PLAYER WATCH v Bristol City

[tonyoz]

PLAYER WATCH v Bristol City 

Each incident in the match was rated on the following scale: 

+5 GOAL 

+4 Excellent play 

+3 Very good play 

+2 Pleasing/good play 

+1 Decent play 

  0 Routine stuff 

 -1 Sloppy play 

 -2 Disappointing/poor play 

 -3 Very poor play 

 -4 Terrible play 

 -5 Own goal 

The ratings for each player were then combined to produce a measure of the players overall contribution to the match. 

 
Ratings       

Key incidents per player = coloured stars              Overall contribution = number 

Kaminski                     *******  ******     8                                  

Nyambe  (66)            **** ************     -14 

Lenihan                       ******************************   ******     37 

Wharton                      ****************  **********     14 

Edun                             *******************  **********     15 

Davenport (59)         *********  **     8  

Travis                            *********  ******     7 

Buckley                        **********  ****     8     

Poveda (43)                *****  **     5   

Khadra                          ***************  ******     14 

 Diaz                               ***********  ******     15 

  

Ayala(43)                     *********************  ******     30 

Rothwell (59)              *****  ***     1 

Clarkson (66)            ****     7 

                                                                        

Highlights and Lowlights 

(A justification for the main ratings given above) 

04 Edun gives away a pointless free kick on our left wing, 18 yards out. As the cross comes in an unmarked Bristol man jumps and gets a touch and the ball flies across the face of goal where Wharton, on the 6-yard line, can't avoid it. His body pushes the ball towards the net but Kaminski reacts and saves brilliantly. Wharton recovers to hoof the loose ball out for a throw. (Watching the replay, Khadra is initially stood next to the Bristol danger man but ignores him and simply stands stationary in front of him as the cross comes in.) That's as close to an own goal as you can get! 

07 Buckley, midway in the City half, threads one of his signature through balls into the box for Diaz to chase but the keeper just beats him to it. 

09 Davenport gives the ball away in midfield and City attack. Wharton and Travis aren't good enough and the Bristol man shoots from the D but it's tame, hits Lenihan and Kaminski collects. 

10 A good, strong challenge from Davenport wins the ball in our half. Khadra goes on a long jinking run and then feeds Diaz just outside the box. Ben, under pressure, tries to return the pass but it isn't quite good enough and Khadra eventually gives away a foul. 

12 Hmm, we don’t see that too often, the City winger beats Nyambe for pace but Nyambe holds firm, the winger tumbles and, unsuccessfully, appeals for a free-kick. 

A nice 1-2 between Nyambe and Poveda sees Poveda drive into the box but a defender gets a foot in. 

13 Khadra goes on an amazing run from halfway, beating 3 defenders, but the fourth puts in a hard tackle. Khadra falls just outside the box and claims a foul but it's ignored. 

16 Travis loses the ball on halfway and City stream forward. O’Dowda turns Nyambe inside-out just outside the box and the ball reaches Bakinson but his goal-bound shot is deflected by Lenihan over the bar. 

The ball come in from the corner and Wharton just gets his head to the ball before the attackers. Kaminski was flapping a bit. Khadra miscontrols the ball and it’s a City throw. From the throw-in it all gets very hectic and we can’t get the ball out of our half! 

18 O’Dowda gets in another cross and Lenihan heads clear again. Khadra, again acting as a useful outlet picks up the ball and runs clear. He passes to Diaz and keeps running. Ben returns a lovely ball into the box but, faced with two defenders Khadra goes down. No penalty....fair enough! 

22 Uncharacteristically, and for the second time in as many minutes, Nyambe fails to deal with a crossfield ball towards the wing. He only manages to deflect it for a throw. 

25 A nice long ball from Wharton to Diaz but he’s offside. 

27 Another City attack and again Nyambe is well beaten as O’Dowda gets his cross in. There’s panic and chaos as the ball bobbles around until Travis clears up and is fouled. 

29 Dear, dear......Nyambe’s nightmare continues as he concedes a foul throw in a dangerous position............a present for City’s long throw specialist! It’s panic stations as a Bristol man heads the throw on across goal and Wharton heads behind for a corner. More chaos! Martin heads on at the near post. The Bristol man on the far post somehow swings and misses and Diaz, lying on the floor, manages to kick the ball clear! A big let-off and all because of one careless throw!!! We are not coping with Bristol’s balls into the box. It’s amazing how much more composed we are when Ayala plays. (Hint!) 

32 Nyambe misjudges the flight of the ball and has to bring down the City man. Yellow card! 

33 A long Bristol ball sees O’Dowda outjump Nyambe 25 m out. It falls to Weimann who returns to O’Dowda near the penalty spot. Wharton slides in to challenge but the ball loops over Kaminski and into the net. Nyambe needs to be taken off...he’s all at sea. It was just a matter of time; we’ve been dire so far! 

35 Wharton is caught in possession in our own half, he tries to make amends but crunches Martin. The ref plays advantage and it’s mayhem. Benarous, deep in the box, turns Lenihan inside out but his shot is just wide. Wharton is lucky to escape without a yellow card. 

36 From midway in the City half Khadra launches a lovely ball on to the penalty spot where Diaz runs in to volley it beautifully past the goalie. Ben runs off to celebrate; unfortunately he was offside! 

43 Poveda off on a stretcher. Ayala on! A strange choice of replacement but somehow pleasing? 

47 I make that FOUR headers Ayala has made since he came on. This time it was cleaning up the debris from another corner, given away after some indifferent work by Edun. Nyambe clears the ball downfield. 

Half Time: A completely different performance than the Sheffield game......from basically the same players! Totally uninspired in every area of the pitch. The stats say no shots, no corners! 

 

47 Davenport carries nicely out of our own half and feeds Khadra, his pass is blocked and Davenport picks up and slips the ball to Edun on the wing. Edun crosses square across the crowded box about 10m out but everyone misses it including the only Rover, Diaz - it was just 1m behind him! 

48 Khadra is looking more lively this half and he wins a corner. He takes a short one to Davenport and receives it back. His cross is fisted clear by the keeper. 

50 Oh! Nyambe opts to put the ball into touch rather than give a simple back-pass to Kaminski. It’ll be the long throw again! It’s headed clear by Ayala; who else? 

56 A tug-back by Ayala, on the wing, gives Bristol a free-kick 18m out. Ayala makes amends by heading the cross clear. 

58 A few neat passes find Edun near the corner flag and he gets a cross into the 6 yard box. It’s too far from Diaz who again is the only Rover in the penalty area and the keeper collects under no pressure. Diaz is pleading to his teammates to get up and support him! 

Lenihan fires a good long ball to Diaz, just in the City half. He runs at the defence and they back off. He squares to Buckley just outside the D and his first time shot is 1m past the left post! A decent effort but Buckley has been very quiet today! 

59 Rothwell on, Davenport off. 

61 A nice crossfield pass from Rothwell finds Buckley who threads a needle to find Diaz on the edge of the box. He squares to Khadra in the D. Khadra takes one touch and then fires a shot but it’s blocked by the defence. 

Good grief....I’m not sure why (the camera had panned away) but Kaminski ends up doing a Cruyff turn on the wing! He did it well though...sent the Bristol attacker the wrong way! 

62 Wharton, Ayala and Kaminski all get involved in some seriously risky inter-passing until the keeper manages to left-foot it clear! 

66 Another tempting ball into the 6 yard box by Khadra but there’s no one to meet it....again! 

Clarkson on, Nyambe off. Wowee! 

68 A lovely long ball from Rothwell finds Khadra just inside the box. He tries to control it on his chest but it bounces to Edun who returns perfectly to Khadra but the final shot is blocked. 

74 Buckley takes a throw 25m out on the right. Diaz returns it to Buckley but his cross is headed back to the edge of the box where Diaz is quick to react. From a tight angle and 8m out he smashes the ball into the roof of the net. That is one hell of a finish – great power! 

76 Ayala commits a clumsy foul midway in our half. The ball comes in and Kaminski and Ayala get in each others way but Kaminski drops on the ball. Kaminski and Ayala hug each other! 

79 Another long throw causes problems but Buckley boots the bouncing ball away from the 6 yard box. 

Diaz drives out of the Rovers half and passes to Clarkson 30m out on the right. His cross flies over everyone to find the unmarked Rothwell in the box. He can’t control it perfectly but the ball bounces nicely into the air and he volleys it across goal but it’s past the right post by a couple of metres. 

80. Lenihan wins a couple of aerial challenges and Khadra shows some good control to feed Diaz on the right wing. He gives it to Clarkson on the edge of the box, his cross isn’t brilliant but Khadra rescues it and flicks it back to Edun. His shot is well off-target and the defenders clear. Rothwell commits a pointless foul. Yellow card. 

83 Running back towards goal, Wharton wins the aerial battle but the clearance is picked up by Masengo 25m out. His floated cross is met perfectly by Wells just outside the 6 yard box. Ayala doesn’t get up to challenge. His header is going in the top corner but Kaminski makes a brilliant, flying, one-handed save. Corner. Wharton and Ayala make clearing headers, the ball is fired back but it’s well wide. 

87 Ayala wins the ball and brings it forward before delivering a lovely ball for Khadra to chase into the box. Ayala keeps running. Khadra backheels it to Edun who delivers into the 6 yard box but the defender does brilliantly to take it off Ayala’s toes! That would have been a cracker! 

89 Another scary long throw! Wharton can only head it straight up in the air; it bounces on the 6 yard line but the Rovers defenders crowd out the Bristol players. Wells puts in another cross and Ayala heads clear! 

It comes back and Lenihan heads it straight towards a City man but Edun gets back to intercept and boot clear. It comes back yet again but Wells’ shot from the edge of the box is weak and Kaminski collects comfortably. 

The final whistle goes. A poor game but at least a better second half. Ayala made a big difference to our stability at the back. 

 

The scores this week are unusual. Lenihan and Ayala outscore everybody because they were constantly called upon to make headed clearances and interceptions (I usually score them at +2 each). Wharton was ok but his aerial contests are not always dominant. Nyambe had the worst game I’ve ever seen from him and their long throw-in specialist had a field day! 

Edited November 22, 2021 by tonyoz

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Thank for that Tony, very interesting reading as always.

[J*B]

Read Tony’s fabulous review… then complete your own MOTM here: https://www.brfcs.com/magazine/football/match/717000/bristol-city-blackburn

[47er]

Tony, you are so right about Brereton's goal! Not many strikers can score so often from such a narrow angle but Brereton does it for fun!

Most strikers in that position would hold it up and wait to pass it to someone more central. Not Brereton!

Just smashes it as if the keeper wasn't there. Takes skill, power and confidence, all qualities he didn't seem to have for so long.

Edited November 22, 2021 by 47er
typos!

[tonyoz]

1 hour ago, 47er said:

Tony, you are so right about Brereton's goal! Not many strikers can score so often from such a narrow angle but Brereton does it for fun!

Most strikers in that position would hold t up and wait compass it to someone more central. Not Brereton!

Just smashes it as if the keeper wasn't there. Takes skill, power and confidence, all qualities he didn't seem to have for so long.

I know. Have you ever seen a player improve his finishing so much in such a short period of time?? Long may it continue!