Ratings v Palace

[Simon_B]

Lloris 7,5 - Good saves and another half mark for his great anticipation.
Walker 7 - Some very good through balls to Lennon and forward runs but also a few defensively dodgy moments.
Dawson 6 - I like when he switches the ball to the opposite flank but he has to be more succesful with it.
Vertonghen 7 - Composed as always
Rose 6,5 - Decent
Dembele 6 - Unusually quiet game before he was subbed, only a few of his excellent runs with the ball.
Paulinho 7 - Very good work rate
Lennon 7 - Looked our main attacking threat and forced the penalty. If only he had more end product...
Chadli 6,5 - Not involved enough in the first half but looked good after the break.
Siggy 5,5 - A bit meh, should've scored. Not convinced about his abilities in the role as a number 10.
Soldado 7 - Good movement

Capoué 7,5 - Very promising debut.
Defoe 7 - Good energy

 

[nelto]

Lloris 7
Walker 7
Dawson 6
Vertonghen 7
Rose 6
Lennon 7
Dembélé 6
Paulinho 7
Sigurðsson 6
Chadli 6
Soldado 7

Capoue 7
Defoe 7
Kaboul n/a

 

[Jurgen the German]

Lloris 7- Wasn't called upon a great deal, but was solid as ever when he was tested.

Walker 6.5- Good going forward, sloppy defensively
Vertonghen 7- Classy and assured as ever
Dawson 6.5-
Rose 6- A couple of timely interceptions

Lennon 6-Won the penalty but end product was poor for the most part.
Dembele 6- Ok
Paulinho 7
Chadli 6- Should have scored with the header
Sig 6- Missed a great chance to kill the game off. Remain unconvinced about him long term.

Soldado 7- Looked lively. We finally have someone who knows how to take a penalty! Have no doubt he will score plenty of goals this season.

A dull game on the whole, but you have to win ugly sometimes. Expect much better this Sunday where I can see us scoring a few goals.

 

[Mr Gogolak]

Lloris 7 - Made some important saves late in the game.
Walker 5.5 - combined well with Lennon in the first half but looked dodgy defensively after the break. Didn't look as good once Lennon vanished from the game.
Vertonghen 7 - Good defensive display and his excellent passing is a great bonus.
Dawson 6 - His passing was atrocious at times but at least he did the basic things well enough.
Rose 4.5 - I credit him for the effort but the end product was very poor. He failed with everything he tried in the first half. He looked better once we went ahead but only because he focused on defensive duties.
Lennon 5 - Lively until he earned that penalty and then went missing. It's a shame because he still has a lot to offer but he looked uninterested at times.
Paulinho 7.5 - Looked strong defensively and classy going forward. Read the game well, too.
Dembele 5 - Fairly anonymous performance.
Sigurdsson 5 - I can't really make up my mind on him. He gets bullied away from the ball way too easily for me and his passing his often sloppy but, then again, he can change a game on a well-taken shot or an excellent through ball. Luxury player.
Chadli 5 - Wasn't too impressed with him. In the first half, his association with Rose suffered from the comparison with Walker and Lennon (which was to be expected). He needs to get used to his new team-mates as his passing was very poor at times. Hopefully, he'll get better with time.
Soldada 6 - Some good runs and he took his penalty well but he rarely got in good scoring positions and had little influence on our play. He also suffered from the lack of support from midfield. He had an outstanding 10-minute spell early in the second half but apart from that, he was fairly average.

Capoue 5.5 - Made a couple of decent interceptions and looked disciplined.
Defoe - Missed a couple of good chances but looked lively and did what was expected of him.
Kaboul - Cameo.

 

[Pirate55]

Always great to get off to a winning start. It was always gonna be tough when you play a team that's just come up that are looking to play their socks off and show what they can do.

Lloris - 7.5 Pulled off some good saves and was out off his line quickly to clear any danger.
Walker - 6.5 Mixed, great going forward but a bit sloppy when defending.
Rose - 7 Didnt do much wrong and got forward well.
Dawson - 6 Good defender and can hit a cross field ball, but still sloppy when it comes to simple passes.
Vertonghen - 7 - Solid defender. Looking forward to him and Kaboul in defence.
Paulinho - 7.5 - Good debut. Looks like he can defend as well as go forward.
Dembele - 6 Holds the ball well but needs to create more.
Lennon - 7 Was a threat down the right but needs to improve his decision making
Sigurdsson - 6 Nothing seem to come off for him and should have scored.
Chadli - 6.5 Got into the game more as it went on. Promising.
Soldado - 7 Good movement and knows how to finish. Nice penalty.

Subs:
Capoue - 7.5 Very impressive first game. Looks like a beast.
Defoe - 6 should have scored and killed the game off.
Kaboul - 6 Did what was required, good to get some minutes.

Agree with these. Originally I was more critical of Lennon, but then realised he created two key moments, including winning the pen. Ran off the ball and combined well with Walker for a change! Decision making could be better though when he gets himself into good positions.

 

[Pirate55]

I think Sigurdsson is a 433 centre mid in the Lampard mould, rather than a #10. Seems strange that we're still playing 4231 though.

I agree too. He should be played the centre mid with three forwards running off for him to be at his best.

 

[Roland Beurre]

Finally got round to seeing video of the game. Trying hard not to let UEFA performances colour my judgement.

We're playing a lot more down the right now Bale is absent. I think most of our creativity will come from out wide. Our full backs will be caught out of position, but both have the speed to recover.

Lloris 7 - it is the saves he does not have to make that make him so good
Walker 6 - some good creative moments
Dawson 5 - poor distribution
Vertonghen 6 - class on a stick
Rose 6 - good to have his pace at the back
Lennon 7 - lively, industrious, frustrating and the match winner
Dembélé 6 - sometimes too confident of his ability to retain possession
Paulinho 6 - TV's MotM, so he must have been doing some great work off the ball and off camera
Sigurðsson 6 - more of a goal threat than our record signing
Chadli 6 - showed flashes of promise. Height might be handy attribute in Bale's absence
Soldado 6 - feeding on s c r a p s, but looks dangerous

Capoue 6 - looks to be the player everyone says Sandro is
Defoe 6 - fluffed his lines in an otherwise classic Defoe break, Crazy idea time: Defoe is not a penalty box predator, he's a get a shot in from distance guy. Could he play in the hole, purely as a goal threat, not a creator?
Kaboul - cameo. Maybe even Funkadellic, Not the Fatback Band, though.