Battling Leno MotM Player Ratings v Leeds
By Matty Sadler
November 22 2020
Really poor first half. Big effort and a lot of luck in the second half - somehow we come away with a point. RATINGS FOLLOW:
Leno - 7. Made some good saves, but also Leeds finishing was poor.
Bellerin - 5. Showed good fitness levels late on in the second half but really wasn't great overall. Makes me sad when I think how fast he was when he first broke through.
Holding - 5. Leeds targeted our right hand side and he struggled at times.
Gabriel - 6. Okay generally but twice he 'thighed' the ball into the path of a Leeds attacker.
Tierney - 7. Stood up and took responsibility in that second half. Incensed at full time.
Ceballos - 4. Played some awful passes early on. Better than Xhaka but thought he was pretty poor in general.
Xhaka - 3. Slow, laboured and gives a lot away. So easy to play against. Partey can't come back quick enough.
Pepe - 0. I am so angry at him.
Willock - 4. Waited for this chance but failed to take it. Took far too long getting the ball under control and making his decisions.
Willian - 5. Thought he started the game well but could hardly move by the end of the first half, so no surprise he went off at half time.
Aubameyang - 5. Didn't think he was great, though obviously service was pretty poor even with 11 men. Worked for us in a difficult second half.
Subs:
Nelson - 5. Energetic but his set piece deliveries were poor.
Saka - 6. Showed up all our other attackers during his brief cameo. Praying he isn't out for long. Could've won it.
Maitland-Niles - N/A. Not on long.
Afterthoughts
I've defended and defended and defended Pepe ever since we signed him. Yes, I've offered constructive criticism at times about things such as his work rate, his decision making, how long he holds onto the ball and his concentration, among others, but I've always been a vocal supporter and big believer in his quality and most importantly his ability to be a match winner. That headbutt is just impossible to defend though, I'm afraid. I don't care what Alioski was doing, you move your head towards another player's head in this day and age, you're gone. Simple as that. He is an idiot. He's let his team mates down. Take a loss on him in January, as far as I am concerned.
With Pepe's headbutt, the Luiz-Ceballos fight and the actual leak of the Luiz-Ceballos fight, I am concerned.