United 3 Middlesbrough 1: Player Ratings

September 23, 2008

6 Amos: Few chances for the Macclesfield teenager to prove his capabilities and unsighted for goal

7 Rafael Da Silva: England’s Downing will have had easier nights than this

6 O’Shea: Nothing to greatly test him in his old left back role

6 Brown: Alves gave United tough time at Riverside last April but he kept him quiet on this occasion

6 Vidic: No doubt will be unhappy he failed to get more distance on his clearance for ‘Boro goal

7 Nani: Had some impressive moments and deserved his goal

7 Possebon: Tragic ending on a night when he impressed the Old Trafford crowd again

7 Anderson: Was a powerhouse in the midfield

7 Giggs: Seemed to enjoy his return to the League Cup stage and a glorious winner

7 Ronaldo: Easing his way back to scoring and entertaining form

7 Welbeck: Worried the experienced ‘Boro back line on a couple of occasions particularly in first half

Subs

Tevez (sub Ronaldo 60) Livened Reds up when needed 7

Gibson (sub Possebon 71) No worries 6

Manucho (sub Giggs 84)

Not used: Cleverley, Gray, Eckersley, Zieler

Middlesbrough: Jones, Hoyte, Taylor, O’Neil, Pogatetz, Digard (Riggott 71), Aliadiere, Alves (Emnes 84), Shawky, Downing, Wheater

Bookings: United: Middlesbrough: Johnson (53) Sent off: Pogatetz for Boro (65)

Battles of the Bosses: Fergie got his blend of youth and experience spot on

Referee: Andre Marriner – No need for a Mike Riley evening and on spot for Pogatetz shame

Attendance: 53,729

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danny, WILMSLOW (23/09/2008 at 22:40)

I think de Silva worth an 8 also possebon.

Pepe (23/09/2008 at 22:51)

Amos very bad with his feet 5,also i hate when Vidic 5 and Brown 5 kick long balls , i prefer short passes .Possebon 8. Oshea will never realize what is his best position because one game he´s a left back then a right back, next game he´s in midfiled, even as a 88 minute striker. i think is not he´s fault to be an ordinary player.

Drifter, Mancunia (24/09/2008 at 00:01)

With a bit of luck we can continue this in the league. Up the Reds!

Raju, Katmandu (24/09/2008 at 03:33)

Wonderful to see and worrisome for our opponents how the team is coming together. Liverpool, it was only 20 minutes, Chelsea, I think good play was more like 40 minutes. Here, it was 70 minutes. There was a time when 'boro actually won. Our players were wonderful. Like Pepe puts it, even O'shea who plays all over the place did good and contributed and was an important part of the team.

The year before last, at the Bridge, 3-0. Last year, 2-1 and that too due to a questionable penalty conceded by Carrick at the last minute: Chelsea leading for a long stretch. This year, 1-1 and we had great chances to score.

The only thing is the cutting edge needs a bit of sharpening. More like 7-0 in these types of matches and with Chelsea, our strikers coulda' gone for 4-3 (just to hand them the Cole and Anelka sitting chances).

Raju, Katmandu (24/09/2008 at 03:39)

bobbydazzler (24/09/2008 at 09:08)

for once it seems like the reporter got himself out of the bar i would say that his marks are about spot on.

SuperstarTevez (24/09/2008 at 11:14)

It's a shame about Possebon, I hope he's not hurt too mad. He looks comfortable on the ball and is never afraid to take a pass. More games would bring him up to the speed of the Premier League so this might be a bit of a set-back. I like Rafael, a constant threat going forward and looks pretty sound defensively, although he will have more difficult nights. He also adds a bit of flair to the right back role. Hopefully now this can kick start our season and start to get the goals flowing. Great to see Manucho getting a run out (all be it very brief).

tooth&claw, manchester (24/09/2008 at 11:20)

The ratings are a bit harsh on Amos and O'Shea.

For me Welbeck was man of the match. Possebon was great and it was nice to see Anderson perform. I was a little disappointed with Ronaldo, who didn't have as much influence as I thought he should have but it's good that he has some more minutes.

da Silva will be a fabulous player if he adds to his defensive knowledge. He has every attribute he needs going forward and when he's in position he defends manfully but he's often the furthest player forward and even when we are defending he's as likely to be in midfield. Brown covered him quite well last night but at times it's like playing a 3-3-3 formation with another player in a random position. If he can be more selective about his forward runs, get his starting position right and make sure that he has adequate cover he'll become a star of the premiership.

The strange thing about Manucho is that he looks like a man mountain but he's not. He's only the size of Ronaldo but on the pitch he just looks bigger and stronger. He certainly has a presence about him.

SuperstarTevez (24/09/2008 at 11:45)

Just a further thing regarding O'Shea. As mediocre as he is, I do think he's a rarity in modern football - someone who is willing to be a squad player and can be considered a true utility player. I think that's why Fergie likes him so much. He does try best but he's only as good as he is and he's useful in games like last night, and can do a job against most Premier League clubs. I am guilty myself of roaring and shouting at the lad but he's not the worst.

tooth&claw, manchester (24/09/2008 at 12:05)

SuperstarTevez, I like John O'Shea but he's defensive cover and shouldn't be considered midfield cover unless we are really short of players. The larger bench means utility players have less chances. We'll see that in coming seasons.

SuperstarTevez (24/09/2008 at 12:33)

Good point with regards to the increased subs bench reducing the need for utility players and I think most players nowadays can play in more than one position.

Duggers - North Stand Lower, Basingstoke (24/09/2008 at 17:20)

I think Nani is behind De Silva, Possebon, Welbeck and Gibson considering how often he has played in the 1st team. His decision-making on the use of the ball seems to be going backwards rather than improving. I would have rated him no more than 6.

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