Preston 0-2 Sheffield United
Riley Roberts rates each player's performance as the Blades win their first game since February.
These ratings will follow after every game of the Championship season, and they will — depending on your outlook — be harsh or too kind. Any 1-10 rating should make use of every number, and as Riley explains below, the ratings system starts at a 5 (when a player enters the field) and goes up or down depending on their contribution.
Riley Roberts
Game One down and we won convincingly, so naturally Twitter is filled with the most reactionary stuff you’ve ever seen, as it would’ve been no matter the result. I’m here to give an ever-so-slightly calmer take on each player’s performance.
Player Ratings vs PNE (A)
Adam Davies – 5
Didn’t have to do much but was fine when called into action. Solid. Disclaimer: We should not settle for Adam Davies in net all season.
Alfie Gilchrist – 5
Thought he struggled a bit with the ball in the first half but sured it up in the second. Something to build on.
Anel Ahmedhodžić – 6
Did his defensive duties well and found a few of his marauding runs. Just happy to see him put in a positive performance following the horror that was last season.
Jack Robinson – 6
Might regret saying this but I think that was proof that Robbo can easily play in a back 4. Was solid throughout the whole game with no real mistakes.
Harrison Burrows – 6
Didn’t offer as much going forward as you might’ve expected but he was neat in possession and defended well. Good shift.
Oliver Arblaster – 7
Really impressed me with his willingness to take risks and ability to get out of bad spots. His technical level is just incredible. MOTM for me.
Vinicius Souza – 7
This is the controversial one. I think Souza had a very decent game. I do not think he was a 10, nor even anything like an 8. It seems to have been forgotten that he was really pretty sloppy in possession in the first half. That being said, he made 3 or 4 great tackles and got more comfortable as the game went on, pretty sure his last action was a pinpoint 35-yard pass. Was tempted to give a 6 but his tackles in the first half bump him up one.
Andre Brooks – 6
I was quite critical of Andre Brooks last season when everyone else was very high on him but today was one of his best showings in a Blades shirt. His carrying today was a really useful tool I terms of getting us up the pitch. Really wish he’d play with a bit more conviction in his actions though.
Callum O’Hare – 6
Had lots of positive touches and general aesthetically pleasing play, but also had a few poor passes/flicks. Overall, a positive performance, though he certainly has much more to offer.
Gustavo Hamer – 4
Putting it nicely, he was pretty poor. An outrageous goal aside, nothing really clicked for Hamer today. Not going to go overboard on him because he’s a player that tries risky stuff, had a few of his passes come off I’d be talking about him in a completely different light here. Ultimately, though, they didn’t.
Kieffer Moore – 5
Seriously, how many times did he lose out in the air? Had some nice play with his feet, including for the first goal, but surprisingly seemed to struggle at playing the target man part.
Average rating – 5.73
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.