Underrated Players You Rate

I've thought of this after a few comments on here after the Arsenal game and talking to a few mates about football.

What are the players you think are actually pretty good but generally seem underrated by others.

The Arsenal reference is probably a clue to my first one.

Olivier Giroud

I've seen him called sh*te, useless, not up to it etc but I actually think he is and has the potential to be a very good player in this league.

He is great in the air, holds the ball up as well as most and has a very good goal scoring record. I'll admit he misses a few easy chances but what he does is get into the positions to score.

Good OP / concept mate - one I've seen get mixed views on here but whom I really rate is James McCarthy at Wigan. I think he's going to be a stand out midfielder for years to come.

Good OP / concept mate - one I've seen get mixed views on here but whom I really rate is James McCarthy at Wigan. I think he's going to be a stand out midfielder for years to come.

I think McCarthy will be an excellent player in the future and I think it's Diego on here who also really rates him.

Two that come to mind are Brad Guzan and Danny Rose.  Both still a little rough around the edges.  Don't think either will ever be top echelon, just very good top flight players, if they smooth their rough edges.

Giroud i agree with.

Walcott to an extent. I see people slate him but i think he's deadly.

Ali al Habsi.

Martin Kelly.

Antonio Valencia.

Andy Carroll.

Quite a few more but can't remember them at the moment.

Valencia.
Danny Rose.
Steven Fletcher.
James Milner
Victor Moses
Gary Cahill
Jordan Henderson
Martin Kelly
Arbeloa
Carrick
Gareth Barry

Ramires - Feel he gets over looked alot amongst Chavs bigger 'stars'.

Kevin Mirallas - Everytime I've watched him this season he's a big threat to oppo defences yet never seems to get the plaudits.

Pablo Zabaleta - Possibly just starting to get the credit he deserves but last season was a massive unsung hero in City's EPL win.

Michael Carrick - Superb passer of the ball who often gets overlooked.

Steven Taylor - Not as good but a CB in the mould of Carra and one you'd want in the trenches with you.

Anthony Pilkington - Again from last 3 years of watching the lad is one that seems to slip by unnoticed key player for Norwich.

Steven Fletcher - Been an admirer from his time at Hibs, thought he got a raw deal at Wolves often dropped in place of Doyle.

Angel Rangel - Another player who seems to avoid the plaudits but who is week in week out a minimum 7/10 performer.

Gareth Bale - For some reason there seems to be a 'fad' from a portion of the public to make out he'd not all that. And with the current witch hunt surrounding him in regards of being a diver (yes he's gone down easy on occasion but the pace he runs at the slow mo's show more often than not he gets clipped however heavy the challenge may be). For me he's world class and is still improving.

James Morrison - A very tidy player who's been instrumental in changing WBA being a yo yo team.

Shane Long - Liked him since Reading days, got a good all round game.

Franco Di Santo - His goal ratio could be better but his all round game is very good and if the lad could get onto the score sheet more regular a lot more people and pundits would be bigging him up as the next player to be moving on from the feeder club that is Wigan.

I think McCarthy will be an excellent player in the future and I think it's Diego on here who also really rates him.

Indeed I see a lot of quality in James McCarthy. He's a very clever midfield with lots to offer, but plays for a team where it's difficult to catch the attention of the majority.

Same goes for Antonio Valencia, when he played for Wigan. I've been following this guy since he stood out in the World Cup 2006 for Ecuador. He was one of the best wingers in the league for Wigan but did not get enough credit till he moved to Man Utd. In fact, when the move happened, a lot of people said he was sh*t or overpriced - I was perhaps alone in saying I wanted him at LFC instead.

Also from Wigan, I like Figueroa. Think he's a solid defender, however unspectacular. Wouldn't call him a 'top' player but in my opinion he could be playing in a bigger stage.

I agree with some other players mentioned here.

Gareth Barry - yes, he wasn't going to be a real replacement for Alonso, and no he isn't a top player, but I think he's a lot better than a lot of people give him credit for. He is a 'tactical' player, praised more by managers than fans.

James Milner - give me a David Silva over Milner any day of the week, of course. It doesn't mean that Milner isn't a valuable player. I was a fan of him during his time at Newcastle and still think he could have done a good job for us. Unspectacular wide player who can also do a job in the middle - doesn't have some of the attributes most wingers have but is capable of offering other things to the side. Not great but not rubbish either.

Steven Fletcher - that's one of those cases... "I hate to say I told you so"... A while ago I was crazy enough to watch the SPL (there was something terribly wrong with me) and I've been following Fletcher since his time with Hibs. He's been a valuable player wherever he's gone, offering goals and versatility. Wouldn't be a top class player in our team but I've been crying for us to get him as backup to Torres for a long time. These days he would probably secure a place in the starting XI anyway.

James Morrison and Chris Brunt - I remember watching a lot of WBA under Tony Mowbray and they were both already very good players then. I said it so when we were getting Downing that I would prefer Brunt instead - not that he is a top player but would offer a similar option without costing £20M. I stand by that. Morrison is also a quality player with the ball, I enjoy watching this guy.

Franco Di Santo - His goal ratio could be better but his all round game is very good and if the lad could get onto the score sheet more regular a lot more people and pundits would be bigging him up as the next player to be moving on from the feeder club that is Wigan.

100% agree... his linkup play is very good, but his finishing leaves much to be desired. If he can solve that, he would be quite a player.

A few I agree with there Diego, in fact pretty much every player you've listed.

Brunt is a very underrated footballer and I remember when he was linked with us under Hodgson some people went mad but I thought he could have made a good signing for us.

Fletcher is the other and actually think he is even better than I first thought.

Think Valencia is actually overrated myself, did well last season but has been useless this season.

Al-Habsi - great shot stopper, could work on his handling but still should be playing for a bigger team than Wigan
Giroud - looks a very good striker to me
Walcott - gets a hell of a load of goals and assists for someone who 'still has no end product'
Milner - as Diego said pretty much
Carrick - quietly goes about his business, been very important for United for a while now
Bale - Absolute class player for me, one of the leagues very best yet I see loads of people saying he's not that special
Moses - can't believe he was so cheap, would have loved him here.

Think Valencia is actually overrated myself, did well last season but has been useless this season.

It's true he's not doing well this season, so I think me and the others were more generally speaking about his career as a whole. Perhaps he shouldn't be included in a "underrated" category anymore,  though...

Just remembered another player I think is underrated... Aaron Lennon.

Being a pacey English winger brings a lot of prejudices to the judgment that is made of him, which are true for most similar players but I think not in Walcoot's (not anymore) or Lennon's case.

I actually love watching him and yes, sometimes his decision making isn't the best but then again apart from a very small minority of players that can combine such pace with great accuracy (people like Messi, Ronaldo, Robben, etc), you could say the same about nearly every player of that position. Sterling is a great example of that (youth is on his side, of course, but even Suarez looks like a headless chicken at times).

Still, I think his decision making and productivity is better than he is given credit for. I'm not backing up this argument by any stats so I could be surprised if the numbers say differently, but I think he's a good crosser (gets the ball in dangerous areas very often) and has great ball control. He's only 25 as well. I wouldn't mind him in a LFC shirt at all.

Glen Johnson.
How he doesn't have a song I'll never know.

Not many Right Backs can go over and at times seem even better on the left.
Criminally underrated, often slated.

Glen Johnson.
How he doesn't have a song I'll never know.

Not many Right Backs can go over and at times seem even better on the left.
Criminally underrated, often slated.

Oh yeah. Couldn't agree more. Possibly the most underrated LFC player of the last 5-10 years.

Glen Johnson.
How he doesn't have a song I'll never know.

Not many Right Backs can go over and at times seem even better on the left.
Criminally underrated, often slated.

Quality player possibly best full back I've seen in a red shirt since I started supporting the mighty reds. Without question in my top 3 alongside Nicol and Jones.

 Ramieres is a great player for Chelsea, Rafa's biggest mistake there IMHO is shackling him and getting him  to sit deeper. You lose half of his game when you do that, he is like Michael Essien with pace and I'd love him at Liverpool. The young left back at Southampton who's name escapes me is hardly under-rated as the World and his bother are looking at him, but he's going to be a good player I think.

 That said, my number one pick would be Adel Taraabt who I think in a good side would be a top player.

Glen Johnson.
How he doesn't have a song I'll never know.

Not many Right Backs can go over and at times seem even better on the left.
Criminally underrated, often slated.

Oh yeah. Couldn't agree more. Possibly the most underrated LFC player of the last 5-10 years.

Great shouts - Racer initially but I'm trying to think of a better candidate for Diego's assertion and haven't been able to.

Gone to the Championship but I'd have had Danny Murphy in this list last season - end of his career but he made a massive difference to Fulham when he played.

Steven Fletcher - totally agree. Was hoping it took Sunderland so long to sign him in summer because we were in there (ex LFC mascot). I think in a better team he'd score even more because he's a very tidy finisher.

Also at Sunderland - I still think Connor Wickham will come good. Decent feet and balance for a big man.

I'm also going to say one that makes me a hypocrite - Ashley Williams. I slated him when we were linked back in the summer (still don't think he's going to improve us) but he's improved me more and more this season.

Finally at Cardiff - I quite like the boy Aron Gunnarsson. Still quite young and does a job in defence or midfield.

Antonio Nunez

Ramieres is a great player for Chelsea, Rafa's biggest mistake there IMHO is shackling him and getting him  to sit deeper. You lose half of his game when you do that, he is like Michael Essien with pace and I'd love him at Liverpool. The young left back at Southampton who's name escapes me is hardly under-rated as the World and his bother are looking at him, but he's going to be a good player I think.

 That said, my number one pick would be Adel Taraabt who I think in a good side would be a top player.

Luke Shaw?

Agree with the names being tossed about.

James Morrison was one I forgot. Really like him.

Steven Fletcher, too. Would of loved us to sign him. Animal.

Nathan Clyne.

Branislav Ivanovic.

Branislav Ivanovic.

Absolutely.
Would solve a lot of problems for us.

 Agreed with most here, but Johnson, Lennon and Taraabt (would love to see him here) stood out for me.

I feel Demblele is underrated a little. He's a top player and is controlling Tottenham's midfield after the loss of Modric and VDV. He should score more but his overall ability at controlling the game is very good and should be rated higher IMO.

Also I think Michael Carrick is underrated too. Been awesome for United this season, and has shown maturity at controlling play and helping their defence.