Wednesday, August 10, 2005

Match Report 050802 vs FBK Kaunas: Job well done

2-0 and once again we need Stevie G to cheer up the team. Next round will be tougher as we will be facing CSKA Sofia.

The first half was boring as we tried hard but cannot pass through the stubbon defense of Kaunas. Then in 2H Cisse comes up and suddenly the team move up one gear. The worrying signs are that Crouch is injuried and Nando is still in a poor form. We definitely need him to be back to his best soon.

Player Rating:
Carson: 6.5 Not much to do but look commanding
Finnan: 6.5 Not really tested but need to move up one gear for the start of the season
Hyypia: 7 Commanding the back, and unlikey to hit the bar
Whitbread: 6.5 He certainly take his chance well. Keep up to challenge Sami and Jamie!
Warnock: 6.5 Good display
Garcia: 7 Work hard and his assist to Cisse is inch perfect
Hamann: 6.5 A fair display, but the lack of Xabi and Stevie G in 1H really mean we lack creativity
Sissoko: 7 A commanding figure in the center. He will be challenging Didi this season
Zenden: 7 Quiet in 1H, but performed much better in 2H
Morientes: 6 I am getting worried about him and he is rightly substituted
Crouch: 6.5 Did provide flashes of his useful especially when Cisse come up but is injuried and substituted

Substitutions:
Cisse: 7.5 A nice display and scored a well deserved goal
Potter: 6 A fair display on the right
Gerrard: 8 Even though he is only on the pitch for 16 minutes but his contributions are priceless

Kaunas: 6 Not really creating any troubles to us. The match is already won in the first leg.

Rafa: 6.5 Need to get Nando up to speed ASAP

Man of the Match: Gerrard. His contribution is significant.

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