany).

Pace et al 3 I’ve had enough of these chancers.

[ecc]

From TV

Trafford 5: I didn't get to see any of last season's matches. I've watched most of this ones and I cannot believe he was at Guardiola City. People criticised Nick Pope for his kicking but Trafford makes me afraid every time the ball's at his feet. What's worse is when the ball's in the air.
Roberts 4: Just how many times did he give the damn ball away? No excuses for him.
Egan-Riley 6 MOM: Seems to be growing in confidence. Played well today.
Estève 6: The one thing he can be criticised for is losing out to their giant for the goal because he should have been marking him. And that he's not a threat when we have corners. Otherwise, a class above.
Humphreys 5: Would give 5.5.
Cullen 6: One of the few who mainly managed to pass to a teammate.
Brownhill 4: No excuses.
Koloesho 5: Slightly better than of late but it's that final ball.
Laurent 5: Not as good as he has been.
Anthony 4: Nothing worked for him.
Hountondji 6: Yes, because the turn and shot even though he didn't hit it cleanly showed he can play football.

Sarmiento 6: Technically one of three best players we have along with Estève and Flemming.
Rodriguez 5: Showed a bit more than we'd seen thus far from him this season.
Hannibal 5: Added little but got his yellow.


Horrible scrappy affair. We got what we deserved. I still believe in SP but I feel sorry for the Clarets who went.

We all know the situation ie we are toothless up front. I think we need to play two up front. And possibly bench the captain.

[Vino blanco]

From tv
Trafford 5 I’m looking forward to seeing him make his debut for the full England team.
Roberts 5 he’s being playing well recently, but that was a petulant, stupid performance
ER 7 mom best of a bad bunch
Esteve 6 no one to pass to whenever he gets the ball
Humphreys 4 not a full back at all, contributes sweet fa going forward
Laurent 6 I never know what midfield role he is playing...defensive, attacking, central, wide. He was the best of our midfield today
Cullen 4 when our back four get the ball, instead of becoming an outlet he trots over to stand near an opposing player. When he gets the ball it’s sideways, short passes or a hopeful knock forwards (a la Westwood)
Brownhill 3 he looks like he doesn’t want to be there
Koleosho 4 a decent first 15 mins when he actually made a few passes to a claret shirt, after that he reverted to his normal headless chicken routine. So frustrating
Anthony 3 I believe a 3 is abysmal, that is too good for him. Lazy, timid beyond belief, how he wasn’t subbed at half time is beyond me. He is stealing a wage, drop him and get rid.
Houdini 6 a promising first 25 minutes followed by the rest of the game when he was totally isolated (same as Foster and Flemming), any striker in this team needs much more help and support
Sarmiento 6 some nice touches but no real effect on the game
Hannibal 6 he did make a bit of a difference with his running and he actually passed forwards to team mates a couple of times
Jayrod 4 I get the feeling he is a bit embarrassed to come on the pitch these days

A powder puff performance by a powder puff team and a powder puff manager. No desire, no heart, no cohesion, no plan. I know it’s a young team which is still learning but I’m afraid this team just does not have any identity. Parker really has to have a rethink and quickly find a system they can all play in and feel comfortable with. We have to ditch this one striker nonsense, drop Anthony and possibly Koleosho, but mainly Parker has to motivate and breath some fire into the bellies of this young team of lightweight fancy dancers.

[Wokingclaret]

From tv
Trafford 5 One good save and one up and under
Roberts 5 Dark arts
ER 6 ok
Esteve 6 ok
Humphreys 4, miss Pires going forward
Laurent 6 not great today
Cullen 4 not a Cullen performance
Brownhill 3 he looks like he doesn’t want to be there, can't argue with that.
Koleosho 4 wish Guddy was here
Anthony 5 tried but not great
Houdini 5 still non-league

Sarmiento 6 some nice touches but no real effect on the game
Hannibal 6
Jayrod 4 A season too far I'm afraid, who dishes these contracts out.

No MOM they all weren't good enough today

Suspect not scoring goals has dented confidence!

A result that has been coming, we could play all week and not score
Can only hope Magic Mike appears soon and saves the season

Parker 3, we've known for weeks we have a goal scoring problem, he has done nothing about it, may be he can't.

[nil_desperandum]

An abject sea of nothingness today. Their keeper's Dad could have been rolled out for his long demanded testimonial and we still wouldn't have troubled the scoresheet.

I think you've got your wires crossed here. Jensen is a very common name in Denmark. No relation- so far as I'm aware.

[fungus_the_bogeyman]

Trafford 5
Roberts 4
Humphreys 4
Egan Riley 6
Esteve 5
Cullen 4
Brownhill 4
Laurent 5
Koleosho 4
Anthony 3
Hountondji 4

Sarmiento 7
Hannibal 7
Rodriguez 5

[JohnMcGreal]

Trafford 5
Roberts 4
Egan-Riley 6
Estève 6
Humphreys 5
Cullen 3
Brownhill 3
Laurent 5
Koleosho 3
Anthony 3
Hountondji 4

Sarmiento 6
Hannibal 4
Rodriguez 4

The performances have been on a downward trajectory for a good while. They're in free fall now.

[Luppy]

Trafford - 5 - distribution poor
Roberts - 5 - not his best
Egan Riley 7 - best of a bad bunch
Esteve 6 - solid
Humphreys 4 - he ain’t a left back
Brownhill 4 - he’s playing awful at moment
Cullen 4 - poor
Laurent 6 - why was he subbed ahead of the other 2 Josh’s?
Anthony 3 - woeful
Koleosho 3 - woeful
Houtondji 5 - started well but doesn’t really matter who’s up top

Subs:
Hannibal 5
Sarmiento 5
Rodriguez 5

[MDWat]

Trafford 5
Roberts 4
Egan-Riley 7
Esteve 7
Humphreys 3
Cullen 4
Brownhill 4
Laurent 6
Koleosho 5
Anthony 3
Hountondji 5

Hannibal 4
Sarmiento 4
Rodriguez 4

[the_magic_rat]

Trafford 6

Roberts 5
Egan-Riley 7 MOM
Esteve 6
Humphries 6

Cullen 6
Brownhill 5
Laurent 5

Koleosho 5
Hountondji 5
Anthony 4

Rodriguez 6
Hannibal 6
Sarmiento 6

[Sleeping Cat]

Trafford 6 - Decent save and came to colect a few balls. His distribution is really poor though.

Roberts 5 -
Egan-Riley 7 MOM - really impressed with how he is developing.
Esteve 6 - Solid enough
Humphries 6 - Thought he did well out of possition.

Cullen 5 - A passenger in midfield. Whether that was him or the preference to pass out to the full backs and for play to mainly flow down the wings I'm not sure.
Brownhill 5 - Set pieces were poor
Laurent 6 - Found it strange how he seemed to end up out wide right a lot of the time

Koleosho 5 - poor decision making when in possesison. allergic to crossing the ball
Hountondji 5 - looked lively for 10 mins but after that went missing.
Anthony 5 - rarely tried to take on & beat his man.

Rodriguez 6 - Provided an outlet and brought others into play. Should have started.
Hannibal 6 - provided some much needed energy in the middle of the pitch once he came on.
Sarmiento 6 - Looked lively but ran himself into trouble a lot of the time.

[superdimitri]

Looking at their goal it seemed it was Egan-Riley that was beaten in the air. He had a good game regardless of this?

[Vino blanco]

Looking at their goal it seemed it was Egan-Riley that was beaten in the air. He had a good game regardless of this?

It might have seemed it was Egan Riley who was beaten in the air, but that would be wrong. Roberts and Houdini were marking Cooper whilst ER was watching their number 23. ER made a move towards Cooper more or less after the header was made. I'll watch the replay again to confirm this if you wish.