This week’s All Star XI sees some of the very best players across the top five divisions joined by some from teams fighting relegation, with the threat of the dreaded drop bringing out the very best in players such as Charles N’Zogbia and Djamel Mesbah. The pair take their place alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Robinho in our analysis, with N’Zogbia the only player to score the perfect 10 in our ratings. Here’s a look at last week’s stand-outs:
Djamel Mesbah Rating 8.92
The Lecce left-back was outstanding in the crucial 2-0 away win over bottom of the table Bari that confirmed his side’s Serie A safety for the season. He was joint-top for Tackles (5), made 3 Interceptions, 2 Successful Clearances and won 1 Aerial Duel, helping Lecce pick up a clean sheet along the way.
His distribution was stand-out, too; Mesbah may have only made 27 Passes from his total of 65 Touches, but he was effective with it: his Passing had an 85% Accuracy, he swung in 8 Crosses (more than anyone on the pitch), played 4 Long Balls from the back (all 4 Accurate), and grabbed 1 Assist from his 2 Key Passes.
Mesbah also impressed as a goal threat; he had 3 Shots (second highest in the game), with 2 On Target, and thoroughly earned his match rating of 8.92 and subsequent Man of the Match award.
Charles N’Zogbia Rating 10
The Frenchman sealed a scintillating second-half comeback for Wigan at the DW Stadium on Sunday, as Roberto Martinez’s side came back from 2-0 down at half-time to beat West Ham and send their opponents down to the Championship next season.
N’Zogbia’s stats from last weekend are sensational- 4 Shots (best of any Wigan player) with 3 On Target, resulting in 2 Goals for the winger. It wasn’t just his finishing that proved the undoing of West Ham, N’Zogbia’s trickery on th
e ball is what really stood out- his 6 Successful Dribbles and 6 Key Passes were easily the most for each category. He saw plenty of the ball, too; 77 Touches bringing about 41 Passes with a brilliant 90% Accuracy.
N’Zogbia also played 5 Through Balls, 1 Long Ball and made 4 Crosses, in a performance that saw him grab Man of the Match and a perfect rating of 10.
Cristiano Ronaldo Rating 9.01
Nine goals in his last three games means the Madrid man will be crowned top scorer in Spain this season, as Ronaldo now leads Lionel Messi by 38 goals to 31 with just the one La Liga match remaining.
Ronaldo helped his side to a 3-1 win at Villarreal last weekend with another clinical performance- he had 3 Shots (more than anyone in a match that saw just 13 Shots in total), with all 3 On Target, bringing 2 Goals.
He saw more of the ball than any forward, with 72 Touches, and made 43 Passes with a 77% Accuracy. Ronaldo also managed 1 Cross, 1 Through Ball and 1 Successful Dribble, and also demonstrated the defensive side of his game: he made 1 Successful Tackle, made 1 Interception, 2 Clearances and won 2 Aerial Duels for a Man of the Match rating of 9.01
Robinho Rating 9.72
The Milan forward stole the show in the newly-crowned Serie A champions’ final home game of the season, as Cagliari were downed 4-1 at the San Siro. Robinho had 4 Shots -the most of any player- with all 4 On Target, resulting in 2 Goals for the Brazilian.
He tormented the away team all throughout the 90 minutes; 68 Touches, 48 Passes with an 83% Accuracy, 2 Successful Dribbles, 1 Successful Cross, 2 Long Balls, 2 Through Balls and 2 Key Passes saw Robinho run away with our Man of the Match award, with a rating of 9.72.
