Storari - 7.5 - made several wonderful saves to retain the victory today. a bit stupid to be booked for wasting time, but it's not enough to detract from the actual performance. other than that, I couldn't help but feel if it had been Buffon in goal today he would have done a much better job of helping the team settle in that horrific opening half hour. not a blemish, though.
Chiellini - 7.5 - by the end of the game I had lost count of all the tackles and interventions he made. really didn't give the opposition any breathing room when they went up against him. nothing more to say.
Bonucci - 6.5 - not as dominant as chiellini, but still had a good showing. did some good preventative work on Catania today (at least two exceptional stops on the edge of the box that I noted). one aspect of his game that's actual superior to Chiellini's, in my opinion, is just that elegance on the ball. very skilled in terms of ball control, particularly for a CB. doesn't just hack the ball out for a corner or throw-in, but takes his time to fool incoming players and all that. complements his partner very well. the only real fault I can give him is those consistently aimless and poor long balls. seems like he's trying to be a little too clever. can't recall many that have come off.
Grosso - 5.5 - wasn't as horrible as I'm sure other people will say. had a couple of alright crosses, although he was at fault/confused at times, particularly on Catania's equalizer.
Sorensen - 6 - rough start. Catania were targeting him frequently with the pace of their left winger. made a few sloppy and/or ugly challenges as a result. gradually the entire team calmed down and Sorensen was no exception (particularly once we got some cushioning in the lead). came into his own, as usual, with good tackling, positioning and just overall strength on his man to man situations.
Aquilani - 5 - poorest I've seen from him this season. looked completely out of sorts, even amidst our bizarrely limp start. didn't take his time and was particularly guilty of just dumping the ball off to another player without any thought, apparently. should receive a Sissoko shirt in honour of his poor passing today.
Melo - 6.5 - good game, both going forward and breaking up Catania in the middle.
Krasic - 6.5 - not as majestic as we've come to know, but got better as the game progressed. made quite a number of awesome runs showing his pace/acceleration and ideally would have had an assist had Iaquinta buried that silver platter opportunity header in the second half. people are calling him overrated and repetitive lately, I've noticed, but why fix what isn't broken? he intentionally plays a simple and direct game (knocking the ball forward and burning opposition for pace with accurate crossing on top of that), and it's fine as is.
Pepe - 6.5 - class finish and some great set piece work from him today. still can't help the fact that he's a bit limited in technical terms, as he can't really beat his man via dribbling or even pick a smart pass often. great work ethic, however, and I'm glad we have this player available.
Quagliarella - 8 - earned a hat trick today, if not for the referee's cataracts. definitely didn't forget his shooting boots as he added some material to that ever-growing highlight reel. showed great determination and character to not let himself get frustrated by circumstance, kept pressing, and got his deserved opening goal. what a crisp finish on that one, for that matter, while the second was just a stunner thanks to his hard work forcing a defender error. quite the complete striker we have.
Iaquinta - 7.5 - the ideal Iaquinta. worked hard, wasn't selfish, just stuck to task and provided for his partner up front twice. had a great opportunity for a goal himself, but can't fault him too badly when everything else worked out for him, otherwise.
SUBS
Sissoko - 5.5 - the story of his life repeated today. gain the ball, lose it instantly. hopefully this can continue elsewhere...maybe Wolfsburg. showed some energy, I'll admit.
Del Piero - n/a - didn't see the use in taking off Quagliarella who was having a good game and didn't look tired (to me), but I suppose if we were to slow the game down, then who else can we turn to? looked for the foul a few times and could have done better on his pass to Krasic late on, though it doesn't excuse Krasic's miss, to be fair. missed a textbook free header himself to even the score in terms of blown sitters. had a nice backheel that didn't exactly come off.
Salihamidzic - n/a - too little time to judge. had a fantastic cross which DP spurned.
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