Sheffield United v Cardiff (H) + Burnley (A)
As Blades' play-off fortunes are sealed, Riley Roberts dishes out ratings for a Bank Holiday loss and a win.
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
Burnley (A)
Michael Cooper – 5
Made a good reaction save to deny Cullen before the first goal, couldn’t really do much else from there.
Hamza Choudhury – 5
Had some decent moments and for the most part was solid, but I always had a slight feeling Anthony had the better of that particular battle.
Anel Ahmedhodzic – 3
Never looked comfortable in the game, conceding a penalty, arguably could’ve conceded another, and was fortunate to get away with another foul after Flemming turned him early on.
Jack Robinson – 5
Made a good intervention with his head to stop a cross from reaching Flemming and generally came out on top when dealing with him, but was stood still ball watching for the first goal.
Harrison Burrows – 4
Slipped when looking to pressure Edwards in the build-up to the opener, allowing the cross to come in. Delivered a poor effort when given the chance to put in a cross of his own from an excellent free-kick position in the 2nd half.
Ben Brereton Diaz – 4
Speaking of. Was uninvolved for most of the game but committed some unbelievably daft fouls. Had one sight at goal not long before coming off and didn’t catch it well.
Vini Souza – 5
Had some quality moments on the ball but was hardly at his battling best, more minutes in the tank for him and hopefully we see him in prime condition for the dreaded play-offs.
Sydie Peck – 4
Disappointing me as he just seemed to get bettered by an admittedly very good midfield. One of a few who gave away some silly fouls.
Gustavo Hamer – 6
Undoubtedly our best on the day as he set up the goal with some real class but was also guilty of giving away the free-kick from which Burnley’s opener stemmed. He also gave away possession a few times early on, though that seemed more like he was instructed to attempt a few riskier passes.
Tom Cannon – 6
Was beaten to the ball the two times he was played in when battling against Esteve, but hard to be critical after a tremendous finish to level it up. Made what I think was a poor decision to play in BBD over Burrows on the break in the second half though.
Kieffer Moore – 5
Won it more often than not when tasked with holding the ball up at the top of the pitch and tested Trafford twice early on. His headed clearance for the first goal wasn’t the greatest, however.
Average rating – 4.73
Cardiff (H)
Michael Cooper – 5
His distribution could’ve been better, but you can’t complain too much with a clean sheet.
Hamza Choudhury – 7
That tackle – wow! Made a few interceptions where he acted quickly to sweep up possession. Was generally a very impressive performance.
Anel Ahmedhodzic – 6
Generally swept up well with only one moment of indecision in the first half, leading to that Choudhury tackle denying him a 7.
Rob Holding – 6
Was very close to making a costly error in the first half, but recovered well, and even though he was shaky at times, looked class on the ball. Pleased.
Harrison Burrows – 6
Drove forward well with the ball and was solid defensively. Had a decent effort on target. Supported the attack well.
Vini Souza – 6
Battled well in the middle and was always an issue for Cardiff’s midfield. A solid display and great to see him last the 90.
Sydie Peck – 7
Hilarious watching his efforts to try and score, but a very good performance where he was often providing exactly what was needed, especially when he found Burrows with a delightful switch.
Jesurun Rak-Sakyi – 4
End product wasn’t there, but have to consider that he was often getting into good positions from his own doing. Delivered one of the worst corners I’ve ever seen.
Rhian Brewster – 4
Pretty anonymous aside from overhitting a couple of passes in the final third.
Gustavo Hamer – 8
Excellent work for the goal, and was unfortunate not to double his tally. Listeners of the pod will know I winced when his effort struck the post, having predicted him to score from a free kick here.
Tyrese Campbell – 5
Not an awful job. He ran the channels well without ever providing a major threat. Unspectacular but respectable performance.
Average rating – 5.82
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.