A Peterborough United side full of fringe players and youth
prospects turned a 40 minutes schooling at the hands of a young Arsenal side
into a 1-0 win with a strong second half performance. Many of the Posh youngsters
acquitted themselves well against their more illustrious counterparts. Below is
a summary of how the younger players in the side got on:
Kyle Barker
Game in numbers:
6
Interceptions
2 Tackles
1 Dribble
1 Dribbled
Past
1
Dispossessed
It was an
excellent performance from the young midfielder, tasked with playing the pivot
role on his first competitive start. Showed impressive tactical discipline as
he marshalled the centre of the park and held the midfield together well.
Shifted the ball side to side cleanly in the first half and grew in confidence
in the second as he started playing lateral balls forward to break the Arsenal
defensive lines. Was caught out on a couple of occasions when he wanted slightly
too much time on the ball but one would imagine that this will become an
infrequent occurrence as he adapts to life in the first team. Could well have
done enough to now be considered Reed’s natural understudy as no other player
in the first team appears to have the requisite skillset to play that role
(although Fergie may fancy trying Boyd in the role should Reed be unavailable).
Barker offered a different playing style from deep as he played short, precise
and quick passes to keep the ball flowing, as opposed to the long, defence
splitting passes favoured by Reed or Maddison when dropping deep. It made quite
a pleasant change to have this variation in play. If there was a weakness on
show it was that he appeared a yard or two short on pace when tracking players
running beyond him.
Rating: 8/10
Serhat Tasdemir
Game in
numbers:
5 Shots
2 Shots on
Target
3 Key Passes
2 Dribbles
1 Tackle
1
Dispossessed
Followed up
a strong cameo on Saturday with another good performance last night. Posh
struggled to get him on the ball in the first half as they were starved of
possession however he still showed flashes of quality, epitomised when he
rolled the his marker, burst forward and released a disappointingly weak shot
at goal. Carried far more of an influence on the game in the second half. He
showed intelligence to take up good spaces in between the Arsenal midfield and
defensive lines and was always an option for the Posh centre backs and Barker.
Tasdemir rarely seems to waste possession but still looks to play incisive passes
when possible. It’s also a real challenge to try and knock him off the ball as
he demonstrates size and strength expected of one far beyond his years. The
biggest criticism would be that he finished weakly on a number of occasions and
this appears to be an area of his game which must improve, especially if Posh’s
dependence on their front 3 for goals continues.
Rating: 8/10
Sam Cartwright
Game in
numbers:
2 Tackles
1
Interception
2 Dribbled
Past
Another who
did not look out of place on debut. Generally defended OK barring a couple of
slightly shaky moments and one potential penalty shout against him. One would suspect
that League One strikers would provide a different and all together tougher
test than he faced last night however. It was in possession where he really
excelled. Was always looking to receive the ball of his keeper and fellow
defenders, showing an understanding of when to step up and when to drop deep. Passed
cleanly, and demonstrated an awareness of when to play safe and when to play
forwards, especially as options opened up in front of him in the second half to
allow him to do the latter. Definitely a defender of promise, and although I
would have doubts about whether he would be ready for the step up to League One
just yet, the loan move to Kettering should provide him with valuable first
team experience and the opportunity to kick on.
Rating: 7/10
Idris Kanu
Game in numbers:
3 Shots
1 Shot on
Target
1 Tackle
1
Dispossessed
Barely had a
kick for 40 minutes of the first half before he started to drop deep in search
of possession. Carried more of a threat second half but to nowhere near the
extent of his last start against Northampton. Clearly possesses good strength
and pace, can link play and is keen to take players on in an attempt to make
things happen. His decision making and end product needs to improve however as
seems to struggle to read when it is best to pass/dribble/shoot. Looks an
exciting prospect and much improved on the player we saw glimpses of last
season.
Rating: 6/10
Harrison Burrows
Game in
numbers:
3 Shots
0 Shots on
Target
1 Key Pass
4
Interceptions
3 Tackles
1
Dispossessed
A
frustrating night for a player who showed flashes of real quality in a cameo at
MK Dons but has struggled to shine on his two starts in this competition. He
was better defensively in this match than against Northampton but almost anonymous
in possession during the first half. Posh would have hoped for a lot more from
him going forwards as they knew they would lack creativity on the other side of
midfield with Woodyard in that role. Showed more output on the ball second half
with a couple of drives forward, one pass laying on a chance for a teammate and
three shots. He is a player who needs to show more willingness/improvement to
pick up the ball deep and transfer it forwards as he currently only looks at
his most comfortable when playing in the opposition third. Fergie would
probably have been hoping to see more from him in this match as Posh look short
of options on the left hand side of midfield. It is however easy to forget that
he is just 17 years of age and there appears to be real talent there if
nurtured correctly.
Rating: 6/10
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