A real tough test awaited as promotion-candidates Wolves came to S2. Notably, the fixture signalled a shift to a back 5, something you’d expect to see a lot when facing off against the big boys this season.
It made for our most cohesive setup this season, looking fairly solid out of possession while also exhibiting a bit of control in the middle. A late Jimenez goal denied what wouldn’t have been an undeserved point, but there’s reason to be optimistic after that display.
Michael Cooper - 5
It’s a sign of our improved defensive performance that Cooper only gets a 5 here, as he had to face just 3 shots on target, as opposed to the 5, 8, 6 and 10 in the previous 4 games.
Hamza Choudhury - 5
Had a rough start, and probably still not one of his better performances defensively, but he looked more useful on the ball and took up some good attacking positions.
Japhet Tanganga - 5
I would like to give him a higher rating, as I thought his general performance was good, but it was a poor decision to go back to the line instead of sticking on Jimenez right at the end as Wolves scored.
Mark McGuinness - 5
Didn’t really notice him much, which I don’t exactly phrase as a complaint.
Liam Kitching - 7
Really enjoyed his performance as he got through his defensive work well, and went on a few forays up the pitch which actually looked quite dangerous.
Sam McCallum - 5
Didn’t have the most comfortable time defensively, but was a huge presence contesting aerial balls, as he always is.
Oliver Arblaster - 6
Looked promising when picking up the ball in tight areas and made some nice decisions on the ball. Positive.
Sydie Peck - 7
A very good battling performance which saw him pick up a lot of the loose balls and win a lot of scraps in the middle of the park, up against arguably the best midfielder in the division.
Kalvin Phillips - 6
All 3 in the middle were much better than our previous midfield displays in terms of the way they controlled possession and fought out of possession, and it was no surprise that it coincided with Phillips’ first start of the campaign.
Ben Brereton-Diaz - 4
Never quite made the right decision when he was found in promising areas.
Patrick Bamford - 4
Also didn’t impact the game much. Seems to be struggling with his role this season.
Average rating - 5.63
Ratings system:
0 – Reserved for anyone who has a wayward effort at goal smash me in the face, unlikely to ever happen.
1 – Worst of the worst. Saved for disastrous performances, with result-altering mistakes.
2 – A terrible performance. Performances where a player offers very little and has many unsuccessful actions, ultimately proving to be a major detriment to the team’s overall performance.
3 – A bad performance. Negative contribution. Like a 2, just a bit less rubbish.
4 – A below-average performance. Not necessarily having a negative impact on the game; it could just be a player who struggled to impact the game at all.
5 – The baseline rating. All players go into a game starting on a 5 — it’s bang average, given out for an unremarkable yet solid performance, for a postman delivering the post.
6 – A decent performance. A player who gets a 6 has positively contributed to the game, and at the very least has had some impressive moments while being generally solid outside of them.
7 – A good performance. Awarded for players who had a noticeable positive impact on the game.
8 – A very good performance. A player who made significant contributions to the outcome of the game with their performance and consistently displayed a high level throughout.
9 – An outstanding performance. To score as high as a 9, a player needs to be dominant throughout the match, performing at a level well above the standard and/or making multiple game-changing contributions.
10 – A perfect 10, unlikely to ever see the light of day as nobody has a flawless game. For me to even think about giving out a 10 it would probably have to be a player doing something historic or unheard of.