Stats Zone

Prem Notes: The killer stats from the season's end

2013-05-20T09:10:00Z

What we learned via Opta stats and the FREE Stats Zone app about the season's final Premier League games

Chelsea 2-1 Everton

Chelsea have won the most points in games between the Premier League's top six sides this season (20).
Sylvain Distin won all 7 duels (aerial and tackles) he contested – the most of any player to maintain a 100% success rate.
No team had more shots off target in this round than Chelsea (10).
Tim Howard caught more crosses than any other goalkeeper this weekend (4).

Liverpool 1-0 QPR

Liverpool kept a clean sheet in 11 of their last 16 Premier League home matches.
Jose Enrique went on 6 dribbles in this game, the most of any defender this weekend. Jordan Henderson made (96) and completed (88) the most passes this weekend.
Stewart Downing made more chances without registering an assist than any other player this weekend (6).
QPR defender Nedum Onouha made 7 interceptions and 5 blocks – a joint-high for the PL weekend.
Fabio made the most tackles in the Premier League this weekend (8).
The R’s didn’t manage a single shot on target in this game, nor did they complete a cross.
The Reds won possession of the ball with all 14 tackles they attempted.

Man City 2-3 Norwich

Manchester City have now scored in 50 consecutive league home games, the longest current run and second overall in PL history.
For the second season running, Grant Holt has committed more fouls than any other Premier League player (82).
Norwich attempted 14 shots – more than they have managed in any other away league game this season.
The Canaries have scored 6 league goals against Man City this season – more than any other side.
Edin Dzeko attempted 6 shots, but a PL-high 5 of them were off-target.
No player created more chances this weekend than Norwich’s Robert Snodgrass (6).

Newcastle 0-1 Arsenal

There were only 3 shots on target in this match; only one PL game this season had fewer (Aston Villa v Stoke – 2).
Fabricio Coloccini completed all 45 passes he attempted in this game.
Hatem Ben Arfa attempted a league-high 14 dribbles today, completing 8 of them.
Arsenal attempted (31) and won (27) the most tackles today.
Newcastle attempted and completed more passes (395 of 466) than Arsenal (365 of 459).

Southampton 1-1 Stoke

In their 19 away league games, Stoke scored just 13 goals. Only West Ham (11) scored fewer; the next lowest total was Swansea's 19.
Saints' Nathaniel Clyne won a league-high 6 tackles today.
The Saints didn’t block a single shot today, and only made 4 interceptions.
Stoke made 32 flick-ons in this game, at least 22 more than any other side.
Southampton completed 437 passes, Stoke 214: only Sunderland (154) completed fewer passes this weekend.

Swansea 0-3 Fulham

Swansea were one of only two teams this season not to win a penalty kick (alongside Spurs). No side had gone a whole season without winning a penalty since Charlton in 2004-05.
Brede Hangeland made 18 clearances, a weekend high.
Swansea had 20 shots but failed to beat Mark Schwarzer, whose 10 saves was a joint-high for the weekend.
This was the only game all season to have more than 1000 passes in it (1023). Swansea, who had 64.3% possession, completed 600 of their 655 to Fulham's 298 of 368.

Tottenham 1-0 Sunderland

Gareth Bale has been shown 4 yellow cards for simulation in the Premier League this season, more than any other player.
Bale got 5 shots on target in this game, the most of all players on the final day of the campaign.
Sunderland have been given 3 red cards in 7 league games under Paolo Di Canio – after not being given any in their previous 31 league games this season.
No Spurs player has scored more goals in a single Premier League season than Gareth Bale's 21 this term (Teddy Sheringham also got 21 in 1992/93).
Tottenham have had more shots on target today (14) than they managed in any other single game this season in the Premier League. Indeed only one team all season (Chelsea v Aston Villa in December – 15) had more than 14 shots on target in a game.

West Brom 5-5 Man Utd

The Red Devils conceded 5 goals for only the fifth time in the Premier League and the first time since October 2011's 6-1 home defeat to Man City.
 The last 5-5 in the top-flight was back in September 1984 (QPR v Newcastle).
 All 43 short passes Tom Cleverley attempted in this game found a teammate.
 Both Man United and West Brom converted 5 of their 6 shots on target today, meaning 10 of 12 were converted in this game.

West Ham 4-2 Reading

Andy Carroll registered 2 assists in the same Premier League game for the first time.
 No player created more chances in the last PL round than Carroll (6).
 West Ham midfielder Kevin Nolan scored only his second Premier League hat-trick (he scored one for Newcastle v Sunderland in October 2010).
 Nolan fired in 4 shots, all of them hit the target and 3 went in.
 Reading became the only team in the PL all season to not attempt a single dribble.

Wigan 2-2 Aston Villa

No team has conceded more goals from set pieces in the PL this season than Wigan (22).
No player made more interceptions this week than Wigan’s Roger Espinoza or Aston Villa’s Matt Lowton (7 each).
The Latics misplaced a league-high 80 short passes today.
 On the final day of Premier League action, no team attempted fewer tackles than Villa (14).

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How Beckham ended his career at PSG

2013-05-17T12:33:00Z

STATS ZONE OVER EUROPE: FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app now also covers the top flights in Italy, Spain, France and Germany (as well as England, Champions League and Europa League). Michael Cox evaluates David Beckham's career-closing cameo for Paris St Germain...

David Beckham ends his illustrious career with yet another league title, becoming the first Englishman to win four separate leagues – the Premier League, La Liga, MLS and Ligue 1.

His contribution to that last success may have been minimal, having played just 232 minutes in the league since signing for PSG in January, but the fact the club offered him a one-year extension to his contract suggests they were entirely happy with the role he played.

Beckham’s major job at PSG was as a substitute, introduced with around 20 minutes remaining in league matches. Carlo Ancelotti asked him to keep possession and help kill the game – and although his contributions in the final third were minimal, that’s primarily because his passes were supposed to be simple and reliable, rather than ambitious. His display in the 1-0 win at Troyes was a good example.

Beckham started just one match in Ligue 1, a 2-2 draw at Saint Etienne. PSG were outplayed for long periods and struggled to create chances, but it was interesting to see Beckham used from the start, and given a little more freedom to be inventive with his distribution. He was much keener to attempt ambitious long passes and diagonals behind the defence, and came close to scoring a classic Beckham free-kick with a fine effort that whistled past the post.

The biggest match he was selected for, however, was the 2-2 home draw with Barcelona. Fielded deep in central midfield alongside Blaise Matuidi – an energetic shuttler, rather than the solid holding midfielder Beckham is accustomed to playing alongside – he acquitted himself well in a disciplined role. With Barcelona dominating possession and PSG sitting deep in two banks of four, Beckham’s primary task was to break up Barcelona’s passing moves, which he did with three clean tackles, and also three fouls.

Ancelotti indicated that he selected Beckham, rather than highly-rated Marco Verratti, because of his experience – but the young Italian showed that he wasn’t overawed by the calibre of the opposition when replacing Beckham.

As PSG played higher up the pitch in the second half, trying to get back into the game, Verratti played a succession of pinpoint forward passes into the feet of attackers; his distribution was more positive and inventive than Beckham’s, and Verratti also helped maintain energy levels as PSG closed down in midfield.

Perhaps that performance from Verratti essentially ended Beckham’s career – he demonstrated he could offer everything Beckham does, and more. For Ancelotti, there was no need to pick an ageing veteran over a youngster that will play a significant part in PSG’s future.

Beckham performed more than competently against Barca, but being outshone by a teammate 18 years younger must have made him consider his future. Ancelotti stuck to the same system for the away leg, but Verratti started ahead of Beckham, who played just seven minutes as a substitute. He didn’t start another game for PSG, being used exclusively from the bench.

Indeed, Beckham’s role in the title-clinching victory away at Lyon last week was an exaggerated example of his role at PSG – brought on in stoppage time, he simply took two time-wasting corners to run the clock down. PSG kept the ball in the corner, to confirm the 1-0 victory and seal the league title. He’ll hope for a more spectacular farewell against Lorient this weekend.

Beckham’s role at PSG wasn’t about flashy, skilful performances, and instead about efficiently and effectively playing a functional role in the side, contributing his most notable moments from set-pieces. In a sense, that’s a fitting way for him to bow out of football.

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How Stats Zone saw Chelsea's Europa triumph over Benfica

2013-05-16T11:42:00Z

Stats Zone, FourFourTwo's award-winning Opta-powered analysis app, is available FREE for the Europa League, thanks to Western Union's PASS Fund

Just as in last year's Champions League final, Chelsea triumphed despite having minority possession (42%) and attempting fewer passes. They just about ticked on to 200 completed passes, most of them notably more vertical than Benfica's more patient switch play.

@‬Ovywizkid shared a fascinating screen showing Fernando Torres's involvement. Chelsea were clearly happy to hit Torres early and hope to get their attacking midfielders involved, but the plan floundered as the Spaniard only won 4 of his 13 aerial duels, all contested in a very tight area of the pitch. Still, Torres' only two actions in the box were rather telling: rounding the goalkeeper (as shown by the orange lozenge on the screen) and scoring the opening goal.

One of the men Chelsea wanted on the ball was Juan Mata. The Spaniard completed 30 passes, more than any other Chelsea player, and created 6 chances – including 2 assists (the through ball for Torres' opener and the corner for Branislav Ivanovic's winner. Mata created twice as many chances as anyone else on the pitch and, on average, created one in every five passes.

The teams' difference in style is demonstrated by examining the passes in the attacking third, as shared by @marktheroberts: Benfica were happy to pass around and try to work an opening, while as Mark put it: "CFC struggled in final third, not one pass complete in Benfica's 18-yard – but it doesn't matter!"

Benfica were often happy to work the ball out to their widemen, Nicolas Gaitán and Eduardo Salvio. @cordobeh's screenshared dashboards show how the flankers worked in very defined triangular areas, but rarely switched the point of attack directly – allowing Chelsea's defence to shuffle across and cover.

Then again, as @ZazooFootball shared, Benfica crossed regularly and fairly effectively: few teams complete as many as one in three crosses, as the Eagles did.

In between the two wide men, Cardozo often dropped deep into the areas nominally occupied by support striker Rodrigo, whose ineffective evening was ended early by Benfica's first substitution.

Cardozo was dropping deep because he was getting little change out of Ivanovic and Gary Cahill. The former Bolton man contributed more clearances, aerial duels and interceptions, and was Chelsea's second-most prolific passer after Mata (completing 29 of his 34 passes), while the matchwinner's passes tended to be more vertical and less successful.

Despite their differing styles, the teams registered a similar number of efforts, as shown by the shots screen shared by @alexdsmith. Note, though, that Chelsea got 5 of their 12 efforts on target compared to Benfica's 3 of 15 – a small but telling margin of efficiency.

And speaking of efficiency, Benfica frontman Cardozo had 6 shots compared to Torres' 1. As @DaireKilkelly1 said with tongue firmly in cheek, "Torres was man of the match for me: here's the stats to back it up". That's Stats Zone for you...

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo and Opta, updated LIVE in-play. The Europa League Stats Zone is brought to you in association with Western Union's PASS scheme, which turns every completed Europa League pass into a day's education for young people around the world.

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Pedro Morales: The delicate hidden gem of Málaga (via Zagreb)

2013-05-15T09:53:00Z

STATS ZONE OVER EUROPE: FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app now also covers the top flights in Italy, Spain, France and Germany (as well as England, Champions League and Europa League). Paul Wilkes - editor of the laligauk.com - uses Stats Zone to analyse a player battling injury to make an impact in Spain...

Morales (left) on his full Malaga debut

When Luka Modrić left Dinamo Zagreb for the bright lights of London and the Premier League, the Croatian club went to South America for his replacement - Pedro Morales of Club Universidad de Chile.

It didn't work out immediately for Morales, just 23 at the time of his move, but as he entered his second season his performances began to fulfil the promise. But then injury struck and he struggled to have the same desired effect. A loan move back to his native Chile in 2012 enabled him to rediscover his best form, then on transfer deadline day in January he joined forces with countryman Manuel Pellegrini at Málaga in another temporary move.

The Andalusians had once been able to spend big money on the likes of Joaquín and Santi Cazorla, but now their financial situation is very different. Now they rely on players like Morales,who have the ability but haven't always reached their potential. The Chilean's impact in the south of Spain has been impressive - he's scored twice and provided three assists in just four starts, but his lack of fitness slowed him down somewhat, and he has so far only once completed a full 90 minutes.

In his full debut against Rayo Vallecano, he started from a wide left position, but often drifted inside to receive the ball in a central area. His passes were more reminiscent of an attacking central midfielder, as he covered large parts of the final two-thirds of the pitch. In that match he scored once and created his team's other two goals in a 3-1 win which broke a run of four matches without a victory.

Then in the game against Champions League-chasing Real Sociedad, he was the third most prolific passer in the Málaga side, despite only playing just over an hour. His goal just before half-time gave Málaga a little hope, though he was playing in a fringe attacking quartet due to the ill-fated return leg with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League only days later. He then missed the matches with Osasuna and Valencia through injury, before returning to provide Weligton with a goal via another corner against Getafe.

He wasn't selected against Real Madrid last week, and was therefore denied the chance to play against Modrić, which would have been a great opportunity to compare the two players' styles directly. Morales returned for an Andalusian derby this weekend, but only lasted 45 minutes thanks to the hamstring problems that have blighted him throughout his career.

In that 45 minutes, his influence was clear. Playing from the right-hand side, his understanding with Jesús Gámez was key, as the right-back played 12 passes to Morales (the most common pass combination of the first half), before the Chilean's early withdrawal. Morales attempted six crosses from the right and created one goalscoring opportunity in the first half.

The injuries that have plagued the midfielder could cause Málaga to think twice about making the deal permanent, but when fully fit he is without doubt a talent that would light up many a side. The solid displays may lead to Dinamo Zagreb wanting more money and it's likely that he will have attracted other suitors, which could ultimately price Los Boquerones out of a deal. Instead, they may need to unearth another hidden gem.

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Prem Notes: Killer stats from the weekend Premier League

2013-05-13T08:26:00Z

What we learned via Opta stats and the FREE Stats Zone app about the weekend's Premier League games, including Pienaar the creator, Dawson the clearer, Villa the intercepters and Long the tackler?!

Manchester United 2-1 Swansea City

This season, Manchester United have had 20 different goalscorers in the Premier League – a record for a single PL campaign.
Javier Hernandez has scored 5 goals in 8 league starts for Manchester United this season.
Manchester United have won all 16 of the home league games in which they have taken the lead.
The Red Devils have scored 15 times from corners this season – the most in the Premier League.
Only Arsenal (18) and Tottenham Hotspur (17) have scored more goals in the final 15 minutes of matches this season than Man United (16).
Michu scored with his only shot of the game.
Michu has scored home and away against Manchester United this season.

Everton 2-0 West Ham United

Everton have kept clean sheets in 5 of their last 6 Premier League games and won each of their last 6 league home games.
West Ham have managed just 2 goals in their last 5 league games.
Everton had 28 shots: 10 were blocked, 6 of them by James Collins. Only Swansea's Ashley Williams v Manchester United in December (7) has blocked more shots in a single league game this season.
No-one attempted more passes over the weekend than Darron Gibson (88, level with Manchester United's Michael Carrick v Swansea).
Kevin Mirallas scored with both his on-target shots.
Steven Pienaar created more chances than any other player this weekend (8, with 1 leading to a goal).
Only v Villa in February (68%) have Everton enjoyed more possession in a single game than they enjoyed v West Ham (65%).

Fulham 1-3 Liverpool

In three league away games without Luis Suarez this season, Liverpool have scored a total of 12 goals.
19 of the 33 PL goals that Suarez & Daniel Sturridge have scored for Liverpool this season have come away from home.
Sturridge has 10 goals and three assists in 13 league games for Liverpool.
Only Christian Benteke has a better goals-per-game rate in the Premier League in 2013 than Sturridge.
Philippe Coutinho has 5 assists in 12 appearances for Liverpool.
11 of Dimitar Berbatov's 14 Premier League goals for Fulham have come before half-time.

Norwich City 4-0 West Bromwich Albion

For the first time this season, Norwich won a league home game by more than 1 goal.
This was the 11th time the Canaries had scored 4+ goals in a Premier League game, but only the 2nd time under Chris Hughton.
West Brom striker Shane Long made more tackles than any other player over the weekend (7).
Norwich scored with 4 of their 7 shots on target.
Grant Holt is Norwich’s top scorer this season with 7 goals.
Gareth McAuley has now scored 4 own goals against Norwich in his career (all league matches in the top four divisions of English football).

Queens Park Rangers 1-2 Newcastle United

This was only Newcastle’s 2nd away win of the season.
It was the 1st time since January that Newcastle had scored more than 1 in an away league game.
QPR scored their 1st penalty of the season from the 4th they had been awarded.
QPR have picked up only 2 points from their last 8 Premier League games.
Excluding the penalty, QPR managed only 1 shot on target in this game.
Bobby Zamora was caught offside 4 times in the match – a weekend PL high.
Newcastle completed just 66% (239) of their 360 attempted passes; the only team with a lower percentage completion in this round of PL games was Sunderland (64%, 174/274).

Sunderland 1-1 Southampton

Danny Graham has now gone 1034 goalless minutes in all competitions.
Sunderland’s last 3 goals have come from defenders.
The Black Cats managed only 2 shots on target (Southampton managed 8).
Southampton’s goal ended a run of 377 barren minutes in the league.
Saints’ possession figure of 64% is their best in a Premier League away game this season.
Sunderland had just 3 shots (excl. blocked) in this game. Only against Swansea in January have they managed fewer this season (2).

Stoke City 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

Red-carded Charlie Adam has conceded a total of 180 fouls in the last 3 Premier League seasons, a haul only topped by three players (Marouane Fellaini, Cheik Tioté and Kevin Davies).
Emmanuel Adebayor has now scored in consecutive games for the first time since May 2012.
The Potters scored with their only shot on target of the game; Tottenham had 7.
Spurs, who had 67.3% possession, completed almost three times as many passes as Stoke (456 out of 516 compared to 160/231). Stoke's passes attempted and completed were both weekend PL lows.
Tottenham’s win is their 1st in the league without the help of a Gareth Bale goal since New Year's Day (3-1 v Reading).
Michael Dawson made 16 clearances (9 headed) in the game – both weekend PL highs.

Aston Villa 1-2 Chelsea

Christian Benteke was the 4th player to score and be sent off in the same PL game this season (alongside Marc-Antoine Fortuné, Carlton Cole and Emmanuel Adebayor).
Benteke has now scored 14 PL goals in 2013, at least 3 more than any other player.
Ramires was the 14th player this season to be sent off in the first half.
Frank Lampard has scored 13 PL goals against Aston Villa, his most against any single opponent.
Villa made 36 interceptions – not just a weekend league high (Swansea, Norwich and Everton made 19 each), but more than the combined totals in any PL match this weekend.

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McManaman and Wembley: A golden partnership

2013-05-10T12:10:00Z

Wigan hit Wembley against Manchester City pinning their hopes on a winger whose namesake often excelled at the famous old venue.... Michael Cox investigates using the Stats Zone app

Only one player named McManaman has previously played in a Wembley cup final – but 22-year-old Wigan winger Callum McManaman has a great deal to live up to.

Steve McManaman won just two trophies during his nine-year spell at Liverpool: the 1992 FA Cup and the 1995 League Cup. He always put on a show, however, and was named man of the match in both finals – the first a 2-0 win over Sunderland, the second a 2-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers in which he scored both goals.

The FA Cup final of 1996 passed him by, but he was named in the Team of the Tournament at Euro 96 the next month, having played all five games at Wembley. In the final years of the old stadium, McManaman was one those players who saved his best performances for the big occasions.

Callum McManaman might be no relation, but he shares many qualities with his more famous namesake. They’re both skilful wingers, capable of a trick to get away from a defender, followed by a great surge of speed to get to the ball first.

McManaman wasn’t a regular at Wigan until March, but he’s started every FA Cup match this season – and has scored in the Fifth Round, Sixth Round and Semi-Final, against Huddersfield, Everton and Millwall respectively. “He seems like he's been playing at Wembley many, many times,” said Roberto Martinez after the semi-final: is this another Wembley specialist named McManaman?

The winger hit the headlines for his horrific tackle on Newcastle’s Massaido Haidara in March, but since that incident, he’s had a positive impact on Wigan’s attacking play, providing pace and directness down the right.

Those are important qualities for Wigan’s right-winger. Although their formation has changed between a 3-4-3 and a 4-3-3 in recent weeks, Wigan’s attacking trident plays in the same manner either way. Arouna Kone starts as the centre-forward and makes constant runs into the channels behind the opposition defence, while Scottish playmaker Shaun Maloney drifts inside from the left wing.

McManaman’s job is to stay wider, stretching the play. The difference between the zones he and Maloney receives the ball in is subtle, but crucial to Wigan’s play.

At this stage of his career, McManaman is a classic young, slightly naïve winger. He’s excellent at beating an opponent, but his final ball is frequently underwhelming. His battle against Ben Davies in Wigan’s 3-2 defeat to Swansea was very interesting – he dribbled past the Welsh left-back with a couple of clever tricks, but his crossing never found an opponent.

Wigan attempt to play a passing game, in order to dominate possession and spend the majority of the time in the opposition half. However, when Roberto Martinez’s side find themselves pinned back, McManaman finds it difficult to influence the game when he receives possession inside his own half.

In the recent 2-2 draw against Tottenham, for example, McManaman spent the game defending inside his own third, barely getting a chance to attack. His positional discipline without the ball is questionable, and although he has the skillset to become a good counter-attacking player, for now he thrives when his side are on the front foot.

This weekend, McManaman will be up against Gael Clichy, one of the Premier League’s finest left-backs. The most distinctive part of the Frenchman’s game is his tendency to intercept the ball before it’s played to an opposition winger – anticipating a pass, using his incredible acceleration to intercept the ball, and charging forward on the break.

He tries not to let his opponent get time and space on the ball to pick up speed and dribble past him – and therefore his battle with McManaman will be very exciting. The youngster must position himself intelligently to receive the ball, or he’ll have limited opportunities to take on Clichy.

Wigan are very much underdogs this weekend, but it’s a player like McManaman – young, fearless, and a direct dribbler – who might be their best chance of a rare FA Cup final shock.

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Prem Notes: Learnings from the weekend top-flight games

2013-05-07T08:44:00Z

What Opta and FourFourTwo noticed this weekend via our FREE Stats Zone app, including an off-day for Manchester United and Chelsea, Manchester City passing but forgetting to shoot, Tottenham scoring with their first effort on target and Arsenal being startlingly efficient in front of goal...

Sunderland 1-1 Stoke

Sunderland completed just 237 of 331 passes (71.60%), Stoke 262 of 367 (71.39%). The Black Cats had the weekend's second-lowest attempts and completions, the Potters had the weekend's second-lowest completion percentage; all three categories were 'won' by West Ham, who completed just 194 of 272 passes (71%).
Each team attempted 17 tackles and won 15, with a particular focus on their left-back areas.
Adam Johnson attempted 9 take-ons – a weekend PL high, which Johnson has only topped once this season, with his 12 at Newcastle. However, only one was successful; by contrast, Jon Walters succeeded with 3 of his 4 attempts.

Manchester United 0-1 Chelsea

Chelsea have scored the opening goal in 23 Premier League games this season, more than anyone else (Tottenham have done it 22 times).
No team has gifted their opponents more own goals than Manchester United this season (5).
Ryan Giggs made a game-high 5 tackles. Only v Everton in February (6) has the veteran made more in a single game this season.
Each team only managed 2 shots on target. Chelsea hit more shots off-target than any other team this weekend (10).
Man United won fewer corners than any other team this weekend (2).

Liverpool 0-0 Everton

No one made more tackles in the match than Lucas (6, winning 5). Only Morgan Schneiderlin has made more tackles than the Brazilian this season, despite the Liverpool midfielder playing only 24 games.
No player created more goalscoring chances this weekend than Philippe Coutinho (4).
Under David Moyes, Everton have played 45 away games against the traditional “big four” and are yet to win. They have taken just 18 points from 135 on offer.
There have now been 35 goalless draws in the Premier League this season, more than any of Europe’s top five leagues this season.

Fulham 2-4 Reading

Fulham have suffered Reading's two highest shots-on-target totals in the Premier League this season: 10 at Craven Cottage and 8 at the Madejski.
Hal Robson-Kanu has scored 4 goals in his last 4 away league appearances.
Reading have scored 4 or more goals in a Premier League game on 5 occasions – 4 of them away from home.
The Royals have scored a league-high proportion of 39% of their goals in the final 15 minutes of PL games this season.
Adam Le Fondre's 7 league goals from the bench this season is now a record in a single PL campaign.
Both of Fulham’ goals were assisted by substitutes.

Norwich City 1-2 Aston Villa

Gabriel Agbonlahor has now scored 6 goals in his last 7 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa.
Agbonlahor’s opener was his first from outside the box in the Premier League since September 2009, ending a run of 25 successive league goals from inside the area.
Villa put in only 3 crosses compared to Norwich's 23. (NB the screenshare below includes corners)

Swansea City 0-0 Manchester City

Swansea are renowned for passing and possession but the visitors dominated them in both. The Swans completed 311 of 388 passes (80%) but Roberto Mancini's men, who had 61.9% possession, piled up 560 completed passes out of 640 attempts (88%).
Manchester City completed more passes than the combined efforts of Sunderland and Stoke on Monday night (499). They also completed 162 attacking-third passes – not far short of West Ham's total completed passes (194).
Only against Wigan (2, back in March) have Man City attempted fewer shots on target in a Premier League game this season (3).
Swansea have won only 1 of their 8 league games since winning the Capital One Cup (D3 L4).
The Swans managed 1 shot on target. Only at home to Arsenal (0) have they got fewer attempts on target in a Premier League home game this season.

West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Wigan Athletic

Shane Long has scored in consecutive Premier League appearances for the first time since November and has now equalled his best goal tally in a single PL season (8).
After failing to score in his first 22 Premier League appearances, Wigan’s Callum McManaman has now scored in 2 successive PL games for the club.
Wigan had 5 headed shots in this game and scored with 2 of them.
WBA were the only PL team not to be caught offside this weekend.
Claudio Yacob made 6 tackles, winning possession with all of them.
Emmerson Boyce made 10 interceptions, more than any other player in the Premier League this weekend.

West Ham United 0-0 Newcastle United

Newcastle have won possession of the ball with just 72% of their attempted tackles this season, a league-low.
Newcastle have failed to score in 4 of their last 6 league games. They netted only 2 overall in the other 2 games.
No-one conceded more fouls than Cheik Tiote this weekend (6).
West Ham had the PL weekend's lowest rates of passes attempted (272) and completed (194), and the lowest completion percentage (71.32%).

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Southampton

Before Gareth Bale’s opening goal, Southampton had gone 367 minutes of away football in the top-flight without conceding a goal.
Gareth Bale has scored more goals from outside the box (8) than any other player in the Premier League this season.
Only Teddy Sheringham (21 in 1992-93) has scored more goals in a single PL season for Spurs than Gareth Bale has this season (20).
Spurs had only 4 shots (excluding blocked), fewer than any other side this weekend. This is the lowest total they’ve managed in a PL game this season.
Tottenham played the highest proportion of long passes in the Premier League this weekend (20%).
They also had the lowest dribble success this weekend (21%).

Queens Park Rangers 0-1 Arsenal

QPR have now gone 365 minutes without scoring in the Premier League.
Rangers had more shots (13) than Arsenal (12), but only managed 4 on target to the Gunners' 7. The visitors didn't have a single (unblocked) shot off-target.
Arsenal have netted more goals in Premier League London derbies this season than any other team (22).
Only two sides have won fewer of their first 36 games in a Premier League season than QPR's 4 (Sunderland won 2 in 2005/06 and Derby 1 in 2007/08).
QPR have made 13 errors leading to goal this season; only Arsenal and Wigan (both 14) have made more.

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Meet the third force in German football

2013-05-03T11:43:00Z

FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE Stats Zone app now also covers the top flights in Italy, Spain, France and Germany (as well as English Premier League, Champions League and Europa League). Michael Cox uses it to investigating the next big thing in German football…

It must have been a strange season for fans of Bayer Leverkusen, Germany’s third-placed side. They’ve nearly confirmed their objective for 2012/13 – finishing in the Bundesliga's final automatic Champions League place (they're seven points clear of fourth-placed Schalke) – but with their illustrious rivals Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund qualifying for the Champions League final with brilliant semi-final performances, Leverkusen have hardly received any attention outside Germany. They’re the Michael Collins to Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin – they’ve been there in the background, but won’t receive the fame.

The coaching set-up at Leverkusen is unusual: Sami Hyypia is effectively head coach, but as he doesn’t possess a full coaching licence, Sascha Lewandowski is officially the manager. "The arrangement is not easy for either of us,” admits Hyypia. “We must compromise a lot, which does make it a bit more difficult. I need to discuss things with Sascha first before making a decision.” However, the joint managership hasn’t prove a barrier to success.

Lewandowski and Hyypia: Marriage of convenience

Leverkusen are a completely different side to Bayern and Dortmund – while the two Champions League finalists boast the highest possession statistics in the Bundesliga, Leverkusen aren’t even in the top 10. Of the major clubs in Europe, Hyypia’s side are arguably the purest counter-attackers.

While Leverkusen have considerably less possession than Bayern and Dortmund, they have nearly as many shots – because they’re thrillingly direct in possession, breaking forward immediately at great speed. Indeed, their two main forwards, Stefan Kiessling and Andre Schurrle, are placed first and second in the ‘shots per game’ statistic amongst all the players in the Bundesliga.

Kiessling scores, as Kiessling does

Leverkusen’s main strength is their front three. Classic old-school No.9 Kiessling spearheads the side; the 6ft 3in striker is just one goal behind Robert Lewandowski at the top of the Bundesliga’s scoring charts, but has fallen out of favour with national team manager Jogi Low, with Kiessling saying he doesn’t expect a call-up for World Cup 2014.

There are two major features of Kiessling’s game – his finishing and his aerial power. The recent 5-0 win over Hoffenheim demonstrates how clinical he is in the penalty box, particularly when receiving crosses from wide…

…while the narrow 3-2 defeat against Dortmund showed how many aerial duels he wins – and how often he’s awarded free-kicks when defenders foul him in the air.

Kiessling’s raw aerial threat is complemented nicely by Schurrle’s sheer speed from the flank. The Chelsea target plays an interesting role, not unlike Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid – he stays very high up on the left, not bothering to track the opposition right-back and instead remaining in a position where he can counter-attack quickly.

He’s the main catalyst for Leverkusen’s excellent breaks, and he’s capable of hitting fine long-range shots on the run from distance. The 5-0 win over Hoffenheim was a good example of his style of play…

…while the 3-0 win over Hamburg demonstrated that while Schurrle often beats players, he’s very much a shooter rather than a crosser.

Hyypia’s only dilemma is on the other flank. There, the most exciting option is Sidney Sam, a pacy winger who likes to stay wide and dribble past opponents before shooting from difficult angles – not unlike Schurrle on the left.

But Gonzalo Castro is generally preferred on the right. He’s more of an all-rounder: he initially impressed as an attack-minded full-back, he’s extremely energetic and he makes Leverkusen’s front three more balanced. He stays deeper and gets involved in the centre, although he’s not the most creative player.

Sadly, there is a good chance that at least one of Schurrle and Kiessling will leave this summer. “If the club wants success, then it can't sell all the best players every year,” insists Hyypia. If they stay, Leverkusen could be a real dark horse in next season’s Champions League – although with the Bundesliga now being spoken about as Europe’s strongest league, they may not go unnoticed as the old cliché comes back into play: never write off the Germans.

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How Iniesta lost the game at Bayern – and how he can win it back

2013-05-01T11:27:00Z

STATS ZONE OVER EUROPE: FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app now also covers the top flights in Italy, Spain, France and Germany (as well as England, Champions League and Europa League). Michael Cox uses it to show how Barça need to turn it round against Bayern…

Bayern Munich’s wonderful 4-0 destruction of Barcelona last week was a fantastic example of one strategy overcoming another – Bayern were powerful in their challenges and purposeful with their passing, while they prevented Barcelona from playing the ball forward into the final third.

If there was a single individual battle that summed up the match, it was Javi Martinez against Andres Iniesta. Although Martinez isn’t as positionally solid as Sergio Busquets, as reliable with his distribution as Xavi, or as elusive in the final third as Andres Iniesta, he’s a fine all-rounder. His first job was to nullify Iniesta; his second was to impose his strong, athletic style upon the contest. He was the game’s key player, dominating the midfield zone with a succession of successful tackles and fouls to break up Barcelona’s rhythm.

Iniesta was noticeably affected by Martinez’s strong performance, and drifted extremely deep into positions out of Martinez’s reach, into the zones usually occupied by Busquets and Xavi. This increased his involvement in the game, but not necessarily to Barcelona's advantage.

This season, Iniesta has averaged 69 passes compared to Busquets' 79 and Xavi's 95; at Bayern, Iniesta was Barça’s top passer with 93 attempted passes, compared to 87 from Xavi and only 61 from Busquets, who was successfully marked by Thomas Muller. Iniesta is supposed to be the creative outlet, not simply another short passer, but in Munich he received balls in a similar position to Xavi Hernandez.

In a sense, this was Barcelona’s major problem. Leo Messi was clearly not 100% fit and unable to orchestrate Barcelona’s attacking play from between the lines. The Argentine needed support from Iniesta, and while it can be frustrating to stay high up the pitch receiving little service, Iniesta needed to be patient with his positioning to encourage Busquets and Xavi to play forward passes.

Too frequently he dropped deep, Busquets or Xavi played a short pass to him, but there wasn’t the option for a direct forward pass. In Barcelona’s excellent 4-0 victory over Milan, passes from Busquets to Iniesta were very vertical – last week, Barcelona barely gained five yards from those balls.

In addition to attempting the most passes, Iniesta was also Barcelona’s most reliable passer, with a 96% pass completion rate. For a side that prides themselves upon ball retention, high numbers are generally considered favourable.

But Iniesta’s job isn’t to be Barcelona’s most reliable passer – his job is to be their most incisive passer. Iniesta achieved a 96% completion rate with very ‘safe’ passes in harmless zones of the pitch, and he didn’t create a single chance, or even attempt a ball into the penalty area.

Contrast that with his distribution in that 4-0 victory over Milan – there, he misplaced many more passes, but that was because he repeatedly tried through-balls in behind the defence. Rather than simply adding to the numbers in midfield, he provided the link between midfield and attack, attempting six passes which ended in the opposition area.

Iniesta wasn’t the only problem, of course – Barcelona’s entire passing game was disappointing and they barely created a chance in open play. A fully fit Messi will provide more spark in the final third, while Xavi and Busquets must be more ambitious on the ball.

Iniesta’s role is crucial, however – he must be more prominent high up the pitch if Barcelona have any chance of overturning the 4-0 deficit. Bayern have a number of players at risk of suspension from the final if they incur a yellow card – including defensive midfielders Martinez and Bastian Schweinsteiger plus defenders Philipp Lahm and Dante – but Iniesta must be brave enough to take the battle to them rather than retiring to deep midfield.

Barcelona’s No.8 is rightly considered one of the most gifted attacking midfielders in the game, but his reputation would suffer if he produces another underwhelming performance when his side need him most.

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ANALYSIS Bayern 4-0 Barcelona: The story in Stats Zone
ANALYSIS Dortmund 4-1 Madrid: The story in Stats Zone
ANALYSIS Madrid 2-0 Dortmund: The story in Stats Zone

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Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Dortmund: The story in Stats Zone screens

2013-05-01T09:48:00Z

The Champions League semi-finals have been perfect for Stats Zone, our award-winning FREE analysis app. Here's a sample of the screens that were shared during and after last night's Real Madrid 2-0 Borussia Dortmund game...

Despite late worries, Dortmund survived the onslaught (23 shots, 7 on target vs 9 shots, 3 on target) to reach the final.

Madrid started and finished the game at furious pace, but couldn't keep it going for the full 90 minutes. They had 7 attempts in the first 20 minutes, but none in the next 20.

Indeed, as FourFourTwo.com editor @GaryParkinson screenshared, Madrid only managed 2 shots on target before 80th minute – and 5 after

Neither of the two main strikers had a great night. Robert Lewandowski got 2 of his 5 shots on target, Cristiano Ronaldo 1/6.

Madrid attempted 42 crosses, Dortmund made 66 clearances. These things are not entirely unrelated.

Indeed, it's worth a closer look at Dortmund's defensive stats. They made 37 tackles and 27 interceptions – and 50 of those 66 clearances were in the 2nd half.

Overall, Madrid completed 484 passes to Dortmund's 228.

The teams attempted a similar number of long passes but Madrid were more than twice as accurate. Madrid's were frequently to switch the focus of attack, while Dortmund's were nearly all vertical as they looked to break.

Both teams were careful not to commit fouls in front of their box, as @‪CombinationPla‬y noted. Madrid fouled high up the pitch – away from set-piece problems but also when Dortmund were breaking.

Marco Reus provided an outlet all over the pitch, trying to cover for the early loss of Mario Götze.

And finally, our favourite screen of last night, as discovered by ‪@archiert1‬. The Player Influence screen shows each man's average position and involvement (the busier the player, the larger the text). Remembering that Stats Zone always shows teams attacking from left to right, the Player Influence screen from 80-90 minutes perfectly illustrates Madrid's late, doomed dominance.

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ANALYSIS Dortmund 4-1 Madrid: The story in Stats Zone
ANALYSIS Bayern 4-0 Barcelona: The story in Stats Zone

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Atlético Madrid must get creative if they are to close the gap on Spain's big two

2013-04-30T10:32:00Z

STATS ZONE OVER EUROPE: FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app now also covers the top flights in Italy, Spain, France and Germany (as well as England, Champions League and Europa League). Paul Wilkes - editor of the laligauk.com - uses Stats Zone to assess where third-placed Atletico Madrid must improve...

It was the same old story at the Vicente Calderón, as Real Madrid's hold over city rivals Atlético continued. It's 14 years and 25 matches since Atléti last managed a win over Los Blancos.

In the past they have been accused of bottling it, having a poor mentality and simply not being good enough when coming face-to-face with their considerably richer foes. Even though this time round they were facing Real Madrid's second string, the fixture highlighted another weakness: their lack of creativity.

This season, under Diego Simeone, Atletico have worked hard, been difficult to penetrate and defensively superb. After all, they have conceded the fewest goals in la Liga this season, and only Barcelona have allowed their opponents fewer shots.

In midfield, they fight for every last ball (no surprise, given the playing history of their manager) and inevitably this means they give away a number of free-kicks. At the other end of the pitch, they are the fourth highest scorers in the league, with 58 goals in 33 matches, yet only 28 of those goals have come from open play. No team has scored more set-pieces or penalties in the whole of La Liga.

Striking the right balance between defence and attack is their biggest problem. Simeone's philosophy has centred around making Atlético hard to beat, aggressively pressing the opposition into mistakes and then quickly dropping back into shape and not leaving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois exposed.

As a former Rojiblancos player himself, Simeone knows not only what it means to play for the club, but what the squad needed upon his arrival. An animated personality, he has used his motivational techniques to build a fantastic resilience among his team. They are a functional side, but not without their limitations.

Last season they had Diego Ribas on loan as a No.10 and Arda Turan drifting in from the wing, but the club couldn't afford to make Ribas a permanent purchase, while Turan has missed the last four matches after picking up an injury against Valencia. When they have needed that extra bit of guile in attacking areas, only Koke looks capable of providing it, and that doesn't appear to be his natural game just yet.

Further back, they have your typical holding midfielders – Tiago and Mario Suárez – with Gabi offering more of a box-to-box threat. Yet they have no deep-lying playmaker. Raúl Garcia has made an impact this season, though mainly from the right, scoring five goals, but only Courtois has a lower pass completion rate, showing how wasteful Garcia can be in possession.

They do at least have a hot prospect in the form of Óliver Torres. In the long term he could offer the solution to their creativity problems, either in the midfield or behind the strikers, but the youngster has yet to start a match for the club.

In the Madrid derby, the middle of the park lacked artistry all round. Real Madrid boss José Mourinho paired Sami Khedira with Pepe – effectively two destroyers – as he seemed content with the draw which would have maintained the three-point gap between the two sides in the league. For Diego Simeone, it was the usual midfield partnership of Gabi and Mario Suárez: having not beaten their city rivals since October 1999, it was important that Atlético weren't too open.

Suárez breaks up the play well and Gabi distributes the ball out wide quickly, but after Real Madrid had taken a 2-1 lead against the run of play, Mourinho was able to throw on pass-masters Xabi Alonso and Luka Modrić to run the game. Those players' pricetags put them well out of Atléti's grasp, but they desperately need to identify cheaper alternatives.

With Champions League football practically secured, the team need a variety of options to ensure they can remain competitive both at home and in Europe next season. Arda Turan has hinted that he is considering moving on, but even if he doesn't there's a need to provide him with some assistance. When the team can't simply rely on pace and power, then their choices are inexperienced 18- and 21-year-olds, which isn't likely to be enough to see them make much impact in Europe's eite competition.

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Prem Notes: Every game analysed for pub-ammo factoids

2013-04-29T09:51:00Z

Using the StatsZone app to analyse every Premier League games this weekend – Lamps's first assist, Spurs' late show, Fortune's busy day, silenced Canaries, Peter Crouch being "good in air, bad with his feet", differing efficiencies at Southampton-WBA – and Liverpool's long-awaited larruping...

ARSENAL 1-1 MANCHESTER UNITED

Theo Walcott’s goal after 103 seconds is the fastest in Premier League clashes between Arsenal and Manchester United.
Just as they did against Arsenal at Old Trafford, Manchester United had 5 players booked – the most they've had in a single PL game this season.
United made 26 headed clearances, a weekend PL high.
Laurent Koscielny made 7 interceptions, a weekend PL high.

READING 0-0 QPR

The first shot on target by either side arrived in the 38th minute though Pavel Pogrebnyak.
QPR have now gone 275 minutes (four hours and 35 minutes) without scoring in the Premier League.
Just 7 of the 31 shots attempted (including blocked) were on target in this match.
QPR won just 7 tackles in this game; Lucas won 9 on his own for Liverpool yesterday.\

CHELSEA 2-0 SWANSEA

Frank Lampard has now scored against 38 different Premier League teams, equalling Andy Cole’s record.
Oscar’s opening goal was created by Lampard's first league assist of the season.
Demba Ba had more shots on target (4) than the entire Swansea City team (3)
Swansea players blocked 5 shots from inside the area in this game and made 9 blocks in total.

MAN CITY 2-1 WEST HAM

The Citizens have equalled a club record by scoring in each of their last 48 home league games.
Joe Hart has now made 5 errors leading to goals, a figure only Wigan’s Ali-Habsi can top this season (7). Last season, Hart only made 1.
Samir Nasri, who created 4 chances including 2 goals, has 4 assists in his last 5 league games, while he has either scored or assisted 4 goals in his last 4 games in all competitions.
Yaya Toure made (99) and completed (92) more passes than any other player this weekend.

EVERTON 1-0 FULHAM

Steven Pienaar has now been involved in 11 PL goals this season (6 goals, 5 assists), his best ever return in the division.
Fulham failed to get a single shot on target.
Everton had 21 attempts at goal – 10 from inside the box – but only 4 were on target.
No defender has more PL assists this season than Seamus Coleman (5).
No PL player created more chances this weekend than Leighton Baines (5).

SOUTHAMPTON 0-3 WEST BROM

Southampton vs WBA is the first PL game since Portsmouth v Sunderland in Feb 2010 to see 3 (or more) red cards.
Marc-Antoine Fortuné is the first player since Jan 2007 (Bobby Zamora for West Ham vs Fulham) to score, assist and be sent off in the same PL game.
8 of West Brom’s 10 shots in this game were on target.
By contrast, Southampton got just 3 of their 17 shots on target.
Jay Rodriguez had more shots than any other player in the PL this weekend, though he also hit a weekend-high 4 off-target.

STOKE 1-0 NORWICH

Norwich did not manage a single shot on target in this game – for the third time this season (all three of which have come since March).
Peter Crouch won 22 aerial duels in this game: no Premier League player has made more this season.
On the other hand, Crouch made 23 unsuccessful passes; only two outfielders (both Stoke players) have made more in a single game this season.

WIGAN 2-2 TOTTENHAM

Tottenham have now scored and conceded in 25 of their 34 league games this season, more than any other side.
Before being withdrawn in the 64th minute, Spurs left-back Kyle Naughton completed all 36 of his passes.
Spurs had 16 attempts in all, but 2 of their 3 on-target efforts came in the fifth minute of second-half injury time.

NEWCASTLE 0-6 LIVERPOOL

None of the 38 Premier League games between Newcastle and Liverpool has been goalless; no PL fixture has had more games without a shutout.
For the first time this season, Steven Gerrard did not complete the full 90 minutes. His unbroken run ended at 3133 minutes.
In 10 PL appearances, Philippe Coutinho has 4 assists and 2 goals.
Lucas won 9 tackles: only the third player to do so in the PL this season.
Liverpool scored with 6 of their 9 shots on target. Away at Reading earlier in the month they had 11 shots on target and failed to score.
Despite making the most tackles this weekend (30), Liverpool conceded the fewest fouls (6).

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Why Sunderland's Di Canio effect can't last

2013-04-26T10:18:00Z

STATS ZONE OVER EUROPE: FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app now also covers the top flights in Italy, Spain, France and Germany (as well as England, Champions League and Europa League). Michael Cox uses it to compare Paolo Di Canio's Sunderland to the Martin O'Neill vintage…

Paolo Di Canio’s short stint at Sunderland has followed the expected pattern: controversy, knee-slides and plenty of extravagant hand gestures on the touchline.

And then there’s the results – a change of manager often leads to a sudden burst of good form, but six points from three matches against Chelsea, Newcastle and Everton is a highly impressive return given Sunderland’s form over the course of 2012/13.

There’s something rather clichéd about Di Canio’s tactical instructions so far. Sunderland don’t appear significantly better organised than under Martin O’Neill, nor has Di Canio made any obvious tactical tweaks between games to exploit weaknesses in opponents. Instead, Sunderland’s game has been about energy and commitment – they’re hardly playing great football, but the level of motivation has certainly improved.

Di Canio’s first game was at Stamford Bridge – where he famously scored a long-range effort as West Ham battled relegation ten seasons ago. From the first whistle, his instructions were clear – Sunderland raced out of the traps and closed down high up the pitch, with 20-year-old Connor Wickham used upfront to lead the pressing, and Stephane Sessegnon doing an important job just behind.

Sunderland dominated the first half and deserved their 1-0 lead, but such fierce running was unsustainable, and there was an obvious drop-off in the second half – see the positions of their tackles – as Sunderland eventually lost 2-1.

Nevertheless, a debut defeat at Stamford Bridge wasn’t a disaster, and while Sunderland rode their luck in the 3-0 derby victory over Newcastle in Di Canio’s next game, they continued with the same feisty approach.

The major difference from Martin O’Neill’s reign is Sunderland’s attitude without the ball – under the Ulsterman, they sat incredibly deep and allowed the opposition to dictate the play. They’re still not dominating possession, but opponents aren’t allowed such time on the ball. Compare the number of interceptions from the Newcastle game, with one of O’Neill’s final away matches, at QPR.

With the ball, Sunderland haven’t been playing slick passing football – but there’s a clear determination to get forward as quickly as possible. With heavy pressing and direct attacking from a side playing in red and white striped shirts, there’s almost a hint of Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao in the way Sunderland have been attacking.

The Black Cats’ pass completion rate has been extremely low in their victories over Newcastle and Everton, at 64% and 67% respectively, a poor figure considering they’ve averaged 76.5% over the course of the campaign.

Similarly, their share of possession has been just 34% and 36% in those two matches. Di Canio won’t be too concerned about that, seemingly willing for his players to concede possession as a consequence of their attempt to break directly. A good number of Sunderland’s passes are played forward – although almost 50% of these are unsuccessful.

Sunderland aren’t actually creating many clear-cut goalscoring opportunities, but they’re not necessarily trying to. Under O’Neill, Sunderland seemed desperate to cross the ball towards Steven Fletcher waiting on the penalty spot - but the approach became predictable, and as opponents guarded against the wing play, Sunderland had few other options.

O’Neill also said he wanted more goals from long-range - Craig Gardner was one player accused of not scoring enough – but under Di Canio, Sunderland have relied upon long-distance shots. In the wins over Newcastle and Everton - in the absence of the injured Fletcher - there’s been an emphasis on shooting from outside the box, with all four goals hit from similar range.

It’s worked brilliantly so far, but Di Canio’s approach is unsustainable in the long run. Players can’t close down incessantly for 38 games a season, nor can they allow opponents to dominate matches every week. It’s also unlikely that Sunderland will continue thumping in so many shots from unlikely goalscoring positions.

Di Canio is the perfect man to give Sunderland a sudden shot in the arm, but probably not the man to build a dynasty at the club. In all, it’s exactly as you’d have guessed from his fiery personality.

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Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Real Madrid: The story in Stats Zone screens

2013-04-25T08:28:00Z

The two stunning Champions League semi-finals have been perfect for Stats Zone, our award-winning FREE analysis app. Here's a sample of the screens that were shared during and immediately after last night's Borussia Dortmund 4-1 Real Madrid game...

Tale of two strikers: Dortmund's Robert Lewandowski had 6 shots, of which 5 were on target and 4 were goals; Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo had 5 shots, 3 on target, 1 goal.

Much of the pre-match talk was about Dortmund's Mario Götze, who will move to Bayern Munich this summer. The attacking midfielder didn't lose focus, assisting one of Lewandowski's goals and completing 43 of his 50 passes (including 18 of his 24 in the final third - meaning he completed more final-third passes than any other player).

Behind Götze in central midfield, Ilkay Gündogan was also incredibly effective, with the highest number of completed passes (49, from 56), 3 "take-ons" or dribbles (all successful) - plus 2 interceptions and 4 successful tackles. He also received the ball in a variety of places: as @JamesArsenal1 tweeted, he was "absolutely everywhere."

But Dortmund are, above all, a team, with defined roles. Examining the attacking-third passes, @marktheroberts noted how Dortmund threatened in wide areas to avoid Madrid's defensive screen of Sami Khedira and Xabi Alonso, with Götze doubling up to help attack Madrid's full-backs.

Over the two semi-final first legs, the La Liga teams attempted 1,132 passes and completed 970; the Bundesliga boys completed 569 of 705.

However, despite completing far fewer passes the German teams got 28 shots away (14 on target - 7 each – and 8 goals), while their visitors could only muster 13 (5 on target, 1 goal).

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ANALYSIS Bayern 4-0 Barcelona: The story in Stats Zone

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Bayern 4-0 Barcelona: The story in Stats Zone screens

2013-04-24T08:03:00Z

Last night's stunning Bayern 4-0 Barcelona game was perfect for Stats Zone, our award-winning FREE analysis app. Here's a sample of the screens that were shared during and immediately after the game...

Within the first 15 minutes, the pattern was set. As @StatsZone tweeted, "FC Bayern München with the only shot on target, largely restricting Barcelona to midfield".

A minute later, @eeradd shared the Player Influence screen to note that "Piqué is the most influential player in the game. Shows how intense Bayern pressure is".

By 27 minutes, @CareFreeChronic said that "If you can limit Lionel Messi to this, half the battle's already won".

On 35 minutes, FourFourTwo contributor @JamesHorncastle shared a screen showing the different places Thomas Müller had received the ball: "They seek him here. They seek him there"...

At half-time, @StatsZone tweeted that "Barcelona yet to have an attempt on target"...

…that Messi was "Messi yet to make an impact and hasn't received a single pass in the final third"…

…and "Bayern defending well centrally particularly in Messi's favoured inside right area".

On the other hand, FourFourTwo.com editor @GaryParkinson noted "Attacking-third passes led by Iniesta and Robben (no, really)".

By 63 minutes, Bayern had doubled their lead and their defensive midfielders were catching the eye: "Martínez & Schweinsteiger tackling tigerishly"...

…if sometimes stepping over the line: by 76 minutes (and 3-0!) it was "Martínez 6 fouls, Schweinsteiger 3".

On 83 minutes, @DanSales8 noted that "Barcelona have created as many chances as Munich have goals":

At full-time, shares were split between highlighting Barça's woe and Bayern's excellence. @StatsZone noted that Schweinsteiger and Martínez were "the wall Barça's midfield couldn't penetrate":

…and that "Barcelona only had one shot on target, Bayern typically ruthless (4 goals from 7 shots on target)".

The tackle distribution showed where both sides were trying to attack – Barça centrally, Bayern down the wings:

Bayern's Dutch winger played against stereotype, completing 22 of his 26 passes and getting stuck in for his team. As @Gary Parkinson asked, "Who are you, and what have you done with Arjen Robben?"

@przypadek40 found it "interesting" to compare where Müller and Messi received the ball, contrasting Barça's choked claustrophobia with Bayern's expansive running

Indeed, @StatsZone compared Messi's game to his performance against Milan: "A shadow of himself?"

Last word to @GaryParkinson, who compared the tackles and aerial duels to summarise: "Barcelona defence – good on the deck, but they don't like it upstairs".

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Bayern-bound Götze still key to Dortmund exploiting Madrid's weak spot

2013-04-24T07:30:00Z

STATS ZONE OVER EUROPE: FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app now also covers the top flights in Italy, Spain, France and Germany (as well as England, Champions League and Europa League). Michael Cox uses it to help demostrate how Dortmund can attack Real Madrid's weak link…

The shock news of Mario Götze’s imminent transfer to Bayern Munich was a disastrous way for Borussia Dortmund to prepare for Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final first leg against Real Madrid. Götze was clearly crucial to Dortmund’s plans for the next couple of seasons – and he was also pivotal in Dortmund’s 2-1 victory over Real earlier in the season.

Real went into that match with an injury crisis at left-back. They arguably have better options there than any other club in Europe, with Fabio Coentrao and Marcelo both excellent at bombing down the touchline to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to cut inside, and Alvaro Arbeloa capable of switching sides to provide a solid defensive presence. However, all three were unavailable for Real’s previous trip to the Westfalenstadion, so Michael Essien was forced to deputise at left-back.

That was far from an ideal situation – Jose Mourinho has happily played Essien at right-back, both for Chelsea and Real, but on his weaker side Essien performed poorly. One of his major problems, as it happens, was Ronaldo – he stayed extremely high up the pitch and offered little defensive support.

Jurgen Klopp clearly instructed Dortmund to target Essien. Throughout the game, it was obvious how many of Dortmund’s attacks were flowing down the right.

Marco Reus started on the flank and Götze in the middle, but they interchanged position and both drifted to the flank, overloading Essien. Götze was the key part of the side – he was involved in Dortmund’s most frequent two passing combinations, knocking the ball back to Lukasz Piszczek, or playing the ball to Reus.

The forward charges from right-back Piszczek were also invaluable – he was brave with his positioning, confident that the centre-back pairing of Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels would be able to cope with Ronaldo on the break. Sometimes, Essien was forced to defend against Götze, Reus and Piszczek all in his zone at the same time.

Of course, Essien won’t play at left-back tonight. He’s unavailable through injury. Marcelo is also out, while Arbeloa is suspended, which means Coentrao will play behind Ronaldo.

The Portuguese left-back is far from a weak link, of course, but he hasn’t started for Real since the 3-2 defeat away to Galatasaray, when Real threatened to throw away a considerable first leg advantage in a nervy period midway through the second half.

Real’s problem in that game was, once again, at left-back. With Ronaldo staying high up the pitch, Emmanuel Eboue charged forward to overload Coentrao, and the majority of Galatasaray’s chances came from that flank. The best chance they squandered – Wesley Sneijder’s inexplicable miss from eight yards – came after Coentrao panicked and blindly cleared the ball across his own area, straight to the Dutchman.

Galatasaray caused particular problems when coach Fatih Terim introduced Sabri Sarioglu down the right in the second half – he’s primarily a right-back, but he’s a clever dribbler and teamed up well with Eboue. Both consistently received possession in the opposition half, and combined effectively in the space between Ronaldo and Coentrao.

The situation was so problematic that Mourinho ended up taking Ronaldo away from the left flank, instead using the more defensively aware Angel di Maria for the final 20 minutes. Real’s lucky break came when Eboue was forced off injured, however – Galatasaray didn’t have an appropriate replacement having already used their substitute right-back, and Real eventually scored the tie’s final goal.

On the basis of those two matches – Real’s previous trip to Dortmund, and their previous Champions League match – their weakness is at left-back. Klopp is an intelligent, studious coach that will have noticed Real’s problems against Galatasaray, as well as against his own side. Coentrao is set for a big test, and Ronaldo must ensure his ruthlessness on the break compensates for his lack of defensive work.

Getafe's loan rangers shore up defence and show up a new breed of borrowers

2013-04-23T13:19:00Z

FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app Stats Zone now covers seven top European competitions including La Liga. Paul Wilkes – editor of laligauk.com – analyses the impact of Getafe's borrowed boys...

Given Spain's economic problems, the huge amounts of debt on many la Liga clubs and the unbalanced nature of Spanish football's TV deals, it's unsurprising that loan signings are an increasingly important part of the transfer market.

In recent times, what constitutes a stereotypical loanee has changed. In the past, loanees had usually been promising youngsters given tastes of first-team footballers or experienced campaigners adding strength in depth – but now two other scenarios are increasingly common.

Firstly, wealthy clubs such as Manchester City have been stockpiling more high-fee, high-wage players than they could possibly give regular games to; in the past no club would have dreamed of loaning out a £25m player, like City did with Emmanuel Adebayor.

Then there's the final category: a player who can't settle in a country. Whether it's cultural differences or struggling to adapt to a specific club, the loan system offers them the chance to either return home or move somewhere more suitable.

The loan market is essential for clubs with limited resources – like Getafe, whose manager Luis Garcia uses it well. Last year he brought in former players Pedro León and Alexis, who were struggling for game time at bigger clubs Real Madrid and Sevilla. Also incoming was talented youngster Paco Alcácer; having played just three times for Valencia, he has featured 18 times to date for Getafe, scoring three goals.

However, in January Garcia made arguably his best loan acquisitions: defenders Federico Fernández and Sergio Escudero. At the ages of 24 and 23 respectively, they are perfect representations of the last example of modern-day loan signings.

Fernández (left) and Escudero: Thriving on borrowed time

Argentine centre-back Fernández signed for Napoli from Estudiantes in December 2010, but work permit problems prevented him from moving to Italy until the following summer – and despite Walter Mazzarri's side using a back three, Fernández has found his appearances limited.

His unquestioned ability is shown by his 11 caps, the most recent being in February's 3-2 win against Sweden. But if Fernández has struggled in Naples, he has excelled since moving to a Spanish-speaking country and playing regularly.

Tall, strong and good in the air, Fernández has averaged more blocked shots and clearances than any other Getafe player. During their run of five consecutive clean sheets, he was the only ever-present among the back four and goalkeeper, due to injuries and suspensions.

He coped admirably earlier this month against the movement of Atlético Madrid's Radamel Falcao and Diego Costa, showing how comfortable he is in wider areas when strikers drag him over to the wings. And against Espanyol on Sunday, despite his 72nd-minute red card he attempted 13 clearances; the next most prolific was Juan Valera, who tried just four.

Sergio Escudero is another example of a foreign import whose face doesn't fit. The former Murcia left-back was on Schalke's Spanish shopping list in summer 2010, along with Raúl and José Manuel Jurado.

His previous time in Spain was spent in the Segunda division with Murcia. When Raúl departed in summer 2012, Jurado was loaned to Spartak Moscow for the season and Escudero sidelined: he hasn't played a single minute of German football this campaign. With Schalke now on their third manager since Felix Magath, who had signed the Spanish trio, Escudero's January switch to Madrid made perfect sense.

A mobile full-back, Escudero reads the game superbly, timing his challenges and dribbling the ball up the left to offer support to his midfielders. He tops the list of average interceptions for his club, whilst no player in the whole of La Liga makes more tackles per game.

Against Real Betis, he won 9 out of 10 tackles – some performance, when you factor Betis scored eight in their next two games after that shut-out. His tackles against Athletic display how high he was pressing up the pitch, as two of his three successful tackles came close to the opposing area.

Neither of Getafe's January loanees is a particularly astute passer, but they certainly shore up a leaky defence. Before they arrived, Getafe had the league's fifth-worst defence, conceding 35 goals in 21 matches; since then they have conceded just 12 goals in 11 games where at least one of the two have been in the pitch, the eighth best defensive record within that period.

When you consider six of those 12 goals were against Barcelona (a match Fernández missed), it shows the considerable improvement they have made as individuals. As a collective the results are even better: in the five matches both players have started together in the back four, Getafe have let in only two goals. With Escudero currently out injured and Fernández about to serve a suspension for his red card against Espanyol, Garcia should have serious concerns over his defence for this weekend's game with Málaga.

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Prem Notes: Old boy bosses Chelsea, Ramsey beats Fulham, QPR-Stoke sets new low

2013-04-22T09:39:00Z

STATS ZONE OVER EUROPE: FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app now also covers Europe's top five leagues – Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and the Premier League (as well as the Champions League and Europa League).

Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Manchester City

60% of the passes that Manchester City attempted in this game were in the middle third of the pitch, the highest ratio of any side this weekend.
Spurs achieved a passing accuracy of 98% in their defensive third in this game, the best rate across all games this weekend.

Liverpool 2-2 Chelsea

Juan Mata has now assisted 12 goals this season, 2 more than any other player (Arsenal's Theo Walcott has 10).
Chelsea have scored more headed goals than any other Premier League team this season (15).
Luis Suarez had a game-high 6 shots, 5 on target; Oscar had 5 but only 2 were on target.
Liverpool's main passer in the final third, in terms of passes attempted (24) and completed (19), was Glen Johnson.
Suarez attempted a game-high 12 dribbles, completing 3.

Fulham 0-1 Arsenal

Arsenal have been given 5 red cards in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.
Aaron Ramsey had 149 touches in this game, the second-highest PL total this season (Paul Scholes had 160 v Spurs).
Of his 129 passes, Ramsey completed 114 – more than the combined efforts of seven Fulham starters.

Norwich City 2-1 Reading 

Garath McCleary’s 72nd-minute goal was Reading's first shot on target. Thereafter, the Royals mustered another 6 attempts, but only 1 on target, while Norwich managed just 1 attempt (compared to 19 before the visitors' goal).
Reading didn’t make a substitution in this match: they are only the third team not to do so in the Premier League this season.

QPR 0-2 Stoke City

Peter Crouch’s goal was only the 2nd first half goal that Stoke have scored in their last 14 Premier League games.
Stoke have scored this season's highest percentage of goals from set pieces (57%).
This was the first PL game this season in which neither side completed 200 passes.
The sides' overall pass completion was below 70%.

Sunderland 1-0 Everton

In his last 8 eight PL appearances, Stéphane Sessegnon has scored (4) or assisted (1) 5 goals – as many as he had managed in his previous 26 games this term (3 goals, 2 assists).
Everton were the only PL side not to attempt a shot from outside the box this weekend.
As in last week's win at Newcastle, Sunderland were heavily out-passed (166 of 247 passes completed to Everton's 333 of 428) – but got more shots on target (4 to 2).

Swansea City 0-0 Southampton

Southampton made 36 interceptions – their most this season and a weekend PL high (joint 4th-highest this season).
Swansea attempted 25 crosses from open play in this game – a weekend high; only once this season (26 v Spurs) have they made more.

West Bromwich Albion 1-1 Newcastle United 

In 3 PL games against West Brom, Papiss Demba Cissé has scored 3 and assisted 2.
Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa won all 7 tackles he attempted. No player has won more and maintained a 100% success rate in a PL game this season.

West Ham United 2-0 Wigan Athletic 

In his last 5 PL games Andy Carroll has been involved in 5 goals (3 goals, 2 assists).
Gary O’Neil (25/25) and Mohamed Diame (20/20) both completed 100% of their passes in this game.
Wigan had 63.3% possession and completed 399 passes to West Ham's 209, but their ball retention wasn't noticeably better (83% pass completion to the Hammers' 78%).

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Europe's most prolific crossers revealed - does this prove crossing is inefficient?

2013-04-19T10:56:00Z

STATS ZONE OVER EUROPE: FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app now also covers Europe's top five leagues - Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and the Premier League (as well as the Champions League and Europa League). Michael Cox uses the app to reveal Europe's five most prolific crossers...

While European football is currently going through an extended period of attacking play, the concept of crossing has never been so unpopular. As recently as the mid 90s, the top Premier League sides depended on two out-and-out wingers, combined with a traditional strike duo upfront, and concentrated primarily on getting the ball wide, then whipping it into the centre.

Statistical analysis generally reveals that crossing is an inefficient method of attacking – only around 20% of crosses successfully find a teammate, and it’s rare for a side to score a significant proportion of their goals from this route.

Indeed, the recent obsession with ball retention has significantly changed sides’ purpose in possession. More sides attempt to penetrate defences with through-balls in behind the opposition, basing their attacking play around passing triangles and neat combinations in the final third.

"Hey, I remember you..."

Therefore, it’s interesting to see which players from across Europe’s five major leagues – now all available on StatsZone – are still effective at whipping the ball into the box, either from open play or set-pieces. Here’s a run-down of the top five, based on the number of completed crosses per game.

Europe’s fifth-most prolific crosser is Fiorentina captain Manuel Pasqual. A steady, consistent player and one of the few survivors from the Cesare Prandelli era, Pasqual has either played as a wing-back in a 3-5-2, or more recently a standard left-back in a 4-3-3 formation.

Fiorentina play an impressive brand of short passing football, and Pasqual is the player who keeps width as others focus on dominating the centre of the pitch. Despite being a No.9 himself, manager Vincenzo Montella doesn’t always deploy one, with Luca Toni more regularly a supersub – so it's surprising Pasqual crosses so frequently. However, Fiorentina have become renowned for their set-pieces – they even have a coach, Gianni Vio, who works specially on attacking set-pieces. That’s the main reason for Pasqual completing 2.6 crosses per game.

In fourth place is Peruvian Jefferson Farfan, a very different footballer to Pasqual. Staying high up in his right-wing role, Farfan is an old-school winger who takes on opponents and whips the ball in regularly, if not always accurately. Schalke’s best performances – such as their recent 2-1 win over defending champions Borussia Dortmund – tend to come when they focus on attacking down that side, with Atsuto Uchida providing reliable support from right-back.

Farfan’s best game of 2012/13 was actually his first of the season – a 3-1 win over Augsburg in which he created all three goals. He averages 2.6 completed crosses per game.

Leighton Baines is in third position. In an Everton side that use both an old-fashioned No.9 – either Nikica Jelavic or Victor Anichebe – with aerial support coming from Marouane Fellaini in a deeper position, a large part of Everton’s game is about crossing. With Steven Pienaar moving inside from left midfield to allow Baines to overlap, the England left-back has created the most chances in the Premier League this season.
As such a key part of Everton’s attack, Baines often neglects his defensive duties – but he compensates for that with a succession of dangerous deliveries, including a number from dead ball situations. He completes 2.8 crosses per game.

In second place is a surprise name: Nicky Shorey, with 2.9 crosses per game. He came to prominence in the same season as Baines – 2005/06, when both had been promoted from the Championship with Reading and Wigan respectively. While Baines has since thrived at Everton and established himself in the England squad, Shorey is back with Reading after a mixed spell at Aston Villa, and is on course for relegation this season.
His impressive crossing statistics are almost solely down to his ability from set-pieces. This was most obvious in Reading’s 4-3 defeat to Manchester United in December – two of his assists were identical, from inswinging, right-wing corners.

The most prolific crosser in Europe is the only one of these five yet to become a full international – Yohan Mollo. The Saint-Etienne left-winger has had a peculiar season – he started 2012/13 at Nancy, scoring a stoppage time free-kick winner in the 1-0 win over Brest in the first round of the campaign. However, that proved to be Nancy’s only victory before Christmas, and Mollo was allowed to leave on loan in January, moving up the table to Saint-Etienne.

There, it’s been a completely different experience – his new club haven’t lost since Christmas, and Mollo has continued to pump a succession of crosses into the box, despite starting from the left as a right-footed player.

At Nancy he successfully cross 3.4 times per match despite receiving the ball frequently in deep positions – which makes him the most prolific deliverer from wide areas in Europe's top five leagues.

Still, considering all these statistics are largely influence by set-pieces, when Europe’s ‘best’ crossers successfully find a teammate only three times per match, you can understand why so few clubs play that way.

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Why it's Thiago, not Fàbregas, who should replace Xavi and Iniesta

2013-04-16T11:59:00Z

STATS ZONE OVER EUROPE: FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app now also covers the top flights in Italy, Spain, France and Germany (as well as England, Champions League and Europa League). Paul Wilkes - editor of the laligauk.com - uses Stats Zone to help compare two players aiming to one day replace Barcelona's legendary creative duo...

When Cesc Fàbregas returned home to Barcelona in August 2011, many questioned how he hoped to force his way into the world's best midfield and whether he would simply gather splinters on the Camp Nou bench. But Pep Guardiola and director of football Andoni Zubizarreta were thinking of the bigger picture.

At that time Xavi was 31, Andrés Iniesta 27 and youngster Thiago Alcântara just 20. At the age of 24, Fàbregas was the missing generation, as the two star creators grew older he was perfectly positioned to take over the mantel. He was signed as he knew the club and its unique philosophy, while also offering something different.

Guardiola changed the formation to 3-4-3, with the four midfielders operating as a diamond and Fàbregas at the foremost tip. To begin with, it was a resounding success for Fabregas, as he netted five goals in as many starts, before picking up an injury on international duty. Between his return in late October and the end of the year, he completed a full 90 minutes of league football just twice, as it became apparent Guardiola was unhappy with his tactical positioning. Fàbregas was told he needed to work on the timing of his runs into the opposition box.

At Arsenal, he was used to a little more freedom, with Arsene Wenger happy for his advanced playmakers to roam into pockets of space ready to exploit teams on the counter. At Barcelona his correlation with teammates has generally been good due to the relationships built as a youngster, but he has suffered from years of playing out of the specific structure.

Against Granada earlier this season, Fàbregas played alongside Thiago, with Sergio Busquets at the base. This was perhaps a glimpse of what the midfield will look like in the future. What was apparent was the all-round nature of Thiago's game in comparison to Fàbregas in the same role. The Brazilian-born youngster completed more dribbles past an opponent and more tackles, his six interceptions illustrated his assured positioning within the formation. Conversely, Fàbregas made none.

Despite being the less experienced player, Thiago completed more passes than the man who provided the assist for Spain's World Cup winning goal. Four of the top passing combinations involved Thiago - with passes from the young maestro to Busquets and Lionel Messi the top two, operating as the link in transitions.

Yet the former Arsenal man was way ahead on chance creation, with five to Thiago's one, giving further evidence that when given the license to neglect his defensive duties his attacking thrust thrives.

This weekend against Real Zaragoza, Thiago excelled once more, filling the gap left by Iniesta. His goal showed his clever runs from the second line, while his assist for the second goal displayed the understanding of those making the runs around him as he combined with Cristian Tello.

In Thiago, Barça not only have a player who grew up within the system, but one who knows no other way. There's no confusion as nature takes over from nurture, his discipline within the style is ingrained. He has the passing ability of Xavi and the movement and industry of Iniesta; stylistically he is something of a hybrid between the two legends. That's not to say he is as a good as either or that his progression will be of the same level, but his attributes are better suited to the midfield trident than those of Fàbregas at present.

Luckily for Cesc, he has found solace as the understudy to Messi in the 'false 9' role, as his recent hat-trick against Real Mallorca demonstrated, but he can't hope that his life-long friend and the World's best player picks up more injuries. As he showed against Rayo Vallecano, he can play in the midfield three, but he needs consistency. He is still adapting and re-training his mind to the ethos, though under Tito Vilanova the team is a little more direct and has lost some of its control, which certainly benefits Fàbregas should Pep Guardiola's former No.2 remain at the helm.

Perhaps as a partnership they provide the balance, but as a direct replacement for either Xavi or Iniesta, it's Thiago that currently fits the bill.

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Stats Zone in Europe: Things we noticed this weekend

2013-04-15T15:18:00Z

Our FREE Stats Zone app now covers the top flights in France, Germany, Italy and Spain. Ryan O'Donovan and Gary Parkinson whizz around the continent...

If you're good enough, you're young enough – ask Juan Carlos Valeron. The Deportivo la Coruña midfielder turns 38 in June but he inspired his side to a 4-0 romp at Levante. Depor had beaten three relegation rivals on the bounce before demolishing midtable Levante, with Valeron opening the scoring and topping the lists for passes (78 completed out of 88), attacking-third passes (27 out of 31), aerial duels (7) and chances created (4, including an assist for Bruno Gama… in the 92nd minute).

Valencia's Ever Banega deserved better on Saturday. The Argentinian No.10 created 7 chances in the 3-3 thriller at Espanyol, including Sergio Canales' opener and Roberto Soldado's 91st-minute goal which was equalised two minutes later by Sergio Garcia. Banega also contributed the most take-ons (8, completing 3) and attacking-third passes (20 completed out of 26)

Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich were ruthlessly dominant against FC Nurnburg, completing 469 passes, with 77 of them coming from Rafinha (out of 80 – a 96% success rate). The right-back also completed 17 of his 18 attacking-third passes, and scored with his only shot.

Franck Ribery tormented Nurnburg, attempting 10 take-ons (5 completed) completing 25 passes in the attacking third and creating six chances, although only one was converted.

The Bundesliga's bottom club Greuther Fürth had an encouraging second half against Borussia Dortmund. After the break outshot the Champions League semi-finalists 6 to 3, and scored a great team goal through Edgar Prib. Sadly, Dortmund had already piled in five unanswered first-half goals…

Over in Serie A, third-placed Milan couldn't beat second-placed Napoli at home – but it wasn't for lack of effort from right-back Ignazio Abate. The road-runner clocked up an unbeaten 49 passes out of 60, including 18 out of 26 (both match highs) in the Napoli third. He also topped the tackle charts with 5, of which he won 4.

Udinese's Luis Muriel had a busy day at Parma. The Colombian striker scored two first-half goals (either side of a booking for a dive) and was successful in 7 of the 11 take-ons he attempted. Despite receiving the ball 27 times he only completed 9 passes, although one set up a goalscoring chance.

Ligue 1 leaders PSG laboured to a 1-0 win at bottom-placed Troyes, who registered more shots on target than the Champions League quarter-finalists. Home centre-back Florian Jarjat led the lists for tackles (5 won out of 6), interceptions (4), clearances (8 completed out of 10) – and fouls committed (3) – to repel Lucas Moura etc al.

Cheick Diabaté scored his fifth goal in 10 games as Bordeaux beat Montpellier 4-2. The 6ft 4in Mali centre-forward – who scored two Europa League goals against Newcastle in December – racked up 6 shots on the Montpellier goal and won 8 out of his 11 aerial duels. The 24-year-old completed 19 of 26 passes, although he only completed 1 of 7 in the Montpellier third.

Nice moved into fifth – and only four points behind second-placed Marseille – with a comprehensive 3-0 win over drop-dodging Sochaux. Former Middlesbrough player Didier Digard scored the killer second and ran the midfield, completing 70 out of 83 passes, included 12 completed in Sochaux's third.

How Napoli's Marek Hamsik became Serie A's most prolific goal-maker

2013-04-12T10:27:00Z

STATS ZONE OVER EUROPE: FourFourTwo's award-winning FREE app now also covers the top flights in Italy, Spain, France and Germany (as well as England, Champions League and Europa League). A delighted Michael Cox packs his suitcase and chalkboard and heads for Naples…

In the last couple of years, there has been a mass departure of number tens from Serie A. Whereas Wesley Sneijder, Diego, Javier Pastore and Francesco Totti all played as classic playmakers during the 2009/10 season, the first three have departed, with Totti forced to adapt to Zdenak Zeman’s distinctive 4-3-3 formation for much of the campaign.

While Totti has continued to provide great creativity from a left-sided role, Serie A is now more fixated with powerful runners in the playmaking position. Kevin-Prince Boateng’s surprise success with Milan cleared the way for the likes of Michael Bradley (Roma) and Fredy Guarin (Inter) to be used as their side’s most advanced midfielder.

For creativity, Italian clubs now depend more on deep-lying playmakers. Andrea Pirlo has been performing tremendously in that role for over a decade now, while the likes of David Pizarro and Riccardo Montolivo have been amongst Serie A’s most impressive performers this campaign.

So who is Serie A’s most prolific assister? This has been an interesting race this season, contested by four very different types of player. Napoli’s Marek Hamsik is a driving midfielder who often appears more about energy than incision, Totti has spent much of the season out on the left, Antonio Cassano has generally played as a ‘second punta’ – just off the main forward – for Inter, while Fiorentina’s Borja Valero shuttles forward from the left of midfield in a side based around ball retention.

It’s Hamsik who leads the way, collecting an assist in each of Napoli’s last two games – a 5-3 win at Torino, then last weekend’s 2-0 defeat of Genoa. He’s created 13 goals in 2012/13 – three clear of Totti, and four ahead of Cassano and Valero.

Hamsik may not be a natural No.10, but he’s become a more creative player because he’s been fielded more consistently in a central role. Previously, Walter Mazzarri often used Hamsik on the right flank, moving inside into playmaking positions – now, he’s at the heart of the action. He’s matured as a playmaker and has become more reliable in possession, and enjoys seeing plenty of the ball in central positions.

The 5-3 win over Torino demonstrated how often he received short passes inside the centre circle. It also shows that he’s still not an overly incisive player in the final third, but because he receives possession so often in dangerous zones, he eventually finds a clever pass.

Hamsik is also intelligent in the way he spreads play from flank to flank. Napoli’s gameplan for the past few years has been based around speedy wing-backs - by distributing the ball calmly out to Juan Zuniga and Christian Maggio, the Slovakian gets Napoli into crossing situations, before charging into the box himself.

However, while Hamsik was once compared to Frank Lampard because of his ability to break forward from midfield to find the net, he’s found goalscoring tough in recent weeks. Having netted nine in his first 23 Serie A games this season, he’s now gone eight matches without scoring – and also missed a penalty against Torino.

He’s not shying away from taking shots – as his recent performance against Atalanta shows – but it’s the first time in three years that Hamsik has made eight consecutive Serie A starts without finding the net.

Last week’s performance against Napoli was a good example of Hamsik’s current playing style – most of his passes played from deep positions, relatively few in the final third, a couple of unsuccessful longer passes, and an assist for Blerim Dzemaili having made the correct decision on the break. He also repeatedly tried to dribble past opponents, nearly scoring a wondergoal – only the finish let him down.

Hamsik’s game has changed significantly in the past 18 months – whereas he was once about energy and goalscoring, now he’s Serie A’s most prolific provider of assists, but isn’t finding the net himself. If Hamsik can consistently return to the form he showed earlier in the season, when he contributed in both areas, he’ll rightly be regarded as one of Europe’s best attacking midfielders.

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Mandzukic's versatility the key to helping Bayern quell Juventus threat

2013-04-10T11:15:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE and featuring data from the UEFA Champions League – to run the rule over Bayern's Croatian striker...

Tactically, we’re experiencing the era of universality – players are expected to perform tasks previously only demanded of teammates in very different positions. The best modern football sides start their attacks from the back, and begin their defending from the front – Barcelona have taken that concept to new heights, but Bayern Munich are arguably the best exponents of this in the 2012/13 season.

Bayern’s tie with Juventus was supposed to be the closest of the round – instead, Bayern were utterly dominant in the first leg, and take a 2-0 lead to Turin this evening. The midfield performances of Luiz Gustavo and Bastian Schweinsteiger were highly impressive, but the starkest contrast between the two sides was upfront: whereas Antonio Conte surprisingly selected a combination of Alessandro Matri and Fabio Quagliarella, who were both removed early in the second half, Bayern deployed a lone striker, Mario Mandzukic.

The Croatian has been the revelation of the European season, evolving from a decent goalscorer at Wolfsburg to a prolific all-rounder at Bayern Munich. This is where the ‘universality’ aspect comes in. In the first leg, Mandzukic was the standout player by doing almost everything…apart from a striker’s traditional job, scoring goals.

Mandzukic’s display was particularly impressive because he was used on his own against a back three. Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini are three of the competition’s best centre-backs, but Mandzukic was happy to work all three simultaneously. He particularly enjoyed drifting right to receive long passes, battling Chiellini in the air – and his mobility was underlined by the way he received possession in a variety of lateral positions across the pitch.

He was also involved in a succession of aerial battles, which resulted in an extremely high number of fouls given to either side:

But Mandzukic’s true value was predominantly in his work without the ball. As Juventus tried to build from the back, Mandzukic led the pressing. He often received support from the three attacking midfielders – Thomas Muller, Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery – but sometimes he was fighting on his own, forcing Juve’s back three (and Gianluigi Buffon) into a succession of poor passes. As the Italian champions conceded possession cheaply inside their own half the newly crowned German champions piled on the pressure.

Equally impressively, when Juventus did manage to play out into midfield, Mandzukic got himself back into a deep position, keeping Bayern compact. If the ball was returned to the back three, they found it difficult to play through midfield again – and Andrea Pirlo had particular problems. Muller and Mandzukic both pressed him, forcing the playmaker into his worst pass completion rate of his Juve career. Replacing his defensive performance from Bayern’s 3-1 win at Arsenal, Mandzukic made tackles and interceptions close to the halfway line.

Then, there was Mandzukic’s impact in the box. However, the Croatian was actually more useful in front of his own goal, clearing crosses at the near post, than when trying to beat Buffon – none of his three attempts caused significant problems.

Mandzukic will play the same role tonight, and while Juve must be alert to his goalscoring threat, their primary concern will be working the ball past him from defence. A great deal of Juventus’ passing depends on the back three and Pirlo – if they’re unable to enjoy freedom throughout the second leg, Bayern will surely progress to the semi-finals.

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE in-play. Stats Zone is brought to you in association with Coral. Plus – get the Europa League Stats Zone, also free!

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Stats Zone: Now covering Spain, Italy, France, Germany...

2013-04-08T14:57:00Z

We're very proud to announce that our award-winning Stats Zone app has extended into live coverage of La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga and Ligue Un – to add to the existing Premier League, Champions League and Europa League coverage. Europe's biggest competitions are now all on Stats Zone – and all available FREE.

As ever with Stats Zone, you can make comparisons by using the "Head To Head" button at the bottom of every screen. So you can pit the young buck against the old master, or run the rule over the two players your team's been linked with… and click to share your findings with the world.

And it's not just for the day of the match. Each competition has all this season's details pre-loaded, so you can dig back and track developing patterns – and via Head To Head, you can easily compare across competitions. (For the Champions League and Premier League, this also stretches way back to 2010.)

The app works on iPhone and iPad, so whether you're in the stands or on the sofa, at work or at the bus stop, you can keep up with the game – and show that you know what you're talking about.

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Prem Notes: The killer weekend stats from the EPL

2013-04-08T10:44:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

Liverpool 0-0 West Ham United

Six times this season a Premier League side has had 8+ shots on target without scoring: 4 of them have come against West Ham.
West Ham have now taken 12 points from their 16 Premier League away games, having scored only 9 goals: no team has scored fewer on the road.
Lucas Leiva made the most passes and the most successful passes in the Premier League this weekend (96 & 79).
James Collins attempted a league-high 8 tackles, winning possession with 7 of them.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Everton

Everton have now scored 13 headed goals this season, a joint-high with leaders Manchester United.
Spurs were the only team not to have a headed shot this weekend.
Jan Vertonghen has 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 4 Premier League games.
Everton have lost 7 points this season through goals conceded in the final 5 minutes, a joint-high with Southampton.
Everton played the highest % of long passes this weekend (62 of their 309 attempts – 21%), but fewer than half (30 of the 62) were completed.

Chelsea 2-1 Sunderland

Demba Ba and Fernando Torres had 7 shots between them (4 & 3 respectively) but none on target.
There were only 3 shots on target in this game – Sunderland didn’t have one (scoring via an own goal).
Chelsea attempted more long passes than any other Premier League team this weekend – 67.

Newcastle United 1-0 Fulham

Of their 36 points this season, Newcastle have gained 28 at home and only 8 away. (At the same point last season, the fifth-placed Magpies had gained 32 points at home and 24 away.)
Newcastle have scored a 90th-minute winner in three of their last four Premier League home games.
Of teams to score in the PL this weekend, Newcastle had the lowest conversion rate (5%).
The Magpies hit the woodwork three times in this game.
Yohan Cabaye created a weekend-high 7 goalscoring chances this weekend, all from open play. Sylvain Marveaux created 5 more.

Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Wigan Athletic

Wigan remain one of only two teams (with Manchester United) yet to be involved in a goalless draw this season.
Since the start of last season, QPR have been shown 12 red cards – 4 more than any other side (Arsenal and Man City have had 8 each).
Despite Bobby Zamora's red card, Wigan committed more fouls (12 to QPR's 9). Rangers attempted more tackles (completing 13 of 25) but Wigan won more (18 of 21).
The Latics haven't won any of the 5 games in which Shaun Maloney has scored this term, though he has now bagged 90th-minute equalisers against both Southampton and QPR.
Wigan had the PL's best pass completion this weekend – 83%.

Reading 0-2 Southampton

Rickie Lambert has 3 goals and 2 assists for Southampton in his last 6 Premier League appearances; Jay Rodriguez has 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 3.
Lambert didn't have any of Southampton's 10 goal attempts, but created three chances – including Rodriguez's opener.
Rodriguez is the first Southampton player to score in 3 successive Premier League games since James Beattie in April 2004.
Southampton have won 3 successive Premier League games for the first time since December 2003.

Norwich City 2-2 Swansea City

The 4 Premier League games between these teams have produced 20 goals.
Elliott Bennett assisted both of the Canaries’ goals; 4 of his 7 assists in the league have come against Swansea.
Norwich made more interceptions than any other Premier League team this weekend (30).
Luke Moore produced 4 shots on target, a weekend PL high.

Stoke City 1-3 Aston Villa

In 2013, Stoke have picked up fewer points (5) than any other Premier League team.
Stoke have scored just one first-half goal in their 12 league games in 2013.
Christian Benteke has scored 10 goals in his last 12 league appearances.
Villa put in only three crosses in this game, fewer than any other side in the PL this weekend. (By contrast, Stoke put in 23, excluding corners.)

West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Arsenal

Gervinho has 2 goals and 3 assists in Arsenal's last three Premier League games.
Arsenal have won 5 of their last 8 league away games, compared to 2 of their previous 8.
The Gunners are yet to lose a league game that they have taken the lead in this season (W16 D2).
Albion had more passes attempted and completed (356/442 to 327/419) and shots (19 to 11), but the visitors got more attempts on target (6 to 5).

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**** MAJOR STATS ZONE ANNOUNCEMENT ****
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Could Wigan's left-sided trio help put another nail in QPR's coffin?

2013-04-05T10:19:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – FREE and now featuring data from the UEFA Champions League – to explain how Wigan's left side is helping them out of yet another sticky spot...

The British weather might not reflect it, but we have now reached Spring – which inevitably means Wigan Athletic are making a late, desperate bid for survival.

Never relegated from the Premier League since their first appearance in 2005/06, Roberto Martinez’s side have won three of their last four matches – and whereas they made a habit of defeating big sides in last season's run-in, this time around the victories have been against Newcastle, Reading and Norwich – sides themselves not yet safe from the drop.

Since switching to a 3-4-3 formation midway through last season, Martinez’s side offer great width down both sides – sometimes, you find Wigan have three players (a centre-back, a wing-back and a winger) wider than any opponents. “We are organised defensively and we are creating opportunities,” says Martinez. “It's not a case of the players adapting to a system. It's adapting to a system that suits our players.

Last weekend’s victory over Norwich was particularly notable for Wigan’s effectiveness down the left flank. The vast majority of their ‘final third’ entries came down that side, which was inevitably the zone where most of their chances originated.

So what caused Wigan’s dominance down that side? First, their left-sided centre-back, Maynor Figueroa, is more of a left-back than a centre-back. Widely known for his excellent left foot rather than his defensive abilities, Figueroa pushes up significantly more than Paul Scharner, who plays on the right of the back three.

Figueroa frequently receives possession close to the touchline, and although his forward distribution is often wayward, the Honduran certainly offers an attacking presence down that side.

Second, Jean Beausejour is a truly excellent wing-back. Naturally a winger, Beausejour became an adaptable player when playing in Marcelo Bielsa’s famously attack-minded Chile side, and stretches the play expertly on the left. He collects the ball in advanced positions – again, he’s more adventurous than his equivalent on the right, Emmerson Boyce, and is a frequent crosser. Only Leighton Baines and Gareth Bale have crossed the ball more in 2012/13.

On the left of attack, there’s Shaun Maloney. He’s an interesting player – he’s not a natural wide man, and the nature of his roaming role means Wigan often look more like a 3-4-2-1 than a 3-4-3. But against Norwich, a side that defend narrow and pack the centre of the pitch, Maloney moved out wide to combine with Beausejour, linking the play with neat, clever passing triangles, allowing Beausejour to get into crossing position. It was notable how many of his passes were played forwards, despite – on paper – only Arouna Kone, Wigan’s centre-forward, starting in a more advanced position.

This meant Wigan’s most frequent passing combinations were down the left, with Maloney and Beausejour’s one-twos particularly dangerous.

This weekend, Wigan travel to Queens Park Rangers. Harry Redknapp’s side must be attack-minded – draws are of no use in their position – but despite a couple of clean sheets at the start of his reign, QPR have struggled to find the right balance between defence and attack under Redknapp. When they score goals, they generally concede too.

Their right flank will be tested defensively. Right-back Jose Bosingwa has endured a difficult campaign – it appeared he would be leaving the club in the January transfer window, but was surprisingly reinstated by Redknapp – while youngster Andros Townsend has impressed going forward, but offers little defensive protection.

Therefore, Martinez will be encouraging his side to attack predominantly down their favoured left wide. Wigan will be more cautious than in their previous three matches, which have all been at the DW Stadium, but the Maloney-Beausejour combination could be highly effective on the break.#

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Zlatan again centre of attention, but with a chance to prove creative capabilities

2013-04-02T10:55:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE and featuring data from the UEFA Champions League – to assess the Swedish striker's chances of getting revenge over one of his former clubs...

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is accustomed to being the centre of attention. Throughout his career, there has been a consistent pattern wherever he goes – his clubs depend upon him too much. At Ajax, Inter, Milan and now PSG (and also sometimes at Juventus) Ibrahimovic has dominated the side to a staggering extent, marginalising the other creative players.

The exception, of course, was at Barcelona – which means that the Swede will dominate the build-up to tonight’s game even more than usual. This is not Ibrahimovic’s first meeting with Barca since his departure – he faced them with Milan last season, and since the departure of Pep Guardiola, there isn’t the same personal rivalry to fire him up. However, as a player frequently accused of underperforming at this stage of the Champions League, Ibrahimovic will be desperate to make an impact against his former employers.

Oddly, in Ibrahimovic’s debut campaign at PSG, he plays a completely different role in Ligue 1 and the Champions League. In domestic football, he is essentially an old-school no.9, prowling the penalty box and waiting for service. It’s a slightly more refined role, of course, because of his all-round game – but 25 goals and six assists in 26 starts tells the story. Ibrahimovic has also attempted 128 shots this season, 24 more than any other player in the league – no wonder he’s the top goalscorer in France.

In Europe, it’s a completely different situation. He’s only scored two goals in seven starts – a record equal with the likes of Gary Hooper, Gervinho and his club’s two Brazilian centre-backs, Alex and Thiago Silva. His shooting in recent European matches has often been wayward:

But that’s because Ibrahimovic takes on a different role in Europe. As Carlo Ancelotti has tinkered with his formation and starting XI, Ibrahimovic’s precise instructions have changed. But in many matches, he becomes more of a link-up man than a goalscorer – not quite a false nine, but always moving towards the play to encourage midfield runners to get beyond him.

With a supporting cast featuring the likes of Ezequiel Lavezzi, Javier Pastore, Lucas Moura and Jeremy Menez (and previously Nene, who departed in the January transfer window) – all quick players that enjoy running with the ball – PSG are more of a counter-attacking side in the Champions League. This is largely because their continental opponents don't 'park the bus' as often as their domestic rivals.

Ibrahimovic becomes the chief creator. He’s recorded five assists in this season’s competition – more than any other player – including four in PSG’s 4-0 win over Dinamo Zagreb. Alex, Menez, Blaise Matuidi and Guillaume Hoarau all benefited from Ibrahimovic’s neat link-up play.

In Champions League football, he plays more passes (46 to 40.3) and has a higher pass completion rate (78% to 74.9%) than in Ligue 1. PSG will be pushed back into their own half by Barcelona’s ball retention tonight. “We may not have a lot of possession, but as soon as we get the ball I want my team to show character and inspiration to go forward and score,” said Ancelotti in his pre-match press conference. “We have defended very well so far this term and we've done well on the counter-attack. This is what we want to do tomorrow because we'll need it if we are to get a good result.”

It’s especially important PSG get runners forward in support of Ibrahimovic. As the away win in Valencia showed, he can be excellent at combining with Pastore and Lavezzi.

Ibrahimovic, of course, was sidelined at Barcelona because he appeared incompatible with their passing style and because Messi, in his new ‘false nine’ role, was being moved central. Tonight, Ibrahimovic has a chance to demonstrate that he is perfectly capable of being a central creative threat himself.

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Moyes must be careful not to play into Stoke's hands with tactical tweaking

2013-03-28T16:00:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to assess Everton's attacking options, as suspensions mount...

Throughout the 2012/13 season, Everton manager David Moyes has favoured a 4-4-1-1 formation. But with both Marouane Fellaini and Steven Pienaar suspended for this weekend’s home fixture with Stoke City, as well as the following weekend’s visit to Tottenham, he could return to a more straightforward 4-4-2 system.

While Moyes has frequently used an attacking central midfielder in support of a traditional centre-forward in recent years, his ‘number ten’ has rarely been a creator. Both Fellaini and Tim Cahill specialise at breaking into the box to provide an aerial threat – and therefore the difference between a 4-4-1-1 and a 4-4-2 isn’t always obvious. Fellaini is probably more of an all-rounder, but Cahill often felt like a pure centre-forward in terms of his contribution, if not his actual position.

If Moyes goes for a 4-4-2 system this weekend, his strike combination will be Nikica Jelavic and Victor Anichebe, two traditional number nines. Neither is particularly comfortable dropping into the centre of midfield, although Anichebe has sometimes performed competently as a makeshift winger.

Ordinarily, this would concern Moyes in a defensive sense – he remains a reactive manager who focuses on stopping the opposition playing to their strengths. However, the nature of this weekend’s opposition means a numerical deficit in the centre of the pitch won’t be a concern – Stoke are unlikely to form neat triangles around Everton’s midfielders, and a 4-4-2 might better suit the style of this game, likely to be based around direct football.

Moyes went with a 4-4-2 the last time Fellaini was suspended, towards the end of December. It was a broadly successful move – Everton recorded 2-1 victories over West Ham and Wigan, before narrowly losing 2-1 to Chelsea before Fellaini returned to the side.

Jelavic and Anichebe’s roles were interesting. One might have expected Jelavic, the penalty box poacher, to play a fixed role with the more mobile Anichebe making runs into the channels. In fact, it was the exact opposite against Wigan – the positions of their received passes demonstrate that Jelavic was the man drifting wide, with Anichebe a target for long balls.

In that respect, their deployment made sense. Anichebe is much better in the air than Jelavic, boasting an aerial duel success rate of 47% compared to Jelavic’s rather unimpressive 32%, which was summed up nicely in that Wigan match.

Interestingly, although the duo rarely combined during build-up play in midfield zones, they had a decent relationship in the final third. They combined on four occasions in dangerous positions against Wigan, which might not sound particularly impressive – but when compared to Sunderland’s strike partnership (as outlined here two weeks ago), it does demonstrate a decent understanding.

In the match the following week against Chelsea, things were different. Jelavic was more central, while Anichebe stayed high up the pitch on the left, challenging against right-back Cesar Azpilicueta, who lacks the aerial power of Branislav Ivanovic, Chelsea’s other option in that position.

Anichebe is a useful option for that ‘Flo pass’, as 1990s Norway coach Egil Olsen dubbed diagonal balls for tall forwards (Jostein Flo, in Norway’s case) to challenge small full-backs in the air. However, against a Stoke City side that sometimes uses four centre-backs across their defence, identifying an aerial weakness will be difficult.

In fact, using two traditional centre-forwards might play into Stoke’s hands if Everton rely heavily on a direct approach. Pulis’ side enjoy playing against basic strikers rather than quick, nippy forwards who take up clever positions – Moyes must ensure his attackers offer a varied threat by attacking with guile and intelligence, as well as with direct football.

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Hodgson's centre-back quandary is about more than just defending

2013-03-22T13:10:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to assess Hodgson's choices at centre-back...

With John Terry’s international retirement, Rio Ferdinand’s decision to withdraw from the England squad and injuries to Phil Jagielka, Michael Dawson and Gary Cahill, Roy Hodgson is experiencing something of a centre-back crisis this week.
The good news, of course, is that England’s first opponents are San Marino, who have lost each of their last 50 international fixtures, scoring just seven goals. England’s centre-backs are unlikely to be tested defensively, barring any first-minute defensive errors, as famously happened 20 years ago.

NEWS FEATURE Still easy for England despite defensive issues

The main duty for England’s centre-backs will primarily be about ball retention. They’ll probably spend the majority of the game on the halfway line, and will expect to complete 10 times as many passes as they attempt tackles. This prompted speculation that Hodgson would field Michael Carrick in the centre-back role he’s occasionally played at Manchester United.

In a game where England will dominate possession, it would be similar to Michael Laudrup using passing midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung at centre-back in Swansea’s Carling Cup final victory over Bradford: there was little actual defending needed.

But Hodgson was quick to deny these suggestions, and has indicated that a duo of traditional centre-backs will start the game. “I think we've got four very good [centre-backs] here, so I would be loath to be using Carrick, who has been selected for his prowess as a midfielder,” he said at a pre-match press conference. “It would be enormously harsh on the four centre-backs we have who are all vying for a place in the team.”

Therefore, two of Joleon Lescott, Chris Smalling, Steven Caulker and Steven Taylor will play – and this will be more about their ball retention abilities than their defensive skills.

As the most experienced of the quartet, Lescott will expect to start – despite his lack of playing time at Manchester City this season, having been replaced in Roberto Mancini’s first XI by Matija Nastasic. Of these four players, Lescott boasts the highest pass completion rate at 90.4% – which is partly because he plays long balls rarely, completing just 1.3 long passes per game.

His most recent full Premier League appearance, in the 2-2 draw with Liverpool last month, shows Lescott’s style – he plays left-of-centre and is generally cautious with his distribution, and his passes into the final third are often inaccurate.

Taylor is the next most-reliable passer, with a completion rate of 89.7% – and, playing for Newcastle, he hits accurate long passes twice as often as Lescott. But the interesting thing about Taylor is how flustered he becomes when closed down. Given time and space on the ball, he’s capable of short, neat, sensible passing – but when pressed, his lack of technical ability becomes obvious. Compare his distribution against Southampton (when he was pressed) and Stoke (when he wasn’t) – the difference is clear.

Tottenham’s Steven Caulker may have a marginally less impressive pass completion rate, but he might be the best option against San Marino. The former Swansea loanee has become used to playing a high defensive line under Brendan Rodgers and Andre Villas-Boas, and has the ability to stride forward into midfield, before hitting a decent pass into the attacking players.

As his passing chalkboard in the recent defeat to Fulham demonstrates, he’s reliable on the ball, but also adventurous in popping up in the opposition third.

Finally, there’s Chris Smalling. With an 86.4% completion rate, he has the lowest passing accuracy of these four players – surprising, considering he generally looks extremely composed on the ball.

Smalling’s last start at centre-back was for England against Brazil, and he’s found his opportunities in the centre of defence limited at Manchester United, where he’s recently been used at right-back.

As a right-footer, Smalling is significantly more comfortable on that side of the centre-back pairing. Often forced to fit in around other Manchester United centre-backs, he’s capable of ambitious (if wayward) diagonal balls into midfield when on the right of the duo, but when used to the left, he frequently turns inside and hits simple square balls to his centre-back partner.

As the only player comfortable on the left of a duo, Lescott seems likely to get the nod against San Marino. But Hodgson’s decision about his partner will be interesting – in terms of being comfortable on the ball, Caulker might be his best bet, although Smalling played well against Brazil, and Hodgson is likely to favour consistency over stylistic concerns.

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Prem Notes: The killer weekend stats from Opta and Stats Zone

2013-03-18T09:23:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

Chelsea 2-0 West Ham United

Juan Mata is the first player to both score and assist 10+ goals in the Premier League this season.
Eden Hazard now has 8 goals and 8 assists in his debut Premier League season.
Hazard had 4 shots on target, more than any other Premier League player this weekend.
Chelsea had 11 shots on target, their third-highest total this season.

Wigan Athletic 2-1 Newcastle United

Wigan have won 6 Premier League home games against Newcastle, 2 more than against any other club.
Half of the 16 shots Wigan mustered in this game were blocked.
Only 1 of Wigan’s 15 crosses reached its target.
Antolin Alcaraz made 8 interceptions, the most in the PL this weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Fulham

This is the first time Dimitar Berbatov has scored in three successive league games since December 2011.
Spurs had 15 shots in this game but only three were on target.
Fulham scored with only one of their two shots on target in this game. Neither side had one in the first half.
Tottenham put in the most crosses in the PL this weekend (31 plus 5 corners), Fulham the fewest (10 + 5).

Sunderland 1-1 Norwich

The Canaries have now scored 11 headed goals, a haul only Manchester United (13) and Everton (12) can better this season.
Sunderland have seen 5 opposition players sent off in the Premier League this season, 3 more than any other side.
Grant Holt has now conceded 67 fouls this season, a joint-high in the Premier League along with Everton’s Marouane Fellaini – but Sebastian Larsson committed more fouls in this game (4 to Holt's 3).
Norwich played the highest proportion of long passes this weekend (19.5%).
Norwich conceded 2 handballs. One gave away a penalty, the other saw the goalkeeper sent off.

Manchester United 1-0 Reading

Manchester United have now gone 537 minutes in the Premier League without conceding a goal.
11 managers (including caretakers) have taken charge of their first Premier League in a job at Old Trafford. None have won, with 10 losing and 1 managing a draw.
Wayne Rooney has been involved in 21 goals in 21 Premier League appearances this season (scoring 12, assisting 9).

Aston Villa 3-2 Queens Park Rangers

Aston Villa have won consecutive Premier League games for the first time in 68 matches (since May 2011).
Andreas Weimann has been involved in 4 goals in his last 4 Premier League appearances (scoring 2, assisting 2).
QPR managed 21 goal attempts to Villa's 13, but Villa blocked 6 (Ciaran Clark alone managing 3) to QPR's 2.
Ashley Westwood completed 74 of his 76 passes, almost twice as many as QPR's top passer Stephan Mbia (39 of 47).
All told, Villa completed 408 (of 467) passes, QPR 253 (of 313).

Southampton 3-1 Liverpool

Philippe Coutinho has been involved in 4 goals in 4 starts for Liverpool in the Premier League (2 goals, 2 assists).
The Reds have scored only 5 goals in their last 7 top-flight encounters with the Saints.
Southampton played 3 through-balls in this game, more than any other team in the Premier League this weekend.
Liverpool had 5 of the top 6 individuals for completed passes (led by Steven Gerrard's 51 from 62 passes), but Southampton had 8 of the top 9 individuals for completed passes in the attacking third (led by Rickie Lambert's 18 from 28).

Stoke City 0-0 West Bromwich Albion

West Brom have conceded just 1 goal in their last 3 away Premier League matches.
Claudio Yacob made 12 clearances in the match – double his previous best in a single game this season (6 v Sunderland).
Stoke had 6 headed shots, more than any other team this weekend.
Matthew Etherington put in 13 crosses (excl. corners) but only 1 reached a team-mate.

Swansea City 0-2 Arsenal

Olivier Giroud was involved in a goal (assisting Monreal’s opener) for the first time in 5 Premier League appearances.
Gervinho’s goal was Arsenal’s sixth fast-break (counter-attack) goal of the season, a Premier League high.
Swansea had the best pass completion in the Premier League this weekend: 88% (545 of 619 passes; Arsenal completed 384 of 454, 85%).
Swansea only conceded 3 fouls.

Everton 2-0 Manchester City

The Toffees enjoyed just 28.4% possession in the second half having enjoyed 52.3% possession in the first.
Everton scored 2 goals from just 3 shots on target. Manchester City had 8 efforts on target.
David Silva created more chances than any other player this weekend.
Everton had a shot conversion rate of 29%, the best in the Premier League this weekend.

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Why Danny Graham mustn't dally in proving his worth to Sunderland

2013-03-15T12:14:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to run the rule over one of January's biggest transfers...

One of January’s most surprising transfers was Sunderland’s purchase of Swansea City striker Danny Graham.

It was peculiar for a few reasons. In an otherwise underwhelming campaign, Sunderland were benefiting from the prolific goalscoring of Steven Fletcher, and it seemed unwise to compromise his role in the side. There was also the question of why Graham wanted to drop down the league, having been in good form for Swansea shortly before his move – he also missed out on the Capital One Cup final victory over Bradford.

Graham is also a passionate supporter of Sunderland’s fierce rivals Newcastle United, which led to him being booed when playing at the Stadium of Light in a Swansea shirt, just two days before his move. “You’ll always be scum” was the Sloop John B-tuned song of choice for the Mackems, partly because Graham had previously said inflammatory things about the club. Once asked who he’d support if Newcastle ceased to exist, Graham replied, “Put it this way – I’d stay as far away from Sunderland as I could.” Despite these concerns, there was little doubt that Sunderland supporters would take to Graham once he started playing well.

But there’s the problem – Sunderland haven’t been performing well. Not for the first time, they’ve hit a brick wall at this point in the season – and since Graham signed, they’ve record just one point from five league matches, the 2-2 draw at home to Fulham, when they fought back from 2-0 down.

Graham’s arrival has forced Martin O’Neill to change his system. Previously, Sunderland played a 4-4-1-1 with Stephane Sessegnon behind Fletcher – the Benin international has, of course, previously deputised as a centre-forward in his Sunderland career, but this season he played a supporting role.

Now, Sunderland are a 4-4-2. “The two players can play together,” insisted O’Neill in February. “I don't see that being a massive problem, but it is bound to take a little time.”

Sunderland’s game is largely based around crossing, of course, and Adam Johnson was excited at the arrival of a second striker. “Sometimes when you have one striker in the box with two men around him, it’s difficult to do anything,” he says. “But when all of a sudden you have to two strikers in the box it can make a real difference. I’ve said before to Fletch that when there’s just him in the box, it can be so hard to play him in, but when you’ve got more bodies in the box, you can often really get at teams.”

Fletcher, despite underlining his happiness at Graham’s arrival – the two have a good relationship off the pitch – didn’t mind playing as the lone striker. “I'm happy to play on my own up front, although I know not everyone is,” he said. “But, for me, I quite like the added pressure of the extra responsibility, I quite enjoy it.”

Since Graham’s arrival, Fletcher has been forced into a deeper position. While Graham stays upfront and is barely involved in build-up play, Fletcher drops off. In the game against Fulham he concentrated on working the left channel, while Graham stayed in the box...

Away at QPR, Graham again remained central, but Fletcher drifted right – winning lots of aerial duels...

Inevitably, Sunderland’s build-up play still starts from the flanks, with the vast majority of their entries into the final third coming on the wings. But there hasn’t been a significant improvement in the success of the Black Cats’ crossing – lots of balls are pumped into the box, but they rarely find Fletcher or Graham.

And it’s not like Graham has contributed much in front of goal. The passes he receives are often long, straight balls rather than through-balls or dangerous crosses, and his finishing has been unimpressive. Considering Fletcher had scored ten goals in 22 starts before Graham’s signing, but just one since, it’s hard to make a case for Sunderland being more threatening upfront.

Another problem is the lack of interplay between the pair. Granted, Sunderland’s approach is based around crossing, which doesn’t necessarily depend upon a good direct partnership, but it’s still concerning that Fletcher and Graham combine so infrequently.

Against QPR, they took a centre together, then combined within their own half – nothing at all close to the opposition goal.

O’Neill believed the partnership would take time to get right – there are little signs of progress so far.

This weekend’s home fixture with Norwich is a perfect opportunity for them to finally click – and Sunderland still need wins. Six points off the relegation zone, with games against Manchester United, Chelsea, Newcastle, Everton and Tottenham to come – plus matches against Southampton and Aston Villa sides fighting for their lives – Sunderland aren’t yet safe. Graham needs to justify his transfer fee soon, or O’Neill might revert back to his previous system.

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Prem Notes: Deadly Downing, minimalist Marveaux, Norwich's nightmare and QPR's clean win

2013-03-11T11:04:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham Hotspur
When Stewart Downing has scored or assisted a Premier League goal this season, Liverpool have always won (5 games).
Since arriving in England, Luis Suarez has won more penalties than any other Premier League player (Jonathan Walters and Ashley Young are second on five)

Newcastle United 2-1 Stoke City
Sylvain Marveaux created just one chance for his team-mates after coming on as a substitute – Papiss Cisse’s winner.
Peter Crouch won 17 aerial duels. Only once this season has he won more (18 v Arsenal).

Norwich City 0-0 Southampton
Norwich’s total of 6 shots is the joint-fewest they have recorded at home since returning to the Premier League in 2011 (and the lowest this season).
Southampton had 30 touches in the opposition box, more than any other Premier League team this weekend.

Queens Park Rangers 3-1 Sunderland
Steven Fletcher has scored 7 opening goals in the Premier League this season, more than any other player.
QPR committed only 4 fouls in this game, fewer than any other home game they’ve played this season. (By comparison, Sunderland committed 19.)
Stéphane Mbia made 9 tackles in this match, the most by a QPR player in the Premier League this season.

Reading 1-2 Aston Villa
Villa hit the woodwork twice; before this game they had only done so 6 times all season.
Reading completed just 73% of their passes in their own half in this game, the worst rate of any side this weekend.

West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Swansea City
Swansea have conceded the Premier League's highest proportion of goals from set pieces this season (50%).
Swansea managed only 2 shots on target.
Graham Dorrans misplaced only 2 of 49 passes.

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The unsung ball-winner stopping the Premier League in its tracks

2013-03-08T11:06:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to run the rule over one of the Premier League's most impressive midfield newcomers...

Stats Zone measures two forms of ball-winning: Tackling and intercepting. Tackling involves directly dispossessing an opponent, intercepting is about cutting out a pass before it reaches an opponent.

Naturally, defensive-minded players tend to occupy the top slops on both leaderboards, with holding midfielders featuring prominently. Some players specialise in one area or the other – West Ham’s Mohamed Diame completes on average 3.9 tackles per game, compared to just 1.2 interceptions, whereas Fulham’s Chris Baird is the opposite, with only 1.4 tackles per game, but 3.2 interceptions. A team’s overall style and strategy, as well as the qualities and preferences of the individual, can impact the figures.

It’s extremely rare for a single player to be the league leader in both categories, but that’s the case this season. Southampton’s defensive midfielder Morgan Schneiderlin is naturally a combative player, but since the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino his ball-winning statistics have risen considerably, in accordance with the Argentine’s insistence on heavy pressing, and winning possession quickly and proactively. The Frenchman’s record is 4.2 tackles and 3.8 interceptions on average per game.

Last week’s 2-1 defeat to Queens Park Rangers was a huge blow to Southampton’s chances of survival – not least because they appear to have let Harry Redknapp’s side back into it – but it was also a great demonstration of Schneiderlin’s talents. He made an astonishing 10 interceptions, and also managed to complete eight out of his nine attempted tackles. Both figures are amazingly high, while such an impressive tackle completion rate shouldn’t be overlooked, either.

Clearly, that was extreme – even for Schneiderlin. Consider the impressive 3-1 victory over Manchester City a month ago, and the numbers are less unusual – just three tackles (two successful) and five interceptions.

However, it’s not solely about the frequency of the tackles and interceptions, it’s also about their position. Schneiderlin is fielded as Southampton’s deepest midfielder, generally alongside Jack Cork, who distributes the ball calmly to either flank, and Gaston Ramirez in the No.10 position. Positional discipline is important for Schneiderlin, but the bravery of his positioning underlines how he’s a perfect holding midfielder for a coach demanding heavy pressing.

Under Nigel Adkins, Schneiderlin player deeper. In the last Premier League game before Adkins’ shock dismissal, almost all Schneiderlin’s defensive work was close to his own penalty area, rather than either side of the halfway line. The type of match – away at Chelsea – certainly contributed, but in general he was playing a much more reactive role.

Clearly, pressing heavily requires great stamina, and another league-leading statistic was revealed earlier this month – Schneiderlin runs seven miles per game, more than any other Premier League player. In a week where the dangers of eating processed meat were revealed in a new survey, Schneiderlin is inadvertently encouraging people to eat healthily, putting his energy down to an improved diet.

“Fitness is something I have worked on a lot,” he says. “When I was in League One I could not finish a game without blowing or after 60 minutes feeling tired on the pitch, so I’ve tried to make sure I eat the right things and look after my body better. When I was 18 I thought if I ate a pizza and a lot of takeaways at nights it wouldn’t affect you but it did. Now I eat only healthy French food.”

Lionel Messi famously improved his eating after a couple of years at Barcelona, having been brought up on an Argentine diet featuring too much red meat, and while Schneiderlin isn’t quite capable of the Barcelona forward’s goalscoring, he claims his nutritional adjustment has benefited his attacking, too. “It has helped me score goals – before, I couldn’t make those forward runs because I wasn’t fit enough to get back in position.” He’s registered four goals this season already, having managed just three in 163 previous appearances – when playing in lower divisions.

In all, Schneiderlin has probably been Southampton’s most consistent player in their first year back in the Premier League. It’s no wonder the club were keen to tie him down until 2017, with an improved contract agreed last month. They’ll hope it’s another four years of playing in the Premier League – but if the worst happens in May, Schneiderlin’s statistics will surely ensure his own presence in England’s top division next season.

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Prem Notes: The killer stats from the weekend's action

2013-03-04T12:25:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Arsenal

Gareth Bale has scored 7 goals in his last 5 league appearances for Tottenham Hotspur.
Bale has now scored 16 league goals this eason: only five Spurs players have scored more in a single Premier League campaign (record: Teddy Sheringham's 21 in 1992/93).
Theo Walcott has made more assists this season (9) than in any previous top-flight campaign, and is also the joint-leading provider in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal attempted 20 open play crosses in this game but only one found a teammate.

Chelsea 1-0 West Bromwich Albion

Demba Ba has scored 6 Premier League goals against West Brom, more than against any other opponent, including 5 goals in his last 3 PL games against them.
Chelsea have conceded only 5 goals in 8 Premier League games under Rafael Benitez at Stamford Bridge.
The Baggies blocked more shots than any other team this weekend (9).
Ben Foster made a league-high 8 saves this weekend.

Everton 3-1 Reading

Reading are the only Premier League team not to have kept a clean sheet away from home this season (now 14 games).
44% of Reading’s goals have come in the final 15 minutes of Premier League matches this season – a league-high proportion.
Everton had 11 shots in this game, the most of the weekend and their joint-most all season (they also had 11 at Swansea).
Marouane Fellaini scored and assisted a goal in the same game for the third time this season.

Manchester United 4-0 Norwich City

Shinji Kagawa is the first player from Asia to score a Premier League hat-trick.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s side have kept four consecutive league clean sheets for the first time this season. They kept five in a row in March/April 2012.
Manchester United have now scored in 63 successive Premier League home games – which extends their all-time PL record.
It took Norwich City 60 minutes to register their first shot of any kind; it was blocked.
Norwich City became the first team since Blackburn Rovers (away at Spurs on April 29th 2012) to fail to muster a single shot at goal (excluding blocked) in a Premier League game.
Man United won possession with 91% of the tackles they attempted in this game.

Southampton 1-2 Queens Park Rangers

Morgan Schneiderlin made more tackles (9) and more interceptions (12) than any other player this weekend.
QPR had the worst passing accuracy of all 18 teams in action over Saturday/Sunday and the fourth worst of any team all season (59.7%).
Southampton attempted 15 shots in the game, but only four were from inside the box.
The Saints made a league-high 95 unsuccessful short passes.

Stoke City 0-1 West Ham United

Stoke attempted the joint-most tackles (25) of any team across the Premier League this weekend, West Ham the most clearances (62).
Stoke had more than 50% possession for only the 11th time in 180 Premier League matches.
The teams played the highest percentage of long passes this weekend (Stoke 17.6%, West Ham 16.3%).
The most common pass combination was Jussi Jaaskelainen to Andy Carroll (17). Stoke's most common was Asmir Begovic to Peter Crouch (8).

Sunderland 2-2 Fulham

Craig Gardner has scored with all 4 of the Premier League penalties he has taken (3 for Sunderland).
Sunderland scored more than once in a Premier League game for only the seventh time in 28 games this season.
Stephane Sessegnon attempted more dribbles than any other player this weekend (11); he also completed all 14 of his attacking-third passes – a game high.

Swansea City 1-0 Newcastle United

Ashley Williams made a league-high 23 clearances and 12 headed clearances.
The Swans have lost just two points from leading positions this season, the best record in the top division.
Newcastle United have kept only 1 clean sheet in their last 10.
No player created more chances this weekend than Yohan Cabaye (5).
The Swans made 288 passes in their own half, a weekend league high.

Wigan Athletic 0-4 Liverpool

Liverpool have scored more goals after 28 games than four Premier League-winning sides (Man United 1993, 2003 & 2009 and Arsenal 1998).
Only Robin van Persie has scored as many Premier League hat-tricks as Luis Suarez since the start of last season (3).
Despite the score, Wigan outpassed Liverpool (426 completed of 523 to 393 out of 481) and had four of the top five passers (James McArthur, Lucas Leiva, James McCarthy, Maynor Figueroa, Shaun Maloney). They also had 14 shots to the visitors' 8, with both sides getting 6 on target.
Wigan have conceded in all of their 14 home games in the Premier League this season.
Wigan have now conceded 55 goals in the Premier League this term, a league high.

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Arsenal's Walcott and Tottenham's Lennon continue the battle of the right-wingers

2013-03-01T12:23:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to compare North London's non-Welsh wing wizards...

Tottenham and Arsenal fans have been arguing about Aaron Lennon and Theo Walcott for longer than you might expect – Lennon joined Tottenham in the summer of 2005, while Walcott signed for Arsenal half a year later. Amazingly, Lennon is just two years away from a potential testimonial at Spurs, while Walcott is Arsenal’s longest-serving player following the loan departure of Johan Djourou in January.

There’s an obvious reason for the argument – like Jan Vertonghen and Thomas Vermaelen these are two very similar footballers. Both are small, quick right-wingers with great pace, but both have received criticism for their lack of end product. They’ve had similar career experiences too, coming through the ranks as their local club slipped out of the Premier League, and making an early move to North London.

ANALYSIS Michael Cox on Vertonghen and Vermaelen, the ball-playing Belgian backs

Both were talented teenagers and set age-related records: Lennon became the youngest-ever Premier League footballer, while Walcott is still England’s youngest full international. In fact, they made their international debuts in the same week ahead of the 2006 World Cup; Walcott now has 10 more England caps, although Lennon has domestic honours in the form of a League Cup Winners’ medal from 2008.

Despite their longevity, this is arguably the first campaign where the two players have been simultaneously in excellent form. The focus on Gareth Bale has taken attention away from Aaron Lennon, and that applies to opponents as much as the media; Spurs’ 1-1 draw against Manchester United in January was a good example of Lennon getting space because the opposition were exposed on his side as a consequence of trying to stop Bale.

Walcott, meanwhile, is having an extremely efficient season. His 11 goals in the Premier League is a personal record already, as is his nine assists – he’s in the top 10 goalscorers and top 10 providers in the division, underlining how he’s improved his game.

The major difference between the players is the type of passes they receive. Although both are right-sided players, Walcott has frequently spoken of his preference for playing as a centre-forward, and he’s a purer attacker than Lennon. The Arsenal player likes running onto passes that have been slid through the defence, and while Lennon has done that more often under Andre Villas-Boas, he still gets possession more frequently in deeper positions on the flank. Compare the passes they received in their most recent home matches:

Walcott has thrived with Jack Wilshere playing in midfield – Wilshere's left foot provides clever passes between opposition centre-back and left-back for Walcott to sprint onto, a combination that has worked nicely for both Arsenal and England this season. Lennon doesn’t quite have that relationship with a teammate yet – Mousa Dembele is careful with his passing, but not as incisive as Luka Modric was, although Lewis Holtby is starting to play that role:

ANALYSIS Michael Cox on how Dembele has filled Modric's boots

Because Walcott gets the ball in behind the defence more frequently than Lennon, he’s much more of a goal threat. He’s scored 28 goals in the last three seasons, compared to Lennon’s nine, and takes close to three shots per game, whereas Lennon averages less than one.

But in deeper positions, Lennon remains more comfortable than Walcott. Although Walcott’s crossing has improved, and statistically the two dribble past an opponent with similar frequency, there’s a difference in their effectiveness. Walcott hits a higher number of deliveries into the box, but Lennon’s deliveries are more useful – his crossing accuracy is almost twice as good.

Defensively, too, Lennon is more proactive. Because of Villas-Boas insistence upon pressing, Lennon completes twice as many tackles as Walcott, and three times as many interceptions.

Nearly seven years after their England debuts, Lennon and Walcott are still battling for a position on England’s right. Walcott is clearly the more efficient player in terms of goals and assists, but despite the many similarities between the two, they’ve retained the characteristics of their natural role on the pitch – Walcott is a right-sided forward, Lennon is a right-sided midfielder.

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Opta Stats Zone Prem Notes: Gritty City, emphatic Latics and epic Vidic

2013-02-25T09:40:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea

Frank Lampard has only failed to score with 5 of his last 35 Premier League penalties (a conversion rate of 86%).
David Silva created 8 goalscoring chances, the joint-most by a player in a single Premier League game this season – but James Milner completed more passes in the attacking third (27 out of 38 to Silva's 21 out of 26).
Manchester City conceded 20 of the 25 fouls in this game.

Newcastle United 4-2 Southampton

Moussa Sissoko has been involved in 5 goals in his 4 Premier League appearances (3 goals, 2 assists).
Only two goalkeepers have registered an assist in the Premier League this season. Both play for Newcastle and both have been for Papiss Cisse goals (the other was Tim Krul v Everton on January 2).
Mathieu Debuchy attempted the most tackles in the PL this weekend (7); he also topped this game's lists of aerial duels, fouls committed and fouls conceded.
Newcastle converted 40% of their chances this weekend, the best rate in the division.
Southampton had the game's top five passers (Cork, Yoshida, Schneiderlin, Hooiveld, Clyne).
Southampton are yet to win in the Premier League this season when Morgan Schneiderlin has scored (D2 L2).
Rickie Lambert has now been involved in 16 of Southampton’s goals this season (12 scored, 4 assisted).
Southampton have thrown away 27 points from winning positions this season, more than any other side.

Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa

Jack Wilshere made a division-high 92 passes this weekend.
Arsenal have made 14 errors leading to goals in the Premier League this season; more than any other side. The Gunners have scored 10 goals in the final 10 minutes of Premier League games this season – only Reading (11) have netted more in this period.
Arsenal made 7 of the 18 through balls played in the Premier League this weekend.

Norwich City 2-1 Everton

Leon Osman's opening goal ended Everton's run of four hours and nine minutes without a Premier League away goal.
Everton had 15 attempts, but only 3 were on target (10 were off-target and 2 blocked); by contrast, Norwich got 5 of their 10 attempts on target.
Robert Snodgrass attempted a division-high 9 crosses in this weekend – 16 if you include corners.

Queens Park Rangers 0-2 Manchester United

Ryan Giggs has scored in two successive Premier League appearances for the first time since August 2010.
Since August 2009, Nani has assisted more goals than any other player in the Premier League (32).
QPR have scored only 4 goals in their last 10 Premier League games.
Chris Samba had 3 headed shots, more than any other PL player this weekend.
Stephane Mbia made 8 interceptions, while Nemanja Vidic completed 12 clearances (out of 17) – both weekend league highs.

Reading 0-3 Wigan Athletic

Arouna Koné has scored 4 goals in his last 5 Premier League appearances.
Jean Beausejour has now assisted 6 goals for Wigan in the Premier League this season – no Wigan player has ever assisted more in a single PL campaign.
This is the first time that Maynor Figueroa has both scored and assisted a goal in a Premier League game.
Wigan made 661 passes vs Reading, more than any other side this weekend.
Reading didn't get a single shot on target.

West Bromwich Albion v Sunderland

Romelu Lukaku has scored 9 goals in 12 Premier League starts for West Brom this season.
Lukaku had 4 shots on target in this game, more than any other player in the PL this weekend.
WBA had the most headed shots this weekend: 5.
Stéphane Sessegnon attempted 13 dribbles this weekend, more than any other player.

Fulham 1-0 Stoke City

Stoke misplaced 107 passes in this game, more than any other club this weekend.
After keeping 8 clean sheets in their previous 13 Premier League matches, Stoke have now conceded in 9 consecutive league games.
Jonathan Walters is the first player to miss two penalties in the Premier League this season.

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Finding attacking rhythm key to QPR's survival hopes

2013-02-22T10:51:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to analyse Harry Redknapp's striking options...

Queens Park Rangers’ form in recent weeks has been curious. They’ve performed extremely well against Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester City – collecting five points and three clean sheets against three fearsome sides – yet against Norwich and West Ham they’ve failed to win. Picking up surprise results in ‘bonus’ matches is futile if bottom-half clubs aren’t defeated to get serious points on the board.

The situation in defence has been particularly strange. Ryan Nelsen and Clint Hill occasionally looked dreadful as a partnership, with Luis Suarez enjoying the freedom of the penalty box in Liverpool’s 3-0 victory at Loftus Road at the end of 2012, but before Nelsen left for the MLS, the combination had conceded just one goal in their previous four matches.

The expensive signing of Christopher Samba was a decent replacement for Nelsen, yet has arguably not significantly strengthened the defence. The 4-1 defeat to Swansea in QPR’s most recent match was particularly worrying.

But while QPR’s defence is only the seventh worst in the league, their attack is the least potent by a considerable margin. The signing of Loic Remy was supposed to alleviate their goalscoring problems, but the Frenchman’s groin injury has caused yet more strife. Harry Redknapp has been forced to field four different strikers in recent weeks – Remy, Jamie Mackie, Adel Taarabt and Bobby Zamora. The major problem is that all four are completely different kinds of players, forcing QPR to completely change their style according to the identity of their central striker.

Remy’s injury was particularly frustrating because he had made an excellent start to life in the Premier League, scoring on his debut against West Ham. Remy’s main quality is his searing pace, and he thrives upon balls knocked over the top of the opposition defence, particularly in the channels.

His link-up play is also impressive, and his debut performance demonstrated that he can either come short to link play, or receive longer, straight balls to attack directly. His tendency to make runs towards the right of the pitch is illustrated by the position of his received passes, and also the position of his three shots against West Ham.

Jamie Mackie is another to have started as Redknapp’s centre-forward in recent weeks. He played an important role in QPR’s survival last season on the right, but lacks the raw quality to provide consistent goalscoring upfront.

Like Remy, he likes breaking onto balls played in behind, but doesn’t offer the same speed and has a frustrating habit of making his runs too early – in the game against Aston Villa in December, he was caught offside six times in 90 minutes. As more of a traditional British centre-forward, he also acts as more of a target for crosses than Remy, but is hardly the most powerful striker aerially.

Redknapp’s third centre-forward has been Adel Taarabt. A natural No.10 rather than a striker, Taarabt interprets the role exactly how you’d expect – dropping deep into midfield positions to link play, and creating space for the wingers to burst into. His performance in that position in the 1-0 win over Chelsea was highly effective, and he provided some excellent passes for Shaun Wright-Phillips in the goalless draw against Tottenham.

But although Taarabt’s link-up play is useful in deep position, he simply doesn’t offer a sufficient goal threat or receive the ball frequently enough in the final third – summed up by his first-half performance last time out, at Swansea.

Taarabt only played upfront for the first half, because Redknapp moved him deeper at the break when introducing Bobby Zamora. A more traditional target man, Zamora was the recipient of many long balls hit from QPR’s defence, and provided more of a penalty box presence than Taarabt.

There’s at least a similarity with Remy – Zamora generally works the right channel, something he did excellently in his Fulham days, before attempting to curl the ball into the far corner with his left foot.

Having four separate tactical options – a pacey striker, a hard-working all-rounder, a false nine and a target man – might be useful if the rest of QPR’s side was settled and cohesive. But in a squad that has seen consistent changes over the past 18 months and lacks any kind of reliable structure on the pitch, the different options upfront are adding to QPR’s confusion.

Still, having won only two games all season, it’s remarkable that QPR are only seven points away from survival. A good spell from one striker – like Djibril Cisse’s at this point last year – combined with the recent habit of keeping clean sheets, and QPR may yet complete another unlikely escape.

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The Europa League Perfect XI

2013-02-14T07:00:00Z

It's Europa League time again, which means more attractive imagery from Western Union's WU-Pass scheme – the people who brought you our FREE Europa League Stats Zone app.

Here, they've picked out the player in each position who has totted up the most passes during the group stages – thereby helping to fund youth education around the world, what with Western Union funding a day's schooling for each and every pass completed in this season's Europa League.

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Rafael's Ronaldo reunion the key battle at the Bernabeu

2013-02-13T08:30:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to analyse the battle between Manchester United's former hero and one of their rising stars...

The 2012/13 campaign has widely been acclaimed as Rafael da Silva’s breakthrough season. After a few years slowly adjusting to life in the Premier League, the Brazilian right-back has improved his performances significantly to become a regular member of Manchester United’s starting XI, justifying his new No.2 shirt.

This week will provide Rafael with his biggest test of the season, and indeed the greatest test any full-back in world football can face – playing against Cristiano Ronaldo. Rafael, of course, has an advantage over many other right-backs, having played alongside the Portuguese winger for one season in 2008/09. Still, Ronaldo’s game has developed significantly since his move to Real Madrid – he’s become even stronger, more prolific and is permanently used on the left flank – and Rafael will be in for a tricky evening in Madrid.

First, one important caveat – Rafael is likely to receive extra protection at the Bernabeu, from Phil Jones playing just ahead of him. His man-marking job on Marouane Fellaini on Sunday showed that Sir Alex Ferguson isn’t afraid of compromising his own team shape to stop one particularly dangerous opponent, but the nature of Jones’ job will probably be more similar to his performance at White Hart Lane last month. There, Jones played a right-sided defensive midfield role in front of Rafael, and restricted Gareth Bale’s ability to dribble directly towards goal. Something similar against Ronaldo is likely.

Ultimately, however, Rafael needs to turn in a good individual display – Ronaldo stays extremely high up the pitch, so doubling up against him isn’t always possible, especially as Real Madrid transfer the ball rapidly from defence to attack. So how will Rafael go about shutting Ronaldo out for 90 minutes?

The Brazilian’s usual approach against opponents who drift inside is to stick to them very tightly. This was what he did against Everton’s Steven Pienaar at the weekend, and although the South African doesn’t offer anything close to Ronaldo’s ability, theoretically he moves inside in a similar fashion. Rafael was happy to leave his right-back spot unguarded, following Pienaar all the way across the pitch into central positions. He won the ball in traditional right-back positions, but ushered Pienaar away from goal when in more central zones – not necessarily winning the ball, but forcing a backwards pass.

Rafael’s tendency to be drawn inside makes it imperative that Antonio Valencia tracks Fabio Coentrao into defensive positions – while Real have the ball, Valencia is likely to become an auxiliary right-back.

Another concern will be Rafael’s aerial ability. At only 5’8, he’s significantly smaller than Ronaldo – who is excellent at storming to the far post to climb above short right-backs, as he memorably did against Michael Essien in the 2008 Champions League final. Rafael has actually coped well this season – he’s won a respectable 54% of his aerial contests, and in recent matches against both Liverpool and Wigan, he was impressive in the air.

Nevertheless, a contest against Ronaldo is different matter altogether – and with United likely to be giving Real time on the opposite flank, Ronaldo stands a great chance of getting on the end of a far post cross.

Although Ferguson will instruct Rafael to remain in his right-back position, with Jones covering and Valencia playing a defensive-minded role, there may be one or two opportunities for the Brazilian fullback to break forward. His attacking play this season has also improved, and he combines particularly well with Valencia – they charged down the wing to great effect early on against Chelsea, creating United’s first two goals.

Rafael has also contributed a couple of assists himself in recent weeks. In the crucial win over Manchester City, he provided a low cross for Wayne Rooney’s goal, and at the weekend he played an excellent through-ball for Robin van Persie.

Don’t expect the Brazilian to pop up in the opposition third of the pitch too frequently – but in tight, tense contests like this one, a surprise presence in advanced positions can be crucial in getting the breakthrough.

In Rafael’s previous Champions League test of this magnitude, he was dismissed for two unnecessary bookings when up against Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery. United lost the game from a dominant position – and Arjen Robben’s superb and decisive volley from a corner crept inside the post Rafael had earlier been stationed on. This time, the Brazilian has both the experience and form to make a positive contribution to United’s Champions League campaign.

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Bale takes aim, David Luiz gets creative, Sagna deals with danger: A weekend in stats

2013-02-11T09:30:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Newcastle United

Although Gareth Bale gave Tottenham an early lead against Newcastle, no Premier League team has scored a higher proportion of their goals in the second half of games this season than the North Londoners (73%).

Bale attempted more shots (8) than any other player this weekend, and has now scored 10 goals in his last 12 Premier League appearances.

Chelsea 4-1 Wigan Athletic

If Wigan want to escape the drop once again, they'll need to tighten things up at the back - the Latics have kept just one clean sheet in their last 16 Premier League fixtures.

Chelsea defender David Luiz completed 100% of the passes he attempted in his own half, and also created three goal-scoring chances. In total, Chelsea had 27 shots in Saturday's match, more than any other side this weekend.

Norwich City 0-0 Fulham

Fulham had a passing accuracy of 94% in their own half this weekend, the best of any side, but by all accounts this was a fairly drab encounter.

Norwich hit the target with just two of their eight shots inside the penalty area - with four their five headed chances missing the mark. However, Fulham threatened even less from close range, failing to find the target with either of their two shots inside the box - both were blocked.

Stoke City 2-1 Reading

Reading once again scored late on, only this time it wasn't enough to salvage a positive result. The Royals have now scored 14 goals in the final 15 minutes of Premier League matches this season, and are more reliant on goals in this period than any other team, with 42% of their strikes coming after the 75-minute mark.

There were 107 Aerial Duels in this match (50-50 challenges in the air) – 34 more than in any other Premier League game this season. The Potters won the battle of the skies 66-41.

Sunderland 0-1 Arsenal

In teeing-up Santi Cazorla for the only goal of the game, Theo Walcott equalled his record tally for Premier League assists in a single season (8 - the same as 2011/12).

The Gunners came under intense pressure from Sunderland as the match wore on, and makeshift centreback Bacary Sagna was the hero, making 15 clearances - the most by any Arsenal player in a Premier League game this season.

Swansea City 4-1 Queens Park Rangers

QPR have scored with just 7.9% of their shots this season, the lowest conversion rate in the top flight. No side have had a lower conversion rate across a whole Premier League season since the start of 2009/10.

Meanwhile, Swansea did what they do best, and had the best passing accuracy of any side this weekend; 86%.

Southampton 3-1 Manchester City

During Saturday evening's match on the South Coast, Manchester City bombarded the newly-promoted Saints with crosses from both flanks - 31 in total - only finding a man in a blue shirt three times. Southampton's 20 headed clearances had something to do with that. In fact, City won just 1 of 18 headers in the Southampton box.

Despite their impressive performance, Southampton had the worst passing accuracy in the middle third of the pitch this weekend, just 72%.

Aston Villa 2-1 West Ham

West Ham conceded their first penalty of the season when Mark Noble hauled down Charles N'Zogbia - Manchester United and QPR are the only two teams yet to concede one in the Premier League this season. Aston Villa netted their first goal from a direct free kick this season in this game, thanks to N'Zogbia. This was also the first time West Ham have conceded directly from a free kick in 2012/13.

Fabian Delph's battling performance in midfield was key to Villa's success. He made five successful tackles and six interceptions - both highs for this match,

Man Utd 2-0 Everton

No Premier League side has conceded more goals in the opening 15 minutes of their matches this season than Everton (10 - same as West Ham). This is 32% of their total goals conceded.

Nemanja Vidic made a total of 21 clearances, blocks and interceptions against Everton - more than any other player in any game this weekend.

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How Man Utd can quell the threat of Everton's in-form Marouane Fellaini

2013-02-08T12:09:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to analyse Everton's star man ahead of the Toffees' trip to Old Trafford...

Marouane Fellaini’s display against Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season was the perfect way to start his 2012/13 campaign.

Dominating the game in the air, creating chances with his knock-downs, and scoring the only goal – the performance probably hasn’t been bettered since, by any player in the league.

“When he plays like that he is unplayable because of his sheer size,” Everton captain Phil Neville said after his side’s 1-0 victory. “We can mix it up and play a bit more direct – it allows you to play up the field and create chances. He was the focal point of every attack we had.”

His fifth season with Everton has surely been his best so far. As an all-round central midfielder – capable of scrapping on the ground, winning duels in the air and playing neat forward passes into attack – David Moyes often seemed unsure of where to use the Belgian. Although it’s now obvious his best role is as an auxiliary striker, previously Fellaini appeared better suited to a deeper central midfield role.

“I personally think his best position is causing problems in the attacking third, says Neville. “He is such an awkward player to play against. We’ve lost Tim Cahill who has served this club well for years, but Fellaini can fit into that role.”

But while Cahill was brilliant at making late runs into the box, Fellaini is more of a permanent presence. As Everton knock the ball from side to side, retaining possession calmly, Fellaini moves upfront to a position where he can receive the ball with his back to goal. Unlike Cahill, who relied on a tremendous leap, Fellaini is naturally a huge physical presence. His ability to hold off opponents instinctively means he brings the ball down on his chest as often as he challenges for it with his head, which allows midfield runners, particularly Steven Pienaar, to thrive on his lay-offs.

This weekend, Everton will concentrate on testing Manchester United in the air. Against a goalkeeper perhaps unfairly perceived as weak on crosses, Fellaini’s aerial threat will be particularly crucial. Manchester United came under heavy pressure late on against both Tottenham – where they conceded a late goal to Clint Dempsey, and Fulham – where they just about held on.

Their back four will be significantly stronger than in the reverse fixture at Goodison Park, when Antonio Valencia and Michael Carrick comprised the right half of the defence, but Fellaini can be impossible to cope with in the air, even for the best centre-backs in the league.

United’s best chance of stopping Fellaini is to prevent Everton moving too high up the pitch in possession. Although United have often sit back and counter-attack against dangerous opponents, the recent home contest against Liverpool saw them pressing high up the pitch to great effect, particularly in the first half. Against Liverpool this stopped short passing, against the side from across Stanley Park it would stop Leighton Baines getting time to loft the ball forward to Fellaini. Keeping a high line also makes sense – West Brom were braver than Everton in their recent meetings with Fellaini, and the Belgian received the ball in much deeper positions.

Moyes’ main dilemma is who should partner Fellaini’s partner in attack. Goals have been a significant problem for Everton this season, with Nikica Jelavic’s form declining alarmingly in recent weeks. His performances against Swansea and Southampton were the final straw for Moyes – against the former he kept missing the target, against the latter he wasn’t even having shots.

Instead, Moyes has turned to Victor Anichebe. The Nigerian-born striker’s performance against Aston Villa last weekend was encouraging, but it’s worth considering how infrequently Anichebe wins aerial duels. Against West Brom, in particular, he didn’t win any of his seven contests.

Anichebe’s goal last weekend should be enough to keep him in the side for Sunday's fixture, but with Moyes likely to instruct his players to cross the ball and test United aerially, Jelavic’s trademark darts towards the near post may prove more useful. Either way, Fellaini will provide the main threat – and United’s first task is to prevent service towards him.

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Prem Notes: The most important weekend stats

2013-02-04T09:17:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool

Pepe Reina has made 8 errors leading directly to goals in the Premier League since the start of last season.
Liverpool (22) had twice as many shots as Man City (11) in this game.
City’s pass completion of 78% is the lowest they have recorded in a PL home game this season.
Liverpool are the third away team to dominate possession at City in the league this season (after Arsenal and Fulham).
Steven Gerrard completed more long passes than any other player this weekend (13).

West Bromwich Albion 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Gareth Bale has now scored 9 away league goals this season; only Robin van Persie (10) has more.
Tottenham had 17 corners in this game, more than any other side in a Premier League game this season.
The Baggies have failed to keep a clean sheet in eight league games, their worst run since December 2011.
Spurs were the only team with a pass completion of more than 90% this weekend (91%).

Fulham 0-1 Manchester United

Manchester United have lost just 1 of their last 12 Premier League away games (W9 D2 L1), despite only keeping 2 clean sheets in that run.
Rooney has scored (10) or assisted (7) 17 goals in 17 Premier League appearances so far in 2012-13.
Four of the 6 woodwork hits this weekend took place in this game (2 each).
Rio Ferdinand made more headed clearances than any other PL player this weekend (15); United made 59 clearances all told.

Arsenal 1-0 Stoke City

Lukas Podolski has had a hand in 10 goals in his last 8 Premier League appearances for Arsenal (4 goals, 6 assists).
Arsenal attempted the most passes in the PL this weekend (620, completing 545 – 88%).
Stoke completed only 47% of their passes in the attacking third.
Arsenal conceded only 3 fouls.

Everton 3-3 Aston Villa

Everton held 68.3% possession – their highest figure in a Premier League game since August 2010.
Villa converted half of their shots (excl. blocked) into goals.
Everton put in the most crosses this weekend (42), Villa the fewest (7).

Newcastle United 3-2 Chelsea

Juan Mata has been involved in 19 goals (10 goals, 9 assists) in 20 PL starts for Chelsea this season.
After scoring 1 and assisting 1 in his final 38 French Ligue 1 appearances, Moussa Sissoko has taken just 2 Premier League games to beat this tally for Newcastle (2 goal, 1 assist).
Chelsea were the only team to make only one substitution this weekend.
Newcastle were the only team to have 10+ shots on target (11).

Reading 2-1 Sunderland

Each of Reading’s last 5 Premier League games has featured at least 3 goals scored.
No player created more goalscoring chances this weekend than Adam Johnson (6).
Despite being up against Johnson, Ian Harte completed more final-third passes (15) than any other player in this match.

West Ham United 1-0 Swansea City

Michu has now gone 572 goalless minutes (9 hours, 32 minutes) in the Premier League; his last goal was against Manchester United just before Christmas.
Andy Carroll has scored only 2 goals from 31 shots (inc. blocked) in the Premier League this season.

Wigan Athletic 2-2 Southampton

Southampton have thrown away 23 points from leading positions this season, more than any other side.
No English player has scored more Premier League goals this season than Rickie Lambert (11).
Wigan made the most interceptions in the PL this weekend (36), but Saints' Morgan Schneiderlin made the most individual interceptions (9).

Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Norwich City

Adel Taarabt hit more shots from outside the box than any other player this weekend (4); he also created 6 chances, twice as many as anyone else in this game.
QPR completed 15 of their 25 attempted take-ons, Taarabt completing 6 of his 9 to top the individual list while Andros Townsend, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Armand Traore completed 2 each.
Taarabt completed 13 of his 17 attacking-third passes; QPR's second highest player in this category was centre-back Chris Samba (7 of 14).
This was only the second clean sheet that Norwich City have kept in their last 46 Premier League away games.
Norwich have only conceded a goal from 1 of the last 4 Premier League penalty kicks that they have given away (two saves, one miss).

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Giroud and Walcott's blossoming partnership a hint of Arsenal's attacking potential

2013-02-01T13:04:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses the FREE FourFourTwo/Opta StatsZone app to analyse Arsenal's ever-improving forward partnership...

There was something particularly noteworthy about the way Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott combined for Arsenal’s equaliser against Liverpool on Wednesday evening. It wasn’t just the goal itself, but the fact it meant Giroud and Walcott became the most prolific assist-goal partnership in the league this season – they’ve set each other up seven times in 2012/13.

It’s particularly intriguing considering Walcott and Robin van Persie topped that list in 2011/12, producing nine goals as a duo. Walcott has developed into a fine attacker in the past couple of seasons, but there was always a danger that his good form was primarily because of van Persie’s movement, link-up play and ability to attract opposition defenders towards him, creating gaps elsewhere. Still, Walcott has managed to replicate that understanding with Giroud – particularly handy, given the inevitable comparisons between Arsenal strikers.

Giroud’s delicate touch to play the ball to Walcott on Wednesday wasn’t spectacular, but it’s something Giroud is very good at – and something Arsenal haven’t fully taken advantage of this season.

Giroud’s title-winning season with Montpellier – when he also jointly won Ligue 1’s Golden Boot – first attracted Arsene Wenger’s interest, but his international performances last summer truly convinced the Arsenal manager to sign him. Giroud had few opportunities to impress at Euro 2012, but he made the most of his pre-tournament friendly appearances – Wenger was working at those matches as a co-commentator, and saw his brilliance first-hand.

Giroud was only a substitute in all three pre-tournament warm-up games, but he managed to collect three assists. In particular, his hold-up play against Iceland was exceptional – France had gone 2-0 down after a poor first half performance, and struggled to find a way part Iceland’s 'parked bus'.

Giroud replaced Hatem Ben Arfa in the second half, and promptly produced one of the finest displays of hold-up play you’ll see – France’s entire gameplan revolved around knocking the ball into Giroud, then getting midfielder runners close to him, ready to collect his return passes. Franck Ribery played a delicious one-two with Giroud for the equaliser, then Adil Rami was assisted by Giroud for the winner. Wenger spoke highly of him in his commentary, and made a point of meeting Giroud after one of France’s Euro 2012 matches.

At Montpellier, Giroud benefited by playing with an attack-minded number ten, Younes Belhanda, who positioned himself close to Giroud, ready for the knock-downs and flick-ons. At Arsenal, Giroud doesn’t have the same type of player to link with – Santi Cazorla is a great playmaker, but tends to drop deeper and get involved in the centre of midfield. Instead, Giroud has been forced to alter his game, and it is Walcott and Lukas Podolski, who start much wider, that usually offer his closest support.

Gradually, Arsenal have started to make the most of Giroud’s clever link-up play. Kieran Gibbs’ goal in the FA Cup at Swansea, for example, was a perfect example – he played a short pass into Giroud, then charged past opponents, confident of getting a perfect return pass. Giroud chipped the ball beautifully into his path, and Gibbs smashed it into the net. It was a superb goal, straight out of the ‘headers and volleys’ textbook.

But Walcott remains the man Giroud is most likely to combine with. The one-twos are increasingly becoming a feature of their game – the Liverpool match showed that Walcott understands he’s supposed to play the ball to Giroud on the edge of the ‘D’ – Giroud’s return pass towards Walcott is always more difficult, but when it works, it can be highly effective. Giroud only found Walcott once – but it was the assist for the equaliser.

However, it’s worth mentioning that Giroud still needs to get himself into the box having played one-twos – something he’s done well in recent weeks. Unlike van Persie, Thierry Henry or Dennis Bergkamp, for example, Giroud isn’t prolific from long-range and remains a penalty box prowler, darting to the near post and scoring a high percentage of his goals from inside the six-yard box.

Giroud’s goals are vital, but the combination with Walcott might please Wenger more. His sides have often depended upon strikers linking cleverley with wide players – van Persie with Walcott most recently, but also Bergkamp with Freddie Ljungberg, and Henry with Robert Pires. Giroud and Walcott aren’t close to that level yet, but their recent performance hint at real potential.

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How Stoke will exploit Manchester City's weak link

2013-01-25T10:47:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses the FREE FourFourTwo/Opta StatsZone app to analyse Man City's tricky-looking cup tie at Stoke...

The dreaded visit to Stoke – irrespective of day and weather conditions – has become one of the great English football clichés, the ultimate ‘difficult place to go’.

The reality of the fixture’s difficulty has actually varied significantly from year to year – a couple of seasons ago, the final ‘home’ league table showed Tony Pulis’ side in exactly the same position as in the ‘away’ league table, yet the cliché persisted.

At the moment, as it happens, Stoke actually have a very impressive home record – until their previous fixture at the Britannia Stadium, they and Manchester United were the only two Premier League sides unbeaten at home, although Chelsea’s 4-0 win - featuring a significant helping hand from Jon Walters - brought that run to a sudden halt.

Of the Premier League’s big boys, Manchester City seem to struggle more than most when making a trip to Stoke. Since the Potters’ promotion to the Premier League in 2008, City’s five league games have ended in a 1-0 defeat, followed by four consecutive 1-1 draws. There was also a 3-1 FA Cup fifth round replay defeat in 2010, after a 1-1 draw at Eastlands.

At home to Stoke in the Premier League, City have no such problems: 3-0, 2-0, 3-0, 3-0, 3-0. An FA Cup final at Wembley? A 1-0 win. Clearly, it will be a nervous 40-mile coach trip down the A34 for City this weekend.

So how does Roberto Mancini prepare his troops? In all likelihood, City will play their usual game, stay true to their emphasis upon short passing football, and attempt to force Stoke back into their own half. But City will spend periods without the ball, and therefore Mancini must seek to secure his left-back zone.

Look at the data from Stoke’s previous two home meetings with City, and it’s clear they target City left-back Gael Clichy in the air – at 5’9 he’s the same height as Pablo Zabaleta, but less comfortable in aerial duels. Earlier this season, Tony Pulis used Jon Walters on the right-hand side against City, while last season he used Cameron Jerome in that position. Neither are natural wingers – although Walters does a decent job there – but they’re both perfect to get on the end of the ‘Flo ball’, as ex-Norway coach Egil Olsen used to call it: a long diagonal to a tall forward challenging a small full-back.

Here are the ‘long balls’ played by Stoke in the 1-1 draw earlier this season, and the positions of City’s aerial duels – almost always in the left-back zone, whether from long goal-kicks towards the touchlines, or more direct balls into the penalty box. In fairness, City’s success rate is reasonably high:

But Clichy certainly struggles with these balls – his own success rate was low, although he remains useful for sticking tight to wingers near the touchlines, and winning the ball cleanly:

Interestingly, once Stoke had worked the ball into wide positions, their crosses were incredibly unsuccessful. A 5% completion rate is awful (it’s interesting how many deliveries from the right are blocked by Clichy on the edge of the penalty area), but City were generally unsuccessful with their clearances, probably because Stoke are so quick to the second balls on the edge of the box:

As well as Jerome or Walters, Peter Crouch tends to drift towards that side, too. The positions of his passes received in the fixture last season shows how frequently he patrols that side of the pitch – a zone from where he scored his famous overheard kick:

And Asmir Begovic’s distribution is also interesting. If he chooses not to hit the ball long towards that side, he never passes it towards the right-back – always to left-back Marc Wilson instead. Wilson would then exchange passes with left-winger Matthew Etherington, before thumping diagonals towards the opposite side of the pitch. Although Stoke try to work the ball towards the left-back zone, they never do so with straight balls from their own right-back zone.

This approach has caused problems in two consecutive seasons. So will Mancini adapt? As it happens, he seems to have a selection crisis on the opposite side – Maicon and Micah Richards are both out injured, but Zabaleta should be fit to return after hobbling off against Fulham last weekend. Either way, there’s no chance of Zabaleta switching to the left.

But how about putting Joleon Lescott at left-back? Vincent Kompany and Matija Nastastic is Mancini’s first-choice centre-back partnership, but Lescott would offer more aerial power, and has played that position many times for Everton, City and even England. Mancini will be reluctant to change too much against an inferior side, but with previous meetings in mind, this might be a decent opportunity to rest Clichy.

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Prem Notes: The weekend's most important stats

2013-01-21T09:16:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal

Theo Walcott has been involved in 5 of Arsenal's last 6 Premier League goals (3 goals, 2 assists) and has scored 11 in his last 15 appearances for Arsenal (in all competitions).
Juan Mata has scored in all 3 of his Premier League starts against Arsenal.
Chelsea have won more penalties (8) than any other team in this season's Premier League.
Arsenal played more through balls than any other side this weekend (4).
Chelsea made 37 tackles, more than any other side this weekend.

Tottenham 1-1 Manchester United

Tottenham's goal came from their 25th and final shot of the game.
Clint Dempsey had the most shots on target in the PL this weekend (4).
Man United's total of 5 shots is their lowest in a Premier League game since the match at Man City last season.
Robin van Persie has scored more than 1 headed goal for the first time in a single Premier League season.
United have scored more goals from crosses (20) and headers (13) than any other PL team this season.
United made more blocks than any other team in the PL this weekend (11).
Spurs made the most interceptions (28).
United were caught offside 7 times, the joint-most since they racked up 9 at Spurs in 2009-10.

Liverpool 5-0 Norwich City

Stewart Downing assisted only his second goal in what was his 50th Premier League appearance for Liverpool, but these 2 assists have come in his last 6 PL games for the club.
Luis Suarez has now attempted more shots (130, inc. blocked) in the Premier League this season than in the whole of 2011-12 (126).
Liverpool had the best conversion rate in the Premier League this weekend (31%) and the best pass completion rate (90.4%)
The Reds completed 82.7% of their passes in the final third, the best figure they’ve recorded under Brendan Rodgers.
Liverpool made 1394 passes in two games vs Norwich in the Premier League this season, completing 1258 of them (90.2%).
Steven Gerrard made more passes than any other player this weekend, 115.

Manchester City 2-0 Fulham

Fulham versus Manchester City is the most played Premier League fixture (22 games) that has not seen a single red card.
Fulham enjoyed 56% possession in this match – the second highest possession figure against Man City in a PL game this season (after Arsenal's 59% at the Etihad in September).
Man City racked up 20 attempts on goal to Fulham's 2.
Fulham have won 0 of their 7 matches against the current top six this season (W0 D3 L4).

Newcastle United 1-2 Reading

21 points after 23 games of a campaign is Newcastle’s lowest ever tally in the Premier League era.
Adam Le Fondre scored his seventh and eighth Premier League goals of the season in this match, but these were his first 2 away from home.
Adam Le Fondre has scored with 4 of his last 5 shots at goal (excl. blocked shots) in the Premier League, including each of his last three.
Mike Williamson made more clearances (21) than any other Premier League player this weekend.

Swansea City 3-1 Stoke City

Stoke have conceded as many goals in their last 3 Premier League games (13) as they did in the previous 18 top flight matches.
Stoke had only 4 successive dribbles in this game, they have the fewest in the Premier League this season (87).
Stoke's most frequent pass combinations were Asmir Begovic to Peter Crouch and Stephen N'Zonzi to Dean Whitehead (13 each); Swansea had 4 more frequent pass combinations, all involving Angel Rangel.
Swansea created more clear-cut chances than any other side this weekend (5).

West Bromwich Albion 2-2 Aston Villa

This was the 46th time Aston Villa had led a Premier League game at half-time by two or more goals, but only the fourth time that they’ve failed to win (W42 D3 L1).
Charles N’Zogbia assisted 2 goals in this match – the first time he’s notched 2 assists in a single PL match.
Romelu Lukaku has scored 7 goals and assisted 1 in his nine Premier League starts for West Brom.

West Ham United 1-1 Queens Park Rangers

Loic Remy’s goal was only the seventh that QPR have scored in the first half of a Premier League game this season – fewer than any other side.
Adel Taarabt has either scored (2) or assisted (2) 4 of QPR’s last 5 Premier League goals.
STATS ZONE, Thu 27 Dec: Taarabt must stay central to QPR's great escape
Harry Redknapp has lost just 2 of 18 PL games against teams he has previously managed.
West Ham had more crosses & corners (56) in this game than any other PL team in any game this season.
The Hammers mustered 8 headed attempts vs QPR.
QPR played 22% of their passes long, a higher percentage than any other side this weekend – but only 6 of the 42 long balls were completed.

Wigan Athletic 2-3 Sunderland

Wigan have conceded a league-high 7 penalties in the Premier League this season.
This was the first Premier League game this season that Sunderland have won from a losing position: they have been behind in 11 games.
Wigan had 23 shots to Sunderland's 11; only Tottenham (25) and West Brom (29) had more attempts this weekend.
Wigan made only 5 clearances in this game; the last team to manage fewer was Chelsea vs Man City at home in 2009-10.

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Why Chico is a very atypical Spanish centre-back

2013-01-18T11:39:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses the FREE FourFourTwo/Opta StatsZone app to analyse Swansea's Spanish centre-back...

Last week, this column looked at West Bromwich Albion defender Jonas Olsson, subject to transfer interest from Queens Park Rangers. Stats Zone suggests that while Olsson is a decent defender, the secret to his game is that he doesn’t actually do a great deal – he rarely tackles, and rarely intercepts.

This week’s topic is a centre-back with the opposite characteristics, Swansea’s Chico Flores. The Spaniard is an all-action, impetuous defender who gets involved whenever possible – Chico is in the Premier League’s top 10 for tackles, interceptions and clearances per game. “If I put on a team's shirt, I always defend it to the death,” he says.

While Michu was clearly Swansea’s most successful summer signing, Chico has also been a great buy. Besides, whereas Michu was highly-rated in Spain, and featured on many ‘best signing’ lists at the start of the Premier League season, the purchase of Chico went somewhat under the radar. He’d enjoyed a decent season at Mallorca in 2011/12, but had previously struggled in Serie A with Genoa.

Chico (r) and Ashley Williams in action

Chico made his debut in a 5-0 victory over QPR on the opening day of the season, but he made his mark with a shocking high tackle on Sunderland’s Louis Saha in his third game, earning himself a straight red card. Although that challenge was horrendous, and his three-match ban caused problems at the back, it was at least representative of the way Chico plays – he doesn’t duck out of a tackle.

The pattern of Chico’s defending in last week’s 0-0 draw against Everton tells an interesting story. His interceptions are almost always in the same zone of the pitch, 25 yards from goal, right-of-centre from his perspective (although against Arsenal in the midweek FA Cup defeat, he showed he’s more than capable of playing to the left). Chico sticks very tight to his opponent, and likes to nip in front to win the ball cleanly.

His positions of tackles are very different, however. The zone reserved for interceptions saw no tackles whatsoever – and instead, Chico followed his man out towards the touchlines before tackling, or did so when forced to defend in deeper positions, inside the penalty box. This is a particularly extreme example of the separations, but it’s broadly typical of his strategy.

Chico’s previous game, on New Year’s Day against Aston Villa, told a different story. He again made plenty of interceptions – higher up the pitch this time, probably as a result of Aston Villa’s cautious approach compared to Everton – but had significant problems with aerial duels. Many more established centre-backs have had problems against Christian Benteke, but Chico isn’t an aerial specialist, winning just 48 of his 103 battles in the air this season; a rate of less than 50% is particularly poor for a centre-back.

Another recent match, the 0-0 draw against Reading, was another demonstration of Chico’s willingness to come out from his natural position, and make clearances in unusual zones. His 19 clearances occured in scattered positions inside his own half, including a high proportion near the touchline considering he's a centre-back.

When compared to West Brom’s Gareth McAuley, who played in the same position against the same opposition last weekend, the difference is clear – most centre-backs’ clearances take place in a roughly vertical line, and don’t stray outside the width of the penalty boxes.

A final factor to consider is Chico’s distribution. As a Spaniard, you expect him to be competent with the ball at his feet, but by the standards of his nationality (and for that matter club) he’s actually inconsistent with his passing. His forward balls are frequently wayward, and he’s panicky when closed down. When given time on the ball, he prefers to spread the play to centre-back partner Ashley Williams, who distributes the ball more positively.

So, Chico is actually a very atypical Spanish centre-back. He’s not overwhelmingly comfortable on the ball, but aggressive and keen to dive into challenges – although he’s not reliable in the air. He’ll always need a good covering defender alongside him, and with Ashley Williams adept at sweeping up behind, Michael Laudrup has built a fine centre-back combination, as well as a potent attacking unit.

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Jonas Olsson switching to QPR would be a bad move for all parties

2013-01-11T11:34:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses the FREE FourFourTwo/Opta StatsZone app to run the rule over West Brom's supposedly in-demand defender...

One of the more peculiar transfer stories of the current transfer window has been Queens Park Rangers’ £5 million bid for West Bromwich Albion’s Jonas Olsson.

Harry Redknapp clearly needs a new centre-back, with Ryan Nelsen set to leave the club and take charge of MLS side Toronto FC, but the move for Olsson – a player he was also said to be interested in during his time at Tottenham - seems rather ambitious.

Olsson, after all, is playing at a side currently seventh in the Premier League, having accumulated twenty more points than QPR so far this season, and has also been linked with a move to Arsenal. For the Swedish defender to drop down to the bottom-placed club in the division would be a brave decision.

“We’re a club that’s challenging near the top of the league and, for me, going to QPR would be a strange move,” said Olsson’s current boss, Steve Clarke. “I see no reason why he would want to leave us - and I don’t want to belittle QPR - for a club on a similar or even lesser level than us, which is where they are the moment.”

With QPR presumably trying to tempt him through financial reasons rather than sporting ones, they’re clearly not determined to guard against relegation. Olsson turns 30 in March – there’s unlikely to be much sell-on value if QPR needed to get him off the books.

Olsson only signed a new four-year contract in October, when he was refreshingly honest about the financial side of the deal. “The financial reward is a factor, anyone who says otherwise is not talking the truth,” he said. “I feel very much for the club, I love playing here, but you are abroad to make a good career, to play against the best players, to set you up for the future, because it is a short career.” Olsson has plans to become a lawyer once he retires from the game.

The Swede is a largely unheralded centre-back, and £5m for a player of his age and ability is a surprisingly high opening bid. So what did Olsson do so spectacularly during West Brom’s 2-1 win at Loftus Road on Boxing Day, to convince Redknapp he was worth the money?

Well, to be blunt, nothing. That’s not to say Olsson didn’t defend well, but he and centre-back partner Gareth McAuley were typically solid and reliable, without ever becoming significantly involved in play. Olsson’s statistics this season tell the tale of a calm, reserved player – in 19 starts, he’s made just 12 tackles. Amazingly, of the 20 players who have featured for West Brom this season, only two have made tackles less frequently than Olsson, while McAuley has made twice as many. At Loftus Road, they made just one tackle between them.

Olsson isn’t a regular interceptor, either – just 0.8 per game, while he’s won 53 of his 100 aerial duels this season, a poor record for a centre-back and significantly worse than McAuley’s 71 success from 94 battles. The QPR match was interesting, because QPR appeared to be aware of Olsson’s weakness in the air, and tested him much more frequently than McAuley. The Swede’s 50% success rate was similar to his average throughout the season:

He is, at least, a prolific blocker, finding himself in the top ten of Premier League players this season by that measure, but his pass completion rate is inferior to McAuley’s – the match at Loftus Road was a good example of the differences in that respect.

Olsson certainly has good positional sense, and the communication and organisation at the back for West Brom this season has been very impressive. However, their decent defensive record owes much to the structure of the side as a whole – the full-backs remain very narrow, and the central midfield combination of Claudio Yacob and Youssuf Mulumbu stay deep and protect the centre-backs excellently. Olsson’s a good defender, but QPR can find equally able alternatives for their £5 million.

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How Mousa Dembele filled Luka Modric's boots in Tottenham's midfield

2013-01-04T15:04:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses the FREE FourFourTwo/Opta StatsZone app to compare Spurs' new Belgian hero with their former star...

In a fascinating interview with the Daily Mail last weekend, Mousa Dembele rejected comparisons with Luka Modric, the central midfielder he effectively replaced at Tottenham in the summer. “I never saw myself as the replacement for Luka,” said Dembele. “I feel like I’m a totally different player…I’m very much impressed by him, but he’s a different kind of style.”

In a way, Dembele wasn’t replacing Modric directly. Andre Villas-Boas taking over from Harry Redknapp meant a significant change in the way Tottenham played, and a different tilt to the midfield zone.

Under Redknapp, Spurs played a slightly old-fashioned British game, using the midfield to spread the ball wide to the wingers, who attacked at speed. Villas-Boas, at least in his early weeks, wanted more verticality from his players, combined with constant rotation of the midfield trio.

As it happens, Spurs have actually returned to a 4-4-2 system in recent weeks, more in line with what Harry Redknapp preferred during his spell at Tottenham. The inconsistent form of Clint Dempsey and Gylfi Sigurdsson, the two men used at the top of the midfield, meant Villas-Boas has turned to a striking partnership of Jermain Defoe and Emmanuel Adebayor, despite an early setback when Adebayor was dismissed in the first half of the eventual 5-2 defeat at Arsenal.

That has changed Dembele’s role slightly. In the early days, particularly in Tottenham’s debut win under Villas-Boas, away at Reading, Dembele was the catalyst for rotation in the centre of the pitch; he could drop deeper than Sandro, or move in advance of Sigurdsson. Now, with only the Brazilian alongside him, Tottenham’s midfield has a more permanent structure. Sandro sits and holds, while Dembele attacks. In that sense, Dembele’s role is now more similar to Modric’s – physically they’re entirely different, but on the pitch, they’re playing a similar role.

There’s one important exception, of course – Dembele’s still a thrillingly direct player, able to take on opponents at speed, suddenly providing bursts of pace and dribbling from the centre of the pitch. Modric could beat a man, but not nearly as frequently as Dembele does...

But what’s particularly fascinating is Dembele’s passing ability. For a converted winger or forward, and someone accustomed to taking the ball forward solo, you might expect Dembele’s distribution to be wayward. Instead, he’s incredibly reliable when spreading the play wide, as his passes in Tottenham’s most recent two matches have demonstrated.

His distribution is reminiscent of Modric’s. Compare two equivalent games from this season and last – home draws against Stoke – and they have more in common than Dembele admits, being left-of-centre and generally sideways.

The clear difference is in accuracy. Modric was always regarded as a reliable passer, but his completion rate was 87.4% last season, whereas Dembele boasts a rate of 91.2% in 2012/13.

Modric is keener to play ambition passes, and creates 2.7 chances per match for teammates, compared to Dembele’s 2.0, which explains why the Croatian’s passes more frequently went astray. It’s also slightly surprising that Dembele, considering his positional history, attempts just 1.1 shots per game, compared to Modric’s 2.3. As the Belgian explains in the aforementioned interview, as a kid his playground games didn’t involve goals – the object was to dribble the ball towards a lamppost, then ‘touch’ the ball against the post. It explains his love of taking on defenders in tight spaces, and his reluctance to pull the trigger.

Still, it’s highly impressive that Spurs have managed to replace Modric with a midfield that offers similar quality of passing. Dembele can still improve, and contribute more in the final third, but purely in the midfield zone, Spurs haven’t experienced a dip in quality since Modric’s departure.

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Rodgers' redeployment helps Gerrard defy age and naysayers

2013-01-03T15:59:00Z

Some said it was curtains for the captain under Brendan Rodgers; others expected him to play further forward. Alex Hess investigates Steven Gerrard's part in Liverpool's renaissance

As tends to be the case when high-profile footballers reach the latter stage of their careers, there seems to have been a manic rush over the last few months to declare Steven Gerrard's career as having reached its conclusion.

No sooner had Brendan Rodgers taken the Anfield reins on June 1st than a host of belittling critics were proclaiming the end of the road for a player apparently incompatible with his new manager's ideas. "He's finished," sniped the premature party line, "he can't play possession football."

Gerrard, of course, is merely the latest member of England's fabled and failed Golden Generation to undergo this public trial, with Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole having been subject to similar chastisements at regular intervals for the past couple of years.

Perhaps their perceived failure on the international stage is what prompts such wilful attempts to consign these players to the footballing scrapheap, a kind of vindication for the 'you were never that good in the first place' attitude that has long superceded a nation's rose-tinted visions of World Cups and European Championships.

Tellingly, though, all four remain prominent members of their respective teams. No, these players may not have been England's answer to Beckenbauer, Cruyff and van Basten, and their combined power for the Three Lions may have been far less potent than the sum of its parts, but they were – and are – exceptional footballers nonetheless.

Their enduring longevity is testament to this quality. It's what allows Lampard, at 34, to continue to put in match-winning performances for Chelsea, and what enables Cole (32) to continue to attract the noveau riche petrodollars of Paris Saint Germain. It is also this level of class that dictates that Steven Gerrard – who turns 33 in May – remains a vital cog in Brendan Rodgers' slowly evolving machine, albeit performing a slightly different function than in seasons past.

There can be no doubt that the Liverpool captain hasn't always excelled this season, although he is far from the only squad member to have underachieved on occasion. As with every player, the process of adapting to various tweaks in shape and style has not always been a smooth one.

What has begun to creep to the surface in recent games, though, along with a simple upturn in Gerrard's form, is evidence that directly contravenes his naysayers, and that suggests that there is plenty of life in this old dog yet.

Those who claimed that there was no place for Gerrard's (in)famously 'Hollywood'-style distribution in a Brendan Rodgers midfield underestimated both the accommodating nature of the manager and the fundamental quality of the player.

The most easy thing for Rodgers to do with his skipper upon arrival – and perhaps the most obvious one – would have been to shunt him into a front three, where his finishing would most flourish, and from where his signature raking diagonal passes would have been less tempting. Gerrard, though, has occupied a central midfield berth, almost without fail, for the entire season so far, something which shows no sign of changing.

The new manager came under much criticism for his stubborn dogmatism throughout the summer's Andy Carroll saga, but in his deployment of Gerrard he appears to have conceded that, on occasion, tiki taka does not have to reign supreme; that the long ball can be the right ball, and that the possibility of a defence-splitting pass often outranks the risk of ceding possession. Gerrard has needed to adapt to Rodgers, of course, but likewise, Rodgers has also been able to adapt to Gerrard.

None of this is to say that Gerrard is indeed incapable of engaging in a short-passing game – for the most part, he does, and does well – but the rapid switching of play that his passing range facilitates is a powerful weapon that does not go unappreciated by his manager.

As the 32-year-old showed against Sunderland with a number of exquisite long balls, there can exist a healthy middle ground between short, sharp ball exchanges and the more penetrative, unanticipated play-switchers. Gerrard is capable of either, but to limit him to the former would be lunacy. In this regard, Rodgers has shown he is no madman.

Just as he had in Liverpool's previous two games at QPR and Stoke, Gerrard topped the passing tables against Sunderland, completing 81 of his 88 passes; only Lucas Leiva (77 completed out of 87) came close, with no other player completing more than 50. He also completed 26 of 31 passes in the attacking third.

Tellingly, Gerrard mixed up his recipients: these weren't all Hollywood balls. He completed 12 passes to his midfield sidekick Lucas, 11 to right-back Andre Wisdom, 10 each to Suarez and left-winger Stewart Downing (mostly cross-field switches), and nine each to left-back Glen Johnson and centre-back Martin Skrtel.

And it worked. Gerrard's midfield energy allowed Luis Suarez to set up Raheem Sterling for the opener, and the captain went on to directly assist both Suarez's goals – first with a lofted swipe into the inside right channel, then with surely the pass of the season so far to wrap things up: a wonderfully shaped 50-yard arrow which perfectly bisected the Sunderland centre-backs.

Judging by Wednesday's performance, and by Rodgers' reluctance to utilise him in attack, it would seem most likely that Gerrard will play out the coming seasons in a deep central role. The most obvious comparison in this regard would be with Paul Scholes, who also relied on utilising his vision and technique from deep when his physical dynamism bade him farewell.

The comparison, though, is not necessarily so straightforward. Gerrard doesn't boast the first touch of Scholes, nor does he appreciate the value of subtlety quite as well, but that is not to say that he cannot play the role of footballing quarterback supremely effectively. Age and injuries may dictate that his leggy energy is increasingly sporadic, but it still exists in the Liverpool talisman more than it ever did Scholes, and his tackles, while legal, retain their bite.

Lest we forget, Gerrard witnessed a similar evolution first-hand over a decade ago, as the 35-year-old Gary McAllister cashed in his chips as a rangy box-to-box strider in favour of a smarter, economical deep-lying ball-player in Gerard Houllier's Reds side. Gerrard certainly won't have forgotten – the Scot's cultured passing brought Liverpool a treble.

But looking away from the past and into the future, with Gerrard, Lucas Leiva and Joe Allen, the club now have a trio of players who can perform the holding role in three very different but equally useful ways, while between Jonjo Shelvey and Suso, there is little shortage of promise at the midfield's apex.

Gerrard has recently played his 600th game for Liverpool – a phenomenal feat – and he, like any player, will certainly need to be managed carefully in his latter years. But, as with his peers, the obituary writers need not pick up their pens just yet.

Alex Hess works for the Guardian and writes about football for various outlets, including Football365 and Goal.com. He's on Twitter at @A_Hess

How AVB can bring the best out of Gareth Bale

2012-12-27T21:24:00Z

Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to show how Andre Villas-Boas can get regular results out of Tottenham's brilliant but inconsistent wide man...

There was something particularly assured about Gareth Bale’s three finishes in Tottenham’s 4-0 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day. It wasn’t just the calmness with which he despatched the ball into the net, but his entire movements after receiving the ball – his touch was good, and he had time to compose himself before shooting.

It was the Welshman’s second career hat-trick. The first, in a 4-3 defeat at Inter Milan, involved Bale continually outpacing Maicon on the counter-attack at a stage when the game was out of Tottenham’s reach, but opponents have become wise to that classic wing threat, and few of Bale’s goals have been scored by motoring past opponents on the outside.

Instead, Bale has varied his game over the past couple of seasons, forced to adapt after finding himself double-marked against opponents sitting deep. He increasingly played in central positions last season under Harry Redknapp, trying to influence the play from obvious playmaking zones – but this harmed his ability to pick up the ball on the run and dribble past opponents. The experiment in the middle was broadly unsuccessful.

This season, and in particular against Villa, Bale has played a different role. He’s not permanently staying wide and picking up the ball outside the full-back, but nor is his starting position in the centre of the pitch. Instead, he’s starting wide before drifting into the penalty box unnoticed. Neither side of North London will appreciate the comparison, but Bale’s runs are reminiscent of Arsenal’s Freddie Ljungberg around a decade ago – perfectly timed drifts from wide areas, arriving in the box unnoticed.

“His finishing is very accurate,” said Andre Villas-Boas. “He has been prolific in front of goal this season and I think he is enjoying getting into those positions.” Villas-Boas’s influence upon Bale is clear – the Portuguese coach has always encouraged his wide players to get into the box, and to collect balls played in behind the full-back, rather than on the outside.

Against Villa, the positions of Bale’s received passes indicates he was playing as winger (in a 4-4-2), but he timed his runs nicely to the edge of the box, catching the opposition by surprise for his goals.

It relies on good service into his path, however. In Spurs’ previous match, the 0-0 home draw with Stoke City, Bale rarely got himself into the penalty box and instead attempted shots from long range, which were generally unsuccessful.

At the midway point of the 2012/13 season, Bale has already scored nine league goals – which equals his total from the entire 2011/12 campaign. It’s vital that the Welshman contributes goals himself, because – slightly surprisingly – he doesn’t provide a great deal of assists. In 2010/11 he claimed just one in the Premier League, and although he reached double figures last season, his assist for Aaron Lennon against Liverpool in November is the only goal he’s created so far in this campaign.

Bale clearly has incredible natural talent – he’s brilliant with the ball on the run, yet frequently his wide play is frustrating. He receives the ball and skins an opponent before thumping a cross in front of the onrushing striker – his play appears too quick for his teammates, as well as his opponents. As his deliveries from the games against Stoke and Aston Villa shows, he rarely finds a teammate from open play – his corners are a more reliable source of chances.

That’s the odd thing about Bale – he’s a natural winger, but not a natural provider. To contribute something tangible to his side, and to turn his raw talent into outright efficiency, he must continue to contribute goals. Two seasons ago he stayed wide, last season he often featured more centrally, but now he’s in a hybrid role. His positioning and movement against Villa – staying wide before turning up unannounced on the edge of the box – appears the best recipe to turn Bale into a regular marksman.

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Adel Taarabt must remain central to QPR’s great escape

2012-12-27T13:23:00Z

QPR need their Moroccan midfielder on top of his game – and in the middle of the pitch, as Joel Ramey shows using the free Stats Zone app from FourFourTwo and Opta

A simple pass from Jamie Mackie: that's all it took. The rest was sheer fantasy. Adel Taarabt, already with one goal to his name on the day, bore down on goal after nutmegging Fulham's Brede Hangeland, who had pushed up in an effort to stop him.

Despite being surrounded by three defenders, Taarabt nonchalantly rolled the ball and stroked it into the corner of the net in one quick movement with his right foot at the edge of the box. He did it so quickly that Mark Schwarzer had no time to steady himself. Mackie subsequently put his hands on his head in utter disbelief. What he had just witnessed – what everyone watching had just witnessed – was a moment of pure genius.

What they'd also witnessed was the game-winning goal. Taarabt's brace for QPR against Fulham was enough to help Harry Redknapp do something in four league games that Mark Hughes couldn't in his 13 games this season: win. And Redknapp knew one needed to come sooner rather than later, admitting post-game that he set his team up to play an open game because "draws are no good." In doing so, he set the stage on which his 23-year-old No.10 would shine.

Against Fulham, Taarabt played just off lone striker Djibril Cisse in a 4-2-3-1 formation. With defensive midfielder Alejandro Faurlin passing the ball ahead to Taarabt seventeen times, making that the highest pass combination in the game, clearly the plan was to get the ball to the Moroccan at every opportunity for him to make things happen.

And make things happen he did. His movement into space, strength on the ball, dribbling ability in tight spaces, link-up play, and willingness to shoot were all on display, helping him prove a thorn in Fulham's side from the opening whistle. And even though he put too much weight behind a couple of his final balls and saw others unfortunately cut out, leading to just the one created chance all game, his eye for a pass was evident as well.

He revelled in his free role, so it came as no surprise when he reprised it for the club's next home game versus West Brom. Unfortunately, things didn't happen for him as they did versus Fulham.

He didn't get on the ball as much as he would've liked and found himself drifting from flank to flank in an effort to get involved: Taarabt's highest pass combination was with left-back Armand Traore.

What went wrong? It wasn't all about Taarabt. Faurlin, whose strong performance against Fulham so often got Taarabt on the ball in the middle, had a poor game this time around as he struggled to string passes together. Additionally, West Brom's Youssuf Mulumbu put in an excellent defensive shift in the centre of the pitch, doing well to restrict the home side going forward and put Taarabt off in the process.

The Moroccan still looked a threat on occasion, but would readily admit to having a hard time against a well-organised West Brom side that has impressed so far this season. On Sunday QPR are at home to Liverpool; given that the Reds are yet to convince and enter this game off the back of a humbling defeat away to Stoke, there is good reason for Redknapp to let Taarabt keep his free role.

There is a chance, though, that QPR may revert to a 4-1-4-1 system. That means that Taarabt would be shunted back out to the left. He has been deployed out wide by both managers this season, especially in away games, but also at home against Reading (under Hughes) and Aston Villa (under Redknapp). But is that the ideal role for him?

Playing on the wing means that he has to help his full-back defensively. Managers have always struggled with whether to ask their mercurial creators to dig in, but it's clear that while Taarabt puts in a tackle and makes an interception here and there, his focus is on his attacking contribution.

Rather than sticking to the flank, he cuts inside and drifts around the pitch seeking to get on the ball and make things happen offensively – as is shown by the positions in which he received passes in those two games. This leaves the full back exposed and given Armand Traore, for one, isn't particularly good at defending, this is a huge problem.

QPR need wide men who will put in a great defensive shift. A player like Park Ji-Sung is a huge miss in that regard. Taarabt's talents and mindset, on the other hand, are suited to a much more attacking role.

"We used to play in the French national team and he was just nutmegging the same guy for maybe four or five times," says Traore, who has known Taarabt since his early teenage years. "The manager used to tell him, 'If you don't give the ball, you come off.' And he didn't care. He was bringing us penalties, scoring goals."

Players like Adel Taarabt need freedom. They like to be able to drift where they please. They like to be passed the ball all the time – as Dimitar Berbatov's T-shirt message in Fulham's Boxing Day game against Southampton explained.

Most of all, they love being the centre of attention, the player through whom all the team's attacks go. They have the quality to match their unshakable confidence and prefer to spend the game showing off that quality. Defensive responsibility pegs them back. When shunted out wide, this is the case with Taarabt. It was also the case with Rafael van der Vaart, a player who Redknapp also used out wide in addition to centrally at Tottenham.

Van der Vaart was often used on the right flank by Redknapp and had put Spurs ahead at home to Arsenal last season after starting in that position, but his failure to track Alex Song's run down his flank resulted in the Cameroon international setting up Aaron Ramsey to equalise.

The Dutchman tried to put a foot in defensively during the game, but it was obvious defending isn't his strong suit. His focus was on drifting into central positions.

"When I have to track back, that does not really benefit my game," fumed Van der Vaart. "I received the freedom to come inside from the manager, but you can see from the goal they scored that my strength is in the centre."

Indeed it is. Van der Vaart, like Taarabt, is at his very best when freed of defensive responsibility and played just off the main striker, allowing him to cause havoc in and around the penalty area. On a number of occasions last season, he was given that role and shone.

Taarabt did the same against Fulham. His colossal performance left Redknapp, who considered him a "fruitcake" at Spurs due to his immaturity, purring.

"He's like Di Canio, who I thought was a fantastic player, one of the all-time greats at West Ham," gushed Redknapp post-game. "This boy is the same. He can do things that nobody else can do. No one can do what he can do. He's amazing."

Redknapp is right. Much of QPR's inspiration comes from Taarabt; no other player at the club can command the free role in the same manner, and that's why him not being called up by Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations is fantastic news. He is key to Redknapp's hopes of hauling QPR out of the relegation zone and to safety. At least he will be if the team plays to his strengths – and if the powers that be can keep him at the club.

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Joel Ramey is a freelance writer focusing on player performance, styles, and emerging talent. He’s been published by Score Media’s Counter Attack blog among other websites and contributes regularly to footyplace.com. He also runs his own site: flixandtrix.com. Follow him on Twitter @FlixandTrix

Creative trio see high-flying Norwich only bettered by Barça

2012-12-21T12:09:00Z

ZonalMarking.net editor Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to analyse how the in-form Norfolk side transformed their season...

In Europe’s major five leagues, only Barcelona are currently on a longer unbeaten run than Norwich City, which demonstrates the Canaries’ impressive consistency in recent weeks.

Chris Hughton has managed to turn around Norwich’s season after a disastrous start to the campaign, apparently by taking advantage of the lack of internationals in his side and using the two international breaks to relentlessly drill his players into a good, solid defensive system.

There’s nothing complex about the way Norwich defend. Last season they switched formation almost every week under Paul Lambert and conceded far too many goals, but Hughton orders his side to keep two solid banks of four behind the ball – and the major adjustment is in terms of the defensive line. Against tall strikers they push up in an attempt to keep him away from the penalty box, against quicker forwards they drop closer to goal, denying space in behind. It’s not complicated, but it’s very efficient.

For all the defensive steel Norwich have showcased, the most impressive thing about Hughton’s strategy is that he’s found a great balance between defence and attack. No fewer than three creative players are fielded behind lone striker Grant Holt – Robert Snodgrass, Wes Hoolahan and Anthony Pilkington have started Norwich’s last eight games, as Hughton believes he’s found the perfect combination in the final third.

Hoolahan is given something of a free role behind Holt – he contributes relatively little when Norwich don’t have the ball, often staying high up the pitch like a deep-lying forward, rather than an attacking midfielder. However, the interesting thing about his passes chalkboard is how deep he drops to link play – he doesn’t simply wait for knock-downs from Holt, he’s a key part of Norwich’s transitions from defence to attack.

Although he’s a very creative player, Hoolahan often has to wait for long periods before finding a clever pass – against Wigan, for example, his assist for Pilkington was the only chance he created all game.

The form of the two wide players has been particularly impressive in recent weeks – they defend solidly, then attack at pace. Hughton likes to field ‘inverted’ wingers – on the opposite side to their stronger foot – something Pilkington has discussed at length with FourFourTwo Performance. “Always practise with your left foot if it’s weaker,” he says. “Because then you can mix it up: you can go down the line and cross, come inside to shoot or play one-twos with the strikers.”

In Norwich’s system, as the wide players attack speedily, they’re encouraged to shoot. In the Canaries' most recent Premier League fixture, the home win over Wigan, both Pilkington and Snodgrass took advantage of their stronger foot by attempting a few shots from the edge of the box.

Interestingly, they’re much less effective when trying to beat opponents – only two of their eight attempted dribbles were successful.

But their defensive work was impressive, with Snodgrass particularly effective at protecting his full-back against Wigan – he made seven successful tackles and five interceptions, a staggering number for a wide midfielder.

This weekend’s clash with West Brom will be an interesting battle – the two sides play similar 4-4-1-1 / 4-2-3-1 systems, and both sets of wide players contribute effectively at both ends. The major difference is form – West Brom started the season brilliantly but have fallen away in the last couple of weeks, while it’s the opposite story for Norwich. This should leave Hughton’s side confident of picking up three points at the Hawthorns.

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Prem Notes: Determined Man City, devastating Man U, dominant Tottenham

2012-12-17T09:18:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

Newcastle United 1-3 Manchester City
• Man City committed more fouls than any other team this weekend – 17.
• David Silva created 8 goalscoring chances, more than any other player.
• Pablo Zabaleta made 12 tackles, winning possession with 9 of them.
• Man City have won all 13 of the Premier League matches that Sergio Aguero and Carlos Tevez have started together.
• Man City have won 20 and drawn one of the 21 Premier League games in which Sergio Aguero has found the net.
• Newcastle have now conceded 9 headed goals in the Premier League this season – more than any other side.

Liverpool 1-3 Aston Villa
• 73% of Villa’s 15 PL goals this season (11) have come from strikers – a higher proportion than any other side.
• Villa’s conversion rate of 27% was the best in the PL this weekend.
• 20% of Villa’s passes were long, the highest % in the PL this weekend.
• Liverpool put in 37 crosses this weekend, more than any other side (plus 7 corners). They also produced 37 in the same fixture last season.
• Since 2000, Liverpool have conceded 3 or more goals in just 6 Premier League home games; 3 of these have been against Aston Villa.
• Of all Premier League goalkeepers to have made at least 20 saves this season, Pepe Reina has the lowest saves-to-shots ratio (59.6%).
• Aston Villa’s starting XI on Saturday had the youngest (average age) they’ve ever fielded in a PL match and is the youngest seen in the Premier League this season so far – 23 years, 309 days old.

Manchester United 3-1 Sunderland
• Wayne Rooney has 7 goals and 7 assists in 13 Premier League appearances this season.
• Nobody completed more passes than Rooney's 46 (out of 54); 10 different United players completed more than Sunderland's most successful passer, Craig Gardner (29/38).
• Robin van Persie has scored 60 goals in his 72 Premier League appearances since the start of 2011.
• Manchester United have kept just 1 clean sheet in their last 10 Premier League matches.

Norwich City 2-1 Wigan Athletic
• All of Norwich’s last 5 wins at Carrow Road have been by a one-goal margin.
• Wigan have conceded 2 or more goals in each of their last 7 Premier League games.
• Wigan conceded only 4 fouls, the fewest by any team this weekend.
• Norwich had the best offside trap of the weekend, catching the Latics too advanced on 6 occasions.
• Maynor Figueroa misplaced more passes than any other PL player this weekend: 21.

Queens Park Rangers 2-1 Fulham
• Fulham have won none of their last 7 Premier League London derbies (W0 D3 L4) since beating QPR last February.
• Fulham only managed 9 touches in the opposition box.
• The visitors won possession with only 3 of their 9 tackles in this match.

Stoke City 1-1 Everton
• The Potters have conceded only 3 goals at home in the league this season, fewer than any other club in the Premier League or Football League.
• Nikica Jelavic conceded 6 fouls, more than any other Premier League player this weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Swansea City
• Tottenham had 29 shots today; only Everton 31 (v Swansea) & Newcastle 32 (v Swansea) have had more this season.
• The ball was in play for 71 mins 20 seconds, only 9 PL matches have had a higher figure this season.
• Tottenham’s pass completion rate of 89% is their best in a PL game this season.
• Swansea have conceded 6 goals from indirect free kicks this season, more than any other team.
• Kyle Walker created 6 goalscoring chances in this game.
• Swansea were the only team not to have a shot on target this weekend.
• Tottenham completed 87% of their passes in the opposition half; the PL average this weekend was 73%.
• Tottenham made 39 interceptions in this game, the most by a PL team in a single game since the 2009-10 season.

West Bromwich Albion 0-0 West Ham United
• West Brom have kept 8 clean sheets in their last 13 Premier League home matches.
• West Brom have now gone more than 5 hours without scoring a goal in the Premier League.
• West Ham’s pass completion of 65.9% was their lowest of the season and the sixth worst figure in the Premier League this season.
• The Hammers were the only team to complete fewer than half of their passes in the final third this weekend (49%).
• Carlton Cole made 11 flick-ons, a weekend PL high.

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It's time for Javi Garcia to prove his worth to Man City

2012-12-14T12:03:00Z

ZonalMarking.net editor Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to analyse the champions' key summer signing who hasn't yet fulfilled his promise...

Manchester City spent much of their summer transfer window finding a replacement for outgoing defensive midfielder Nigel de Jong, who eventually moved to AC Milan.

Jack Rodwell was a surprise signing from Everton – he’d always been touted as a promising youngster, but never quite found his best position under David Moyes, and his purchase seemed more about introducing homegrown talent into the City side.

City really wanted a top-class international with Champions League experience to play at the base of midfield, and their transfer strategy hinted they wanted something specific. They were strongly interested in Athletic Bilbao’s Javi Martinez, who eventually joined Bayern Munich, as well as Daniele De Rossi, who remained committed to Roma. Meanwhile, links with Sergio Busquets are ongoing.

The common theme? All three midfielders also played as a centre-back last season, often for significant periods. Perhaps this is a coincidence, but when considering Roberto Mancini’s sudden fondness for switching between a three- and a four-man defence within matches, it makes sense.

With Martinez, De Rossi and Busquets all unavailable for various reasons, City’s next choice was Javi Garcia. He, too, had often filled in at the back for Benfica, and was a similarly reliable passer. The only problem was judging his actual quality – the other three are World Cup winners, whereas Garcia hadn’t proved himself outside of Portugal.

Still, his performances last season in the Champions League had been encouraging. Take his display against Basel, for example: solid defensive work in front of the back four, combined with assured, consistent passing – exactly what Mancini wanted.

But Garcia has only started four league matches for City, and hasn’t fully settled in English football. This weekend, he will start at Newcastle because of Gareth Barry’s one-match suspension. So what has he brought to City?

Garcia made his debut at the classic test of a continental newcomer’s ability to adjust to English football – the Britannia Stadium, although the setting was a disappointingly pleasant Saturday afternoon in September. His initial impact was impressive – defensively he was happy to get stuck in, completing three tackles, and he was an aerial force throughout the game, winning duels in the centre of the pitch, and also heading in City’s equaliser.

However, his debut remains his best performance to date. The next week against Arsenal, he continued his good defensive work – but his distribution was extremely sloppy, constantly conceding possession when attempting to play simple sideways passes.

His next start, away at Fulham, was the complete opposite: Garcia only misplaced three passes all game, but he was constantly beaten in the air.

His most recent Premier League start was at Wigan, where his distribution was consistent and reliable – but he was substituted after an hour, with Mancini introducing James Milner to provide more attacking thrust. Mancini doesn’t see Garcia as a player able to provide creativity – compare his passing with Yaya Toure’s when used in that role, and Garcia is clearly less incisive.

In May, City memorably won 2-0 at Newcastle after Mancini made a notable switch, replacing Samir Nasri with Nigel De Jong and pushing Yaya Toure higher up the pitch. However, this weekend Barry’s absence means Toure will start alongside Garcia – and with Toure keen to charge forward, Garcia will play a solid defensive-minded role.

If Newcastle continue playing a 4-4-2 system, Garcia won’t have a direct opponent, and his game will be about breaking up counter-attacks and distributing the ball calmly. It’s a standard job for a holding midfielder, but after a mixed start to life in England – and with Toure set to leave for the Africa Cup of Nations in the new year – it’s time for Garcia to show his true quality.

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Could mimicking Tottenham's Dembele make Anderson a Man United midfield mainstay?

2012-12-14T09:30:00Z

Manchester United's Brazilian midfielder was just starting to find his feet in the Old Trafford engine room when injury struck yet again. Joel Ramey ponders whether looking to match Tottenham's new Belgian star might help him make more of a splash upon his return...

As the recent Premier League fixture between Reading and Manchester United approached half-time, one player had things other than the preposterously high-scoring first period on his mind.

With the score standing at 4-3 in the visitors' favour after just 44 minutes, their Brazilian midfielder Anderson was forced to limp away from the action and down the tunnel a minute before his team-mates. As he did so, pitch-side television cameras caught him taking a lingering look back at the pitch.

"It's a hamstring, it'll be three or four weeks. It's not serious, but it is a hamstring," Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed in the aftermath. But for Anderson, it's not just "three or four weeks." To him, it's yet another setback.

He'd been down this road before. In fact, it's one that's been well trodden by the Brazilian since he arrived at Manchester United from Porto for a hefty £20 million fee back in 2007. It has become the story of his career – every time he worked his way into the starting line-up, he would get injured. This happened as recently as last season, when he was restricted to just 10 league appearances. Before the start of this season, he thought he'd finally put those injury worries behind him.

"All summer I stayed in Europe to work on my knee," he said back in July. "Now I am 100%. I don't have any more injuries. I don't have a problem. This is a very big season for me."

A very big season indeed, but Anderson would very soon encounter a problem. Despite not being injured, he started the season out of favour, starting just one of United's opening 13 league games – August's 3-2 home win over Fulham. He would have to make do with occasional outings in the Capital One Cup and Champions League.

It would be the former competition in which Anderson would impress – he scored a great goal at home to Newcastle, then grabbed a hat-trick of assists in a scintillating display in the thrilling 5-4 extra-time defeat at Chelsea. Still, he had to bide his time for regular action in the league. With just five substitute appearances in three months, it was abundantly clear that Anderson was some way off getting into Ferguson's first team on a regular basis. But then came a huge turning point.

Struggling QPR, having dispensed with manager Mark Hughes only the day before, had taken a surprise lead at Old Trafford, thanks to a Jamie Mackie strike. Growing more and more restless, Sir Alex Ferguson readied a double substitution in an attempt to muster a typical comeback. With the game approaching the hour mark, Anderson and Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez replaced Ashley Young and Paul Scholes.

United ran out 3-1 winners, with Anderson assisting a Chicharito goal. "I thought Ando won the game for us," Ferguson told MUTV post-game. "His performance was outstanding...He picks himself [for the next game]."

Anderson was given 31 minutes to change that game, more than he'd been afforded in his previous five cameos off the bench combined. And he certainly made the time count. Finally, he had played his way into contention.

Four days later, he made his first league start in three months against West Ham. He put in another impressive display, and therefore started the following game away to Reading, getting back-to-back league starts for the first time in just over 14 months.

And he marked the occasion with a goal, latching on to Ashley Young's pass into the box before rifling a shot between a culpable Adam Federici and his near post. Reading had taken the lead five minutes earlier through Hal Robson-Kanu, but Anderson, somewhat poetically given his recent resurgence, had restored parity. Aside from the goal he was playing well yet again, but then injury struck just before half-time. Given the story of his career, perhaps it was inevitable.

Still, that look back over his shoulder said it all. At that moment Anderson knew that, despite all his hard work and recent rewards, he had been cast right back to square one. At that moment it dawned on him that, in what he sees as a "big season," he has to return stronger than ever if he is to salvage not just his United career, but his entire football career. Unlike the other times, this time he has to hit the ground running. But what can he do differently this time?

He had been thriving in the 4-1-2-1-2 and 4-3-3 formations deployed by Ferguson, but with Antonio Valencia now available and Shinji Kagawa's return imminent, a return to 4-2-3-1 seems likely.

Normally utilised as one of the two deep midfielders, Anderson is yet to shine consistently in that system. In fact, he is yet to shine consistently as a deep midfielder, full stop. Though gifted with both battling and creative abilities, he struggles to impose himself on games when so far away from goal. He tries, but despite famously manhandling Steven Gerrard and pocketing Cesc Fabregas, he's not exclusively a defensive midfielder. Nor is he the type of player who can consistently hit long passes with pinpoint accuracy.

In trying to dictate the game's tempo, he often mishits long passes that either go harmlessly off the field or into an area no team-mate was anywhere near. He's no Paul Scholes and the manner in which they both made their game-changing cameos this season crystallises that.

Robin van Persie's lavish praise for Scholes' impact when coming on against Southampton at St. Mary's earlier this season said it all: "He hit a couple of unbelievable passes over 30 or 40 metres," the hat-trick hero gushed after the game. "With him you are always on your toes because anything can happen with his quality."

United's advanced players were lacking service that day, and Scholes, who came on with United trailing 2-1, had provided just what was needed. Not all of his long passes hit their targets that day, but his intent was enough to give United a different dimension, wake up their attackers, and help the team storm to a late victory.

As for Anderson's cameo versus QPR, Ferguson had this to say: "He took the game by the scruff of the neck and he was so positive and determined in his play."

Anderson didn't look to play long passes then. Instead, he wisely kept his passes short and simple and used his energy and drive to the maximum. He also showed how incisive he could be when allowed to get closer to the box. These are things he hasn't done nearly enough.

"Anderson started off as the new Ronaldinho but he's changed his style of play completely," said TV Globo commentator and FourFourTwo contributor Jon Cotterill. "He's learned to mark. He's bulked up. He's more direct. But he seems to have forgotten his talent and creative gifts."

Perhaps "forgotten" is the wrong word here. After all, Anderson was simply doing what he was told. But it's true that he is yet to find a way to dovetail his defensive, battling qualities with his free-spirited, energetic attacking nature when deep in midfield. Until now. One player provides the perfect example for him to imitate – and he and Anderson have much in common.

Mousa Dembele currently stands as one of the league's best deep-lying midfielders. Only, like Anderson, he didn't start his career there. At AZ Alkmaar and then at Fulham, he was used as a striker or winger. Mark Hughes then deployed him in the hole and finally Martin Jol settled him alongside Danny Murphy in defensive midfield last season. It was then he started to turn in consistent, high quality performances.

Like Anderson, Dembele also had his share of injuries to contend with, particularly in his debut season when he suffered a knee injury that sidelined him for a number of weeks. Even this season, he was fortunate to avoid surgery on a hip injury that had threatened to keep him out for months rather than weeks.

Like Anderson, Dembele is left-footed, has great technique, power, and energy. And, despite their attacking roots, neither has a decent scoring record. The main difference between them is that despite being deployed in what was obviously a role strange to them, Dembele knew how to adapt.

He maintained his desire to attack, but was mindful of his new defensive responsibilities. Against United earlier this season in what proved his last game for Fulham, his all-round style was on magnificent display. While Anderson just sat deep and focused on spreading play out wide, Dembele played short, crisp passes to team-mates around him and drove forward with the ball glued to his feet to influence Fulham's attack on his own. He completed an impressive nine dribbles, but also made an equally laudable eight tackles as he went in on United players, who had 60% possession on the day, to win the ball.

His performance in the 0-0 draw with Lazio at home in the Europa League is also a good example of the Belgian at his well-rounded finest.

Again, collecting the ball from deep and keeping his passes short and safe, he helped his side dominate possession, even getting stuck in to win the ball back. And he used his power and technique to drive forward with real purpose in attack.

In possession of similar qualities, the advice to Anderson is clear: instead of trying to pick out long passes, keep passes short, the ball to feet, and use your power and energy to get United off the back foot and influence their attack.

United were seemingly keen on signing Dembele in the summer, especially off the back of that impressive early-season display at Old Trafford. But the fact they opted not to match his £15 million buy-out clause means Anderson, a year younger than the Belgian, could be afforded the chance to bring a similar style of play to a United midfield that has long been crying out for such quality.

His best position is behind the main striker, but with Wayne Rooney playing there as well as Kagawa, a player United are yet to fully integrate into the side, it's safe to say that any hopes of seeing Anderson reprise that role on a regular basis are dead. He simply has to adapt to his deeper role and by imitating Dembele, he can finally do just that.

Such was the Belgian's impact in midfield that Martin Jol admitted he had to change Fulham's "identity" after losing him to Tottenham on deadline day. Should he change his style to match Dembele's upon his return from injury, Anderson can finally establish his identity in that deeper role and help United finally recover theirs in midfield.

Joel Ramey is a freelance writer focusing on player performance, styles, and emerging talent. He’s been published by Score Media’s Counter Attack blog among other websites and contributes regularly to footyplace.com. He also runs his own site: flixandtrix.com. Follow him on Twitter @FlixandTrix

Prem Notes: Chopper Mata, dozy Cockerels and a very efficient Man U

2012-12-09T23:17:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

Arsenal 2-0 West Bromwich Albion
• Mikel Arteta has scored with 12 of the 14 penalties he has taken in the Premier League.
• 47% of the passes WBA attempted were in their own half, a league high figure for the weekend.

Aston Villa 0-0 Stoke City
• Stoke had just 2 shots in the entire match, both off target.
• Villa were forced into making more clearances (56) than any other side this weekend.

Southampton 1-0 Reading
• Southampton made more unsuccessful passes than any other side this weekend – 102 out of 465 attempts; for comparison, Reading only completed 150 of their 232 (fewer than half their hosts' number of attempts).
• No team has conceded more second-half goals than Reading this season (19).

Sunderland 1-3 Chelsea
• Fernando Torres’ goal ended a run of 12 hours and 30 minutes without a Premier League goal.
• Torres has had 11 shots on target in his last 2 games.
• Juan Mata conceded 6 fouls in this game; he had never conceded more than 2 in a Premier League game before. Mata also topped the pass charts in this game, with 53 completed out of 68.
• Eden Hazard completed just 1 of the 9 dribbles he attempted in this game.

Swansea City 3-4 Norwich City
• Robert Snodgrass is the first player in the PL this season to assist 2 or more goals and score in the same game.
• Michu is the top scorer in the Premier League with 12 goals, and they have come from only 20 shots on target.
• Ki Sung-Yueng had the most touches (119) in the Premier League this weekend.

Wigan Athletic 2-2 Queens Park Rangers
• Djibril Cisse completed only 3 passes in his 32-minute appearance in this game.
• Wigan players made a league-high 26 interceptions this weekend, no other side managed more than 18.

Man City 2-3 Man United
• Man United produced their worst passing accuracy (73%) in a Premier League game since playing Bolton at home in March 2011.
• The Red Devils are the second team this season to score exactly 3 goals from their only 3 shots on target: Tottenham did it against them earlier in the season.
• Man City had more shots on target (9) than any other side this weekend.

Everton 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
• Spurs have conceded 10 goals in the final 15 minutes of their PL matches this season, a league high figure and 40% of their total goals conceded.
• Everton had 20 shots in this game; overall this season, no side has had more shots than them (inc. blocked), 295.

West Ham 2-3 Liverpool
• Mark Noble has converted his last 7 Premier League penalties for West Ham.
• This was the third PL game this season to see 2 own goals, following QPR v Everton and Arsenal v Southampton.
• Liverpool had 6 of the 7 highest player pass combinations in this game, topped by Lucas to Joe Allen (completed 16 times). The exception was Kevin Nolan to Noble (11 times, third behind Steven Gerrard to Glen Johnson).

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Prem Notes: Hammer headers, shot-shy Gunners, long-range Spurs, early-doors Everton and efficient Man United

2012-12-03T09:26:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the FREE Stats Zone app

West Ham United 3-1 Chelsea
West Ham managed more shots on target (9) than any other side this weekend. 82% of their efforts were on target. The Hammers won 14 headers in the Chelsea box, more than any other side this weekend. Chelsea had the best tackle success rate this week, 93%.

Arsenal 0-2 Swansea City
Swansea goalkeeper Gerhard Tremmel has this season's best Premier League saves to shots ratio (88%), conceding goals from just 4 of the 32 shots that have been fired on target at him. This was the 11th league game out of 15 in which Arsenal have had 5 shots or fewer on target: they have only one 1 of those 11. Santi Cazorla had a round-high 4 shots on target, in fact these were the only 4 shots he attempted. Swansea have scored 22 of their 23 Premier League goals this season from open play.

Fulham 0-3 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham have scored more goals from outside the box in open play than any other PL side this season (4). William Gallas, Tottenham's 17th-minute sub, completed 50 of the 51 passes he attempted in this game.

Liverpool 1-0 Southampton
Liverpool attempted 19 shots today (excl. blocked). They haven't had more in a single Premier League game this season. By contrast Southampton could only muster 1 shot on target – their lowest tally in a Premier League game this term. Lucas won a round-high 7 tackles for Liverpool, only losing one of the 8 he attempted overall.

Manchester City 1-1 Everton
Everton have scored 68% of their goals in the first half of games this season – a league-high proportion. Man City restricted Everton to 4 shots on target; no opposition side have managed to have more than 4 in any of the 15 games that City have played this season. Yaya Toure had 104 touches in this game, a joint-high figure this weekend with Darren Fletcher.

Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Aston Villa
Nathan Baker made more clearances/blocks/interceptions (25) than any other player this weekend. Jose Bosingwa attempted a round-high 9 crosses in this match... but only 1 found a team-mate.

West Bromwich Albion 0-1 Stoke City
Charlie Adam conceded a round-high 6 fouls against WBA. West Brom conceded fewer shots (5, of which 1 was blocked and only 2 on target) than any other side this week, yet still lost.

Reading 3-4 Manchester United
Reading have conceded more shots against them than any other top-flight team (253) – but on Saturday they had more attempts, and more on target, than Manchester United. Nicky Shorey created a round-high 8 chances in this game, including 2 assists – the most chances created by a player in a PL game this season (with Man City's Samir Nasri v Villa and Everton's Leighton Baines v Villa). Reading scored 3 goals within 24 minutes – something that has never been done against Manchester United in the Premier League; the previous quickest that they have conceded three goals in a PL game was against Aston Villa in Aug 1995 (37 mins). Darren Fletcher had 104 touches in this game, a joint high figure this weekend with Yaya Toure.

Norwich City 2-1 Sunderland
Wes Hoolahan won a round-high 5 fouls in this game. Sunderland had more shots from outside the box (9) than any other side; 6 of these were off target. Sunderland made more unsuccessful passes than any other side this weekend: 108.

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Understated and underrated - why Aaron Hughes is one of the Premier League's finest defenders

2012-11-30T13:54:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to analyse Fulham's often overlooked defensive stalwart...

Behind every great commanding centre-back lies a calmer, quieter partner. Nemanja Vidic was once the best defender in the league, thanks largely to his strength and aerial abilities, but Rio Ferdinand was equally important with his anticipation skills, constantly sweeping behind him. Arsenal is another example – Thomas Vermaelen needs a quick player like William Gallas (in his first season) or Laurent Koscielny behind him – he looks less comfortable alongside Per Mertesacker.

Butn the finest example is at a club with perhaps a slightly lower profile, Fulham. Their partnership of Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes is textbook – Hangeland is dominant in the air, commits early to tackles, and he’s an inspirational captain. Hughes stays on his feet, takes up deeper positions, and he wins the ball more cleanly.

Naturally, it’s Hangeland who gets more attention – his style of defending is simply more obvious. He’s been linked with a move to Manchester United in the January transfer window, although he’s constantly been rumoured to be leaving Craven Cottage in recent years, and at 31, it might be too late for a big transfer.

But the understated Hughes is equally important to the partnership – and he might even be a finer defender. When Martin Jol first arrived at Fulham, he paired Hangeland and Philippe Senderos, with Hughes a disappointed spectator. Hangeland and Senderos are fine defenders, but reasonably similar so the partnership didn’t work naturally – and after gradually finding his way back into the side midway through last season, Hughes has become first-choice against in 2012/13.

Hangeland is currently suspended following a reckless tackle on Lee Cattermole in the home defeat to Sunderland, but in his absence Hughes has continued to be excellent, moving to the left side of the pairing to accommodate Senderos. The absence of Hangeland was a big blow for the trip to Stoke, but Fulham conceded just once – and then kept a clean sheet at Stamford Bridge in midweek. Considering they’d conceded eleven goals in their previous four league fixtures, it’s an impressive record – Senderos has done well, but Hughes was supreme in the draw at Chelsea.

The peculiar thing about Hughes’ defending is how understated it is. In 14 games, he’s attempted just eight tackles, and conceded only three fouls – that’s not a sign that he isn’t defending, instead, he gets into good positions and stays on his feet when winning the ball. He hasn’t been sent off in over 400 Premier League appearances, and has only received three bookings since the start of 2009/10.

He’s a more prolific interceptor – doing so 2.6 times per game, compared to 0.6 tackles. That balance is not unheard of, but it’s in stark contrast to a more rugged, simple defender like Sunderland’s Carlos Cuellar, for example, who intercepts 1.6 times a game, compared to 3.2 tackles.

Hughes’ performance against Sunderland showed those tendencies:

And he’s always positioned well inside the penalty box – against Chelsea he constantly cleared the ball, and got back to make two crucial blocks – notably from a Fernando Torres shot.

This weekend’s match against Tottenham should suit his abilities well – he might have struggled in the air against a tall powerful striker like Emmanuel Adebayor, but he’s still suspended, and instead Jermain Defoe will look to sprint in behind the defence. At 33, Hughes might have lost half a yard of pace, but his positioning remains exemplary, and that remains the most important attribute for any centre-back.

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Does Jordan Henderson still have a Liverpool future under Brendan Rodgers?

2012-11-28T10:00:00Z

The former Sunderland man has failed to make much of a splash in 18 months at Liverpool - Joel Ramey uses the FREE FourFourTwo/Opta StatsZone app to assess the midfielder's chances of making a name for himself at Anfield...

In taking just two points from their first five league fixtures - scoring just four goals and failing to keep a clean sheet in the process - Liverpool endured their worst start to a season since 1903. A start like that would surely cast doubts over the likelihood of achieving a top four finish - something that has eluded the Reds since the 2008/09 season.

But the numbers don't tell the whole story. They neglect to mention the harshness of Liverpool's opening fixtures; three of those games were versus Manchester City, Manchester United and Arsenal - the side's that finished first, second and third in last season's Premier League. They neglect to mention that the other two fixtures, both played away from home, came against West Brom and Sunderland - opposition usually formidable on home turf. They neglect to mention that Liverpool's performances in those games were actually at times quite encouraging, though overshadowed by sloppiness at the back and profligacy in front of goal.

Eight games later, signs of some improvement have become more apparent. Rodgers' Reds are unbeaten in that stretch, heading into their match-up with Tottenham on Wednesday, keeping four clean sheets in the process. There are just three victories in those eight games, indicating that there is still much work to be done, but at least it seems Brendan Rodgers' philosophy - one which he refuses to abandon - is finally settling into the minds of his players.

"Attached to me is a certain way of doing things, which I'm very proud of," declared the Irish tactician ahead of his side's victory over Wigan. But he correctly acknowledged that what he is doing will take time and that he needs a stable squad like the league's successful teams have in order to progress as planned. "It's about getting the right players in as well as moving on those who aren't getting a game," he added.

And he has started that tedious process. His appointment spelled the end of the King Kenny era in more ways than one. With Rodgers came not only a different tactical approach, but also a demand for players who can fulfill it. So, out of the club went Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll, with Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson largely left in the shadows - all four were signed by the Scottish club legend.

Into the side came the likes of Joe Allen, Nuri Sahin, Raheem Sterling and Suso (the latter pair promoted from the youth ranks) - the kind of technical players Rodgers outlined a clear preference for. Rodgers' wielding of the axe may have appeared ruthless, but the likes of Carroll, Adam, and Henderson hardly covered themselves in glory last season, despite featuring heavily following big-money transfers. Downing's failure to register a single league goal or assist last season saw the former Aston Villa man become the butt of many jokes, some were at least willing to express some sympathy for young Henderson.

The 22-year old cost £16 million from Sunderland after two decent seasons in the Black Cats' first team. The burden of that price tag, that of moving to such a prestigious club with such a huge, expectant fan base, not to mention the fact that Liverpool as a unit struggled throughout the season are all factors that contributed to his tough debut campaign. Still, Rodgers was keen to get rid and start afresh. Henderson would have been at Fulham right now had he accepted their offer, but instead opted to stay, expressing his shock and dismay at being told he could leave the club in the last transfer window.

"What [Rodgers] said came as a sort of bolt from the blue," he recently told the Daily Telegraph. "I worked really hard to come to a club like Liverpool and I didn't want to leave in a hurry. I want to stay at Liverpool for as long as I can. I want to keep fighting for my place and I told the manager that. I said I wanted to stay and keep fighting because I believe I can get into the team."

After being an unused substitute in five of Liverpool's first seven Premier League matches and only playing 50 minutes across the other two, Henderson has since started four of the Reds' last five games in all competitions - two in the league - suggesting he may be getting there. But with Lucas Leiva's return imminent, a return to square one may well beckon for a player who started 31 league games last season. Things may not be going his way so far under Rodgers, but his commitment to the cause has caught the manager's eye.

"Jordan's a wonderful talent and he's got a great future here," said the Liverpool boss after initially looking to sever all ties in the summer. "Okay, he may not be playing as much as he has done, but his appetite and application and his willingness to learn and improve have really been fantastic."

But in what role does Henderson's Liverpool future lie under Rodgers?

So far in his Premier League career he has featured in mainly three positions; central midfield, central attacking midfield, and right midfield.

He has shown himself to be capable of doing a good job when deployed on the right. While still at Sunderland, he scored two goals in a match against Wigan from that position. He didn't stay on the right flank, though; he drifted across the pitch, taking up positions in the middle as well as on the left, showing that he has good movement off the ball. Both goals were scored as a result of his drifting into a central position.

He is also capable of causing a threat when sticking to the right flank, even though he isn't the most technically-gifted of players when it comes to dribbling past opponents. He did so versus Wolves late last year for Liverpool - he attempted three crosses in that game, finding his intended target twice. But despite being athletic and reasonably fast, the right flank isn't where Henderson wants to be playing long term.

"As a midfielder I aim to make an assist, so I think about making the right pass for the strikers," Henderson told FourFourTwo Performance. "Is he quick? Does he like the ball to his feet? Does he like it in behind? Once I’ve made the pass, I follow it and get in the box.”

So Henderson, who perhaps lacks the positional sense needed to properly execute Lucas Leiva's role deep in midfield, sees himself as an attack-minded central midfielder or attacking midfielder. But does his quality of passing suggest he can fulfill that role?

When positioned in central midfield, he has shown himself capable of spreading the play out wide and keeping things ticking in the defensive and middle thirds of the pitch. His passing charts from away to BSC Young Boys and at home versus Udinese in this season's Europa League are good examples of this. He can also get forward. In fact, one of his two assists versus Young Boys came from his leading a counter attack.

His desire to pick out the final ball sometimes leads to a lack of patience in possession, though, which in turn leads to hasty long passes that result in possession turnover. Fortunately, a manager like Rodgers who has a slow, short passing philosophy is just the kind of manager Henderson needs to encourage him to be a bit more patient in possession.

Away to Swansea at the weekend, he consistently picked up the ball around the halfway line and kept his passes short. Off the ball, he got forward when Liverpool were in possession, taking up positions at the edge of the box and, on occasion, inside it. He was unfortunate not to be found on several occasions by team-mates. In possession, however, he was part of the reason why service to Luis Suarez was poor on the day. He needs to improve his play in the final third. This is especially evident when he is deployed as an attacking midfielder.

Sunderland's away match Bolton in 2010/11 and Liverpool's fixture away to Anzhi Makhachkala earlier this month are two occasions on which Henderson has played just off the main striker (Stephane Sessegnon at Sunderland and Adam Morgan at Liverpool). While his movement off the ball was generally good, he experienced difficulty releasing players through the middle with defence-splitting passes.

Perhaps, he prefers picking his final passes when running with the ball on the counter - the aforementioned assist versus Young Boys - would be an example of this - but those opportunities won't always present themselves. If Henderson really wants to be a playmaker, he has to improve this aspect of his game. He has to be more incisive when his team is enjoying more possession in the attacking third.

But before all that, he has to work on boosting his confidence. During that Europa League game away to Anzhi, he made a fantastic run beyond Adam Morgan who found him with a nicely-weighted pass, but rather than shooring, Henderson tried to cut the ball back even though the pass was clearly not on. It was the kind of moment that suggests Henderson's confidence is currently at a level somewhere nearing rock bottom. Yet he is eager to kick on and prove his doubters wrong.

"I'm learning all the things I need to learn and I have got to take on board what people are saying around me to try to improve myself as a player," he said.

It's certainly the right attitude, and one that should help him make the most of his talents, given time. The question is whether Rodgers is prepared to give it to him.

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Newcastle failing because Tiote’s passing statistics don’t Cheik out

2012-11-26T17:14:00Z

When Cheik Tiote made his Newcastle debut against Everton in September 2010, few in the Goodison Park away end knew much about him. He was from the Ivory Coast, he was defensively minded, and he looked like he could crush a Coke can with a stare. That’s not quite enough to justify a player’s inclusion in a side, but over the course of 90 minutes, the travelling Newcastle fans witnessed the kind of display that became synonymous with Tiote’s debut season in English football.

Incredibly strong, his bullish frame was matched with a high level of composure that allowed him to calmly distribute the ball when under pressure. His ability to neutralise attacks and dominate midfield was head-turning for a man with a mere £3.5m price tag.

Add that to his frighteningly good pass completion ratio – on his debut, he misplaced just two passes out of 47 – and it appeared Newcastle had made a shrewd investment. Even in the intense atmosphere of the Tyne-Wear derby a month later, he was able to perform, with a pass completion rate of 90%.

Sadly, that rate stands in stark contrast to his more recent performances against Sunderland, culminating in his sending-off at the Stadium of Light last month. So what’s changed for Tiote?

During Sunday’s defeat at Southampton, Tiote was again key to the way Newcastle played. He attempted 67 passes – for comparison, no other player on either side tried more than 40 except Saints' Jack Cork (42) – and completed 52 (again, Cork was his nearest challenger with 30).

That's a respectable 78% completion rate, which doesn't seem too bad, but it's below the level Magpies fans became accustomed to when their side was in top-six form last term. Why?

The answer starts to come when we check the distances of Tiote's passes, using the Stats Zone feature that discerns between long and short passes (the split being at roughly 20 yards). Of his 53 short passes against Southampton, 48 found their mark – above 90% accuracy. But he only reached his man with 4 of his 14 long passes – 29% accurate, but also regularly turning over possession to the opposition.

Furthermore, of the 18 passes that ended in the attacking third, only 8 reached their man. Indeed, 47 of Tiote's 67 passes at Southampton were classed as forward rather than square or backward, but only 32 of those 47 forward passes (68%) were completed.

By comparison, in that debut at Goodison only one of his 47 passes qualified as long – and that reached its mark. And of the 47, only 18 were forward passes, but none were particularly vertical – and, not uncoincidentally, 17 of the 18 were completed.

Without the dashing Yohan Cabaye alongside him, Tiote is forced to take on more attacking responsibility, but it has come at considerable cost. Even on the rare occasion this season the two have lined up together – such as in the opening day's 2-1 home win against Tottenham Hotspur – we still see this worrying development to Tiote’s game.

Again, Tiote topped the charts for passes attempted (81) and completed (67), but his 83% completion rate was dragged down because of his desire to play the killer ball, with 4 out of 6 long balls and just under half of his final-third passes resulting in giveaways.

Instead of Tiote successfully evolving as he adapts to the league, it seems the increased responsibility – be it self-imposed or at the request of Alan Pardew – has in fact reduced the midfielder into a less influential player, his simplicity and ball retention having been among his greatest assets.

But fear not, Newcastle fans: there is still hope. Examining the club’s Europa League campaign invokes memories of early Tiote. During their opening group game against Bordeaux, Tiote recorded an 89% completion rate, completing 65 of his 73 passes.

As the screenshare shows, the Ivorian produced a brilliant display in the realms often associated with a defensive midfielder, with only 7 of his passes ending in the attacking third (5 completed) and 9 long passes (6 completed) – and Newcastle won 3-0.

That's not to say Tiote has to pass it sideways or backwards. Of his 73 passes against Bordeaux, 41 were forward (and 38 of those completed). He followed that up with an astonishingly tidy display in the next home tie against Club Brugge, completing 92 of 107 passes (86%) – and 73 of those were forward (61 completed).

With Newcastle currently in dire form and Cabaye out until January with a groin injury, many may expect Tiote to fill the void left by the former Lille man – but that’s exactly what Alan Pardew should avoid. Instead, they need to get back to basics, starting with their midfield metronome. Newcastle have the Premier League's highest percentage of long balls this season (17%), and it isn't working.

Pardew needs to make sure Tiote keeps it simple, going sideways if necessary rather than seeking the Hollywood balls, and in doing so help Newcastle return to a more simple passing game. If the team need forward thrust and invention, it can be entrusted to Hatem Ben Arfa and Jonas Guttierez, or perhaps Sylvain Marveaux; either that, or face needlessly giving the ball away again and again.

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Prem Notes: Devils' heads and dominant Reds, long-ball Toon and long-throw Spurs

2012-11-26T09:31:00Z

Premier League facts from Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

Sunderland 2-4 West Bromwich Albion
A league-high 47% of the goals West Brom have conceded this season have come in the final 15 minutes of games. Not a single WBA cross (excl. corners) reached a team-mate. Sunderland had more shots on target than any other PL team this weekend (10 of their 32 in 2012-13 came vs WBA). Zoltan Gera has now scored more goals this season (3) than any of his last 5 top-flight campaigns; only in 2004/05 (six) has he netted more Premier League goals.

Everton 1-1 Norwich City
Grant Holt conceded a massive 11 free-kicks this weekend (6 fouls, 5 offsides). Sebastian Bassong scored his first Premier League goal since December 2010, when he netted for Tottenham against Birmingham City. Steven Naismith has netted on each of his last 3 Premier League starts for the Toffees.

Manchester United 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
Man United have conceded first in 9 of their 13 PL games this season; only QPR have conceded the first goal as many times. The Red Devils have now scored 10 headed goals this season, at least 2 more than any other side. Ryan Nelsen made more interceptions (8) than any other player this weekend.

Stoke City 1-0 Fulham
Games at the Britannia this season have produced only 6 goals, fewer than any other Premier League ground. Stoke fashioned 5 attempts from corners this weekend, more than any other side.

Wigan Athletic 3-2 Reading
Nicky Shorey collected his 16th assist in his 82nd Premier League game for Reading; he had totalled just 3 in 86 appearances for his other PL clubs (Aston Villa, Fulham & West Brom). Jean Beausejour made his 7th Premier League assist for Wigan: the Latics have won all 7 games in which he has collected an assist.

Aston Villa 0-0 Arsenal
Lukas Podolski has been subbed off in all 13 Premier League games for the Gunners this term. Olivier Giroud made more successful layoffs than any other player this weekend. Per Mertesacker was the only player to make more than one last-man tackle in the PL this weekend.

Swansea City 0-0 Liverpool
Swansea’s last 6 Premier League games have all been goal-less at half-time; the Swans themselves have failed to net a first-half goal in their last 10 PL matches. Liverpool embarked on more dribbles than any other team this weekend (30) and also had the most touches in the opponents box (35). Swansea's Gerhard Tremmel made 9 saves: no 'keeper has made more in a Premier League game this season. Liverpool were the only team not to catch an opponent offside this weekend. Steven Gerrard created the most chances of any player this weekend (6); only Leighton Baines and Santi Cazorla have created more than Gerrard this season.

Southampton 2-0 Newcastle United
Southampton have scored in 11 of their 13 games this season; they also hit the woodwork 3 times in this game, but had the division's lowest pass completion this weekend (65%). Newcastle played the highest proportion of passes long this weekend (23%) and have the highest proportion overall this season (17%). Both of Southampton’s goals came from defensive errors. Papiss Cisse was caught offside 6 times, the most by any player in any game this season.

Chelsea 0-0 Manchester City
In their first game under Rafa Benitez, Chelsea kept their first clean sheet in 8 league games; however, it was also the first time in 8 home league games that the Blues have failed to score. Indeed, the Blues only mustered 5 shots against Man City, their lowest league total this season. Chelsea also only had 42.3% possession, their lowest in the league this season and lower than any Premier League possession Chelsea posted at Stamford Bridge under Roberto Di Matteo. But it is the continuation of a trend started under the Italian: the Blues have now posted three possession figures under 50% in a row in the league for the first time since August 2004.

Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 West Ham United
Jermain Defoe has now scored 6 goals in 7 Premier League starts for Spurs against West Ham. Andy Carroll finally got on the scoresheet for the Hammers in the Premier League, netting with his 20th shot of the season. Jussi Jaaskelainen has now made 58 saves in the Premier League this season, more than any other keeper. Spurs did not have the most long throws this weekend (11) – that was Stoke (12) – but Tottenham lead the season overall (115).

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Why Paul Lambert is right to ditch Bent for Benteke

2012-11-23T12:42:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses the FREE FourFourTwo/Opta StatsZone app to analyse the attacking options of Aston Villa...

It may not seem the best time to say it, given Aston Villa just suffered a 5-0 thrashing at Manchester City which saw them drop into the relegation zone, but Paul Lambert seems to have found something close to a settled, cohesive starting XI.

Lambert, of course, was a serial formation switcher at Norwich last season. This year, he’s played either a diamond midfield or a 4-2-3-1, and seems to have decided on the latter. The same starting XI was used in consecutive games against the two Manchester clubs, and although the heavy defeat to City was a setback, the narrow 3-2 defeat to United showed evidence of progress.

Lambert’s most significant decision has been to drop Darren Bent, who started the season as captain. While Bent has been a consistent goalscorer throughout his Premier League career, Lambert doesn’t believe he contributes enough to the side as a whole.

Instead, he’s decided that Christian Benteke is more suitable for leading Villa’s attack. The Belgian is yet to prove himself a reliable scorer – he’s hit two goals in seven starts, a decent record, but both came after terrible opposition defending. He’s a stronger physical presence, though, and acts as the target for long balls, challenging in the air with the opposition centre-backs – often with great success. He’s simply a more reliable outlet than Bent.

In wide positions, Villa’s shape is interesting. Lambert uses two converted forwards on the flanks, illustrating his attacking intent, but Gabriel Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann play in different roles. Agbonlahor is more central and provides Benteke with support, while Wiemann stays wider and deeper, stretching the play and providing a different option. Against Manchester United, the Austrian got into the penalty box to score from two left-wing crosses – exactly what you what from a right-sided player – but he generally stayed closer to the touchline than Agbonlahor.

A knock-on effect of their positioning is the roles of the full-backs. On the right, Matthew Lowton finds it easier to overlap and combine with Wiemann, and is constantly involved in the play. However, left-back Enda Stevens advances forward very sporadically, and concentrates on defensive duties.

Behind the trio of Benteke, Agbonlahor and Weimann, Lambert has used Stephen Ireland as his creative spark, attempting to provide the link between midfield and attack. But although Ireland started the season promisingly, he struggled to create chances for Villa against the two Manchester clubs, providing just one key pass in the two games combined.

When the Irishman is having little impact upon the game, Barry Bannan has to become more of a creative influence from a deep-lying midfield position. He has an excellent passing range, but needs forward options to exert his influence – which makes it particularly important that Benteke’s hold-up play is good, pushing Villa up the pitch.

Tomorrow’s match against Arsenal should be an interesting tactical duel – Benteke will battle with the centre-backs, while Bannan might get time on the ball in midfield. Villa haven’t yet clicked, but Lambert’s plan is slowly coming together – and a good run of form is imminent.

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The top passing teams in Europe are...

2012-11-22T11:27:00Z

It's Europa League time again, which means more attractive imagery from Western Union's WU-Pass scheme – the people who brought you our Europa League Stats Zone app extension. Here, they've totalled up the six teams with the highest aggregate completed passes after the first four matchdays... and there's not an English team to be seen.

In sixth place, Inter with 1670 passes...

Then come Lyon with 1751...

In fourth place, Hannover 1889 with 96 passes. Or maybe it's the other way round...

In the bronze spot, Metalist Kharkiv with 1889...

In second place, Rubin Kazan with 1986 passes...

And top of the tree, Bayer Leverkusen with an impressive 2141 passes over the four matchdays.

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Spurs must shackle Lazio playmaker Hernanes to keep Europa hopes intact

2012-11-22T11:05:00Z

As Tottenham travel to Rome for their crunch Europa League tie with Lazio, Michael Cox uses the Europa League Stats Zone – a FREE version of FourFourTwo's award-winning Opta-powered app, brought to you by Western Union – to outline the quality of the Italian side's Brazilian playmaker...

When football fans are debating Europe’s best playmakers, you rarely hear mention of Lazio’s Brazilian midfielder Hernanes.

But more gifted number tens have stuttered in recent years – Yoann Gourcuff has had a miserable couple of seasons, Wesley Sneijder hasn’t been on form since Jose Mourinho left Inter, Javier Pastore hasn’t quite fulfilled his early promise at PSG and Shinji Kagawa is yet to settle at Manchester United. Meanwhile, Hernanes is quietly and efficiently turning in excellent performances for Lazio.

The Brazilian has slipped under the radar. It’s easy to see why – Lazio haven’t challenged for the Scudetto in recent years, nor have they been a Champions League side. His eight Brazilian caps have been spread across four years – the most notable moment being a straight red card for a high tackle at the Stade de France last year – so he’s had little opportunity to impress on the highest stage.

Yet he’s been amongst the best performers in Serie A this season, and can play the role of orchestrator, creator or goalscorer, with 24 goals in 78 Serie A appearances. The only question is whether he’ll start tonight’s game against Tottenham. He was rested for Lazio’s previous Europa League fixture, against Panathinaikos, but with Miroslav Klose out injured, Vladimir Petkovic is likely to want his on-form Brazilian in the side.

A little like Chelsea’s Oscar, Hernanes isn’t a classic Brazilian number ten – he’s more disciplined and responsible without the ball, happy to fulfil his defensive duties. That was evident in Lazio’s opening Europa League game away at White Hart Lane, a relatively uninspiring 0-0 draw. Hernanes mucked in and helped out Lazio’s other midfielders, making three interceptions but also conceding three fouls.

Hernanes’ next Europa League outing, at home to Maribor, was a better example of his attacking ability. As the positions of his received passes shows, Hernanes doesn’t simply wait for the ball in the opposition third, he drifts into deeper positions near the halfway line to start Lazio attacks, then gets himself higher up the pitch to provide the final pass. He also tested the goalkeeper from long range, although he did have a penalty saved – he’s normally reliable from the spot.

Against Panathinaikos in Athens, his role changed. In away matches he tends to play a much more conservative role, and his passes are indicative of a cautious, defensive-minded strategy from Petkovic in order to ensure a draw – which is exactly the result Lazio picked up. Hernanes barely plays a pass into the final third, although he did showcase his ability to jink past opposition midfielders – more successful in deep positions than when close to the edge of the box.

He only created one chance in that match – and even that was hardly an incisive ball – while his shots were from difficult angles. As a player comfortable on either foot, he’s difficult to close down in those type of positions.

As a true all-round attacking midfielder, able to shoot, pass and dribble, Hernanes is a very difficult player to stop. Even keeping it tight between defence and midfield is no guarantee of success, as the Brazilian wanders into deeper positions, where he’s entirely comfortable.

Andre Villas-Boas’ trump card may well be Sandro – the last time Hernanes started a match for Brazil, the 2-1 win over Bosnia in February, Sandro was used just behind him in midfield. The two know each other well, and it would be an intriguing battle in the centre of the Stadio Olimpico pitch.

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Why the Europa is key to Rodgers' revolution at Liverpool

2012-11-22T07:00:00Z

A successful Europa League campaign may not top Brendan Rodgers’ priorities this season, but the Liverpool boss has already reaped rewards from continental experimentation this term. FourFourTwo staff writer Andrew Murray finds out how, using the free-to-download Europa League Stats Zone app…

Liverpool take their role as England’s most successful side in European competition very seriously. The Europa League may lack some of its big brother’s glamour, but it remains a prestigious trophy to win, and presents Brendan Rodgers with an ideal opportunity to allow his squad’s burgeoning potential to run unchecked.

Now an integral part of the Reds’ back four, 19-year-old Andre Wisdom made his first start of the season against Young Boys on matchday one, while Conor Coady, Jon Flanagan and Sebastian Coates have all enjoyed European exposure this term. Fringe players Stewart Downing, Joe Cole and Jordan Henderson have also featured.

Received Wisdom: Andre scores in Switzerland

But Rodgers’ changes have unearthed more than just the odd nascent youth-team whelp or senior player with a point to prove. Experimentation of formation featured prominently, too, last time out against Anzhi Makhachkala.

With Downing and Flanagan deployed as wing-backs ahead of centre-half trio Wisdom, Coates and Jamie Carragher, Liverpool took to the field in Dagestan in an unfamiliar 3-5-2.

Though the Merseysiders lost 1-0 to Lacina Traore’s fine solo effort, both wing-backs’ forward forays provided Rodgers with much encouragement. Indeed, Carragher passing to Downing was the most common passing combination in the 90 minutes.

Come the following Sunday, and the Reds’ Premier League game with Chelsea, the back three remained, with Rodgers impressed enough to deploy the system after the Anzhi trial with Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique as the wide men.

What he encountered was a similar problem to the one he faced last season at Swansea: a chevron shape of passes in his team’s own half that fail to make an impression on the opposition’s defence.

Defensively sound for an hour with a back three but lacking in penetration, Liverpool pushed Enrique forward as an orthodox winger and brought on Suso to play just behind serial pest Luis Suarez. The difference was huge – the Reds played higher up the pitch, finding the equaliser and nearly a winner.

Such flexibility is what Rodgers demands from his players. Enrique was a constant outlet in the closing half-hour: Liverpool’s top two passing combinations featured the ball reaching the marauding Spaniard.

Enrique’s reinvention as a winger in 30 minutes against Chelsea, followed by a goal and an assist at home to Wigan, offers definitive proof of the Europa League’s merits. Persistent rumours earlier this season had the left-back leaving Anfield, but Rodgers’ use of wing-backs is ideally suited to the 26-year-old’s bustling talents. In short, he has grasped the chance to impress since his manager’s back-three experiment in Europe.

Thursday night will provide Downing, Henderson and possibly a returning Lucas Leiva with a similar opportunity to make an impact. Henderson has been quietly impressive in three group-stage appearances thus far, diligent in defence against Young Boys on matchday one and adroitly recycling the ball against Anzhi on matchday four.

Whatever the personnel or formation, a Liverpool win will go a long way to ensuring a place in the last 32 and give Rodgers more options with Sunday’s trip to the club he left this summer. Henderson’s industry could be just what Liverpool need at the Liberty Stadium.

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Prem Notes: Homeboy Aguero, sharper Suarez, homesick Toon, Toffee woodwork

2012-11-18T23:06:00Z

Sharable Premier League titbits from Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur
In the last 6 north London derbies, there have been 6 goals scored inside the first 10 minutes. Olivier Giroud has now scored 5 goals in his last 5 appearances for Arsenal, this after netting 2 in his first 13. Arsenal scored 5 goals from 10 shots (excl. blocked). Spurs had the worst pass completion in the opposition half this weekend (67%). They also played the highest proportion of long passes (18%).

Liverpool 3-0 Wigan Athletic
Wigan are the only team in the Premier League this season not to earn any points from a game where they have fallen behind at some stage. Luis Suarez has converted 17.2% of his shots this season in the Premier League; before this season in the competition, his conversion rate was 9.7%. Liverpool remain the only team yet to score in the closing 15 minutes of a game this season.

Manchester City 5-0 Aston Villa
20 of the 28 goals that Sergio Aguero has scored in the Premier League have been netted at the Etihad Stadium. Since August 1st 2010, Man City have scored more penalties (17) than any other side in the Premier League. City were the only team to record a 90% pass completion this weekend.

Newcastle United 1-2 Swansea City
Michu has scored more headed goals than any other player in the Premier League this season (4). Newcastle have lost 4 of their last 8 PL games at St James’ Park – after losing just 2 of their previous 22 in the Premier League there. Newcastle had more shots off target than any other side this weekend – 17. Demba Ba had 5 headed shots. Cheik Tioté made the most interceptions in the PL this weekend, 9.

Queens Park Rangers 1-3 Southampton
QPR have kept just 1 clean sheet in their last 13 Premier League fixtures. Rickie Lambert netted his first goal in 7 hours and 55 minutes of Premier League action, since last scoring versus Aston Villa back in September. Southampton scored 2 from corners v QPR: only Manchester United have more overall this season. Jason Puncheon hit the most shots on target in the PL this weekend – 5. Paulo Gazzaniga parried more saves into danger than any other keeper in the PL this weekend, 3.

Reading 2-1 Everton
The Toffees have hit the woodwork 12 times in the Premier League this season – as many as they managed all last season and more than any other team in this campaign. Everton have won just three of their last 10 Premier League games (W3 D5 L2).

West Bromwich Albion 2-1 Chelsea
West Brom are the only Premier League team yet to concede a goal in the opening 30 minutes of games this term. Peter Odemwingie has already scored more PL goals at the Hawthorns this season (4) than in the whole of 2011-12 (3). WBA scored 2 headed goals – no team has more than them overall this season, 8. Chelsea put in the most crosses this weekend, 34 (excluding corners) – and WBA the fewest, 7.

Norwich City 1-0 Manchester United
John Ruddy made 7 saves in this match – 2 more than he has made in any previous Premier League game this season. Manchester United have conceded the first goal in 8 of their 12 Premier League matches this season. Michael Carrick made 99 successful passes (112 overall) – a PL weekend high – but Ryan Giggs made more unsuccessful passes in the final third than any other player this weekend, 13 out of 42.

Fulham 1-3 Sunderland
Adam Johnson has assisted multiple goals in a PL game for only the second time (created 2 vs Burnley in April 2010). He was the only player to assist twice in a game this weekend and only the 9th time to do so this season. Sunderland became the final team to score a headed goal in the Premier League this season. Fulham have scored more goals through substitutes than any other Premier League team this season (7). Steven Fletcher made a divisional-high 8 flick-ons this weekend – but none reached a team-mate.

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Compare and contrast: Andy Carroll and Peter Crouch

2012-11-16T11:38:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to analyse two strikers who perhaps don't enjoy the respect they deserve...

Monday night’s fixture between West Ham United and Stoke City will be a clash of two managers renowned for favouring long ball football; Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis. It’s unlikely to be a beauty contest, but it should provide entertainment.

Both managers have used a lone striker this season - Allardyce has generally played that way throughout his time in the Premier League, while Pulis has this season pushed Jon Walters wide in order to accommodate Charlie Adam in the centre of midfield. That means we’re set for an interesting meeting between Andy Carroll and Peter Crouch at either end of the pitch.

The two ex-Liverpool forwards are often seen as figures of fun in English football, yet both have been valued highly at club and international level. Carroll was a £35 million player less than two years ago, while Crouch’s cumulative transfer fees add up to over £51 million. Carroll scored a crucial headed goal for England against Sweden at Euro 2012, while Crouch nodded in against Trinidad and Tobago back at World Cup 2006 – both have delivered on the highest stage.

The pair have played three corresponding fixtures so far this season. Both have faced Manchester City at home, and in these fixtures, the contrast between their passes received is interesting – Carroll collects plenty of long goal-kicks, while Crouch’s service is more varied.

They’ve also both faced Arsenal at home. In these matches, there’s a different pattern in their aerial duels – Crouch wins a higher proportion of these clashes, although both win the majority. More interesting than the success rate, however, is the positions they occur in. Carroll is generally fighting for the ball in the penalty area, because West Ham work the ball forward into attacking positions before attempting to find him, while Crouch’s work is in deeper zones as Stoke try to hit him directly from the defence. He almost always challenges in the air towards the right of the pitch, probably because that’s where Walters, the closest support to Crouch, is located.

Another interesting comparison is their pass completion rate, illustrated by their respective performances in their away trips to Wigan. Carroll finds teammates more reliably, and gets through more work in deeper positions, while Crouch’s actions are, again, focused towards the right.

Both are consistently unsuccessful with ‘passes’ close to the edge of the ‘D’, although in reality these are often flick-ons and knock-downs rather than proper passes, so it’s understandable that so many are wayward.

Both are generally categorised as basic target men, something both players would probably disagree with, preferring to think of themselves as all-rounders. Perhaps, as Premier League tactics have increasingly moved towards ball retention and clever movement upfront, it was inevitable these two would end up playing for their current managers, but it’s nevertheless slightly sad they’ve been reduced to pure flick-on merchants. Crouch, in particular, has always been keen to point out his technical ability and skill on the ground – at Stoke, he rarely gets the chance to showcase those skills.

As it happens, the duo’s main impact upon this game might be in terms of winning – or conceding – free-kicks. It’s likely to be a scrappy game with a large emphasis upon set-pieces, and getting the better of the opposition centre-backs when challenging for high balls will be crucial. Both concede, on average, two fouls per match this season, but while Crouch wins one free-kick per game, Carroll wins 2.6.

In matches like these, a free-kick won in a dangerous zone is often more useful than a successful flick-on – which perhaps says much about the type of football likely to be on show.

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And Europe's finest passing nation is... England! (Sort of)

2012-11-14T09:51:00Z

Western Union – they who brought you the COMPLETELY FREE Europa League version of FFT & Opta's award-winning Stats Zone app (download it now!) – reveal a perhaps surprising truth about English passing...

You can't argue with statistics, and the passing stats for the most recent Europa League matchday show that England's representatives outpassed all their national rivals, with an average of 51.2 passes per player:

Among those individual players, Alexsandar Dragovic shone brightest:

Considering two of those players play for FC Basel, you don't get any points for guessing that the Swiss side were the top-passing team…:

And here's the full breakdown of all the Matchday 4 games:

…but let's just have a look at those national passing stats again, in the pleasing infographical representation of a stadium. Well done Ingerland!

The passing's not only good on the eye: it broadens the mind. For each completed pass in this season's Europa League, Western Union's PASS scheme will fund a day's education for young people around the world. So let's look again at those passing statistics, in pleasing video format, remembering that it will make a brighter future. Well done everybody!

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Prem Notes: Arsenal use their heads, Adebayor outshines Defoe, Hammers play it short

2012-11-12T10:18:00Z

Juicy Premier League titbits from Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

Arsenal 3-3 Fulham
The first five shots on target were all converted into goals. The Cottagers have conceded a joint-high six headed goals this season. Olivier Giroud scored Arsenal’s first headed goal of the season in the PL; the Gunners haven't scored a header in the league since Thomas Vermaelen’s against Wigan in April.

Everton 2-1 Sunderland
Sunderland are the only PL side yet to score a headed goal this season. Everton attempted more passes in the final third than any other PL team this week: 221.

Reading 0-0 Norwich City
Reading were the only team with a 100% tackle success rate this weekend (11/11). Reading won a round-high 17 fouls.

Southampton 1-1 Swansea City
Southampton touched the ball more in the opposition box (46) than any other side this weekend. Swansea only managed 2 attempts from open play, the fewest in the PL this week.

Stoke City 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
There wasn’t a single shot on target in the first half, the first Premier League game to suffer that since Aston Villa v Stoke on Boxing Day 2011. The teams eventually managed 30 shots between them, but only 2 each on target. Stoke attempted 23 flick-ons: no other side this weekend tried more than 14.

Wigan Athletic 1-2 West Bromwich Albion
No PL side made fewer passes this weekend than WBA (276). Wigan managed the best passing accuracy this week (89%).

Aston Villa 2-3 Manchester United
Robin van Persie has hit the woodwork more times than any other player in the PL this term (4). Villa made a league-high 28 interceptions in this game. Michael Carrick had the most touches in the league this weekend (142). Only 2 players have had more in a game this season: Paul Scholes (160 v Tottenham) and Yaya Toure (143 v Southampton).

Manchester City 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Emmanuel Adebayor had 42 touches, more than Jermain Defoe has had in any Premier League game this season. Spurs completed just 66% of their passes in this games, their worst effort this season and the 5th worst by any team this season. Man City were caught offside a round-high 8 times. Steven Caulker made 10 successful clearances out of 14 attempts – more than twice the number attempted by any other player in this game.

Newcastle United 0-1 West Ham United
Newcastle managed more shots (14) than any other side this weekend. Newcastle attempted 60 long balls and completed 28 – more in both cases that West Ham (26/47); West Ham completed 282 short passes out of 336, more in both cases than Newcastle (265/306). However, Jussi Jaaskelainen to Andy Carroll was the game's main pass combination (15 times) and Carroll conceded more fouls than any other player in this game.

Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool
Liverpool's 57% possession today was the most by a visiting team at Stamford Bridge in the PL since Arsenal in February 2010. But Liverpool had just 8 shots (excluding blocked shots), the fewest they have managed in a Premier League game this season.

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The silky playmaker who could save, or sink, his side's season

2012-11-09T11:55:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to assess the underperforming Uruguayan as yet failing to live up to expectations...

After Gaston Ramirez was linked to some of Europe’s elite clubs over the summer, it was something of a surprise to see the Uruguayan sign for Nigel Adkins’ Southampton side, for a record £12m.

Ramirez admitted the financial incentives played a huge part in his move, but it was nevertheless an odd, sideways move from Bologna in Serie A – and Southampton’s willingness to splash the cash on an unproven, enigmatic playmaker was a bold decision.

“He's a smashing little man and a quality footballer,” said Adkins earlier this week. “He doesn't know the language but he knows football – Gaston's given us a boost.” His 2012/13 so far has been somewhat stereotypical for a talented South American joining the Premier League: flashes of brilliance mixed with disappointing performances away from home, and problems with fitness – he’s been restricted to just three starts after missing October’s fixtures with a ‘dead leg’, surely the ultimate Carlos Kickaball injury.

Ramirez’s full debut came at home to Aston Villa, a perfect match for him to showcase his technical quality, as Villa sat deep and Southampton dominated possession. Ramirez was fielded as a central attacking midfielder, and was heavily involved.

No one completed more passes into the final third, only Nathaniel Clyne completed more passes overall, and Ramirez created five chances, one of which was converted by Clyne for Southampton’s second goal. Demonstrating an ability to dribble past opponents in tight central positions, Ramirez was superb – and helped the Saints to their first win of the campaign.

His next match, away at Everton, was a more difficult experience. He opened the scoring with a close-range header, but David Moyes’ side quickly fought back to lead 3-1 at the break. Everton then shut down the game – playing compact and narrow, making it difficult for Ramirez to find spaces between the lines to receive passes, and frequently intercepting his attempted through-balls.

Although Ramirez didn’t misplace any backwards or square passes, his forward passes often conceded possession. He created just one chance, and was more of a threat with his long-range curled shots from an inside-right position, after cutting onto his favoured left foot.

On his return from injury in Monday night’s defeat at West Brom, Ramirez was pushed out to the right of midfield. From there, he always attempted to check inside onto his left foot, but didn’t have a significant impact upon the game. His passes were rarely penetrative and all four of his attempted dribbles were unsuccessful; it was no surprise when Adkins removed him with 15 minutes left.

Adkins might consider omitting the Uruguayan for tricky away matches in future – Southampton have a dreadful defensive record, primarily because of the lack of protection the defence receives from ahead. There are many other offenders, but defensive qualities are certainly not Ramirez’s speciality.

Ramirez is still new to the league, of course, and with more Premier League experience he’ll become a more consistent, reliable player. For now, he must concentrate on performing well in home matches against other bottom-half clubs. They're the matches Southampton need to win – and tomorrow’s game against Swansea is a fine example.

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Previous features:
Arteta vs Carrick • Suarez vs Baines • Anzhi Makhachkala • Tiote & Cabaye
AVB's Chelsea vs AVB's Spurs • The season's best signings • Carl Jenkinson

Europa League shows the future for Tottenham, Liverpool and Newcastle

2012-11-09T11:28:00Z

The early stages of the Europa League are often seen by the bigger competing clubs as a chance to field inexperienced youngsters – and that isn't always a bad thing. FourFourTwo's James Maw uses the free-download Europa League Stats Zone app to assess three rookies who grabbed their first team chances with both hands...

Tom Carroll, Tottenham Hotspur vs Maribor

The 20-year-old may have only made his Premier League debut in Tottenham’s home defeat to Wigan Athletic on Saturday, but he already had reasonable European experience, having started five Europa League matches in the previous campaign.

However, his sixth continental outing, against the Slovenian champions, was perhaps the first in which he was surrounded by Spurs’ best attacking players, with Harry Redknapp having preferred to use the competition to give match time to fringe players and other youngsters. This afforded Carroll a better opportunity to display his passing and movement, and the youngster linked up well with both the wide men – Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale – and Jermain Defoe up front. No other player on the pitch completed as many passes as Carroll.

But what was particularly impressive was Carroll's range of passing. He completed a high number of tidy short passes right across the middle third of the pitch, while all of his eight long passes – many into space for Bale to run on to – were successful. His most telling contribution was a neat first-time ball to Jermain Defoe early in the second half, which enabled the England striker to put Spurs back into a 2-1 lead.

With Moussa Dembele and Sandro both currently struggling with injuries, Carroll may have a chance to strut his stuff in the first team again as soon as Sunday, when Spurs travel to Manchester City. That would represent a big step up for a player who has played so few senior matches, and would certainly require him to make a bigger defensive contribution, although his two successful tackles and two clearances on Thursday evening are not to be sniffed at.

Andre Wisdom, Anzhi Makhachkala vs Liverpool

Unlike Carroll, Wisdom has played semi-regular first-team football this season. The away match against big-spending Russians Anzhi was his ninth senior start of the season – and, incidentally, the first he has lost. Many of those previous outings have come as a right-back, but on Thursday evening Wisdom was deployed on the right of a trio of centre-backs – closer to what is generally considered his best position.

The 19-year-old was the third most prolific passer of the match, with many of his contibutions being neat passes out to the right flank. In fact, his only attempted long pass was one of just three he misplaced all game. Perhaps Brendan Rodgers is onto something with this short-passing lark...

The former Bradford trainee made two tackles and four clearances on what was generally an assured performance, despite the defeat. Yet that impressively calm distribution from the back will perhaps be what impresses Rodgers the most.

Sammy Ameobi, Club Brugge vs Newcastle United

When your older brother is a cult hero at your club, there's always likely to be pressure to make a relatively swift impact. Sammy Ameobi has largely been restricted to substitute appearances in a black and white shirt thus far, but he was given just his third competitive start in Thursday's match in Belgium.

Although he only found the target with one of his four shots at goal (two were blocked), the younger Ameobi worked tirelessly, providing support in wide areas and using his 6ft5in frame to help defend set-pieces. He also created Newcastle's first goal, slickly turning his marker before sliding a clever through-ball to his brother, who fired home.

The 20-year-old also attempted more take-ons are created more goalscoring chances for teammates than any other player on the pitch in a performance that won him the man of the match award with most media outlets. However his manager Alan Pardew hinted that the youngster was perhaps a tad over-ambitious with some of his play.

Speaking after the game, Pardew said: "He still needs to tighten up a little bit on the tactical and intelligence sides of the game. He takes people on where perhaps he should pass, but he will learn that."

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And the best passers in the Europa are...

2012-11-08T15:28:00Z

A pass can do many things: defuse a defensive danger, run down the clock or set up a goal. But in this season's Europa League, every completed pass will create a day of free education for a child somewhere in the world, thanks to the WU-pass initiative from Western Union.

As well as educating the world – and bringing you a free version of Stats Zone dedicated to the Europa League (download it now!) – Western Union have been diligently curating information about the passing in this season's competition. Here are their findings from the last time out, starting with each team's passing totals:

Cheik Tioté may be best known for his tireless defensive work in the Newcastle midfield, but on Matchday 3 nobody passed the ball more than him:

...but the top passing team on Matchday 3 were Steve McClaren's FC Twente, who completed 695 passes to their hosts Levante's 209:

At the hub of Twente's passing was Brazilian defender Douglas:

...while over at Anfield, Nuri Sahin kept Liverpool ticking over with 73 passes.

Kudos also to Partizan's defensive midfielder Mohamed Kamara, who calmly passed it 80 times against Inter in the San Siro:

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Euro preview: Former Barça and Spurs men pose threat to Pardew's Newcastle

2012-11-06T11:55:00Z

As Newcastle prepare to travel to Club Brugge, Michael Cox uses the Europa League Stats Zone – a FREE version of FourFourTwo's award-winning Opta-powered app, brought to you by Western Union – to assess the Belgians' star men...

Newcastle’s 1-0 victory over Club Brugge a fortnight ago was more comfortable than the scoreline would suggest – Gabriel Obertan’s goal arrived just after half-time, but always looked set to be the winner.

Since then, Brugge have sacked manager Georges Leekens – an unsurprising move given a dramatic decline in results. The 2012/13 league campaign started well for Brugge – they won six and drew two of their opening eight league matches, but then nosedived alarmingly, with back-to-back draws followed by four straight defeats. 21 years after he first parted company with Brugge, Leekens is now looking for his 21st managerial post, and reserve team coach Philippe Clement will take charge for the Newcastle game.

As such, it’s difficult to predict how Brugge will play against Newcastle – but we can still pinpoint their most talented individuals.

Clement played over 250 games for Brugges between 1999 and 2009

The primary goalscoring threat is Colombian Carlos Bacca, who was recently recalled to his national side after an excellent goalscoring run at club level, which he continued by netting against Cameroon. He’s now scored twice in two starts – two years apart – although he’ll have difficulty displacing Falcao as first-choice striker.

For Brugge, he’s more frequently involved during home matches, although likes receiving long, direct passes into the channels before shooting readily – in Brugge’s only previous home Europa League match this season, the 2-0 win over Maritimo, Bacca had no fewer than eight shots. As demonstrated below, he enjoys receiving the ball in inside-left positions before trying to curl the ball into the far corner, although his goal actually came with a strike from the opposite side.

Spaniard Victor Vazquez offers an attacking threat from midfield. He grew up at Barcelona’s academy at La Masia, and was part of the famous youth side that included Lionel Messi, Cesc Fabregas and Gerard Pique – you can see him with his arm around Messi in this photo. Although he only played three games for Barcelona, he completed a group stage game in Pep Guardiola’s debut season in 2008/09, and can therefore claim – somewhat tenuously – to be a European Cup winner. He’s a more ambitious passer than you might expect for a Barcelona player, and also strays to the flanks to attempt plenty of crosses.

Jonathan Blondel is another with experience at more renowned clubs – after a short trial at Manchester United, he joined Tottenham Hotspur a decade ago, and was briefly set to replace the likes of Tim Sherwood, Gustavo Poyet and Steffan Freund in midfield – but saw little action under Glenn Hoddle.

Blondel has a decent left foot, and generally plays towards that side of the pitch, but his most notable contribution to Brugge’s Europa League campaign has been his tackling. Against Maritimo, for example, he attempted eight tackles – of which six were successful.

That win over the Portuguese side was also notable for the lack of success of Brugge’s attempted dribbles – they were usually dispossessed, generally after attempted runs down the right.
Indeed, the pattern of their created chances suggests that short built-up play flows down the right, while longer balls are hit down the left, particularly for Bacca.

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Prem Notes: Spiked Gunners, cold Spurs, absent Sunderland, and Shorey the creator

2012-11-05T09:09:00Z

Notable Premier League factoids from Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal
Since the start of last season, Arsenal have made 18 individual errors leading to a goal – more than any other side in the Premier League. There have been 10 penalties during the Arsene Wenger era in Premier League meetings between Arsenal and Manchester United (8 for United, 2 for Arsenal); all have been at Old Trafford and 6 have been missed. Wayne Rooney has failed to score seven of his 20 Premier League penalties (35%). Arsenal failed to have a shot on target in this match until the 92nd minute (Giroud). The last time that they failed to have a shot on target in a PL game was on 21st September 2003 – also against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Arsenal made fewer touches in the opposition box than any other team this weekend – 11.

Fulham 2-2 Everton
In 9 league games this season, Everton's Marouane Fellaini has scored 5 goals and assisted 2. Everton had the most shots on target in the PL this weekend: 9. Fulham, who scored with a third of their shots (excl. blocked), have lost more points from winning positions than any other side in the Premier League this season (12).

Norwich City 1-0 Stoke City
Stoke have won just 5 of their 29 (17%) Premier League games in 2012 so far. In comparison they won 13 of 38 in 2011 (34%). Stoke attempted more long passes than any other side this weekend, but Norwich had the lowest long pass accuracy this weekend (34.5%). Norwich were the only team to score from an indirect FK move this weekend.

Sunderland 0-1 Aston Villa
Sunderland have managed only 13 shots on target in their 9 Premier League games; every other PL team has attempted at least twice as many as this. Sunderland made 41 crosses in this game, 10 of which reached a team-mate.

Swansea City 1-1 Chelsea
This was the first time that Chelsea have failed to win a game that they have been leading in in the Premier League this season (W7 D1). Swansea have conceded the first goal of the game on 7 occasions this season in the Premier League – more than any other side. The Swans had the best pass completion of any side this weekend (88%).

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Wigan Athletic
After scoring in 29 successive White Hart Lane league games, Spurs drew a home blank for the first time since 19th March 2011 (vs West Ham). Andre Villas-Boas has won 6 of his last 15 home Premier League matches. Gareth Bale put in 19 open play crosses, more than any other player this weekend.

West Ham United 0-0 Manchester City
Mario Balotelli has hit more shots without scoring than any other player in the Premier League this season (26, inc. blocked). Man City have dropped eight points in their 10 Premier League games so far this season (W6 D4). Last season, they dropped only two points in their opening 10 games (W9 D1). City hit eight shots off target from inside the penalty area.

QPR 1-1 Reading
QPR managed 23 shots (inc. blocked) in this match – their highest total in the league this season, and they only managed more in a league game once last season, at Blackburn (29). The Royals completed just 66.8% of their passes in this game and they are the only team in the league to average a completion rate below 70% this season (68.48%). Reading had 8 headed shots, the most of any side this weekend. Nicky Shorey created more chances than any other player this weekend – 7; only once has a player created more this season (Leighton Baines vs Aston Villa).

Liverpool 1-1 Newcastle United
Luis Suarez's Premier League conversion rate is 14% this season, up from 10% in 2011-12 and 9% in 2010-11. Suarez made 16 touches in the opposition box. Joe Allen's pass completion was 86%, the joint-lowest figure he's recorded in a Premier League game for Liverpool. This was the third time in 10 Premier League games this season that Liverpool haven’t picked up a single booking. No team played fewer launches than Liverpool this weekend (6). Liverpool attempted the most tackles (27) this weekend but the fewest clearances (13).

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Arteta vs Carrick: the modern Vieira vs Keane

2012-11-02T13:24:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to assess the battle of the 'tacklers' as Arsenal face Manchester United

Manchester United versus Arsenal was once the biggest fixture in the Premier League season. The two shared the title between 1995/96 and 2003/04, and their meetings became highly anticipated – not simply for the quality of football, but because of the sheer hatred between the two.

There was the fallout from Ruud van Nistelrooy’s penalty miss at Old Trafford, for example, or the controversy when Sol Campbell was dismissed for elbowing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Perhaps the most famous squabble, however, was Roy Keane’s bust-up with Patrick Vieira in the narrow Highbury tunnel. Those two were both combative, tackling midfielders, but were mobile enough that they came into direct conflict. Their clashes – both on and off the pitch – summed up the fierce rivalry.

Anyone expecting something similar this weekend will be disappointed. Keane and Vieira have long since departed, of course, and neither club regularly field a similar type of player. Whether you defined their type as ‘holding midfielders’, ‘defensive midfielders’ or simply ‘central midfielders’, the simple truth is that in 2012/13 both clubs lack a reliable ball-winner.

This is partly due to the widespread change in the characteristics of central midfielders. Ball retention has become more vaunted than ever, while increasingly strict rules on tackling means players have to be cleverer at winning possession – intercepting more than tackling, and focusing upon minimising the space between the midfield and the defence.

This tactical trend has meant Michael Carrick and Mikel Arteta have become these clubs’ default holding midfielder. Ten years ago, such passers would have been fielded in conjunction with a proper tackler – but look at the line-ups of the two clubs last week, and both were tasked with the defensive role in midfield, while young bucks Tom Cleverley and Jack Wilshere were given licence to roam higher up.

In basic terms, Arteta and Carrick are similar. Both are in the Premier League’s leading trio in the ‘passes per game’ statistic so far this season – Arteta leads the way with 93.4, while Carrick is third on 86.7, with Yaya Toure splitting them. Notably, those same three players finished in the same positions last season by this measure, underlining their consistency.

In 2011/12 they finished with extremely similar pass completion rates, around the 90% mark. But while Arteta is still patient with his use of the ball and has completed 93% of passes, the highest for any midfielder in the league, Carrick has become less assured – an 81% completion rate is extremely low by his standards.

United and Arsenal have only played the same fixture once this season – both have travelled to Anfield to face Liverpool. The contrast between Arteta and Carrick is surprisingly stark – Arteta always keeps the ball short and generally plays sideways balls, while Carrick attempts much more forward and diagonal passes.

Arteta was also more active in a defensive sense, as demonstrated below.

The defensive statistics were affected by the different situations in those particular games – Liverpool went down to 10 men against Manchester United, so Carrick had relatively little defensive work to get through.

Still, overall the statistics support the theory that Arteta is more directly involved in ball-winning. Both players have started all nine Premier League games so far this season, but Arteta leads the way in both tackling (38-11) and intercepting (20-12). The statistics might be skewed by Carrick having played two matches at centre-back this season, but he is evidently a calmer player – preferring to position himself intelligently rather than diving in.

Interestingly, these two have yet to face each other for their current clubs. Arteta hadn’t signed by the time of last season’s 8-2 at Old Trafford, and then missed the reverse fixture through injury. They haven’t squared off since February 2010, when Arteta’s Everton overcame United 3-1.

Saturday’s match will probably be decided elsewhere – Arsenal’s defence is a particular concern – but these two have the most responsibility for both keeping the ball, and winning it back.

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Previous features:
Suarez vs Baines • Anzhi Makhachkala • AVB's Chelsea vs AVB's Spurs
The season's best signings • Tiote & Cabaye • Carl Jenkinson • Aaron Lennon

Prem Notes: Sloppy Villa, Wilshere's return, travel-happy Suarez, super-sub Hernandez

2012-10-29T12:06:00Z

Notable Premier League factoids from Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

Aston Villa 1-1 Norwich City
Norwich City became the final team in this Premier League season to score a goal from a set-piece. The Canaries are without a clean sheet in 38 league away games - the worst ever run without one on the road in Premier League history. Villa had the worst passing accuracy in the division this weekend (66%), also playing the highest proportion of long passes (19%). Norwich made the most crosses this weekend in the division (30), while Villa attempted the fewest (8). Christian Benteke had the most headed shots in the Premier League this weekend: 3.

Arsenal 1-0 Queens Park Rangers
Jack Wilshere completed all 33 passes he made in the first half against QPR on his return to the Gunners' first team. Since the start of last season, QPR have had 11 players sent off in the Premier League, at least four more than any other side. Arsenal had 22 shots - more than any other side this weekend. No goalkeeper has had to make more saves in a game than the 9 that Julio Cesar did against Arsenal.

Reading 3-3 Fulham
Jobi McAnuff has now made 4 Premier League assists - only Eden Hazard and Juan Mata (5) have made more. Fulham had 66% possession against the Royals, their highest figure since November 2009 against Birmingham.

Stoke City 0-0 Sunderland
Sunderland didn’t have a single shot on target at the Britannia Stadium. Overall, the Black Cats have managed just 12 shots on target this season, while every other side has had at least 28.

Wigan Athletic 2-1 West Ham United
Wigan have conceded 5 headed goals in the Premier League this season, the joint most of all sides. West Ham have still shipped a league low of just 1 goal from a set-piece this season.

Manchester City 1-0 Swansea City
Yaya Touré made 108 passes against Swansea, the only player this weekend to break a century. City have now scored in their last 36 home Premier League games; only 3 teams (Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea) have ever gone on longer runs of this kind.

Everton 2-2 Liverpool
Liverpool have kept just 1 clean sheet in their last 11 away games in the Premier League, conceding 19 goals along the way. Luis Suarez’s last 5 goals in the Premier League have all come away from home, and overall he has more away from Anfield with 13 of his 21 league goals coming on the road. Everton scored 2 goals in the first half of this game, the fourth time they have achieved the feat this season. They are the only side in the league to do so.

Liverpool conceded the most fouls in the division this weekend – 19. The Reds made 2 errors leading to goals and now have 7 for the season, more than any other team. Suarez led the division in shots off target again – 4 this week. Meanwhile, Leighton Baines created the most chances in the Premier League this weekend: 6.

Newcastle United 2-1 West Brom
Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse scored in the same Premier League match for the first time since Cisse's debut back in February (a run of 21 games). West Brom have conceded a Premier League high 55% of their goals in the final 15 minutes of matches. Hatem Ben Arfa made 7 dribbles, more than any other player in the league this weekend. He leads the division this season with 83.

Southampton 1-2 Tottenham
Eleven of the 13 goals that Spurs have conceded have come in the second 45 minutes of action, a league-high percentage of 85%. Southampton have conceded more goals after 9 games (26) than any other team in Premier League history, while former player Gareth Bale has notched more headed goals (4) in the Premier League than goals with his right foot (3).

Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United
Javier Hernandez has scored 7 Premier League substitute goals away from home - only Jermain Defoe (9) has more in the division’s history. Seven of Hernandez’s 8 substitute goals in the league have come away from home. Since the start of last season, only 4 players have scored more right-footed goals in the Premier League than the left-footed Robin van Persie (13).

Manchester United have been 2+ goals up in 347 Premier League games and have never lost (W337 D10). Juan Mata has scored 4 goals and assisted 5 more in his last 5 Premier League appearances. Chelsea had the best shooting accuracy in the top flight this weekend (73%).

How Suarez could use Baines' superb attacking form to his own advantage

2012-10-26T12:36:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to see how Luis Suarez may look to expose one of the players of the season

David Moyes’ Everton have started 2012/13 in fine form, and go in to this weekend's Merseyside derby eight places higher in the table than Liverpool – a win on Sunday at Goodison Park would leave Everton with twice as many points as Brendan Rodgers’ side.

By all accounts, Everton’s main strength this season has been their left flank, where leftback Leighton Baines has been excellent, leading Europe’s five major leagues in terms of chances created. His relationship with Steven Pienaar has been highly effective, meaning that Everton concentrate a higher proportion of their passing down the left than any other Premier League side. In Everton’s last home league match, the 3-1 win over Southampton, it was obvious how Baines advanced higher up the pitch than Seamus Coleman, Everton’s right-back.

Yet their apparent strength could become their most obvious weakness this weekend. Pienaar’s red card against Queens Park Rangers last Sunday means he’s suspended for the derby, so Leon Osman is likely to start on the left of midfield. The 31-year-old is fine footballer, and one who makes similar movements to Pienaar, but the relationship isn’t quite the same.

Of more concern is the threat in behind Baines. When these two sides met at Wembley for the FA Cup semi-final in April, Liverpool continually exploited the space in behind the leftback by moving Luis Suarez over to that side. When Baines advanced forward to cross the ball, Suarez would move towards that flank; dragging Sylvain Distin out of position before sprinting in behind him.

Distin had problems with Suarez all game. The Frenchman’s disastrous underhit backpass played Suarez in for Liverpool’s equaliser, but long before then, the problem was evident. Distin had fouled him on the edge of the box, he’d also been booked for checking him higher up the pitch, and then resorted to playing a risky offside trap against a player who was significantly quicker than him.

Part of the problem, however, was that Baines wasn’t in a position to help. As he attempted to stick tight to Jordan Henderson, who was playing on the right of a midfield four, Distin effectively had to cover the width of half the pitch against Suarez. The problem wouldn’t have been so obvious if Liverpool had used an advanced right-winger pinning Baines back – this would have minimised the space in the channel.

Rodgers should watch a tape of that semi-final – overall it was an unspectacular game, but it’s worth him replicating this clear area of strength.

The Liverpool manager’s fondness for a trio of forwards spread across the pitch will make it difficult to deploy such a strategy, but getting Suarez up against Distin remains a favourable match-up for Liverpool.

In the Reds’ last two league games, Suarez has played in two distinct roles. In the 1-0 home win over Reading last weekend, he spent his time prowling the channels, generally receiving the ball in wide zones. However, he attempted to beat opponents more regularly on the left than the right.

Against Stoke earlier this month, it was completely different – he picked up the ball in central positions between the lines, as Tony Pulis’ side defend so narrow, making it difficult for him to find space in the channels.

Throughout his Liverpool career, the Uruguayan has seemed more effective against open sides and high defensive lines. Everton naturally attempt to involve Baines in as much play as possible, but the higher up the pitch he advances, the more space he'll leave for Suarez to counter-attack.

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Euro preview: Meet Liverpool's opponents Anzhi Makhachkala

2012-10-24T13:40:00Z

As Liverpool FC welcome Anzhi Makhachkala to Anfield, Michael Cox uses the Europa League Stats Zone – a FREE version of FourFourTwo's award-winning Opta-powered app, brought to you by Western Union – to check out the rising Russians...

Anzhi’s most famous player – and certainly their richest – is Samuel Eto’o, who has a knack of scoring against English clubs in Europe. At Barcelona he relied upon sheer pace in behind defenders, while later in his career (when Lionel Messi became a false nine towards the end of Pep Guardiola’s first season in charge, and then under Jose Mourinho in the treble-winning season at Inter) he became a left-winger.

At Anzhi, however, he takes up a different role – almost as a No.10, similar to the position he’s played for Cameroon on occasion. As his performance on the first Europa League matchday against Udinese shows, he generally receives the ball in deep, central positions, where his fondness for dribbling past opponents isn’t as effective.

Playing ahead of Eto'o as the primary striker is another African, the Ivory Coast U23 forward Lacina Traore, who was linked with a move to Liverpool in the summer. His most notable feature is his height – at 6ft 8in he’s an inch taller than Peter Crouch – and therefore he’s an obvious target for crosses and long balls.

But Traore is more of an all-rounder than you might expect: quick across the ground and intelligent with his movement. His role against Udinese was that of a pure target man, but in the subsequent group game against Young Boys he worked the left channel, dragging defenders out of position and creating space for Eto’o to break into. If he puts in a fine performance at Anfield, Liverpool might revive their interest.

Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Portsmouth midfielder Lassana Diarra is another of Anzhi’s big-money signings. Alhough he was once cast as the new Claude Makelele and is noted for the defensive side of his game, he actually plays with more attacking ambition than his Anzhi midfield partner Jucilei.

The one-time Brazil international sits ahead of the defence to the left and plays short, simple passes, while Diarra has more of a box-to-box role, powerfully connecting the midfield and attack – although, as the Udinese game showed, he’s not the most reliable passer.

Another familiar name is Christopher Samba, who is in great form for Anzhi. His aerial dominance at the back is obvious, although with Liverpool keeping the ball on the ground and likely to play a short, pacy front three, he might not need to make many aerial clearances.

Instead, his height could be more of an asset in the opposition box – in the previous game against Young Boys, Samba won three high balls for headed chances. He generally takes up quite deep positions at corners, near the penalty spot.

The man responsible for delivering those corners will be Mbark Boussoufa, a Dutch-born Moroccan international winger who can play on either flank. He usually concentrates on floating the ball towards Samba – this is especially dangerous with his outswinging right-wing deliveries, although both Udinese and Young Boys defended these well.

Overall, Anzhi will be quite reserved without the ball, probably sitting back and trying to deny Liverpool space in behind the defence. Samba and Joao Carlos are formidable in the air, but less happy against pace. Away at Udinese they concentrated on winning the ball in their own third, while at home to Young Boys they pressed nearer the halfway line – the first approach is more likely at Anfield.

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Prem Notes: Arsenal's target man, City under fire, short Sunderland, Swansea outpassed, Homer Nolan

2012-10-22T12:59:00Z

Notable Premier League factoids from Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

Tottenham Hotspur 2-4 Chelsea
There were 17 shots on target in this match – more than in any other Premier League game this season; Tottenham were the only team to reach double figures for shots on target in the Premier League this weekend. No defender has scored more Premier League goals since the start of 2009-10 than Gary Cahill (13). Chelsea have benefitted from 6 goals by defenders in the Premier League this season – more than any other side. Juan Mata has scored 6 goals in his last 5 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions. Eden Hazard has assisted 21 goals in league football since the start of 2011-12; more than any other player in the top five European leagues. Juan Mata has assisted 18.

Fulham 1-0 Aston Villa
No team had more headed shots than Fulham this weekend: 5. John Arne Riise put in the most crosses and the most long throws in the PL this weekend. Darren Bent had only 20 touches in 75 minutes.

Liverpool 1-0 Reading
Liverpool completed 82% of their passes against Reading; their success rate is yet to drop below 80% in a Premier League game this season – last season they completed less than 80% of passes in 13 of their 38 PL games. By contrast, Reading had the lowest pass completion in the division this weekend (67.5%). 13 of the 14 goals Reading have conceded in the Premier League this season have been from open play. Luis Suarez hit 6 shots off target – no player has hit more awry in a PL game this season – and Suarez had 12 touches in the opposition box, more than Stoke or Reading did in total this weekend.

Manchester United 4-2 Stoke City
Robin van Persie has scored (6) or assisted (3) nine goals in his last 7 PL appearances. Manchester United have recovered more points from losing positions than any other team this season (12) – and they have conceded at least 2 goals in 4 of their last 6 home league games. United were the only team to record a pass completion of more than 90% this weekend.

Swansea City 2-1 Wigan Athletic
Four of the top six passers were Wigan players, with both James McCarthy and James McArthur outpassing all Swansea players on their own patch. Emmerson Boyce was the first player other than a striker to score a Premier League goal for Wigan this season (Di Santo 3, Kone 3, Maloney 1). Michu has scored 6 goals from just 8 shots on target this season. No side has conceded more headed goals in the Premier League this season than Wigan (4). Jonathan de Guzman was the only player to assist more than 1 goal this weekend.

West Bromwich Albion 1-2 Manchester City
Manchester City have had more shots on target this season than any other PL team (56), but no side have had more shots against City this season than West Brom (17). Shane Long has scored (3) or assisted (2) five goals in his last five Premier League appearances for West Brom.

West Ham United 4-1 Southampton
Southampton have trailed at some point in all 8 Premier League games – the only top-flight team to be behind in all of their league games. No side has conceded as many goals after eight games of a PL season as Southampton have this term (24). West Ham scored with half of their non-blocked shots this weekend, and 14 of Kevin Nolan’s 16 league goals since the start of 2010-11 have come in home matches.

Norwich City 1-0 Arsenal
Of Grant Holt's 18 Premier League goals, 7 have come against Arsenal, Chelsea, Man United & Liverpool. Holt won 3 of his 5 aerial duels but he was a long way behind Olivier Giroud, who contested 8 (winning 5) – and only Santi Cazorla completed more take-ons than Holt's 3. Despite winning this match, Norwich still have the worst shot conversion rate in the Premier League this season (7%). Mikel Arteta made over 100 passes for the fourth time this season; only Michael Carrick has also done so more than once (he’s done it twice).

Sunderland 1-1 Newcastle United
Since Cheik Tiote joined Newcastle in 2010/11, no player has been awarded more cards in the Premier League (27Y, 1R); second on the list is Lee Cattermole (18Y, 3R). Sunderland had just 1 shot on target in this match, the fourth time this season they have done this; they've managed just 12 shots on target in total so far. Sebastian Larsson had 100 touches of the ball in this game, the first Sunderland player to reach this total in a Premier League game this season. Newcastle made fewer passes than any other PL team this weekend (241), and Sunderland played the highest proportion of short passes in the PL this weekend (93.4%).

Queens Park Rangers 1-1 Everton
Everton have had 99 shots away from home this season – more than any other team in the big five European leagues. Everton have hit the woodwork more than any other side this season (10 times). QPR have seen their uprights struck the joint-most times in the Premier League (8).

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Lessons learned or horses for courses? AVB at Chelsea and Spurs

2012-10-19T11:04:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to see how Villas-Boas has changed between Chelsea and Tottenham

This weekend sees Andre Villas-Boas’ first game against Chelsea since his sacking earlier this year – and a meeting with Roberto Di Matteo, his former assistant. But how similar is Villas-Boas’ Tottenham side to the team he managed at Stamford Bridge?

Spurs’ most recent game was at home to Aston Villa, a fixture Villas-Boas also encountered as Chelsea coach – although whereas he won 2-0 a fortnight ago, he suffered a humiliating 3-1 defeat last season. Still, the two games are useful by way of comparison, to study the similarities and differences between Villas-Boas’ two teams.

Pressing
This was arguably the most obvious feature of Villas-Boas’ strategy at Stamford Bridge – he favoured closing down in midfield and a high defensive line that didn’t suit Chelsea’s centre-backs. The forwards were instructed to push up and prevent the opposition from passing out of the back, and weren’t given any defensive responsibilities in deeper positions.

While the approach was broadly unsuccessful, leaving Chelsea prone to passes played in behind their defence, they were effective at winning balls high up the pitch in the opposition half – which is shown by how frequently they won possession near the centre circle against Villa. Tottenham’s approach this season is similar, yet a little more reserved.

Crossing
In theory Villas-Boas’ Tottenham are very different to Villas-Boas’ Chelsea – last season he fielded Juan Mata on the left, coming inside into central playmaking positions, and Daniel Sturridge on the right, cutting onto his stronger left foot. Chelsea started as a 4-3-3, but sometimes ended up looking like a narrow 4-3-1-2.

Now, the Portuguese coach can call on two natural wingers – Aaron Lennon and Gareth Bale. They’re much more likely to cross the ball, but in these two games Villas-Boas’ sides crossed the ball a similar number of times – and had similarly ineffective results.

Forward play
This is a clear difference – Didier Drogba received plenty of straight passes, making Chelsea’s attacks flow quickly towards goal, while Jermain Defoe only receives the ball from wider positions.

This illustrates not merely the two strikers’ separate qualities, but also the aforementioned contrast in terms of width – Chelsea tended to funnel things through the centre, while Tottenham are obliged to spread the play towards the touchlines.

Holding midfielder
Arguably the key player in Villas-Boas’ systems – he dropped Mikel in favour of Oriel Romeu midway through his tenure at Chelsea, and the Spaniard played a very solid, disciplined defensive midfield role, rarely straying from the centre circle.

Sandro is given more licence to switch positions with Spurs’ other midfielders, and consequently gets into more advanced positions. His passing is also more ambitious, but it’s worth noting that both complete a lot of interceptions, rather than winning the ball through tackling.

Goalkeeper distribution
This is something else that went wrong at Chelsea – Petr Cech was accustomed to thumping long balls forward towards Didier Drogba, but Villas-Boas ordered him to play short passes into the centre-backs or the holding midfielder dropping deep. Chelsea dominated possession but conceded cheap goals on a couple of occasions – at home to Liverpool, for example, when a short pass towards Jon Obi Mikel resulted in Charlie Adam nicking the ball and Maxi Rodriguez scoring the opener in a 2-1 away win.

Hugo Lloris is more suited to passing football than Brad Friedel, but against Villa it was noticeable that he hit long balls towards the left, for Gareth Bale to challenge for. It will be interesting to see if this strategy continues this weekend, when Bale will be up against Branislav Ivanovic, a fine player in the air.

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The season's best signings: The pass master, the midfield maestro, the diligent destroyer and the dead-eyed marksman

2012-10-18T11:00:00Z

FourFourTwo's online features editor James Maw uses the award-winning Stats Zone app to assess a baker's dozen of top-flight new boys...

Joe Allen, Liverpool
Midfielder - signed from Swansea City - £15m

The Welshman completed 103 passes in the 1-1 draw at Sunderland, a total surpassed just five times so far this season (Paul Scholes leads the way with 135 vs Spurs). Two weeks later he completed 91 in the Reds' first, and to date only Premier League victory of the season at Norwich. Only Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United) and Mikel Arteta (Arsenal) have a better pass success rate than Allen's 92.6%.

While Allen has come under criticism for 'only passing the ball sideways', that's pretty much what he's in the team to do – to help Liverpool keep possession of the football and enable the Reds' attacking players to find the time and space to strike, and give the defence the odd breather.

It's perhaps not the most glamorous of roles and certainly not one given much praise on these shores (see Carrick, Michael), but Allen is certainly the right man for it, and in time that will show.

Dimitar Berbatov, Fulham
Striker - signed from Manchester United - £5m

The languid striker's arrival at Craven Cottage did a lot to alleviate the funk which had befallen the locals after the departures of Clint Dempsey and Mousa Dembele, and he certainly appears to have hit the ground running (a bit).

Although the Bulgarian was unable to make an impact on his debut – a second-half substitute appearance at Upton Park with his side already trailing 3-0 – he has made a telling contribution in both of his outings since, albeit operating in two slightly different roles.

In his home debut against West Brom, he played upfront alongside Hugo Rodallega, regularly popping up in the final third, attempting seven shots over the course of the match, scoring twice. Yet in his next match – at Wigan – Berbatov played slightly deeper, in behind the Colombian. He provided an outlet for longer passes, particularly from goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer, who picked him out in the opposition half six times. Although he only attempted five shots, he did provide an assist for Damien Duff to open the scoring.

Could this outlet enable Fulham to improve their traditionally dismal away form?

Santi Cazorla, Arsenal
Midfielder - signed from Malaga - £15m

The Spanish playmaker may not be a direct replacement for Robin van Persie, but someone needed to step into the breach. The Dutchman chipped in with 13 assists last season, so replacing that contribution was crucial – particularly as they had yet to directly replace Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, lost 12 months previously.

Enter Santi Cazorla. The Spaniard needed to be shipped out by Champions League-bound Malaga in a summer of uncertainty for the briefly rich La Liga outfit, all of which enabled Arsene Wenger to negotiate a fantastic price for the playmaker.

Only Everton's Leighton Baines has created more goalscoring opportunities in the Premier League than the Spaniard so far this term, and his sensational goal at Upton Park on Saturday underlines the fact he'll be more than capable of contributing on the goalscoring front too.

Mousa Dembele, Tottenham Hotspur
Midfielder - signed from Fulham - £15m

Much like Cazorla down the road, Dembele was indirectly replacing a departing star man at his new club. With pass-master Luka Modric finally wangling his move to Real Madrid, Spurs were left with a void to fill in the centre of the park. Although not as prolific a passer, Dembele's impressive strength, close control and willingness to contribute defensively have seen him become an quickfire hit with the White Hart Lane faithful.

His impact was so instant that, not only did he score within minutes of coming on for his debut against Norwich, but he also topped both the tackling and passing charts in his first start in the win at Reading. He once again demonstrated his broad skill-set in his most recent outing, against Aston Villa (above).

The Belgian already looks to have forged an impressive partnership with midfield comrade Sandro, which has been a key factor in the North London side's steady rise up the Premier League since early September.

Mohammed Diame, West Ham United
Midfielder - signed from Wigan Athletic - Free

Diame's move from the DW to Upton Park perhaps snuck under the radar given it was completed just as England were beating Ukraine at Euro 2012, but the Senegal international has so far eclipsed the likes of Andy Carroll, Matt Jarvis and Alou Diarra as the Hammers' most impressive summer acquisition.

The above dashboards show how broad Diame's contribution has been. In the 3-0 victory over Fulham he largely occupied himself by making neat-and-tidy short passes out from the centre of the pitch, but in the 1-1 draw with Sunderland he showed a little more invention by attempting seven 'take-ons', but without sacrificing the defensive side of his game – six of his aerial duels were in his own half.

Steven Fletcher, Sunderland
Striker - signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers - £14m

While Fletcher's sizeable transfer fee may have raised a few eyebrows, his Premier League goalscoring record in recent seasons – 30 in 96 matches for Burnley and Wolves teams both battling the drop – suggested he could be somewhere close to prolific in a stronger side with better service.

Sure enough, the newly-reinstated Scotland international has banged in five goals in his first five Premier League outings for the Black Cats, with each of his first five shots on target hitting the back of the net.

Although he is likely to be a target for crosses from James McClean and Adam Johnson, in his league debut at Swansea his supply came largely in the form of long balls from deep. His presence will enable Sunderland to get the ball from back to front very quickly – something Martin O'Neill is always very keen on.

Eden Hazard, Chelsea
Forward - signed from Lille - £32m

Roman Abramovich would've expected a speedy return on his £32 million investment, and that's exactly what Eden Hazard has provided.

Arguably the Premier League's highest-profile Belgian import to date, Hazard has been a relentless creative force as the Blues have taken an early lead in the Premier League, forging six openings in the wins against Reading and Norwich. As a result, Hazard is currently sat joint top of the assist table – alongside Adam Lallana (Southampton) and Juan Mata (Chelsea) – with four to his name.

With Juan Mata and fellow bew boy Oscar alongside him in Chelsea's attacking-midfield three, the European champions shouldn't be found wanting as far as creating chances is concerned. Over to you, Nando...

Michu, Swansea City
Midfielder - signed from Rayo Vallecano - £2m

The Spaniard was La Liga's top scoring midfielder last season, with 15 strikes to his name, and he's started his debut Premier League season in a similar vein.

The 26-year-old netted twice on his Swansea debut as the Welsh side won 5-0 at Queens Park Rangers, before scoring his third and fourth goals of the campaign against West Ham and Sunderland. Three straight defeats followed, but the end of that losing streak in their recent draw with Reading also signalled a return to the scoresheet for Michu.

Kevin Mirallas, Everton
Forward - signed from Olympiakos - £6m

It turns out there are a fair few particularly talented Belgian players knocking about at the moment: you may have read about it in a million different articles over the last two months.

Not wanting to restrict himself to just one – Marouane Fellaini – Everton manager David Moyes made what was by the Toffees' standards a 'big money move' for a second, in the form of Olympiakos forward Kevin Mirallas. The 25-year-old won back-to-back Greek titles before arriving at Goodison Park on transfer deadline day,

In the absense of Nikica Jelavic against Swansea, the versatile Mirallas operated in a more central role, picking up the ball through the middle, often around the edge of the area, attempting six shots at goal. When the Croatian returned to the starting XI against Southampton, Mirallas reverted to slightly wider position, generally receiving the ball on the right flank rather than in or around the penalty area.

Oscar, Chelsea
Midfielder - signed from Internacional - £25m

The young Brazilian playmaker has been eased into the Chelsea side a little more gently than Eden Hazard – perhaps no surprise, given he was so heavily involved in his nation's silver medal-winning Olympic side – yet thanks partly to his superb Champions League goal against Juventus, he's earned almost as many headlines.

In his first Premier League start against Stoke, Oscar attempted the most shots of any player on the pitch over 90 minutes, and also the most take-ons. In the same match, only Juan Mata attempted more final third passes. Expect the 21-year-old's impact to increase further as he gets his feet under the table.

Robin van Persie, Manchester United
Striker - signed from Arsenal - £24m

With such fierce competition for a starting berth in Manchester United's front line, as soon as Van Persie arrived at Old Trafford he was instantly under pressure to perform or risk losing his starting place, arguably for the first time since Thierry Henry left Arsenal for Barcelona.

Fortunately for Van Persie, like many of the players on this list, he has made an instant impact at his new club, scoring on his first start (against Fulham) and then grabbing a hat-trick on his second (at Southampton). The goals haven't flowed quite so effortlessly since – he's 'only' scored three in his last six – but there have been signs of a blossoming partnership with Wayne Rooney, particularly in the Champions League win at Cluj.

The Dutchman also created more goalscoring chances than any other United player in their most recent victory, at Newcastle.

Jan Vertonghen, Tottenham Hotspur
Defender - signed from Ajax - £9m

Yes, yes – another Belgian. The former Ajax skipper began the season at centre-back before injuries to Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Kyle Naughton saw him shifted across to left-back, where he has remained since the second half of his new side's win over Queens Park Rangers. The above dashboards show the differences in his performances at centre-back (vs Reading) and at left-back (vs Aston Villa).

Although Spurs have won all of their league matches since – including a 3-2 victory at Manchester United – and Vertonghen has attacked superbly down the left, he has at times looked exposed defensively. This was particularly true at Old Trafford, where Nani was able to make 13 crosses from wide on the United right.

In the longer term, Andre Villas Boas may opt to shift Vertonghen back to centre-half against stronger opponents, and use him at full-back for games in which he expects the opposition to attack less frequently.

Claudio Yacob, West Bromwich Albion
Midfielder - signed from Racing Club de Avellaneda - Free

While he may not have been afforded the same fanfare as the likes of Hazard, Cazorla or Vertonghen upon his arrival in English football, Claudio Yacob already looks like being the bargain of the summer.

The Argentine international was snapped up by new West Brom boss Steve Clarke on a free transfer, following the expiration of his contract at Racing, and has slotted in effortlessly to the Baggies' midfield and certainly seems capable of coping with the 'hustle and bustle' of the Premier League.

Predominantly a defensive midfielder, Yacob has been given the primary function of shielding the back four – but as the above passing diagram from last month's impressive win over Everton demonstrates, the 25-year-old is more than capable of spreading the ball to wide areas with mid-range passes.

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Wales, meet Scotland's key player – and it's not a Fletcher

2012-10-12T13:51:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to check out Scotland's main threat to Wales

After James Morrison’s fine performance against QPR last weekend, one pundit wondered if Roy Hodgson might call him up to the England squad, especially after working with him for a year at West Brom. The problem, of course, is that Morrison has been capped for Scotland 23 times, and will play against Wales this evening.

We shouldn’t read too much into that mistake, but it sums up the fact that Morrison has slipped under the radar. This is a talented midfielder who has made over 150 Premier League appearances and has started a UEFA Cup final. At 26 he’s hardly a promising youngster any more – he’s simply an established Premier League player.

“James’ contribution might be unsung by outsiders but I think people at Albion and the supporters appreciate him,” manager Steve Clarke told the Birmingham Mail this week. “At a couple of pre-match meetings at previous clubs, James would come up as one of the players you’d need to look after and be wary of qualities.” Clarke persuaded the West Brom board to offer Morrison a new contract, trying him to the Baggies until 2016.

But it's international football on the agenda for Morrison this weekend, as he travels to the Millennium Stadium to take on Wales. A Battle of Britain always provides interest, but this feels like an especially important game for Scotland in the context of the group.

Craig Levein’s side have picked up two draws from their two matches so far – but both have been home fixtures. They’re now faced with five away fixtures from their remaining eight matches, including trips to Croatia, Serbia and Belgium. A short trip to Wales, to play a side in something of a crisis at the bottom of Group A, has taken on huge importance.

The return of two key players also makes a difference. First, Darren Fletcher will start in the centre of midfield. He may not be 100% fit, but his tenacity and defensive qualities will greatly help a Scotland side that has recently looked passive in the centre of the pitch. Second, Steven Fletcher is available for selection, and should start up front.

With those two returning, Morrison will be alongside better players and should be able to concentrate on his own role. He’s not a natural scrapper, and his goalscoring record at international level is poor – but as one of Scotland’s better players, he had some responsibility to compensate for the absence of both players. Now, he can play his own role.

But what is his role? For West Brom, he’s shown different playing styles in his previous two matches. In the game against QPR, Morrison impressed by creating three chances and scoring a fine headed goal – but his all-round passing game was poor, constantly playing overambitious forward balls and conceding possession.

The previous week against Aston Villa, his passing was much more assured. Receiving the ball in two zones – either in deep, centre-right positions under no pressure, or higher up the pitch between the lines. His pass completion rate was higher, and he managed to create two chances – which is his par for the season, having created 14 opportunities from his seven matches so far.

Against Wales he’ll be asked to help dominate the centre of the pitch – Wales looked very open between the lines against Serbia in their previous match, and Morrison should be able to find space in advanced, dangerous positions.

Maybe he could chip in with a goal, too. Despite just one goal for Scotland in 23 matches, he’s scored six in his last 22 for West Brom – previously, goals were the one thing lacking from his game. The return of the Fletchers adds experience and solidity, but in terms of flair, Morrison is Scotland’s best hope of something special this week.

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Prem Notes: Merry Milner, dribbly Suarez, ruthless Pavel, tackle-shy Toffees and more

2012-10-08T10:59:00Z

Notable Premier League factoids from Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

Manchester City 3-0 Sunderland
James Milner set up 8 goalscoring chances for his team-mates in this match, more than any other player in a game this weekend, and a joint league high for the season with Leighton Baines (v Aston Villa). Sunderland managed a round-low 3 attempts from open play while conceding a round-high 21 (unblocked) shots.

Chelsea 4-1 Norwich City
Norwich conceded just three fouls in this match, the joint-fewest in a top-flight game this season. Eden Hazard attempted more passes (53) in the final third than any other player this weekend, as well setting up a round joint high six goalscoring chances from open play.

Swansea City 2-2 Reading
Pavel Pogrebnyak has scored 8 goals from just 11 shots on target in the Premier League. Alex McCarthy made a round-high eight saves against Swansea.

West Bromwich Albion 3-2 Queens Park Rangers
Five of the eight shots on target in this game found the net. West Brom conceded a round high 18 fouls in this match. QPR made more lay-offs (27) than any other side this weekend.

Wigan Athletic 2-2 Everton
Wigan were tackled just 8 times in this game, fewer than any other side over the weekend. Everton played more long balls than any other side in this round of action.

West Ham United 1-3 Arsenal
Santi Cazorla has scored more goals from outside the box than any other player in the top 5 European leagues since Aug 2011 (9). Mikel Arteta had a round-high 120 touches in this match; he has topped 100 touches in five of the seven games he has played so far this season, and misplaced just 5 of his 111 passes in this game as well. Andy Carroll contested (32) and won (19) more duels than any other player this weekend, 25 of which (17 won) were aerial duels. No player has contested more duels in a PL game this season (although Christian Benteke also contested 32 v Southampton).

Southampton 2-2 Fulham
Southampton have now scored three own goals this season, the same number as the rest of the 19 Premier League teams combined. Chris Baird made 9 interceptions in this game, a Premier League high for the season.

Liverpool 0-0 Stoke City
Luis Suarez attempted a round-high 16 dribbles in this match, seven of which were successful. He has attempted more dribbles (63) than any other player so far this season. Stoke managed just 170 touches in the Liverpool half in this game, fewer than any other side over the weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Aston Villa
Gareth Bale attempted 13 crosses in this game, more than any other player this weekend, but just 1 found a team-mate (as did 1 of his 7 corners). Moussa Dembele attempted a round-high 7 tackles, winning 4 of them, while Villa's Ciaran Clark made a round-high 4 blocks.

Newcastle United 0-3 Manchester United
Wayne Rooney picked up two assists in a game for the first time since January 2011 against Birmingham City. Newcastle misplaced just 1 of 75 passes in their defensive third in this game, the best record of any side this weekend.

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Europa Analysis: Liverpool's death by football, Spurs' changing gameplan and the unlucky 5-1 losers

2012-10-05T10:28:00Z

Stats Zone, FourFourTwo's award-winning Opta-powered analysis app, is now available FREE for the Europa League, thanks to Western Union

Last night's action saw an exciting debut from an intelligent campaigner whose analytical probings have already won fans across the world and awards aplenty. Yep, Stats Zone made its Europa League debut, thanks to Western Union. And as ever, users were quick to share their findings.

Perhaps the headline story was Liverpool's 3-2 reverse at home to Udinese. @footballkray contrasted the passes of Udinese and Liverpool, which "show how dominant Liverpool were in possession". True indeed – Liverpool completed 691 of 757 (91%) to Udinese's mere 173 of 241 (72%) – but it will only be scant consolation for Brendan Rodgers…

At least Rodgers' anointed midfielder Joe Allen stood out. The diminutive Welshman completed 127 (of 135) passes, almost as many as the visitors put together, and consequently dominates the Player Influence screen (which shows a player's average position and denotes involvement by increasing the size of the player's name). But with Udinese snatching victory from a first-half deficit, it lends a dramatic irony to the the half-time hashtag #deathbyfootball...

Less successful travelling Italians were Napoli, who got a 3-0 chasing at PSV. @cordobeh contrasted the two sides' attacking-third passes, which show how the visitors were pinned back and frequently reduced to longer balls.

Also cruising to a 3-0 win were Newcastle, against Bordeaux. @cordobeh compared Toon central midfielders Yohan Cabaye – busy at the sharp end, although none of his four shots (all from outside the box) hit the target – with Chiek Tiote, typically industrious in the engine room despite his early booking.

AEL Limassol can consider themselves somewhat unlucky to have been on the end of a 5-1 chasing at Marseille, especially after going one up. The Cypriots attempted and completed more passes (like Liverpool, then) but Marseille – conspicuously targeting Limassol's left-back position – roared back and two injury-time goals added the gloss.

Examining Tottenham's passing at Panathinaikos reveals that the Londoners seemed to be targeting the Greeks' right-back. Gareth Bale, stationed on Spurs' left for most of the game, received 35 passes to right-sider Aaron Lennon's 14 – and note that Lennon received five of those during his cameo on the left.

Analysing that further, we can see that Tottenham made 24 crosses from the left – indeed, what seem at first to be crosses from the right are actually overhit left-flank corners. But note how the vast majority of these were in the first half. Evidence of AVB changing a tactic that wasn't working, or of his team trailing off in the second half? That depends on your interpretation of the facts Stats Zone will happily pump out for you…

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Tiote and Cabaye find the perfect balance as Newcastle look to repeat history

2012-10-05T10:21:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to analyse Newcastle's ever-impressive central midfield partnership ahead the weekend's visit of Manchester United...

Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye quickly formed a solid midfield partnership last season, but their quality was particularly obvious during the stunning 3-0 win over Manchester United earlier this year – Newcastle fans will hope for a similar performance this Sunday in the same fixture.

In that game back in January, Sir Alex Ferguson played Ryan Giggs and Michael Carrick together in the midfield – a technically proficient combination, but one that is always vulnerable to frantic matches when the opposition press energetically. Alan Pardew was open and honest about his tactics after the game. “We won today because we controlled the game in terms of what we wanted to do,” he said. “We wouldn’t let them play, I thought we took a bit of a gamble in terms of a high press on them, and then physically and aerially we had an advantage, and we capitalised on that.”

Shola Ameobi and Demba Ba stayed high up the pitch, with Pardew trusting Tiote and Cabaye to press Giggs and Carrick. They were magnificent both individually and as a partnership, and highlighted Manchester United’s lack of battling players in the centre of the pitch.

Their roles that day were typical of their performances throughout last season. As the graphic below demonstrates, Tiote stayed in deep positions and kept his distribution neat and tidy, while Cabaye moved into attacking zones and played more ambitious balls. That’s a standard combination – one player to sit, the other to attack, and it worked brilliantly for Newcastle.

The best proof of the combination’s effectiveness is that neither player is as comfortable when alongside another partner, because their job changes. For example, look at when Newcastle used James Perch as the holding player against Norwich – his passing is reliable but even simpler than Tiote’s – as a result, Cabaye has to drop deeper and become more involved in the play. He hits a huge number of wayward passes into the box, partly because he was receiving the ball in deeper positions, so his incisive balls and searching passes are more difficult to complete.

The next week, Pardew fielded Tiote alongside youngster Gael Bigirimana against Reading. This partnership completely changed the role of the former – Tiote is usually about short sideways passes, but he felt the need to become more of a playmaker. His assist for Demba Ba’s volley justified his longer passes, but overall too many were wayward, handing possession back to Reading cheaply.

This week’s Europa League win over Bordeaux saw Tiote and Cabaye reunited, and they were back in their traditional roles during Newcastle’s comfortable 3-0 victory. Tiote focused on circulating the ball rather than hitting long passes, allowing Cabaye to play a more advanced role – although with Newcastle ahead from the 15th minute, the Frenchman focused upon retaining possession. The old team was back together, playing in their best roles.

Pardew will remember how Newcastle successfully nullified Manchester United’s passing quality in midfield in the 3-0 – but Ferguson will adapt too. Last time he played two strikers – Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov – who offered little support to their midfield. This time, Ferguson will get extra bodies into the centre of the pitch to compete with Newcastle’s energy.

Pardew is fortunate to have the weapons to play either 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 with the same eleven players. Demba Ba can play either as a striker or on the left, while a versatile player like Jonas Gutierrez or Vurnon Anita can play either wide or in the centre of midfield accordingly.

This tactical battle should be very different to the 3-0 of nine months ago – but Cabaye and Tiote’s partnership will remain crucial.

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Prem Notes: Good and bad United, dominant Merseysiders, and the league's best clearer

2012-10-01T12:13:00Z

Premier League analysis via some eye-opening stats from Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

Aston Villa 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
Villa had 21 shots in this game, but only 3 were on target. Of their off-target shots, 4 were headed efforts, a round-high figure. West Brom made a round-high 8 blocks.

Manchester United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur
Wayne Rooney assisted a goal for only the third time in his last 31 Premier League appearances. Paul Scholes made 148 passes and completed 135 in this game – more than any other player in a Premier League game this season. Nani attempted a round-high 13 crosses (plus 2 corners)... but none of them found a team-mate.

Everton 3-1 Southampton
Nikica Jelavic managed 11 touches in the Southampton box in this game, a weekend joint-high with Stoke’s Peter Crouch. Marouane Fellaini had a round-high 7 shots, including 3 blocked.

Fulham 1-2 Manchester City
Fulham mustered a round-low 3 shots from open play. City attempted a round-high 8 shots from outside this box.

Norwich City 2-5 Liverpool
Steven Gerrard created a round-high 5 goalscoring chances in this game, but none created a goal. Liverpool’s 5 goals came from just 6 shots on target.

Reading 2-2 Newcastle United
Newcastle’s Michael Williamson made 24 clearances (14 headed), more than any other player in a Premier League match this season. Reading attempted 38 long balls in this game, a round-high figure.

Stoke City 2-0 Swansea City
Peter Crouch managed 11 touches in the Swansea box, a weekend joint-high with Everton’s Nikica Jelavic. Stoke only found a team mate with 57% of their throw-ins, the worst rate of any side this weekend.

Sunderland 1-0 Wigan Athletic
Steven Fletcher has scored with all 5 of his shots on target in the Premier League this season. Wigan won 22 fouls in this game: no team has won more in a game this season.

Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea
Five of the 6 Premier League goals that Arsenal have scored this season have arrived in the 31-45 minute period of the game. Kieran Gibbs contested (9) and won (8) a league-high number of tackles this weekend.

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Patience paying off as Jenkinson comes good for Arsenal

2012-09-28T10:54:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to asses Arsenal's rapidly improving fullback

For anyone yet to watch Arsenal so far this season, it will come as a surprise to learn that Carl Jenkinson has been linked with a full England call-up this week.

With an English father and a Finnish mother, Jenkinson has options at international level. After a single game for England’s U17 team, he’s since played for the Finnish U19 and U21 sides, and Roy Hodgson’s supposed interest is probably because he wants to tie Jenkinson to the country of his birth. One competitive minute for England, and he’s committed to the Three Lions for life. Like Jamaica-born Raheem Sterling, he might be fast-tracked into the full side – although the last player England did this with was Andy Johnson, eligible for Poland, who had an underwhelming international career.

Jenkinson was thrown in at the deep end last season. He was signed for around £1m as a back-up for Bacary Sagna, and less than a year after playing on loan at Eastbourne Borough and Welling United, suddenly found himself in Arsenal’s first team due to Sagna’s injury, and Emmanuel Eboue’s departure.

Understandably, after such a quick jump up the football pyramid, Jenkinson’s game was very raw. On the ball he was decent, and when it came to physical challenges he coped. It was his positioning that was the problem – he didn’t overlap frequently enough when Arsenal had the ball, and he didn’t tuck in enough when the opposition were attacking. His red card at Old Trafford in Arsenal’s embarrassing 8-2 defeat summed up his performance that day – by no real fault of his own, he was completely out of his depth.

But Jenkinson just needed a season to adjust to Premier League life. The difference in the qualities required of full-back at non-league level and Premier League level is absolutely huge, especially when that Premier League side is one as technical as Arsenal.

Interestingly, Jenkinson has played a very different role to his fellow full-back Kieran Gibbs so far this season. Whereas Gibbs is a dynamic attacking left-back who overlaps whenever possible, Jenkinson has been more patient and conservative with his forward runs. This was particularly evident against Southampton, when Jenkinson entrusted the wide play to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ahead of him, while Gibbs motored forward and allowed Lukas Podolski inside.

Gibbs got into the final third consistently, to great effect – two of his crosses were turned into the net by Southampton players – but he actually attempted half as many passes as Jenkinson throughout the game, with the right-back playing a steady role, keeping Arsenal’s passing moves going.

The reason, of course, is that Jenkinson is simply stationed in more available positions, generally just inside the opposition half, and perfect for Mikel Arteta to roll square passes out to him. Gibbs is demanding the ball on the edge of the final third, making it more difficult to locate him.

That game might be something of an anomaly this season – few clubs will, or should, arrive at the Emirates in such an open manner as Southampton, whose wide midfielders did little defensive work. It was a completely different situation last weekend against Manchester City, where the Arsenal full-backs’ defensive game was given a far sterner test.

Gibbs got through more defensive work than Jenkinson, making more interceptions near the halfway line, but also intervening more frequently in the penalty box. The two players have made exactly the same number of tackles this season – 16 – but Gibbs has made 18 interceptions compared to Jenkinson’s four, the major difference between the two. While Jenkinson sits back, Gibbs shares his predecessor Gael Clichy’s knack of nipping in front of opponents to win the ball cleanly.

The duo will get another chance to impress Hodgson in Saturday’s early kick-off at home to Chelsea. In truth, both would benefit from a season concentrating on club football – Gibbs needs an injury-free campaign, Jenkinson will want to consolidate his place. With Ashley Cole, Leighton Baines, Ryan Bertrand, Glen Johnson, Kyle Walker and Micah Richards all contenders at international level, England aren’t short of full-back options – but the Arsenal duo should be competing for a place in years to come.

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Prem Notes: Ruthless Man U pip toothless Liverpool; Arsenal outplay Man City; Spurs and Chelsea diligent

2012-09-24T11:40:00Z

Premier League analysis via some eye-opening stats from Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

Liverpool 1-2 Manchester United
Liverpool misplaced just one (of 91) passes in the defensive third this weekend, the best record of any side. United scored with two of their three shots on target in this game.

Newcastle 1-0 Norwich
Jon Howson's late booking was Norwich’s first card of the season, in the 448th minute of the campaign. Newcastle had the worst tackle success rate of any side this weekend (65%). Norwich made more unsuccessful final-third passes (63) than any other side this weekend.

Man City 1-1 Arsenal
Man City have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their opening five Premier League games for the first time since 2000-01. Mikel Arteta made 106 passes in this game; the highest City player was Yaya Toure with 63. Arsenal’s pass completion was 88%, compared to City’s 79%. This was only the fifth time since the start of last season that City's pass completion has been below 80%; two of those five were at home to Arsenal. Per Mertesacker made seven interceptions in this game, the joint-most of any player in any Premier League game this season.

Tottenham 2-1 QPR
Tottenham had the best shooting accuracy this weekend (8 of their 13 unblocked shots were on target: 62%). Spurs had four ‘fast break attempts’ this weekend, a round-high figure. The home side made more clearances (56) and headed clearances (32) than any other side this weekend.

Swansea 0-3 Everton
Everton have hit the woodwork a Premier-high six times this season. There were 34 unblocked shots in this game (12 for Swansea, 22 for Everton) – another Premier season high. Victor Anichebe had more total shots (9) and more shots on target (5) than any other player this weekend. Swansea had less possession than an opponent in a Premier League home game for only the second time, following the January 2012 game against Chelsea.

Chelsea 1-0 Stoke
Chelsea had a round-high six shots from outside the area blocked. Of Chelsea's passes, 48% were in the final third – another round high. Stoke attempted a league-high 18 flick-ons.

Southampton 4-1 Aston Villa
Villa had the lowest passing accuracy this weekend (67%), but Southampton made the weekend's most unsuccessful passes (118). Saints only conceded 6 fouls in the game, the fewest of any side, and their most disciplined display of the season.

West Brom 1-0 Reading
Chris Brunt made the weekend's highest number of unsuccessful passes (29 inc. crosses & corners). The Baggies blocked nine crosses in this match, a weekend high. Reading managed just one shot on target in this match, and had the weekend's lowest shooting accuracy (14%).

West Ham 1-1 Sunderland
Steven Fletcher scored four goals from his first four shots (excl. blocked) for Sunderland in the Premier League. Sunderland are the only side yet to score a goal in the second half this season in the Premier League. West Ham have committed the most fouls in the Premier League this season (75). Mark Noble made more touches (123) than any other player this weekend (only three players have managed more in a single game this season); he also attempted a joint-high eight tackles.

Wigan 1-2 Fulham
Fulham have had 41 shots on target this season – more than any other Premier League side. Wigan had more touches in the opposition half than any other side this weekend, 419. The Latics made a league-low 15 clearances.

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Lennon must chalk up the goals, not just get chalk on his boots, if he's to please AVB

2012-09-21T10:24:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to asses how Spurs' lightning winger may need to adapt under AVB...

Aaron Lennon was a surprise choice to captain Tottenham in the 0-0 draw with Lazio on Thursday night. The winger may be Tottenham’s second longest-serving player behind centreback Michael Dawson, and may have played in the majority of Tottenham’s league games in each of the past seven seasons – but his leadership skills have never been viewed as a particular strength.

Lennon’s future at Tottenham was uncertain when Andre Villas-Boas was confirmed as Harry Redknapp’s successor. Villas-Boas likes to mix a winger with a wide forward, and after Hulk at Porto and Daniel Sturridge at Chelsea excelled under his coaching, both were linked with a move to Spurs in the summer.

But Lennon has started each of Villas-Boas’ five games in charge so far. He’s been forced to vary his game from last season under Harry Redknapp – Villas-Boas' preference for a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 is very different to Redknapp’s 4-4-2, and means Lennon has to operate much higher up the pitch.

The major difference is that he receives the ball in different areas. Under Redknapp, we were accustomed to Lennon getting the ball to feet, then picking up speed and dribbling past the opposition left-back before attempting to cross.

Villas-Boas wants something different – he prefers wide players to receive penetrative passes through the defence. Tottenham’s opening goal against Reading last weekend, scored by Jermain Defoe, was a perfect example – Gylfi Sigurdsson played a pass between centre-back and full-back, and Lennon made a diagonal run inside from the touchline to meet the ball.

This pass is also more likely to happen this season because of Spurs’ midfield options. Luka Modric was a patient passer and spread the ball calmly from flank to flank, whereas the likes of Sigurdsson and Mousa Dembele are more direct. Compare the passes received by Lennon last weekend against Reading, and in his final away game under Redknapp last season, and there’s a big difference.

There’s two key changes – firstly, the balls no longer originate from the centre of midfield, the zone Modric used to patrol. Secondly, Lennon has often picked up the ball inside the penalty area this season, whereas under Redknapp he would generally only receive passes in wide positions.

Lennon has also become more reliable in possession, particularly in Spurs’ two home games so far. Maybe this can be attributed to Villas-Boas’ focus upon passing football, but Lennon’s pass completion rate has increased steadily in recent years anyway: In 2009/10 and 2010/11 it was 84%, last season it was up to 86%, so far this season it’s been 88.5%.

Crosses aren’t taken into account when calculating pass completion rate, but more reliable distribution tallies with Lennon crossing the ball less frequently – against Reading, for example, he only attempted two crosses all match. This is probably less about Villas-Boas’ strategy, and more about the identity of Spurs’ centre-forward, given Defoe has started over the more aerially-adept Emmanuel Adebayor so far this season. In fact, the more frequent target for crosses has been Gareth Bale – certainly in the opening day defeat at Newcastle, where Bale headed against the bar from a Lennon cross.

That’s one of Bale’s qualities – he gets into the box and provides a goal threat, which is vital in this system. Lennon has a dreadful scoring record, however – only nine league goals in his past three seasons. At the Madejski Stadium last week he got into the box when the ball was on the opposite flank, but he simply doesn’t shoot often enough – failing to record a single shot in the last two league matches.

Despite wearing the captain’s armband on Thursday, Lennon’s place will continue to be under threat if he doesn’t start contributing goals. Clint Dempsey played just behind Defoe against Lazio, but if Villas-Boas wants to play three central midfielders, the American could revert to the right. If Lennon wants to remain an ever-present, a goal against QPR this weekend would be very useful.

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Prem notes: Champs short, Fulham wide, Villa direct, Liverpool leaky, Hammers attacked, QPR diligent

2012-09-17T11:13:00Z

Premier League analysis via some must-tell-yer-mates stats from Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

Norwich City 0-0 West Ham United
Norwich kept only their second clean sheet in their last 18 Premier League games. Including blocked shots, Norwich had more efforts on goal (25) than any other side this weekend. Only Chelsea (27 v Reading) have had more in one game this season.

Arsenal 6-1 Southampton
Southampton have faced 81 shots in their four PL games so far this season: more than any other side. Santi Cazorla – who completed 38 of 45 attacking-third passes against Southampton, almost twice as many as any other participant – has created 18 goalscoring chances for his teammates this season: more than any other Premier League player.

Aston Villa 2-0 Swansea City
Villa attempted just 73 passes in their own half yesterday, by far the fewest of any side this weekend (and the second fewest this PL season). Swansea were forced into making 60 clearances in this match; only once before have they had to make more in a PL game... at Villa Park last season.

Fulham 3-0 West Bromwich Albion
West Brom have kept just two clean sheets in their last 40 Premier League away matches. Besides their five corners, Fulham made 31 crosses from open play this weekend, more than any other team – and only Manchester United (33 v Fulham) have managed more in a game so far in 2012/13.

Manchester United 4-0 Wigan Athletic
Since the start of last season, no side has won more penalties in the Premier League than Manchester United (13), while Wigan have conceded more than any other side (11). Wigan were the only side not to have a shot from outside the area this weekend, although they still had the worst shooting accuracy: only 20%.

Queens Park Rangers 0-0 Chelsea
QPR had the best tackle success rate of any side this weekend: 91%. Only three times since their return to the PL have they achieved a better rate, their best rate came at Stamford Bridge last season (95%). Chelsea had more unsuccessful dribbles (19) than any other side this season.

Stoke City 1-1 Manchester City
Stoke managed two attempts from open play – the lowest in this weekend's PL. Only 7% of Manchester City’s passes in this game were long (30 yards or more) – the lowest ratio in the PL this weekend.

Sunderland 1-1 Liverpool
Liverpool have kept only two clean sheets in their last 18 Premier League games. Sunderland were the only side to touch the ball fewer than 500 times this weekend (499).

Reading 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur
Gareth Bale scored only his second right-footed goal in the Premier League, the other came in April 2010 vs Chelsea. Tottenham have had the joint-most shots in the PL this season (75, level with Liverpool).

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Premier Analysis: Spurs snuff Reading, Villa's successful switch, hope for Southampton, the new Berbatov

2012-09-17T09:16:00Z

Nick Govier uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to assess the latest Premier League action

Reading's gameplan is clear from their passing chalkboard: attack the opposition full-backs and pepper the box with crosses. However, this played into Tottenham's hands as Jan Vertonghen and William Gallas combined to make 22 clearances, and only three Reading crosses of the 35 attempted found a player in blue and white.

Tottenham finally found their shooting boots, with Andre Villas-Boas not attempting to protect a 1-0 lead as he has tried to do previously this season with disastrous consequences. Jermain Defoe scored with every shot on target, while Moussa Dembele continued to run the Spurs midfield, leading the passing and tackling stats. He completed 91% of his 67 attempted passes, and made four tackles.

The 6-1 scoreline in Arsenal's win over Southampton suggests a one-sided affair at the Emirates – and a glance at the shooting statistics supports that conclusion: Arsenal's 23 shots scored four goals and forced another two in own goals.

However, Southampton actually attempted more passes than Arsenal (573 to 567), completing 86% and taking 11 shots themselves. That might feel like a hollow victory for a team that remains pointless, but there are still signs that Southampton can climb the table if they can push on after a tough set of opening fixtures.

Paul Lambert secured Aston Villa's win of the season over high-flying Swansea, but not without having to make a tactical change to his Aston Villa side at half-time. Barry Bannan had been largely ineffective in a central role in the first half, completing only seven passes, and Aston Villa had no presence on the left of midfield. Lambert switched Bannan to the left wing for the second half, where he created four goalscoring chances and made 15 passes in the final third in a much more effective performance.

It may have been secured against 10 men after Peter Odemwingie's 38th-minute red card, but Fulham's 3-0 win over West Bromwich Albion was also notable for Dimitar Berbatov's work rate. His seven shots (a match high) led to two goals, but he was active in holding the ball up all over the pitch, and even tracked back to make two tackles in his own half. He deserves credit for putting in the effort that he has not always been known for.

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Lallana breaks the mould - but can he crack the Premier League?

2012-09-14T11:13:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to run the rule over Southampton's versatile midfielder...

For years, Southampton fans have talked about the prospect of Adam Lallana representing England, but even they must have been surprised the midfielder received a call-up from Roy Hodgson quite so soon after arriving in the Premier League.

After Southampton lost their opening three games of the season, it seemed Lallana would have to wait for his chance – but Hodgson was suitably impressed to include Lallana on the bench for the 1-1 draw against Ukraine on Tuesday night.

Southampton have a habit of producing good young wingers – Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Nathan Dyer are the most obvious examples – and Lallana is another wide midfielder that came through the youth ranks. He is a very different type of player, however.

Whereas the aforementioned quartet are all extremely quick, a lack of pace is Lallana’s main weakness. He compensates for that with a fantastic appreciation of space and an eye for a clever pass, and in terms of a footballing brain, Lallana is arguably the best talent of those five.

So far this season, Lallana has played two different roles for Nigel Adkins’ side. Although a position on the left of a midfield four seems most natural, Southampton splashed the cash on Jay Rodriguez, an option as a more direct winger, so Lallana started the opening game at Manchester City in the centre of midfield. The positions of his passes were interesting, though – naturally, Lallana drifted towards the left touchline.

For the next game, at home to Wigan, Lallana was deployed out on the left, with Rodriguez only on the bench. But, fascinatingly, the positions of his passes actually became more central – he frequently received the ball in the middle of the pitch, and most of his passes are played inside into the midfield zone.

When deployed on the left he spends more time in the centre, when deployed in the centre he spends more time on the left. It sums up Lallana’s game well – he’s about drifting into pockets of space away from his marker.

He did play ten crosses against Wigan, however, and this is an area he must improve upon – none of these were successful.

Against Manchester United, where he again played from the left, he received balls in two distinct zones – either in a standard left-midfield position, or near the edge of the penalty box in a classic playmaking zone. Again, it shows that his game is about movement and variation of positioning.

It was also interesting that Lallana’s defensive work all came in the centre of the pitch – in fact, his five interceptions/tackles all occured in exactly the same position.

Southampton conceded three goals following wide deliveries in that match, and one of their obvious weaknesses so far this season is the poor defensive contribution from their wide players. They’re slow to get back and protect their full-backs, either because they’re too high up the pitch, or have drifted into central positions – Arsenal may look to exploit that this weekend.

It will be fascinating to see if Lallana can make it as a Premier League player. His lack of pace is a hindrance – he’s noticeably afraid to move the ball out in front of him, always trying to keep the ball close to his body, which often means he takes too many touches and slows the play down.

His appreciation of space and his passing ability is exceptional however, and as Southampton’s captain for this season, needs to have a consistent impact upon matches. He’s an untypical English player, and if he performs well over the course of the season, he could provide Roy Hodgson with a valuable option on the left of midfield.

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A new dilemma for an England manager - who will play at left back?

2012-09-07T10:18:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to identify who should replace the Chelsea man as England's No.3...

Something significant will happen in England’s left-back zone this week.

There are two possibilities: either Ashley Cole will recover from his ankle injury to play against both Moldova and Ukraine, making him only the sixth English player in history to win 100 caps. Alternatively, Cole will miss one or other fixture, and we will learn who Roy Hodgson considers his natural back-up.

Considering the former Arsenal player has been an automatic starter for over a decade, the identity of his deputy – and probable successor – is both intriguing and important.

Hodgson has named two other left-backs in his squad, meaning it should be a straight choice between Cole’s Chelsea clubmate Ryan Bertrand and Leighton Baines, who earned a place in last season’s PFA Team of the Year thanks to his performances for Everton.

The pair represent two vastly different options. Bertrand is more similar stylistically to Cole, is used to replacing him at club level, and would continue the Chelsea connection with John Terry and Gary Cahill at the back. Baines is a different type of player – more focused upon good distribution with his trusted left foot, he’s created more chances than any other Premier League player so far this season.

Bertrand has actually played on the left of midfield for Chelsea so far this season – and it’s not impossible that Hodgson, a coach highly focused upon discipline from his wide midfielders, could use him there. The last game he played for Chelsea as a left-back was last season at home to Blackburn, with his passes received and played illustrated below.

Bertrand generally takes up a position in the opposition half, stretching the play and providing width, allowing Chelsea’s left-sided midfielder to move into more central positions. He’s used to receiving short passes in a side which plays possession football – it’s a slightly different situation with England, where Hodgson doesn’t care about possession statistics, and prefers his side to attack directly.

Taking Baines’ performance in the equivalent fixture as a comparison, there’s a big difference. Playing in a less attacking side, Baines picks up the ball closer to the halfway line. He offers an overlapping threat, but it’s much more sporadic.

The major difference is in terms of distribution. Bertrand’s job at Chelsea is to keep the ball moving quickly – he rarely plays long passes or crosses, and therefore ends up with an impressive pass completion rate.

Baines is much more direct. Playing in a side featuring Marouane Fellaini and Nikica Jelavic, one of the main features of Baines’ game is his ability to hit long, accurate balls towards a striker to flick on, or bring down to encourage midfield runners forward. There are many more wayward passes, and more balls hit into central positions.

So, if Cole is unfit, who does Hodgson choose? Ultimately, it might depend on England’s attacking players. Hodgson prefers to play with a big man up front and get the ball to him quickly, but Andy Carroll’s absence will significantly change England’s approach play.

If Carroll was in the side, Baines’ long, drifted forward passes would be perfect. Instead, Danny Welbeck or Jermain Defoe will play upfront, meaning Bertrand’s neater passes would be likely to enable England’s play to flow forward more smoothly.

In the long-term, there will probably be another contender: Arsenal’s Kieran Gibbs, not selected for this squad. Gibbs is similar to Bertrand, but generally receives the ball in deeper positions, and rarely attempts crosses – he passes, rather than centres the ball, when he reaches the final third.

Yet ultimately the debate may prove irrelevant – both this week, and over the next couple of years. Cole has never been England’s most popular player, but if he continues to play to the same level for the national side over the next two or three years, he could well become England’s most capped footballer of all time.

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Why Stoke's signings won't change their ways, only make them more effective

2012-09-06T10:58:00Z

Tony Pulis's summer spending doesn't signal a sea-change, says Alex Keble...

Stoke City's major summer signings, Michael Kightly and Charlie Adam, have led many pundits to assume Tony Pulis is looking to tinker with his infamous style.

The tricky pace of Kightly and the non-physical creativity of Adam have bemused certain sections of the media, who justify these signings by presuming Pulis is looking to lessen their dependence on long balls and set-piece goals. In reality, these signings will only serve to refine and reinforce their current tactical philosophy.

Stoke's tactic is very simple, and well known to all. It relies almost exclusively on strength, aerial challenges, long balls, and set pieces. If statistical evidence be needed, then here it is: Stoke held possession for 39.9% of the time last season; they won 15.3 aerial duels per game; scored a mere 14 goals from open play; and scored a total of 20 goals from set-pieces.

One important element of this system is fast, direct wingers. Once the ball has been won in the final third by Peter Crouch (or Kenwyne Jones, or Jonathan Walters), Pulis expects the ball to be quickly shifted out wide. The wingers, using their pace and dribbling, are expected to either beat the defenders and get a cross into the box, or force a challenge that earns them a throw-in.

Last season, Jermaine Pennant was vital to the system. He made 2.6 crosses per match, but more significantly, was fouled 1.7 times per match and dispossessed 1.8 times. It is safe to assume that a decent proportion of these 'dispossessions' would result in a throw-in or corner, given his positioning on the right-hand touchline.

Stoke feed Pennant wide on the right

Pennant attempted many crosses into the box and several take-ons in this 2-1 victory over Wolves. Notice how Pennant seems to receive the ball frequently from players in and around the same area of the pitch, indicating that he is given the ball directly after an aerial duel is won in the opposition half.

It's early days for Kightly, and therefore statistics must be taken with a pinch of salt. Either way, it is interesting to see that his stats, playing on the right-hand side and largely in place of Pennant rather than alongside him, are fairly similar. In his three games, he's made 1 cross per match, been fouled 1.7 times per game, and dispossessed 1.8 times. Pennant has featured only once, leaving Kightly to fill a very similar role.

It cannot be said that Stoke have changed their style; they haven't even adapted it, but instead replaced one tricky winger for another. Even if these two are to be fielded together in this team, it would not be a departure from the style that has characterised them over the past four seasons: Matthew Etherington has been at the club for their entire Premier League tenure, and Pennant is entering his third year at the club.

Also joining Stoke is Charlie Adam, who took a lot of people by surprise when he signed from Liverpool on transfer deadline day. A deep-lying playmaker, he doesn't necessarily appear in the mould of a Stoke signing, which one would characterise as strong, robust and physically dominant.

In truth, Stoke's central midfielders are not really as uniformly defensive as people may assume. Their most common central midfield partnership last season was Dean Whitehead and Glenn Whelan, neither of whom can hardly be considered robust defensive midfielders. Whelan averaged 1.9 tackles per game and 1.5 interceptions per game, whilst Whitehead made 1.7 tackles and 1.4 interceptions.

These are not very high numbers and, surprisingly, are lower than Adam's own defensive statistics: 2.2 tackles per game and 1.6 interceptions last season in a Liverpool shirt.

Whelan and Adam's defensive work from their last league clean sheets

The absence of significant defensive work in Stoke's central midfield can be explained by Pulis's philosophy, which invariably involves sitting very deep and soaking up pressure rather than attempting to win the midfield battle. With two lines of four sitting narrow and deep, and with the deeper line consisting of tall, strong players, Stoke look to win the ball in and around their own box.

Stoke's defensive work is very deep in their own half

Consequently, their defending is focused largely on positional play, zonally commanding an area, and waiting for the opposition to put the ball in the box (at which point they will be bullied off the ball). There are numerous players from other teams – largely defensive midfielders and centre backs – that provide 3 or 4 tackles per game and 3 interceptions. At Stoke last season, no player averaged more than 2 tackles or interceptions per match – although Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth averaged an astonishing 22.3 clearances per game. Stoke certainly aren't afraid to sit back.

For their 0-0 draw with Arsenal, Stoke could praise their centre backs for the clean sheet, as their main defensive midfielder (Whelan) was not expected to contribute in the same way as his Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta. There's absolutely no reason why Adam cannot perform the fairly simple defensive duties required of a Stoke City midfielder.

Another 'cause for concern' has been where a ball-playing playmaker can fit into such a physical, long ball system. Granted, Adam is a playmaker, but he has always been one that sits deep and looks to play the Hollywood pass. He didn't have the best of years at Liverpool, but during his excellent season at Blackpool in 2010/11, Adam played 7.5 successful long balls per match. Paul Scholes was the only outfield player that could boast a higher number than this.

Adam is already prone to playing more long passes than short ones, and once again, it's worth taking a look at his admirable defensive work in these games. Who can say these screen grabs couldn't have been taken from a Stoke City match?

Tony Pulis isn't looking to change his system, but merely exploit it even more, making his team even more effective in their already existing philosophy. Rather than rely on centre-backs to hit the long pass up to Crouch, now Stoke have an accurate long-ball specialist to hit the target every time.

Evidence of this is already emerging: the number of aerial duels won by Crouch has increased from 4.5 per match to 11.3; the most long balls made by an outfield player per match has increased from 4.9 to 6.3.

The signing of Michael Owen is certainly a new angle, but he may only be used as an occasional measure, a substitute to bring on for 20 minutes when in desperate need of a goal. He will be expected to run off the back of Crouch when the long balls are pumped forward, or to run on to long through balls from the likes of Adam, when Stoke need goals and will aim to be even more direct.

Pulis's signings should not surprise anyone. A few years ago, when their system first graced the league, they didn't may not have made signings like Kightly and Adam. As their status increases, they are beginning to sign players that can implement their long-ball strategy more ruthlessly than ever managed before.

Crowdsource: your weekend Stats Zone screenshares

2012-09-04T11:45:00Z

One of the great things about Stats Zone is that you can share your screens via Twitter, Facebook, email and so on. Another of the great things about Stats Zone is that if we see your screen and like it, we'll give you the credit on a blog like this…

Watching Liverpool host Arsenal, ‏@wrjones72 shared the Player Influence screen, which shows players' average positions (the bigger their name, the more their involvement in the game). Note the concentration of touches around the centre circle, where Arsenal's tight midfield triangle was up against Joe Allen and Steven Gerrard – while Liverpool were keen to spread the ball wide to overlapping full-backs Jose Enrique and Glen Johnson.

Southampton vs Manchester United was an excellent game, with @jamiedurent (and many others) admiring Michael Carrick's "passing clinic". As @DanCross88 noted, Carrick (115/126) completed more than twice as many passes as anyone else (Morgan Schneiderlin was second with 57/64) and trended on Twitter – but as Nick Govier noted on FourFourTwo.com yesterday, substitute Paul Scholes created three chances in his half-hour to Carrick's two in 90 minutes.

Saturday's games also prompted heated debate. With Andy Carroll imperious for new club West Ham against Fulham, there was much discussion of the "long-ball game". ‏@luke_stockdale noted that "12% of West Ham's passes were long balls – not that many". Indeed, 54 of West Ham's 453 attempted passes were "long" – defined by Opta as 30 yards or more – and just 19 of the 379 completed passes (5%) were long.

Carroll obviously gives West Ham the early-ball option, but contrary to much popular belief long passes are almost inevitably less successful as a percentage rate, especially if the target man isn't supported. However, @Zonal_Marking noted that Fulham's headed clearances – unlike their hosts' – were all being picked up by their opponents, with typical Allardyce attention to winning the second ball.

Another big man impressing was Joleon Lescott. After a month in which Manchester City have chased (and signed) new defenders, against QPR the England man set about "proving he deserves a starting place this season", as ‏@willowsj put it. Lescott completed 70/71 passes, adding a tackle, interception and block. He also made 13 clearances and attempted 9 aerial duels, winning 5. Mancini – and Hodgson – take note.

Finally, evidence that for all the changes brought about by Andre 'AVB' Villas-Boas, some Spurs bugbears remain the same. Last season many Tottenham fans thought Harry Redknapp was too willing to let Gareth Bale play where he wants – and as ‏@CharlieTHFC_ tersely noted of his team against Norwich, "Bale and Lennon far too narrow. Effective out wide." What's Portuguese for "plus ça change, plus ça même chose"?

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Prem notes: Profligate Spurs & Liverpool, efficient Hammers & Mackems, under-fire Man United

2012-09-03T13:58:00Z

The Premier League weekend analysed via some stats provided by Opta, our partners on the Stats Zone app (now completely FREE)

West Ham United 3-0 Fulham
Fulham have had the most shots on target in the PL this season (24) but Jussi Jaaskelainen made 9 saves in this match without conceding a goal – something that only happened twice last season. At the other end, West Ham scored 3 from 6 attempts on target.
West Ham scored from a corner, as they did last season 14 times – more than any other Championship side. Andy Carroll received mainly long balls down the middle: nobody found him more often than Jaaskelainen (6).

Swansea City 2-2 Sunderland
Michu is only the fifth player since 1992 to score at least 4 goals in his opening 3 Premier League games (Pavel Pogrebnyak, Collins John, Adrian Mutu and Patrik Berger), and only the fourth to score in each of his first 3 appearances in the competition (Pogrebnyak, Mutu, Michael Ricketts). Swansea completed 577 of 621 passes, more than twice Sunderland’s 282 from 352. Swansea's passing accuracy in this match (92.9%) is the second-highest recorded by Opta (data since 2003/04), after Man United vs Fulham earlier this season (93%).

Sunderland only had 4 shots in this match, the second time they have had this few this season (also 4 vs Arsenal). Sunderland scored with both their shots on target, while their goalkeeper Simon Mignolet saved 5 of Swansea's 7 on-target attempts.

Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Norwich City
Spurs have attempted 39 shots (excl. blocked) already this season, but have only scored three goals. Only Man United have had more (42). Only two players have made more successful dribbles than Moussa Dembelé since the start of last season, but he didn’t attempt a single one in this match.

West Bromwich Albion 2-0 Everton
West Brom have kept 7 clean sheets in their last 9 Premier League games at The Hawthorns; the exceptions were against Arsenal and Newcastle, who each scored three goals. Chris Brunt has assisted 10 goals from set-pieces in the Premier League since the start of 2010-11, more than any other player.

Wigan Athletic 2-2 Stoke City
Nearly half (46.5%) of Stoke’s passes in this match went straight into the final third, more than any other side. In total, Wigan completed almost three times as many passes (453 out of 539 to Stoke's 163/230).

Manchester City 3-1 Queens Park Rangers
Yaya Toure has scored (4) or assisted (2) 6 goals in his last 5 Premier League appearances. Man City have scored 17 Premier League goals from corner-kick situations since the start of last season, more than any other side. 

Liverpool 0-2 Arsenal
Arsenal’s first goal of the season came after 211 minutes, the second-longest they have waited in the Premier League (224 minutes last season). Liverpool had 19 attempts to Arsenal's 11, but the home side's first shot on target didn’t arrive until the 58th minute.

Newcastle United 1-1 Aston Villa
Just 1 of Aston Villa’s last 8 Premier League goals has been scored by a striker (4 by defenders). Newcastle had 6 shots off target and 1 blocked in the first half, but none on target. Darren Bent has failed to score in six consecutive PL appearances – his longest drought since January 2009 at Spurs.

Southampton 2-3 Manchester United
Robin van Persie had 11 shots in this match – the most by a player in a PL game since he had 12 vs Wolves last December. Kelvin Davis has saved the last three penalties he has faced in the PL – against Man United, Man City and Aston Villa (in May 2006 with Sunderland).
Man United won a PL game they were losing with five minutes remaining for the first time since April 1993 (vs Sheffield Wednesday). Only Southampton (19) have faced more shots on target than United in the PL this season (17).

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Premier Analysis: One-Man United, Tight Arsenal, One-Course Toon and East beats West

2012-09-03T10:09:00Z

Nick Govier uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to assess the second round of the season's Premier League action

There's only one place to start this week, and that's with Robin van Persie. The Manchester United forward scored his first hat-trick for the club, digging his new team out of a substantial hole against Southampton, and even finding time to fluff an attempted Panenka penalty at 2-1 down. Without Van Persie's goal threat – he took 11 shots and got 5 on target – the United team looked toothless, only managing a further 2 on-target shots between them.

Sir Alex Ferguson joined Van Persie in praising Paul Scholes' influence in changing the game. Michael Carrick completed 115 of 126 attempted passes, but only created 2 goalscoring chances in the match, bettered by Scholes' 3 in his 30 minutes.

Southampton may have yet to register a point in what has been a tough opening set of fixtures, but they have certainly been no pushovers. They had 15 shots themselves to Manchester United's 20, and while Rickie Lambert may be the goal focus, he also created 5 chances for other members of his team, including an assist.

Robin van Persie's previous club Arsenal were also happy with their weekend, with two of their summer signings opening their accounts in a 2-0 win over Liverpool at Anfield. However, it's the defensive aspect of their play which impressed most, as they made 26 successful tackles and 20 interceptions in the match. No individual Arsenal player made more than 4 successful tackles, demonstrating the team approach to defending which means Arsenal are yet to concede a goal this season.

Newcastle United needed a screamer from Hatem Ben Arfa to rescue a point at home to Aston Villa, as they didn't seem capable of altering their gameplan when the Villa defence proved resolute at repelling Newcastle's Plan A. Focusing on width and crosses into the box, Newcastle regularly reached the byline, and both Cabaye and Ben Arfa attempted 9 crosses. However, only 12 of the team's 37 reached a black and white shirt, as both Demba Ba and Papiss Demba Cissé drew a rare blank.

Dimitar Berbatov was introduced after half-time in Fulham's trip to West Ham, and his 19 successful passes created 5 goalscoring chances, a high rate of return which bodes well for his new career in West London. It didn't help his team get back into the match though, as West Ham's 3-0 halftime lead remained unanswered, in no small part due to Mark Noble's performance in midfield, where he made 7 tackles and completed 79 out of his 81 attempted passes.

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Introducing the most surprising signing of the transfer window

2012-08-31T11:37:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to applaud the most eyebrow-raising signing of the summer...

Considering the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Arsenal were all looking at central midfielders this summer, it’s something of a surprise to see Esteban Granero turn up at Queens Park Rangers. The Spanish midfielder was surplus to requirements at Real Madrid following the signing of Luka Modric, who does something similar: reliable distribution from the centre of midfield.

But Granero wasn’t completely out of the picture under Jose Mourinho. He started seven times in Madrid’s La Liga success last season and made a further 10 appearances from the bench. Mourinho liked using him as a substitute in big games – he appeared in the crucial 2-1 win at the Nou Camp in April, plus both Copa del Rey semis against Barca, and then in the two Champions League semi-finals against Bayern Munich – giving Madrid an extra level of control in the centre of the pitch.

So what type of midfielder is Granero? Spain has such a defined footballing identity that it is easy to stereotype their players, but Granero’s game is probably more complex than his compatriot contemporaries. He’s not a pure deep-lying midfielder like Sergio Busquets; he doesn’t specialise in long-range passing like Xabi Alonso; he plays higher up the pitch than Xavi Hernandez, but isn’t the direct threat of Andres Iniesta. He is, of course, not at their level yet either.

Granero’s role is probably somewhere in between all of them – he’s best in conjunction with a holding midfielder behind him, and a true creative player ahead. Granero’s role is to keep things simple; sideways distribution is his main quality. He circulates the ball quickly and intelligently, although generally leaves the incisive balls to other players. Mikel Arteta might be a decent comparison.

Having played in the Champions League for the past couple of seasons, Granero is in evidence on StatsZone's 2011/12 and 2010/11 data, which demonstrates that his passing style remains the same regardless of which area of the pitch he’s in. For example, when Madrid travelled to Ajax having already qualified from their group last season, they played a passive game and sat quite deep. Granero was there in the engine room, winning possession ahead of the back four, then knocking the ball out wide.

The home match against APOEL at the quarter-final stage was completely different. Madrid were in complete control, and played the majority of the game in the opposition half – but Granero’s passing remains methodical rather than inventive. Despite playing 61 passes, the majority close to the penalty box, Granero didn’t create any chances. He instead focuses upon ball retention, although he did have a couple of attempts from long-range.

It’s also worth remembering that in his days at Getafe, Granero first emerged as a wide player in a midfield four – although he wasn’t exactly a mazy dribbler; his role was about drifting inside and keeping the ball.

QPR certainly require better distribution from the centre of the pitch. Mark Hughes’ midfield partnership so far this season has been Samba Diakite and Park Ji-Sung, a combination which seems disjointed without the ball, and not cultured enough with it. Park’s passing in the draw against Norwich last weekend showed how vertical and unreliable it was, while Diakite tended to play backwards passes.

Granero alongside Diakite would make more sense, with Park pushed out wide into the position occupied by Jamie Mackie so far this season. Hughes is a big fan of Mackie, who performed impressively in the second half of last season, but the expensive new signings are likely to be favoured. QPR have already signed Park, Ryan Nelsen, Andy Johnson, Rob Green, Junior Hoilett, Jose Bosingwa and Julio Cesar, but Granero is their most astute purchase of a busy transfer window.

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Lambert tries to drag anachronistic Villa into modernity

2012-08-30T13:48:00Z

Paul Lambert’s task as Aston Villa boss is to convert a club with an outdated British philosophy into one instilled with a modern style of passing and possession, writes Alex Keble, editor of tactics website thechalkboard.org.uk

Modern football is about mobility and versatility; independent skills, formerly divided between different positions on the pitch, have merged. Each player increasingly possesses ball control and passing as minimum requirements, as an ever-growing number of managers rely on a fluid, short-passing game.

Spain are the paradigm of this multi-skilled, dynamic approach, but every big club in football gets closer and closer to fielding 11 interchangeable all-rounders. As Jonathan Wilson notes in his history of football tactics Inverting the Pyramid, “fluidity is all. The future, it seems, is universality”.

Formations are evolving to correlate with this phenomenon: the most popular tactic has changed from 4-3-3, to 4-4-2, to the now globally favoured 4-5-1; Spain even won Euro 2012 while frequently employing a 4-6-0. The composure and vision of the midfield is becoming more and more important.

For decades, a gulf existed between British football (with its robust, physical, direct style of play) and, for example, Spanish or Italian football (with its more patient, composed, technically gifted players). The latter mould has finally begun to saturate the English game, seeing an increased investment in ball-playing footballers and young managers with new philosophies.

Until recently, Arsene Wenger's vision at Arsenal was unique in England. Today, Roberto Martinez, Michael Laudrup, Brendan Rodgers, Roberto Mancini and Andres Villas-Boas all insist on a philosophy of short-passing, possession football reliant on a high defensive line and tireless pressing. All the teams that finished in the Premier League's top half last season play along those lines: Everton, Newcastle, Chelsea, and Manchester United all play this way, albeit more flexibly.

These tactics were on display in numerous games last weekend

Sadly for Aston Villa, after a succession of older British managers, they are not one of these teams. New boss Paul Lambert is looking to drag Villa into the new era.

Players with one honed skill cannot cut it amongst Europe’s elite, as passing and vision become the minimum prerequisites. The big No.9 of the past has been replaced by a forward who can create, cross, hold up the ball, and score goals (Shearer–>Van Persie), the ball-winning midfielder has been replaced by one that also begins attacks with intelligent passes (Makelele–>Carrick), and the lazy trequartista has made way for a deeper, more hard-working playmaker (Riquelme–>Modric). The modern player is malleable, a component of equal value in a team game of constant passing, and intelligent football.

Modric and RvP take part all over the pitch

The current Villa squad, however, is a conglomeration of the visions of Martin O'Neill and Alex McLeish, resembling the teams of the 1990s. Much more often than not, O’Neill (and McLeish by default) played a 4-4-2 featuring two lumbering centre-backs and two strong full-backs; pacy wingers on either side of a ball-winner and a passer; and up front, a big man and a small man. You simply cannot be a successful club any more with this kind of rigidity and specialisation.

Typical Villa last season: note infrequency of central passes

Of the current squad, Gabriel Agbonlahor is the pacy striker, Darren Bent the goalscorer, Charles N'Zogbia the dribbler, Stephen Ireland the lazy creator, Stiliyan Petrov the tackler, Richard Dunne the big stopper. This fits well with the O’Neill style, favouring direct attacking football that utilises the wings and demands goals from set-pieces and counter-attacks.

A similar trend can be found in Kenny Dalglish’s football at Liverpool. It's no coincidence that traditional No.9 Andy Carroll and deep playmaker Charlie Adam were signed by an old-school manager and are unwanted by their new, dynamic manager Brendan Rodgers.

Lambert’s vision
From his first Villa signings and the style of football played in the opening game of the season, Lambert has already clearly illustrated how he aims to freshen up the club’s philosophy. Against West Ham, Karim El Ahmadi made more passes (77) than any other player, in a 4-2-3-1 system that saw Villa field a trio of central midfielders adept at passing. Fabian Delph and El Ahmadi passed the ball between each other a total of 38 times in the match, as Villa looked to build patiently from the back.

Both players passed patiently, often sideways and backwards

However, both at West Ham and subsequently at home to Everton, Villa clearly lacked a cutting edge, unable to convert their possession into goal attempts. It will be a tough task to make this side gel into a malleable unit with the fluidity to threaten opposition defences.

Villa have only created chances from long range

Villa’s biggest problem was their inability to utilise width, as their inverted wingers failed to stretch the play. The 4-2-3-1 system is not necessarily dependent on wing-play – Swansea play pacy dribblers, whereas Man City play inverted playmakers – but it seems that Villa will need to rely on this more, if the season is to end in Premier League survival.

Swansea’s wingers stick to the touchline, unlike Villa’s

The transition will be slow, and the one-dimensional, individual-role-based tactics instilled at the club will not be shaken off overnight. Using a target man, playing through the wings, tackling in midfield, hoofing from defence: these are all traits of a bygone era that O'Neill favoured, and McLeish (with little choice) relied upon.

Lambert's problem will not be fan unrest, or player discomfort. It will be shaking players out of their slumber, brushing off the negative influences of a succession of outdated managers, and making Villa into a modern football club. Early signs of progression are emerging, but the hard work has only just begun.

Alex Keble is editor of www.thechalkboard.org.uk, a website that provides in-depth tactical analysis of the weekend’s Premier League action. Follow @ak_chalkboard

Premier Notes: Hart's nightmare start, Spurs go downtown, effervescent Everton, Norwich noggin

2012-08-28T11:25:00Z

More must-tell-someone stats from FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE

Swansea City 3-0 West Ham United
Swansea City have scored 8 goals from just 11 shots on target so far this season. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Michu has scored 17 of his 18 goals (in La Liga and Premier League) from inside the box.

Aston Villa 1-3 Everton
Villa had fewer touches in the opposition box than any other side this weekend (11), Everton had the most (31). Leighton Baines created the most chances this weekend (8). Nikica Jelavic has scored 8 goals in his last 8 Premier League appearances.

Manchester United 3-2 Fulham
United had the best pass completion this weekend (93%), and Tom Cleverley made the most successful passes in the attacking third this weekend (30). Robin van Persie scored a goal with his first shot in a Manchester United shirt. Shinji Kagawa scored 13 goals in the Bundesliga last season, and all 13 came from inside the area (as did his goal vs Fulham).

Norwich City 1-1 Queens Park Rangers
Since returning to the Premier League last August, 30% of Norwich’s goals have come from headers. Over the same period, Norwich have scored a higher proportion of their goals from crosses (47%) than any other side in the Premier League. QPR's Bobby Zamora scored his first Premier League away goal since August 2010, after a run of 10 successive goals at home. Rangers topped the weekend's offside charts with 5… 4 of which were Djibril Cisse.

Southampton 0-2 Wigan Athletic
The Latics have only failed to score in 1 of their last 15 Premier League away games. Arouna Koné has scored in 7 of his last 10 league appearances in La Liga and Premier League combined (for Levante & Wigan). Saints were the only team to hit the woodwork more than once this weekend (twice).

Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 West Bromwich Albion
Spurs had six shots on target from outside the box this weekend, after averaging only 2.5 last season. Gareth Bale had the most shots (excluding blocked) in the PL this weekend (5). Six of James Morrison’s last seven Premier League goals have been scored away from home. WBA conceded the lowest number of fouls this weekend (6).

Chelsea 2-0 Newcastle United
In his last 17 league appearances for Lille and Chelsea combined, Eden Hazard has been involved in 25 goals, scoring 12 and assisting 13. Hazard is the first player in the period 2003 to date to have 4 assists within the first 3 games of the season. Hazard has scored all 10 of his penalties in league football. Fernando Torres has scored 2 goals from 6 shots this season, compared to 6 from 48 in the last Premier League season.

Stoke City 0-0 Arsenal
No team contested more tackles than Stoke and Arsenal this weekend (28 each). There wasn’t a single shot on target in the second half. Stoke had the highest proportion of long passes this weekend (18%). Santi Cazorla had more touches in the opposition half than any other player this weekend (78).

Liverpool 2-2 Manchester City
Liverpool fielded their youngest starting Premier League XI since December 2003 vs Newcastle (24y 364d). Luis Suárez scored with a direct free kick for the first time in the Premier League. Joe Hart has conceded four PL goals this season, but has made just one save.

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Premier Analysis: City's experiment, Torres takes effect & why Spurs want Dembele

2012-08-28T09:56:00Z

Nick Govier uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to assess the second round of the season's Premier League action

Roberto Mancini's Manchester City continued to experiment with three at the back - a tactic designed to match up against a front three and release the player who would otherwise be a spare centre back into a more effective position further up the pitch. It also allows the full backs to effectively play as wingers, but relies on the midfield being able to track runners from deep as all of the centre backs are typically occupied. In Sunday's game at Liverpool, Pablo Zabaleta and Kolo Toure were called on to play the left and right centre back positions, effectively matching up against Fabio Borini and Raheem Sterling.

Despite conceding two goals, the tactic can perhaps still be considered a success as none of the Liverpool midfield or wide attackers managed a shot on target. Steven Gerrard and Jonjo Shelvey in particular would have expected to find space when bursting forward, but Nigel De Jong and Yaya Toure tracked them well, limiting them to wayward attempts from distance.

In the centre, there was no appreciable increase in Suarez's contribution to this game in comparison to the same fixture last season, in which City played with a back four - he attempted more take-ons around the box, but had fewer shots on target. Suarez did get his goal, but as with Liverpool's opener through Martin Skrtel, it came from a set piece and did not reflect the change in system.

With Didier Drogba gone, Chelsea will have to move away from the target man approach which has worked so well over the past eight years, and edge towards a more intricate attacking game. At least, that's the theory. But it seems old habits die hard, as Chelsea looked long towards Fernando Torres regularly during Saturday evening's victory over Newcastle - and to the Spaniards' credit he was effective in the air, winning seven out of ten aerial duels. He was also effective at finishing; his single shot in the match was expertly driven into the top corner from the edge of the box.

Despite going a goal down early on, things soon looked more comfortable for Manchester United as they went in at half time 3-1 up having seen both Robin van Persie and Shinji Kagawa open their accounts after signing for the Old Trafford side this summer. However, anybody who thought it was a case of 'game over' was underestimating Fulham star Moussa Dembele, whose box-to-box performance included nine successful take-ons in attack and seven successful tackles in defence, and nearly dragged the Cottagers to an unlikely point.

On this performance, it's not hard to see why the likes of Tottenham and Manchester United are reportedly keen on securing his services before the transfer window closes on Friday.

Finally, it is still difficult to predict how Southampton's season will play out. A 2-0 loss at home to Wigan is far from encouraging; nor is the regularity with which they were dispossessed - Wigan made 24 successful tackles in the match. However Saints did create 16 chances, with 6 on target, suggesting that there is a considerable goal threat in the side, if they can keep possession better as the season continues.

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The one Liverpool player Brendan Rodgers couldn't do without

2012-08-24T11:04:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to applaud the Brazilian Brendan can rely on

When Brendan Rodgers sat down and assessed his Liverpool squad ahead of 2012/13, he must have been hugely grateful for the reliable presence of Lucas Leiva.

Liverpool’s midfield consists of players like Steven Gerrard and Charlie Adam, who must adapt their game to Rodgers’ system, and players like Jordan Henderson, Jay Spearing and Jonjo Shelvey, who can’t yet be counted upon for consistent performances. And while Rodgers has signed Joe Allen, a trusted foot soldier from the manager's old club Swansea, the Welshman has to become accustomed to the added pressure of playing for a big club.
Lucas is the only midfielder Rodgers could sit down with and simply say, "Keep on doing what you’ve been doing."

Liverpool face Manchester City this weekend, a repeat of the fixture in which Lucas turned in his best individual display of last season, in a 1-1 draw last November. City arrived with David Silva in outrageously good form, and Mancini handed him a central playmaking role. With Adam and Henderson straying forward, Lucas often found himself isolated against Silva – but it was no problem. He turned in a faultless defensive display, making six interceptions and completing seven tackles. The positions of the tackles shows how well Lucas guarded the whole width of the pitch, as Silva drifted into wider positions, looking for space.

It was equally impressive how well Lucas coped with the powerful forward runs of Yaya Toure. The Brazilian didn’t try to outmuscle the Ivorian – he simply made well-timed, firm challenges to win the ball cleanly. And, as usual, his passing was excellent. It’s particularly notable how many more times he played passes compared to receiving passes, indicating how often he won the ball himself, rather than had it given to him by a teammate.

Sadly, it would be Lucas’s last league game of the season – he suffered a cruciate ligament injury two days later against Chelsea in the League Cup.
Happily he is now fit again, and clearly suits the type of football Rodgers wants to play. Lucas was unfairly criticised in his first few years for his tendency to play short, safe, allegedly unambitious passes; now that’s the simple instruction for the whole of the Liverpool midfield.

But has Lucas’s style changed under Rodgers? It’s early days – we only have one game of data to assess, so it’s impossible to make a definitive judgement. But compare his dashboard (a visualisation of all his recorded actions in one game) from last week’s match (left) against West Brom to the corresponding fixture last year (right), and there is an obvious change.

First, look at the types of balls Lucas played – particularly the incomplete passes, denoted by the red arrows. Against West Brom last season, out of keeping with his reputation, he attempted several ambitious through-balls towards the strikers, which generally found an opponent rather than a teammate. Last week, his passing was less vertical, less wayward and took place higher up the pitch, just inside the opposition half.

But it’s also interesting that Lucas is doing less defensive work. There are noticeably fewer tackles and fewer interceptions. The Brazilian might be Liverpool’s defensive midfielder, but even he now plays a very proactive role in the side. It’s worth pointing out that he collected a booking last week, a slightly harsh caution for stopping a counter-attack. As Liverpool hold the ball higher up the pitch, more ‘cynical’ bookings might come his way when trying to halt opposition breaks.

The expected signing of Nuri Sahin will prompt questions about the format of Liverpool’s midfield – Sahin and Allen are new arrivals, Gerrard won’t take kindly to being omitted from the team on a consistent basis, while Henderson needs gametime to develop and Adam could be of use.

Amid the uncertainty and options, we can be sure that Lucas will be anchoring Liverpool’s midfield throughout the season – and Rodgers needs another good performance from him against Manchester City on Sunday.

Stats Zone is brought to you in association with FFT's bet partners Coral: click here for a free £10 bet

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Crowdsource: What Stats Zoners noticed and shared this weekend

2012-08-21T11:24:00Z

The biggest talking point in a long weekend of action was Everton's 1-0 win over Manchester United. The manner of the Toffees' win had Stats Zone abuzz with analysis. The headlines were hogged by Marouane Fellaini, who scored the winner and dominated United's somewhat makeshift defence.

@TotalFootballFC (Stats Zone app creator Colm McMullan) noted Fellaini's "all-action performance", while ‏@jamiedurent said the passes-received screen "highlights how big a focal point he is in Everton attacks, appearing all over pitch".

@iDaywa posted a screen showing Fellaini's aerial battles (nine won out of 14), calling him "a modern-day Duncan Ferguson" – high praise for an Everton player.

Contrastingly, @FFInfo went down the other end and highlighted the contribution over Everton's centre-backs: "Fellaini might have won the plaudits tonight but Jagielka and Distin were absolute rocks"

Patrick McCarron (‏@pmcarron) pointed the finger at United's wide attackers, noting that 23 of the 53 balls Fellaini received came from Everton's full-backs Leighton Baines and Tony Hibbert: "put them under a bit more pressure and they mightn't be as successful"

Several people screenshared the teams' contrasting attacking-third passing diagrams. Ryan Davies (@rmd282) noted that United's midfield were "very lateral" and that "only two" of United's 172 final-third passes made it into the box, while Giovanni Armanini (@armagio) lauded Everton's "good vertical passes".

The weekend's other matches also excoted plenty of comment. @danny_pugsley noted that Manchester City racked up 23 shots – but Southampton also managed 10. Moreover, while Kelvin Davis saved eight home attempts, Saints scored from their only two efforts on target – quality finishing, but not a good first day back for Joe Hart.

@roscoe_bowman used the Player Influence screen – which displays each man's average position and illustrates his involvement by making the dominant players' names bigger – to show how important Yaya Toure was for the champions. As Roscoe said, with somewhat high standards, "This is what every CM's influence should look like."

@fanelsolo used the Head To Head option to compare Toure's towering performance with that of Arsenal's Santi Cazorla – using the Attacking Dashboard to show each player's offensive actions.

Also comparing across games was our alphabetical near-neighbour @FourFourToo, who noted that Chelsea's Eden Hazard made more successful 'take-ons' (dribbles) than the entire Man City team.

Hazard was involved in both goals as a clinical Chelsea won 2-0 at Wigan. @SamCooper07 noted that Wigan struggled to hit the target despite having twice as many attempts at goal.

On the same tack, @CareFreeChronic had noted at half-time how unproductive Wigan's crossing was, with only 3 of 21 crosses completed – partly thanks to Chelsea's 13 headed clearances.

Most amusing comparison of the weekend came from Jack Dennison (@JPKD). Using Stats Zone's ability to compare data with previous seasons, he mapped new Liverpool signing Joe Allen's debut performance at West Brom against his previous Hawthorns visit with Swansea last season – and found the two almost identical. As he said: "Joe Allen hasn't changed much…" Well played, sir (Joe and Jack).

Meanwhile, Allen's old team Swansea were efficiently dismantling QPR 5-0. @Juanpionships proudly noted Michu's great debut for the Swans, with two goals and an assist and only four misplaced passes.

QPR were far from outclassed – they had 21 shots to Swansea's 14, attempting and completing more than twice as many passes in the final third. But all too often they looked solely to Adel Taarabt: @_ChrisPrior noted that 21% of their completed passes were to the Moroccan. He also said "QPR take over from Arsenal in one-man-team stakes": whatever could he mean?

Three miles south of Loftus Road, another team which had impressed in their first Premier League season were also adapting to a new manager… but Chris Hughton's Norwich fared much worse than Michael Laudrup's Swansea, losing 5-0 to Fulham. A worried Rob Wilson ‏(@narwichboy) used the Attacking Third Passes screen to note the "lots of hopeful long balls" the Canaries were throwing forwards.

The more neutral Chris Prior could delight in "Fulham scoring different kinds of goals. Individual brilliance and teamwork; clearly having fun." Indeed, the Goal Build-Up screen for their fourth goal shows a very confident team building patiently from the back. Clint Who?

Former Norwich boss Paul Lambert moved on in the summer to Aston Villa, and at West Ham his new charges carried on as they left off under Alex McLeish: neither winning nor scoring. However, Villa fans were delighted to see the return of passing football, as Lambert's team completed an impressive 442 passes out of 550. @VlaarsGlare was quick to compare that with the limp loss to Norwich in McLeish's last game.

However, Villa will know they need more penetration in the final third. @KristianJack noted that Darren Bent received the ball just 13 times, and only once in the West Ham box.

Not that shots mean goals, as Bent's old boys Tottenham found out at Newcastle. As @statsnetwork noted, Jermain Defoe & Co. rained in 15 shots on Tim Krul's goal, but only four on target; three of the Magpies' seven were on target, and two went in.

@BouncingClown led the applause for Newcastle's James Perch. The versatile defender completed all 46 of his passes, and indeed was outpassed only by midfield busybody Cheik Tiote.

@Markbirdy noted an oddity in Spurs' play: Kyle Walker only made three passes to Aaron Lennon in the whole match – low for a full-back/winger combination. True, Spurs inverted their wingers on occasion, but Walker passed to opposite winger Gareth Bale as many times, while on the other side Benoit Assou-Ekotto found Bale 11 times – a combination beaten only by Livermore to Sandro and Santon to Tioté (both 12 times).

Finally, down in London, Spurs' neighbours Arsenal were also thwarted by Newcastle's neighbours Sunderland. @Head_stone noted that the Gunners completed almost three times as many passes as the Black Cats – 637 out of 702 compared to 222 of 294.

@Recce_ noted that Arsenal were thwarted by excellent defensive work from Sunderland, who won 17 out of 28 tackles and completed 22 of 34 clearances.

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New Premier signings settle in well – except the summer's biggest transfer

2012-08-21T10:09:00Z

Nick Govier, the Editor of Footballistically.co.uk , uses Stats Zone (now completely FREE) to analyse the weekend games

The Premier League returned this weekend with many teams having already made their big summer signings, giving us an opportunity to examine what this influx of talent can bring to their clubs – and English football in general.

Much of the build-up before Everton v Manchester United focused on Robin van Persie, but Shinji Kagawa is arguably the more important summer signing for Sir Alex Ferguson, given the lack of creativity from the centre of midfield shown last season. The playmaker arrives off the back of a double Bundesliga title success with Borussia Dortmund, and appeared to settle well in his first Premier League game.

Kagawa was active across the pitch, with 91% pass completion (68 out of 75), and made 20 passes to Wayne Rooney – the joint-highest passing combination in the match. Unfortunately for Manchester United, this was often after Rooney had dropped into a deeper role rather than turning the defence, but it was a promising start for the Japanese signing. Robin van Persie is more of a known quantity to English supporters, but had precious little to show for his 22 minutes on the pitch – just 4 completed passes and no shots.

Two other top-six clubs brought in creative players over the summer. Santiago Cazorla joined Arsenal and against Sunderland he had a very promising start to his life in England, as shown by his attacking-third passes. He frequently looked to play the ball forward, turning the massed Sunderland defence and creating a weekend-high 7 chances for his teammates.

Eden Hazard was hardly as prolific for Chelsea at Wigan, only attempting 6 attacking-third passes – but he did leave the field with an assist and a penalty won, so it was hardly an unproductive start for the highly-rated Belgian. And unlike Arsenal, who had to press for 90 minutes against stubborn Sunderland, Chelsea and Hazard could sit back after going 2-0 up within 10 minutes – although it could be argued that they might have counter-attacked with more intent and success as their hosts chased the game.

Moving deeper into midfield, Jack Rodwell and Joe Allen began their competitive club careers with assured performances. Manchester City's only summer signing thus far, Rodwell completed 89 of 93 passes and didn't look out of his depth in his first game for the champions against Southampton. He also made three interceptions, a block and a tackle: he could well be vital if City lose Yaya Toure to the Africa Cup of Nations in January.

Joe Allen is already the centrepiece of Brendan Rodgers' attempt to move Liverpool towards a more possession-based approach, and at West Brom he was equally adept at keeping the ball – like Rodwell, he finished with 96% pass completion.

Finally, goalscorers (sorry, Robin). Neither Fulham nor Swansea could have hoped for better opening-day results – or more promising performances from their new attacking signings, Mladen Petric and Michu: both finished with two goals and an assist.

In the absence of the departed Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora – and the not-yet-departed Clint Dempsey – new signing Petric was Fulham's striker against Norwich but frequently dropped off to link well with his teammates, completing 14 of 15 passes in his 67 minutes on the field. Meanwhile, Michu slotted into the Swansea midfield well at QPR with the requisite high pass completion expected at the Welsh club: 33 out of 37 found their mark.

Wigan Athletic 0-2 Chelsea
Chelsea had just six shots in this match, their fewest in a PL game since September 2007 (4 vs Man United). Eden Hazard only made 17 successful passes in the whole game and just three into the final third.

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Prem notes: Profligate Arsenal, long-ball Reading, pass-happy Liverpool, shot-shy Chelsea

2012-08-20T13:11:00Z

The Premier League season is back, which means we've spent all weekend playing with Stats Zone (now completely FREE). Here's some eye-opening facts from the weekend games, courtesy of our Stats Zone partners Opta

Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Of the 84 teams that played in the Football League and Premier League this weekend, Sunderland were the only side not to win a corner.
Arsenal attempted 23 shots (inc. blocked) without scoring, the first time that they’ve managed as many without scoring in the Premier League since 7th April 2007 (v West Ham). Between them Giroud (2), Podolski (2), Walcott (4) and Gervinho (4) attempted 12 shots (inc. blocked) – none on target.

On his debut for Arsenal, Santi Cazorla created seven goalscoring chances – more than any other PL player this weekend. Gervinho attempted 20 dribbles, the most Opta have recorded by a single player in a PL game since Portsmouth's Lomana Lua Lua against Manchester United in February 2006.

Manchester City 3-2 Southampton
This was only the eighth Premier League game ever in which three substitutes scored. Edin Dzeko has scored five goals as a substitute since the start of last season in the PL, more than any other player (Jermain Defoe and Victor Anichebe have four each).

Yaya Touré made the most passes this weekend (120 completed); Jack Rodwell was third with 89, Arsenal's Mikel Arteta second with 114.

Fulham 5-0 Norwich City
Norwich attempted just two dribbles in this match, completing just one. By comparison, their opponents Fulham tried nine and completed four. By further comparison, at Wigan Chelsea's Eden Hazard also tried nine, completing five.

Queens Park Rangers 0-5 Swansea City
Michu was the top scoring midfield player in La Liga last season, netting 15 goals for Rayo Vallecano.

Reading 1-1 Stoke City
Reading hit 20.4% of their passes long (which Opta defines as over 30 yards) – the Premier League average last season was 12.9%. The overall passing accuracy by both teams in this match was 65.5%, only four matches had a lower passing accuracy in the Premier League last season (all involving Bolton).

West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Liverpool
Zoltan Gera’s 43rd-minute opening goal was the first shot on target in this match and his first Premier League goal since November 2010.
Liverpool completed 89% of their passes, the highest completion rate by a Liverpool side in a Premier League game in the last 10 seasons. Luis Suárez had more shots (8) than any other PL player at the weekend but still failed to score.

West Ham United 1-0 Aston Villa
Premier League beware: The Hammers netted more set-piece goals (33) than any other Championship side last term (33); Kevin Nolan’s goal was also from a set-piece. On the other hand, while Aston Villa completed a couple of corners, they didn't find a single teammate with any of their 10 crosses in open play.

Newcastle United 2-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Since scoring against Aston Villa in February 2012, Demba Ba had unsuccessfully attempted 32 Premier League shots before scoring in this match.

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It's Vertonghen versus Vermaelen in the battle of the ball-playing Belgian backs

2012-08-17T13:27:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app – now FREE – to analyse Tottenham's new Belgian defender, and his suspiciously similar mate at Arsenal...

Comparing a new foreign signing to an established Premier League player is often a lazy way of explaining the new man’s qualities, and ends up painting him in an unfair light.

However, as a Belgian ball-playing left-footed centre-back signed from Ajax by a North London club, comparisons don’t come much more appropriate than that between new Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen and Spurs' summer signing Jan Vertonghen – not to mention the similar names.

Friends from both Ajax and the Belgian national team, Vermaelen bought Vertonghen dinner in his first week in London. Words of advice will have been passed on, despite their new rivalry, but it’s unlikely Tottenham’s new centre-back will enjoy such an impressive start to Premier League life – Vermaelen begun his Arsenal spell with four goals in eight games.

Both are products of the Ajax academy, and both even had loan spells at the same club (RKC Waalwijk) before nailing down a regular starting place in Amsterdam. Ajax coach Ronald de Boer is typically honest in his assessment of the two players: he thinks Vertonghen is the better player.

The first quality the two share, as you’d expect from players schooled at Ajax, is that they’re both excellent all-round footballers. They’re entirely comfortable with the ball at their feet, able to distribute it quickly, and also able to dribble forward towards goal.

Neither is uncomfortable as a holding midfielder or as a left-back – indeed, both have been moved out to the left for their country because of Belgium's surplus of centre-backs: they can also call on Vincent Kompany, Nicolas Lombaerts and Daniel van Buyten. Both also have a tendency to score from range, and are options at free-kicks.

Vertonghen is less ambitious and incisive with his passing, preferring to move the ball quickly and simply to his left-back, whereas Vermaelen looks to play the ball into midfield quickly. A snapshot of two games from last season, albeit against a very different calibre of opposition, shows the contrast.

But whereas Vermaelen’s standout quality is his strength and aggression, Vertonghen is a more composed, analytical player and is more sensible with passing. Look at the difference in his distribution in two Ajax games last season – when Ajax are comfortably winning, Vertonghen focuses upon keeping the ball with short sideways passes. When they’re at 0-0 and desperate for a goal, his passes are much more ambitious and always into the opposition half. There’s also a few long diagonals from left to right – in the same way Vermaelen often looks to hit the ball out to Theo Walcott for a quick attack, Vertonghen might do the same for Aaron Lennon.

Evidently, the Ajax system suited Vertonghen, just as it did Vermaelen. The Premier League presents a different challenge, though the features of an Andre Villas-Boas side – short passing out from the back, a high defensive line – should suit him well.

FFT's Half-Time Oranje, 25.06.12: Vertonghen ready for Premier League

But while Vermaelen’s qualities on the ball are undoubted – since he joined Arsenal, no defender has scored more Premier League goals – his defensive work can be sloppy. A tendency to get dragged towards play and leave space in behind has cost Arsenal a few goals in the last three years, and there remains a feeling that he’s a little too impetuous.

Vertonghen is a calmer player. He moves out of the defence less frequently and makes fewer interceptions than Vermaelen, happier to shut out danger closer to goal. A couple of inches’ height advantage is another notable feature, though Vermaelen does make up for this deficit by possessing an excellent leap.

Aside from dinner dates, the two won’t meet until 17th November, in the early Saturday kick-off at the Emirates. By then, Vertonghen should have established himself in the Tottenham side and familiarised himself with the Premier League. Having followed in Vermaelen’s footsteps in many other ways, it’s not unrealistic that in a couple of years, Vertonghen could also be captaining his side in a North London derby.

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Stats Zone: Better than ever, award-winning and completely FREE*

2012-08-16T16:29:00Z

Stats Zone is back – as if it ever went away – and now completely FREE for UK users, courtesy of Coral.

Thanks to FourFourTwo's betting partners – who are still offering new sign-ups a free £10 bet – you can now download the Stats Zone iOS app without any charge whatsoever. Apart from the cost of electricity, but don't get picky.

Download Get Stats Zone now from the iTunes Store

Downloading Stats Zone gives you access to analyse Opta's statistics for the new Premier League season, but also the previous two campaigns – 2011/12 and 2010/11 – and the Champions League data from those seasons too.

You can compare any player or match with any other player or match across any of those seasons, so you could see how teams have changed their tactics to overcome opponents – or compare, say, Manchester United's tactics against Barcelona and Stoke.

And it's updated live within seconds during the game, so you can see exactly what's going on – and use it to back up a hunch or suggest where the gaffer's going wrong.

SEASON'S NEW SIGNINGS
The new Stats Zone has a couple of innovations, as sneak-previewed during Euro 2012. Firstly, you can check the pass combinations – how many times each player has passed to each of his team-mates – to see where the key understandings are on the field.

For instance, in the first half of the Euro 2012 final, Spain left-back Jordi Alba passed to Andres Iniesta an unequalled 11 times, while on the other flank Alvaro Arbeloa had only found David Silva three times. As the pattern continued in the second half – Alba and Iniesta dovetailing, Arbeloa and Silva strangers – Vicente del Bosque withdrew the Man City player before the hour, despite having opened the scoring. And didn't it work out well for Spain?

The other major innovation is the goal build-up screen, which shows the move leading up to each goal. You can see the typically patient construction of Danny Graham's late winner for Swansea against an obviously impressed Liverpool, and the rather more urgent route Manchester City took a few minutes later against QPR…

AND MUCH MORE
This is in addition to what Stats Zone already analysed for you: possession, territory, player influence, goals, shots (on target, off target and blocked, inside and outside the area, woodwork strikes), passes (all and attacking-third only, assists, chances created, backpasses, long/short, forward/square/backward), crosses, dribbles, corners, offsides, tackles, interceptions, aerial duels, clearances, headed clearances, fouls committed and suffered and disciplinary cards received.

Stats Zone produces (and, again, constantly updates) Top Player lists of the best performers in each discipline: you can choose to analyse teams or players, and even compare teams against players… and you can choose what period of time you analyse – so you can see how your mob tailed off in the second half or that slip of a sub changed the game for the visitors.

RED (or blue, etc) ALERT
Can't get to the match? Use Stats Zone's alerts system to keep you informed. As well as updating itself instantaneously during the game, the app will also let you keep tabs on up to five teams, with push alerts notifying you of starting lineups, goals, red cards, half-time scores and/or full-time results.

Whatever you discover while poking about in there, you can instantly share your screens on Twitter, Facebook, email, Tumblr, Pinboard, LinkedIn, Instapaper, Evernote, Delicious, Diigo, Google Reader, Pocket or Vkontakte, whatever that is.

It's ideal 'second-screen' information when you're watching on TV, and it could also prove you right at the game and finally silence that fat-headed bloke in front of you. And we're watching the @StatsZone Twitter feed, so you might find that the best screens you share get used in a FourFourTwo feature...

BRIEF TOOT OF OWN TRUMPET
During a successful summer, a wildly popular Euro 2012 version was widely downloaded across Europe – and Stats Zone grabbed a hat-trick at the AOP Digital Publishing Awards, winning the Innovation and Use of Mobile awards before walking off with the night's main gong, the Grand Prix 2012. So it's not just us who think Stats Zone's rather good.

News Three wins for Stats Zone at AOP Awards

SMALL PRINT (not literally)
Stats Zone is free to UK users thanks to the benevolence of our betting partners Coral. You could thank them by taking a tenner off them – sign up to our betting microsite and they'll give you a free £10 wedge to wager.

As for our beloved friends overseas, you can still download the app for free, complete with all that lovely data from the 2010/11 and 2011/12 Premier League and Champions League campaigns. And once you've analysed that, you may well agree that paying $2.99 or €2.39 for the new Premier League season is a bit of a bargain…

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Stats Zone season preview: Arsenal shake it up, Chelsea counter, Spurs get possessive

2012-08-15T08:00:00Z

With six Premier League clubs heading into the 2012/13 season with new managers, there are plenty of intriguing changes to look forward to when the campaign kicks off on Saturday. Alex Keble, editor of tactics website TheChalkboard.org.uk, considers the key tactical points for each team, asking: who will be relegated? Who will qualify for Europe? And who will win the Premier League title?

Arsenal
The old cliché - 'Arsenal try and pass the ball into the net' - may finally become a tag they can discard. Their ability to shake things up next season could be as be as big a departure from recent tradition as their summer transfer policy. The magnificent Santi Cazorla averaged a high 7.4 long passes last season, as well as 1.6 accurate crosses. More significantly, Olivier Giroud won 3.7 aerial duels per match, making him the best player in the air in France. Last season Arsenal scored only eight times from set-pieces, and saw 73% of their goals scored from extended periods of open play. Could their new direct dimension earn them those gritty wins and boost their title credentials?

The crossing and heading abilities of their new signings should make Arsenal's lack of penetration a rarer sight next season, although it remains to be seen how well they can cope without the dominant presence of RVP.

Predicted finish: 3rd

Aston Villa
Lambert is known for an efficient German-influenced style, that aims to squeeze the most out of players and create well-drilled sides that maximise their chances of success. Laziness or coasting will not be tolerated. As such, the biggest thing to watch out for at Villa is how he is able to handle the likes of Charlies N'Zogbia, Stephen Ireland, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Shay Given and Richard Dunne, all of whom are quality players that have lost their way. Get them back to their best, and Villa could do surprisingly well.

After a season with a distinct lack of creativity, Villa will be hoping Lambert can instil some vibrancy at Villa Park.

Predicted finish: 9th

Chelsea
The Blues lack the physicality that has characterised them since the Mourinho days (winning 8.3 aerial duels per match last season was one of the lowest in the division), with Di Matteo set to favour a more fluid, flair based system with a direct attacking edge. Now playing a 4-2-3-1, the most popular formation in Europe, Chelsea's biggest concern will be getting their technically gifted youngsters to gel. They will need another big year from Mata, to help out the inexperienced Oscar and Hazard.

Note the high frequency of short ground passes, coupled with a sudden propensity to move the ball more directly once approaching the penalty box. Chelsea will not be afraid to use their pace to counter-attack.

Predicted finish: 5th

Everton
Everton are currently on a nine-match unbeaten run in the league, and there is no reason why they can't continue this run into the new campaign. Their top two performers last season – Steven Pienaar and Nikica Jelavic – only joined in January; they will be ready to lead the team from the beginning this time round, as Everton hope to avoid another bad start. They amassed only 16 points from their first 14 games in 2011/12: if their form in the first half of the season had matched their second half, Everton would have finished just three points behind Spurs.

Pienaar's tireless work in midfield is crucial, as is the lethal touch of Jelavic, who scored nine goals in 12 matches.

Predicted finish: 8th

Fulham
Martin Jol's biggest concern is the lack of width and pace in his Fulham side; it could be the difference between a top ten finish and a top six finish. 38% of Fulham's attacks came through the middle (the highest in the division), while only 27% of their attacks came down the left (the lowest in the division). Only Blackburn made fewer crosses per match. If they can get another great season out of Dempsey, then they have a good chance of finishing top ten.

Fulham frequently move the ball into the centre, quite possibly due to the overwhelming influence Clint Dempsey has on the game.

Predicted finish: 10th

Liverpool
Brendan Rodgers' tiki-taka philosophy suits Liverpool's ball-playing centre backs, and with the addition of Allen to a central midfield with Lucas and Gerrard, he has the perfect midfield trio for the system. Lucas is the most important member of this squad; the success Rodgers has with implementing his style onto Liverpool depends on Lucas having a central role. His 53.7 passes per game with an 84.2% percentage completion is highest at the club, while his 5.4 tackles and 2.8 interceptions per game also cannot be matched. Returning from a long-term injury this summer, Lucas will be looking to remind us all of why he is one of the Premier League's best players.

Liverpool will be expected to play a ruthless short-passing game, with Lucas taking on a central role, both in attack and defence.

Predicted finish: 6th

Manchester City
City's inability to offload the over-paid, under-played deadwood explains their lack of transfer activity, as UEFA's Fair Play initiative clutches the Premier League by the throat. In all honesty though, Mancini will just be asking for more of the same. An almost perfect season was only hampered by the inconsistency of their centre forwards, leading to the tiresome pursuit of Robin van Persie. City struggled to come back from behind, with one obvious exception, so a striker that could provide a flash of brilliance when they go a goal down would sort them out.

City's strikers gave the ball away too often for Mancini's short passing style (Balotelli's pass completion was 77.5%, Dzeko's was 68.8%).

Predicted finish: 1st

Manchester United
An ageing central midfield needs freshening, with some direct attacking verve being added in the form of Shinji Kagawa. Sir Alex Ferguson will hope the return of Tom Cleverly bolsters the midfield, and take some pressure off the wings (United's wingers made a combined 30 assists). Expect the same grit and determination from United, despite the lack of significant improvements having been made this summer. The potential arrival of Robin van Persie would ease the pressure on Wayne Rooney to create, but it would still be a huge ask for them to keep up with their Manchester rivals.

United still rely on Giggs and Scholes feeding their wingers all too often. When teams work this out, like Wigan did with their use of full-backs, United struggle to create chances through the middle.

Predicted finish: 2nd

Newcastle United
Living up to last season's heights will be difficult, although Papiss Cisse's presence from the beginning will be helpful. Using the pace of Hatem Ben Arfa and Jonas Gutierrez to stretch the play, Newcastle rely on Cheick Tiote and Yohan Cabaye to dominate the centre. Watch out for Cabaye, who may suffer ‘second season syndrome’ now teams will be targeting him as the primary attacking threat. 1.6 key passes per game is the best in the squad, whilst Tiote and Cabaye together average 100 passes a match.

Those two will be expected to boss the midfield next season once again for Pardew's team.

Predicted finish: 7th

Norwich City
Chris Hughton is extremely well respected, creating friendly, calm environments in the dressing room. Hard working, with an acute attention to detail, he quickly boosted the morale of relegated Birmingham City. Robert Snodgrass and Steven Whittaker are both good signings, but Norwich will rely on strong second seasons from main creator Wes Hoolahan and goalscorer Grant Holt.

When Hoolahan plays well, so do Norwich; the midfielder has the best passing stats in the team, with an 86.1% completion rate, amassing 7 assists and 1.6 key passes per game.

Predicted finish: 17th

QPR
Mark Hughes made a forceful promise after the City game in May: QPR will not find themselves in a relegation battle again. The fierce look he gave when delivering this message speaks volumes about his managerial style; Rangers will most certainly be whipped into shape. The dogged grit and physicality of Hughes' sides make the capture of Ji-Sung Park particularly important. Junior Hoilett's dribbling skills and Andrew Johnson's natural finishing will add the attacking threat they lacked last season (amassing a measly 43 goals).

Park's hard work, tenacity, and desire, will provide a much needed solidity and composure to an unpredictable QPR side. He could be one of the signings of the season.

Predicted finish: 11th

Reading
Despite winning the Championship, Reading appear the most ill-prepared for life in the top flight. They did superbly to run up such a long stretch of good form (15 wins out of 17 between January and April), but their ability to keep this momentum in the Premier League is up for question. An inexperienced manager will lead a side that scored only 69 goals last season. With very few signings of note, they could have a very difficult time indeed.

Predicted finish: 20th

Southampton
There is absolutely no reason why Saints cannot emulate what Norwich and Swansea achieved last season. On the back of two successive promotions, Southampton play with the kind of togetherness, confidence and fluidity that, if brave enough, allows newly promoted team to hit the ground running. There is a lot of talent in their ranks, but the goals and assists of Rickie Lambert (27 & 14 last season) will be crucial to their survival. Steven Davis and Jay Rodriguez are encouraging signings too, and represent exactly the kind of quality and calibre promoted teams should be investing in.

Predicted finish: 16th

Stoke City
Entering their fifth season in the Premier League, Stoke remain consistent to their tag of being a physical side. They had less possession (39.9%) than any other team, completed fewer passes (69.5%) and won more aerial duels (15.3). Sixteen of their goals came from set pieces – 44% of their total tally. Stoke are looking to slightly readdress that balance with right winger Michael Kightly, who may be expected to spearhead their attacks (42% of their play went down the right flank last season).

As well as taking players on and creating chances, these screen grabs show Kightly's propensity for playing longer, direct passes in the Stoke mould.

Predicted finish: 13th

Sunderland
Martin O'Neill is doing what he does best – motivating his players to perform above themselves, as shown by victories last season over Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool. His style of management is in the classic British mould, relying on pacey wingers, a big forward complimenting a smaller one, and fast, direct attacking football. They will be well organised and perform above themselves, but perhaps lack the cutting edge required to get into Europe.

Direct football with mixed-range passing to the wings defines O'Neill sides, but they lack the creative edge in the final third.

Predicted finish: 12th

Swansea
Laudrup will look to continue the tiki-taka style developed over the past few years at Swansea – 57.6% possession with an 85.7% pass completion rate is extremely high for a side that finished 11th. They may struggle in their second season now teams no longer underestimate their philosophy, a problem exacerbated by the ruthless persistence of their strategy come-what-may, and the loss of influential midfielder Joe Allen.

These screen shots show the patience and persistence of their style, as Swansea hit 90% of their passes in this game against Blackburn. The absence of Allen however, could dramatically affect their ability to pass so elegantly.

Predicted finish: 14th

Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs are extremely well suited to the short passing, high pressing style of AVB, who failed to implement this on a rigidly Mourinho-esque Chelsea side. The most important area of this side is the central midfield triumvirate, consisting of an attacking play-maker, a box-to-box player and a defensive midfielder. At Spurs, Van der Vaart, Modric (or a replacement – Moutinho?) and Sandro (or Parker) will slot perfectly into these roles. Watch out for their midfield dominance next season.

Spurs will suit AVB's use of possession dominance and short passing, but will struggle to replace Modric, whose composed football – as he continually stretches the play with cross-field passing – is vital to a system that requires the full width of the pitch

Predicted finish: 4th

West Brom
West Brom's main concern is scoring goals; they created 14 chances per match last season – not bad at all – but scored only 45 goals. That makes 1 goal every 12 shots, a stat reflected in the fact that their highest goalscorer was Peter Odemwingie, with 10. Lukaku joins the club on loan from Chelsea, but it is Shane Long who they will be hoping can step up in his second season at The Hawthorns.

The 0-0 vs Villa is a great example of the Baggies' inability to convert chances – this is an area Steve Clarke will have to focus on.

Predicted finish: 18th

West Ham
Sam Allardyce's brand of football is well known to all, and the attempted acquisition of Andy Carroll from Liverpool shows us that he is looking to force his philosophy onto the team more heavily this season. Watch out for the return of James Collins, who will add experience and strength to the West Ham back four; he made an impressive 9.4 clearances per match and won 2.6 aerial duels.

Collins' is clearly dominant in the air, but is at times unreliable; there has been a notable decline in his mobility and consistency in the last couple of years.

Predicted finish: 19th

Wigan
Having not lost any defensive players over the summer for the first time in years, Martinez can avoid their traditional last minute revival, and figure out his tactics from day one. The switch to a 3-5-2 in the latter stages of last season worked miracles; can their clever use of wing-backs and extra men in defence finally cause a breakthrough for Wigan?

Playing three in defence allows Wigan to build slowly from the back and retain possession, as Martinez demands. The use of wing backs – causing confused opposition wingers to become stuck between defence and attack – makes teams narrow and ineffective out wide.

Predicted finish: 15th

What Arsenal need to do to win the league

2012-08-10T10:23:00Z

Arsenal's transfer activity this summer has been entirely uncharacteristic of Arsene Wenger – much to Gooners' delight. Alex Keble, editor of tactics website www.thechalkboard.org.uk, asks: can Arsenal finally challenge for the title?

The most consistent criticism of Arsenal over the past decade has been about the lack of variation in their playing style. With Arsene Wenger apparently unwilling to compromise his philosophy of a fluid, short-passing game, the old saw that "Arsenal try to pass the ball into the net" has been among the most-used clichés in football.

There's good reason for this. The statistics tells us that only 35% of Arsenal's shots last season were from outside the box – fewer than any other team in the league. With an astonishing 73% of their goals coming from extended periods of open play, they also managed just eight goals from set-pieces.

This isn't a problem the majority of the time, but in order to win the gritty games, to scrape victory when you are playing badly, to overcome rigid defences – in short, to play like champions – you simply cannot afford to be so one-dimensional. Man City scored 19 goals from set pieces last season, whilst 39% of their shots came from outside the box.

It hasn't always been like that: in 2008-09, no team scored more Premier League goals from set pieces or more headers than Arsenal. Nowadays, they can be too predictable, and good managers can work out how to stop them.

The Gunners struggled last season when faced with strong defences willing to sit deep, in lines of four, and soak up the pressure. As in the famous Barcelona-Chelsea fixture last season, deep, compact and patient defending can nullify a one-dimensional threat.

The screen grabs below, taken from games in which they failed to win, show the rarity with which Arsenal broke through the defensive lines, despite all the time they were given on the ball deep in the opposition half.

One-dimensionality: What Arsenal Need To Do
Arsenal's new signings – Lukas Podolski, Olivier Grioud and Santi Cazorla – should give them a whole new edge. Crosses and long balls have never been a big part of Wenger's strategy, but now the option has become available to him if, amid the desperation of games such as those against Stoke and Wigan, he needs to shake things up.

Last season, Theo Walcott's 0.5 crosses per game was the best they could hope for, and Arteta's 5.2 long balls per game (from the centre of the park) was their only outlet for direct football. This is reflected in the fact that only 15% of Arsenal's attempts on goal last season were headers – and this includes those coming from corners.

Santi Cazorla, a truly outstanding player that may instantly become one of the best players in the division, made an amazing 7.4 accurate long passes per game for Malaga, with 1.6 crosses per game. His tendency to mix things up will be greatly appreciated at the Emirates.

More significantly, Olivier Giroud was the best aerial player in the French league, winning 3.7 duels per match. An uncharacteristic signing, the new striker has excellent heading ability, which will provide a secondary outlet for Arsenal. Now that one of the best aerial players in football is amongst their ranks, crossing into the box may finally yield some results – if Wenger and his existing players are willing to play that way when necessary.

CREATIVITY
Arsenal amassed 74 league goals – not a bad haul, and behind only the two Manchester clubs. However, Robin van Persie scored 30 of them and assisted nine more, meaning that an alarming 53% of their goals involved the Dutch talisman.

His refusal to sign an new contract and subsequent potential departure – along with the rumours suggesting Arsenal might also lose Alex Song, who contributed 11 assists – mean that Arsenal will have to dramatically reconsider how they are going to score.

Van Persie's creativity has already been discussed at length in a previous article regarding a move to Man City, but his influence cannot be understated. In the screen grabs below, we can see his contribution extended far beyond his hat-tricks: over these two games he created five goalscoring chances.

The image of Song making a driving run before feeding the ball beautifully over the top for RvP to finish, was frequent footage on MotD last season. If either leaves, Arsenal will be in trouble.

Creativity: What Arsenal Need To Do
New signings Cazorla and Podolski can directly address this problem of creativity, if they continue to do what they did at their previous clubs. The former made five assists last season with 2.2 key passes per game, the latter created seven goals and made 1.3 key passes each game. They certainly provide more in a conventional Arsenal attacking sense than incumbent wingers Gervinho, Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

In terms of replacing Van Persie, Giroud is both a prolific goalscorer – netting 21 times for title-winning Montpellier – and a creator, providing nine assists and 1.3 key passes per game. This doesn't quite compare with RvP, but then again, it would be simply impossible for Wenger to replace that kind of quality like-for-like. Podolski scored an impressive 18 goals for Kohn last season, and his contribution in this area will be vital in 2012/13.

If we take Arsenal's highest-scoring striker, right-winger, and left-winger from last season (RvP, Walcott and Gervinho), we get a combined goals tally of 42. If we combine the goals of Giroud, Podolski and Cazorla from last campaign, we get a total of 48. Granted this calculation is a little bit reductionist and doesn't necessarily reflect the successes these signings will have at their new club, but it is still an indication that Arsenal may not miss RvP as much as is being predicted.

DEFENSIVE VULNERABILITIES
Despite their creative issues, Arsenal actually scored more goals last season than they did in their 2003/04 title-winning Invincibles season, when they amassed 90 points – one more than either Manchester club managed last campaign.

However, in that campaign Arsenal conceded a league-low 26 goals; last term they leaked 49, more than seven Premier League rivals – including Sunderland, who finished in the bottom half. Clearly they need to tighten up and regain the defensive solidity of their glory days.

As with any team using a short-passing style of football played high up the pitch, Arsenal are vulnerable to counter-attacks. A fluid, controlling style relies heavily on possession retention as its primary source of defence; when the ball is lost, large pockets of space behind the defence can be exploited.

The screen shots below, taken from games in which Arsenal conceded too frequently, show the way in which their opponents utilised the width of their wingers to break down Wenger's defence.

If Arsenal are to limit the frequency of these vulnerable situations, their two main areas for improvement are their ability to hold onto the ball and the defending of their wide men. Several of Arsenal's wingers gave the ball away too frequently (Arshavin had 74.4% pass completion, Walcott 79.3%, Benayoun 81.1%) – and furthermore they rarely helped out defensively. Even when Arsenal found themselves on the back foot, Wenger was lucky if his wingers made two tackles or interceptions in a single game.

Defence: What Arsenal Need To Do
If they are to win more often as a team, Arsenal need to defend as a team. Once again, we return to the magnificent Cazorla. It is no coincidence that Wenger has signed a winger that makes 2.2 tackles per game, and 2.6 interceptions per game. He will help out enormously at the back, as will Podolski, whose defensive work at Euro 2012 did not go unnoticed.

Coupled with Cazorla's 85% pass completion rate, Arsenal can rest assured that their wingers next season will be more complete and more reliable than in recent years.

Mooted signing Nuri Sahin is a technically assured central midfielder with an eye for a pass; he would not be a direct replacement for the physicality of Alex Song, but a good acquisition none the less.

Conclusion
How easily Van Persie's presence can be replaced is something nobody can predict. Either way, their chances of success next season rest on their new signings' abilities to adapt quickly to the English game. Cazorla and Giroud in particular will be expected to hit the ground running.

What these new signings should give them is a more dynamic attack, offering a style that breaks free of their 'one-dimensional' tag. Cazorla's creativity could set the league alight, whilst the experience of Podolski may add an extra touch of class to a side that often seems naïve on the wings.

This could be an extremely important year for Wenger's team; after spending £44 million this summer, failure to challenge for the title would be a bit of a disaster, and quite possibly the last straw for players like Alex Song.

Of course, it is not certain that either RvP or Song will leave the club, in which case Arsenal, with three exciting new signings and more to follow, could look forward to a season of genuine promise.

How can Manchester City strengthen their title-winning side?

2012-08-03T12:00:00Z

Manchester City have been surprisingly quiet in this summer's transfer window. Alex Keble, editor of TheChalkboard.org.uk, ponders what improvements the Premier League champions can make...

With more possession, more passes completed, fewer shots conceded, and more shots per game than any other team in the Premier League, you may think Manchester City don't need to change a thing as they look to defend their Premier League crown.

But City will want to improve on last season's disastrous Champions League campaign, as well as firmly cement themselves as the best team in England.

Transfer Policy

Despite City's triumphs in the Premier League last season, Mancini has already stated his frustration at their lack of transfer activity this summer. As City will be aware, the absence of new signings is a problem of their own making. After their take-over in 2008, City unnecessarily paid over inflated prices for players, and with the UEFA financial fair play laws set to come into action, City are forced to employ a sell-to-buy strategy. The problem is, they can't find any buyers.

Roque Santa Cruz, for example, was signed to a contract with a ludicrous salary on the back of an excellent campaign for Blackburn. Three years later, out of practice, a lot older, and with wages nobody can match, City simply cannot offload him. Any player leaving must be prepared to take an enormous wage cut and, considering these players knew from the beginning they had sacrificed playing time for higher wages, most of them are unwilling to take the cut.

Until players such as Santa Cruz, Emmanuel Adebayor, Edin Dzeko, Carlos Tevez, and possibly Adam Johnson, leave the club, we can expect no new signings. But despite the lack of concrete interest in any of these players, Mancini still has his sights on a couple of players.

Striker

Most of the players on the list above are strikers, and so it is with good reason that Mancini wants a new star man upfront. Some (Tevez and Adebayor) are unhappy, and some (Dzeko and Santa Cruz) simply haven't been good enough.

Mancini plays a centre forward alongside a secondary striker in a deeper role (invariably Aguero). It is this higher position that he needs to improve.

Mancini plays a slow-tempo passing game, relying on possession retention and overall dominance; 57.7% possession and 85.9% pass completion over the course of the season reflects this style. It is for this reason that the Italian exclusively plays confident passers, with the vast majority of his team hitting 85%+ pass completion in each and every game.

Balotelli (77.5%) and Dzeko (68.8%) do not hit these targets. No City striker really fits into the correct mould of a Mancini player, a fact further exemplified by the lack of goalscoring threat they pose. Dzeko's 14 goals is the highest for any of their main strikers.

Clearly, Mancini needs a goalscoring forward with the experience and composure to play Italian-style short passing football.

Who will they sign?

Robin Van Persie has more to his game than any of the current City forwards, offering his influence to multiple phases of play (something the fluidity of Mancini's system requires). RVP made eight assists last season, and averaged 2.4 key passes per game – higher than any of his team-mates, including Mikel Arteta.

The screen grabs below, taken from games in which Van Persie scored a hat-trick, show that his role is far more influential than simply putting the ball in the net. Note the frequency of passes in and around the box. StatsZone suggests he created five clear cut scoring opportunities over the two matches.

Man City like to attack quite centrally, often using inverted wingers that are given the freedom to drift in-field - most notably in the case of David Silva and Samir Nasri. They rarely venture to the byline, and like to create chances through the middle of the pitch. Note how crosses from wide positions are infrequent, despite the high number of chances (and goals) that they made.

Van Persie is used to this at Arsenal, who also like to play the ball through the centre. Alex Song playing a straight through ball over the defence for RVP to finish was something we saw frequently last season.

On a similar note, Van Persie is adept at playing on the shoulder of the last defender, latching onto through balls and running in on goal. This is something that is perhaps lacking at City, not least due to the patient tempo of their playing style. None of Man City's current main strikers have this ability to quite the same extent as the Dutchman. The following screen grabs show how often Van Persie latched onto long balls through the middle.

Centre Back

Neither Stefan Savic nor Kolo Toure looked quite good enough for City last season, leaving Lescott and Kompany as the only reliable centre-backs at the club. A long-term injury to one or other could be disastrous for Mancini, which might help explain the mounting speculation regarding Liverpool's defensive pair.

Joleon Lescott is received well at the Etihad stadium, but his statistics don't read as well as the immaculate Vincent Kompany; perhaps Mancini believes he can do better than the former Everton man. Over the season, Lescott made 1.4 tackles per match (Komapny made 2.1), 1.7 interceptions per match (Kompany made 2.4), and made 5.1 clearances per match (Kompany made 6.2).

The following screen grabs indicate this point precisely. Although Lescott contributed well defensively, he was quite clearly trumped by Kompany's performance. It's a little bit unfair to have isolated this match as a comparison, but it seems strangely appropriate that Kompany was the City goalscorer, whilst Lescott put the ball in his own net for Liverpool's equaliser.

Who will they sign?

Daniel Agger's and Martin Skrtel's partnership for Liverpool was arguably the best pairing in the Premier League last season; only the Manchester clubs conceded fewer goals than the Liverpudlians. It is of little surprise to learn that Mancini is interested in both of these players.

As previously mentioned, Mancini's system requires that all players are technically proficient. Due to the patience of Man City's build-up play, defenders have many touches on the ball, and are expected to use possession wisely and confidently. Kompany's 53.1 passes per game was the fourth highest of any centre-back, whilst Lescott's 45.8 was also impressive. Lescott completed 87.5% of his passes; Kompany 86.6%.

Liverpool's centre-backs are renowned for their ball control, and both players are likely to excel under Brendan Rodgers as the new boss looks to instil a ruthless tiki-taka passing style at Anfield. Mancini has also recognised the usefulness of their passing. Agger complete 84.4% of his passes (with 69% of them forward!) and Skrtel hit an 83.3% ratio.

They would suit Man City just as well as they'll suit Liverpool's new manager.

Conclusion

All transfer rumours seem to suggest Mancini is prioritising a forward and a centre back. After such a magnificent season in 2011/12, their first eleven only requires minor tweaking.

Van Persie looks increasingly unlikely, which would be a huge blow, whilst signing Agger or Skrtel would also represent a monumental task. There aren't many players in the world, however, that would not jump at the chance to play for the new Premier League champions.

Whatever the outcome in these sagas, Mancini knows he has to offload the deadwood before he can bring anyone in. And this may be the hardest part of all...

How far are Liverpool from Brendan Rodgers' vision?

2012-07-30T11:30:00Z

New boss Brendan Rodgers looks to oversee a revolution in style at Liverpool this summer, as Kenny Dalglish's under-performers are given a much needed revamp. Alex Keble, editor of tactics website TheChalkBoard.org.uk, asks: what changes will Rodgers make? Who will be leaving, who will be joining, and which current players will come to the fore?

Playing Style

Brendan Rodgers' playing style is often compared to Barcelona's, and for good reason. The system depends upon a short passing style that aims at patient build-up and possession dominance.

When in possession, the passing is fast, precise and simple, as they wait for the opposition to tire, slowly pulling them out of position and exploiting the space. When out of possession, they press high up the pitch, quickly closing down the opposition to regain the ball immediately. In theory, as the opposing players are tired and lying deep in their own half, high pressing forces them to clear the ball aimlessly.

These two core concepts compliment one another, as highlighted by Rodgers himself: “The only time we rest is when we have the ball. When we haven’t got the ball is the moment for intense pressure to get the ball back. In order to recuperate and conserve energy, we’ll build our way through the game.”

When they have the ball, the opposition are forced to work hard, while the team in possession patiently turn the screw. As well as conserving energy, they can prevent the other side from scoring ("If we have the ball, you can't score, no matter how big or strong you are. I've always worked off that").

Last season Swansea would happily recycle possession over and over again if they needed to, showing immense discipline in attack and defence. Players are expected to calculate precisely when to move forward and when to press. Risk taking is forbidden; keeping possession is everything.

Rodgers' players must be highly technically proficient. They must be adaptable, mobile, and like the ball on the ground. So, who will fit this system, and who will be replaced?

Midfield

Rodgers' utilises a 4-3-3 formation, which heavily relies on the confidence and consistency of its central trio. Due to the fluidity of the system and the high pressing style, all players are expected to contribute defensively. With a carefully orchestrated zonal pressing system, theoretically all three of the central midfielders should be making tackles and interceptions.

As well as being vital to attacking play, both Britton and Allen were excellent defensively. Allen averaged 2.1 interceptions and 3.1 tackles per game, while Britton made 1.6 interceptions and 1.7 tackles. Their defensive work in the victory over Arsenal exemplifies this.

In attack, all three players must constantly make themselves available, for fluid movement, and be prepared to recycle the ball many times over before making a creative pass. The midfield must dominate, whilst feeding the energy of the wingers. Rodgers has commented, “when going forward, the best way to move the ball up the field is to create angles of diagonal pass. If you have two banks of four across defence and midfield there are no diagonal passes on. The system needs to be more fluid.” Pass and move. Pass and move. Pass and move...

Britton and Allen were amongst the top four passers in the league last season, with an astonishing 93.5% and 91.2% pass completion respectively. Yaya Toure, Mikel Arteta, Michael Carrick, Luka Modric and Alex Song were the only midfielders to make more passes than the Swansea pair.

The importance of their ball retention and systematic passing style is made evident by these screen grabs, taken from the 1-0 victory over Liverpool in Rodgers' final game before making the switch to Anfield.

The creator of the team comes from the advanced play-maker, leading the team from the top of the triangular triumvirate. His role is more simply defined, playing in a traditional attacking midfield role.

Who fits the bill, and who doesn't?

Rodgers' had already acknowledged the important role Lucas will play under his leadership. He is an absolute all-rounder, contributing equally to defence and attack. Liverpool's player of the year in 2011 played only 12 times last season before a knee injury ruled him out for seven months.

He makes an average of 53.7 passes per game with an 84.2% percentage completion - head and shoulders above any other Liverpool player. Defensively, Lucas makes an average of 5.4 tackles per game and 2.8 interceptions per game; again, far higher than any of his team mates. He is exactly in the mould of the central midfielder Rodgers' tactics require.

Lucas' Man of the Match performance against Man City in November clearly backs up this claim, and more strikingly, shows how similar his playing style is to the Swansea pair schooled by Rodgers. Lucas, Britton, and Allen all pass the ball around in a similar area of the pitch in similar directions and over similar distances.

Another player back in the fray is Alberto Aquilani, a regista in the classic Italian mould, the former Roma man never stood a chance in a Dalglish team. Aquilani is comfortable on the ball, using his vision and footballing intelligence to play as a deep-lying playmaker. If Rodgers is able to discipline the player and control his propensity for trying the Hollywood pass, then he could certainly perform a useful job.

Jordan Henderson's first season at Anfield was disappointingly tame, although his willingness to accept that he played “too safe” last campaign is a positive sign, suggesting a self-consciousness that may help him develop into a top player.

At Sunderland he was described by The Guardian as having an “adhesive first touch, vision, quick feet, pace, stellar passing and crossing ability and sure-footed tackling, allied to abundant energy”, claims validated by the screen grabs below. His energy and mobility manifest in an intricate passing style that would impress Brendan Rodgers. Note his use of diagonal passing and important defensive work.

Who will they look to sign?

Liverpool have now officially approached Swansea over Joe Allen. We don't need to go into any more detail as to why that would be a good signing; the Welshman lives and breaths Rodgers' system.

With Gerrard able to occupy the advanced role that Sigurdsson took for Swansea, the trio of Lucas, Allen and Gerrard mirrors perfectly the relationship between Britton, Allen and Sigurdsson last season.

Wingers

Brendan Rodgers employs explosive wingers on each flank, to exploit the full width of the pitch. Nathan Dyer and Scott Sinclair were among the best dribblers in the division in 2011/12, with 2.0 and 1.7 successful dribble per game, respectively. The following screen grabs show the importance of these players hugging the touchline, stretching the play as much as possible.

Interestingly, both Dyer nor Sinclair rarely seem to receive the ball near the byline. Try it yourself – take any Swansea game last season and use Stats Zone to look at the passes receieved dashboard for the wingers; virtually no activity past the 18 yard line. It is highly likely that, since they dominate possession and force the opponent to play on the back foot, there is very little room for them to drive to the byline. Counter-attacks are not a key element of Rodgers' tactics.

Bellamy and Downing are both players that possess pace and dribbling skills, and either player could feature in one of the wide positions.

Who will they be looking to sign?

Rumours of Sinclair rejoining Rodgers seem unlikely, considering he would already have broken his agreement not to buy players from Swansea if Allen joins Liverpool.

Daniel Sturridge would be a good signing, after the winger flourished under AVB at Chelsea and Owen Coyle at Bolton in a similar position. Rodgers would most likely lose a straight battle for his signature with Spurs, however.

Whoever Rodgers' signs, they will need to possess pace and, as ever, a good footballing brain. His interest in Clint Dempsey is testament to the importance placed on intelligence.

Striker

It came as no surprise that Andy Carroll was soon linked with a move away from Anfield. Rodgers has absolutely no intention of playing the ball off the ground next season; Swansea won the fewest aerial challenges of any team last year, with 5.9 per game.

Luis Suarez may be expected to perform as a lone striker next season, unless he will be moved into one of the wide positions to accommodate new signing Fabio Borini, who has had excellent spells at Swansea and Roma.

Conclusion

If Rodgers is able to sign Joe Allen, and perhaps a winger, then his Liverpool squad should already be capable of quickly adapting to his Spanish-style system. Dalglish's depleted, eclectic squad doesn't initially look like one prepared for a Rodgers revolution, but certain players frozen out under King Kenny may make a triumphant return.

Bellamy, Aquilani, and Henderson may find themselves greatly improved under the former Swansea boss. With the addition of Joe Allen, the squad will already have the foundations for Rodgers' tiki-taka vision.

Van Persie, Lucas, Gaitan, Baines: Which players can help Man Utd win back the title?

2012-07-27T14:38:00Z

Despite only losing last season's Premier League title on goal difference, Manchester United will still need to make changes if they are to have any chance of overhauling rivals Manchester City in 2012/13. Alex Keble, editor of TheChalkBoard.org.uk, assesses where they went wrong last season, and where they need to strengthen...

Central Midfield: Playmaker

Needless to say, the constant presence of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in the centre of midfield last season was somewhat alarming, given their age and declining mobility. Despite this, the pair did manage to generally maintain a high level of performance.

Ferguson has recently moved away from his tradition of fielding a robust, hard-working midfielder and begun to accommodate more passers into his central midfield. His system mainly featured Michael Carrick alongside Scholes or Giggs; the runners received little playing time. Anderson made only 10 appearances, Phil Jones featured only six times in this position and Ji-Sung Park three.

The ball-winner is no longer a necessity for Ferguson, with greater dependency placed on Carrick to perform defensive work. He has begun to adopt a Fletcher-esque role while retaining his passing duties, beginning attacks and giving more freedom to those ahead of him - as argued extensively here. This reshuffle allowed Giggs or Scholes, who no longer have the mobility to feature in multiple areas of the field, to focus on controlling the game from the centre of the pitch, giving themselves the time and space to work the ball out wide.

Despite their strong influence on the game, these screen grabs show the absence of attacking thrust provided by any of the current midfield pairings. Even though their performances have been first class, their role is almost exclusively aimed at giving the ball to United's wingers, where a huge majority of their goals came from.

Giggs may have provided eight assists, but the next most creative non-winger was Rooney, with four. Nani, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia made a combined 30 assists in the league last season.

Manchester United cannot afford to lack central attacking intent again next year; it makes them too one-dimensional. In the 1-0 defeat to Wigan last season, United's wingers were rendered ineffective by Wigan's wing-backs, as their surprise 3-5-2 formation marked Young and Valencia out of the game. Wingers nullified, United's ability to attack was completely stifled.

Take a look at the screen grabs below. Valencia was closed down quickly, forcing him to almost exclusively play backwards passes, while Young simply could not get into the match. Manchester United were forced to create chances centrally, which they found very difficult to do.

What can Man Utd do about it? Ferguson has already begun to address this issue with the capture of Japanese star Shinji Kagawa. Asian football expert John Duerden wrote, “wherever he plays, Kagawa's presence translates into goals. [He has] vision, technique, movement and deft passing”.

Kagawa's favourite position is as a secondary striker, although he is widely expected to play in a slightly deeper role for Manchester United. Playing 31 times in the Bundesliga last season for Dortmund, Kagawa amassed 13 goals and eight assists: “the boy plays like an angel”, in the words of former team-mate Nuri Sahin.

As well as their new signing, United can look forward to the return of Tom Cleverly, although he is not exactly in the mould of the playmaker they crave. Cleverly is a player that controls the game with the crispness of his passing, constantly making himself available to his team-mates, as the screen grabs show us. He is more a Jack Wilshere than a Cesc Fabregas.

Nicolas Gaitan, Benfica's play-maker, has been linked with a move to Old Trafford following his excellent performances in last season's Champions' League (five assists in five matches). Gaitan shone against Manchester United in the group stages, displaying the directness of his attacking ability, as indicated by the amount of useful possession he had deep in United's half.

Brazilian wonderkid Lucas Moura also appears to be on Ferguson's radar, and since he currently has only one play-making central midfielder in the squad, it is not surprising he is looking for another. Lucas would surely struggle to adapt to the English game, presenting the starlet as a prospect for the future, rather than an immediate solution. His exploits at the Olympics will tell us much about his Man Utd potential.

Secondary Striker

A key factor in Ferguson's 25 years of success at Old Trafford is his adaptability and unpredictability, winning titles with a number of different tactics, formations, and player types. One area in which he has rarely changed his policy, however, is the way he expects his two strikers to compliment one other.

He expects one of his front men to drop deeper, acting as a link between the midfielders and the forwards, with the remaining striker in a more traditional centre-forward role; he is expected to run the channels, hold up the ball, and find the spaces to exploit. The classic example of this is Yorke and Cole, but this combination had great success last season with Rooney as the secondary striker, behind Danny Welbeck.

Note how the majority of Welbeck's passes are backwards, with most of his useful work coming in the opposition penalty box. By contrast, Rooney is active all over the pitch, creating many chances from a position in-between the midfielders and forwards.

It is Ferguson's propensity towards this system that has kept a frustrated Berbatov out of the team. His style doesn't particularly fit into either of the striker moulds Ferguson uses; his imminent departure comes as no real surprise.

After a rare Rooney absence in September last year, Berbatov lined up in the deeper role in a 1-1 draw away to Stoke, where his creative impact on the game was virtually non-existent.

When the Bulgarian exits Old Trafford, Sir Alex will find himself left with Rooney, Welbeck and Hernandez as his only senior forwards. If Rooney was to pick up a long term injury, there really wouldn't be many options left.

As previously mentioned, Kagawa can play in this position, but considering he is already the only attacking midfielder in the squad, it would be a shame to rely on him in this role, leaving the midfield lacking its central thrust once again. Not to mention that the Japan international will be making his debut in the country, and therefore cannot necessarily be relied upon immediately.

Essentially, Ferguson has few options centrally, both in regards to his forwards and to his midfielders.

What can Man Utd do about it? Surprisingly, the main transfer targets (if heavy rumours are to be believed) are Robin Van Persie and Klaas Jan Huntelaar. Neither of these players provide a link-up role, although both are strong all-rounders.

It is possible that, expecting to play a more advanced central midfielder next season, Ferguson expects that the transition from a secondary striker to fielding two more traditional forwards would be a smooth one. This is still providing Rooney receives a long-term injury.

After failed attempts at fielding Berbatov as a secondary striker, perhaps Ferguson recognises that Rooney is irreplaceable, and that he simply needs another experienced, all-round forward that could shuffle up in the England star's absence. Neither Hernandez nor Welbeck are particularly versatile; the commanding presence of a Van Persie or a Huntelaar could do the trick.

In the North London derby last February, Van Persie shows us why, although not a deep-lying striker, he can provide a lot more to an attack than Hernandez or Welbeck. Note how frequently he creates chances for his team-mates, and how often he receives the ball in a deeper position.

Van Persie is also a decent poacher – something that is often overlooked due to the sheer brilliance of the more exciting elements of his play. 54% of his goals last season came from the 6 yard box, indicating his ability to function in a United side that currently relies heavily on their wingers for creativity. What's more, the Dutch striker scored 34% of his goals in the final 20 minutes of matches. The determination and resilience that characterises Ferguson teams - hence their astonishing record of scoring late goals – is a quality RVP also appears to possess.

Left Back

At 31 years old, Patrice Evra may be in the beginning of his decline. Although opinion is divided on the quality of his performances last season, there remains a percentage of United fans that believe his pace and concentration is not what it used to be. Admittedly, many still believe him to be an excellent full-back. Unfortunately, the statistics are not in his favour.

In the vast majority of United's poor performances last season – in matches where they conceded at least three goals - almost all of the chances created by the opposition came down United's left side. This, of course, could be as much Young's fault as Evra's.

Regardless of who is to blame for this unnerving correlation, Man Utd have only one senior left back in the squad.

What can Man Utd do about it? Ferguson has been trying to sign PFA Team of the Year member Leighton Baines for a while now, and the pursuit is on-going; his age and attacking flair make him the perfect fit for this side. Evra's position in the United team may be less certain in the 2012/13 campaign.

Conclusion

Clearly there is work to be done if United wish to keep up with their local rivals. Signing a forward, a central midfielder, and a left-back to bolster the squad are the minimum requirements. A central defender to replace the ever-slow Vidic and Ferdinand may need considering, and question marks remain over the solidity of David De Gea.

An active window beckons, but if Ferguson and the Glazers are to be believed, Man Utd have the funds to find the players they need to keep their title aspirations alive.

ANALYSIS Who and what to expect this season from AVB's Spurs

Evolution or revolution? Who and what to expect this season from AVB's Spurs

2012-07-20T11:30:00Z

With the Portuguese coach just starting to settle in at White Hart Lane, Alex Keble of TheChalkboard.Org.UK analyses how the new Spurs manager will approach the challenge of getting the club back into the Champions League...

Tottenham Hotspur have so far been relatively inactive in this summer's transfer window, ahead of Andres Villas-Boas's second attempt at tackling the Premier League. His two signings so far are telling, but a few more will be needed to consolidate his team and prepare them for a top four challenge. What can we expect of Tottenham in 2012/13?

The AVB System

A great admirer of Pep Guardiola, Villas-Boas employs a system that looks to exploit width when in possession, with a patient build up aimed at slowly carving out openings. When the ball is lost, they utilise a fast pressing game with a high defensive line.

The idea behind this strategy is relatively simple: by dominating possession, the opposition are forced to chase the ball for the majority of the match, leaving them tired, and positioned deep within their own half. Consequently, when the ball is lost, AVB's team will close them down quickly and high up the pitch. By doing so, the opposition find themselves tired, and with fewer options further up the field. Put under immediate pressure, they have little time to find a worthwhile pass, eventually conceding possession.

Having forced the opposition into a hurried clearance, his team can recycle the ball and, once again, begin the process of slowly building an attack. The approach is patient, relying on the knowledge that they are under no defensive danger, and that they must simply wait for the opportunity to pounce on any gaps that begin to develop as the opposition tires.

This system has been particularly successful for Vincent del Bosque's Spain, who, having forced the opposition to do all the running while they patiently kept possession, used their superior fitness to win the ball back quickly in the opponents' half whenever they lost it.

Villas-Boas is likely to adopt the same approach at Spurs. The system has a variety of positive and negative effects, requiring a specific types of players in different positions. So who will make the cut, and who will he look to sign? Let's start first with the positives of the squad he has adopted...

The Positives

Width

If possession football is the favoured approach, then success is hinged on tiring the opposition and forcing them out of position, patiently retaining possession and waiting for a gap to exploit. As such, the entirety of the pitch needs to be utilised; wingers that run the channels, and full-backs capable of playing high up the field, are required to stretch the play.

Last season, 38% of Chelsea's attacks came from the left side, and 34% came from the right, with only 28% coming through the middle. This was significantly more width than the previous AVB-less season, in which 38% came down the left, 31% came down the right and 31% through the middle.

This tactic had eclectic results for Villas-Boas at Stamford Birdge, as his Chelsea side never had the chance to get to grips with the system. But on the occasions it went right, such as the 5-1 victory at Bolton in October, we can see that his system relies heavily on the use of width.

Above we can see the constant attempts to use width – and in the screen grabs below, taken from the 3-1 victory over Everton later the same month, we can see how high up the pitch they looked to play, as well as the amount they were able to bring winger Daniel Sturridge into the game.

Will this work at Spurs? AVB chooses to exploit the width with a modern 4-1-2-2-1 formation, somewhere between 4-5-1 and 4-3-3. Spurs are already extremely well set up in this area, with the pace of Lennon and Bale fitting the bill perfectly; even Steven Pienaar, who had been frozen out by Harry Redknapp, might find his Spurs career rejuvenated. Amongst the rumours, Daniel Sturridge, Junior Hoilett, and Adam Johnson are all possible signings – Sturridge in particular may favour a reunion with the man who played him so frequently at Chelsea in the first six months of last season.

Central Midfield

The other crucial aspect of AVB's system is technical proficiency in multiple areas of the pitch. His defenders are required to be comfortable on the ball, while his midfield trio need to be efficient with the ball if high possession statistics are to be achieved.

In the past, Villas-Boas has generally accommodated two technically proficient midfielders by complimenting them with a more defensive player. He often uses one attacking central midfielder (let's call this role A), one attack-minded but box-to-box player (role B), and one defensive midfielder (role C). At Chelsea, AVB never really pinned down his favourite three, with Romeu, Mikel and Essien all rotating in the deeper role (C), and Lampard, Mata, Meireles, Kalou, Ramires and Malouda all tried in the other two positions (A & B).

The screen grab below, taken from the 2-1 victory over Man City, indicates how the two more advanced midfielders have different roles in the system. Ramires was expected to contribute to more phases of play and help defensively (role B), whilst Meireles was expected to focus on the final third as the creator (role A).

Will this work at Spurs? The main trio of midfielders at Spurs look as if they were designed specifically for Villas-Boas. Parker (or perhaps Sandro, a more traditional tough tackling 'stopper' of the kind AVB favours) will slot into the deeper role (C), while Luka Modric will play as the box-to-box creator (B) and Rafael van der Vaart in a more advanced role (A). There is, however, a glaring flaw to this hypothesis: the imminent departure of Modric.

His nimble footwork, outstanding footballing intelligence, and his ability to dictate the tempo of the match, make him the perfect player for AVB's system, as indicated by his performances for Croatia at Euro 2012...

Any potential replacement will therefore need to be technically gifted, hard-working, and able to constantly make himself available for the pass, acting as the link between each phase of play. Bearing this in mind, why would Villas-Boas look further than the man who played in this role during his season of huge success at Porto?

Joao Moutinho was arguably Portugal's best performer at Euro 2012. His tireless running and intricate passing were invaluable to Portugal's run to the semi-finals. The screen grabs below show why AVB is looking into the possibility of bringing him to the club. Failure to seal the deal for Moutinho would be a major blow to AVB's plans.

Elsewhere, AVB has already strengthened his options in this area, after noticing the absence of any play-making threat to challenge Van der Vaart. Gylfi Sigurdsson played in a similar role for Swansea last season, and should entertain Spurs fans next season playing at the top of the midfield trio(role A).

The Negatives

Defence (offside trap and high defensive line)

To successfully play the high pressing game characterised by possession football, the defence needs to be situated high up the pitch. As such, a rigorously organised offside trap is necessary. As previously mentioned, the biggest danger of this system is that you can get caught by players either beating the offside trap, and/or by swift counter-attacks that catch you too high up the field.

It is for this reason that Villas-Boas' Chelsea team were so inconsistent. The system requires ruthless tactical awareness; when implemented newly on a team with Mourinho-esque counter-attacking football etched into their DNA, there was the odd time when it went wrong. Unfortunately, when playing so high up the pitch, getting it wrong often has devastating effects.

One indication of this is Chelsea's poor disciplinary record. They amassed 74 yellows and 4 reds last season, up from 59 yellows and 1 red in the previous campaign. This can be largely attributed to their higher count of cynical fouls, as a result of their high pressing system being exploited.

The opposition, when they did break down the system, found themselves with plenty of room to run into; the space is (theoretically) hard to find, but when it is found out, you are in big trouble. Beating the offside trap and wriggling away from AVB's pressers means you get more opportunities to run behind the defence, leading to goalscoring opportunities and cynical fouls; 3 of their red card last season came from fouls on forwards clean through on goal.

In Chelsea's shock 3-1 defeat at home to an abysmal Aston Villa in December, the visitors were able to battle to victory by exploiting Chelsea's high line and inability to close them down, by utilising direct passes and the pace of Agbonlahor, who beat the offside trap far too often.

This means AVB's system requires well drilled defenders that are blessed with decent pace. The offside trap will occasionally be beaten, and as such you need to have the speed to recover from it. Equally, the players need to be adequate technically, as they will be required to participate in building slow attacks from deep.

Will this work at Spurs? This is a major danger zone for the current Tottenham squad. As Villas-Boas has shown in the past with his recruitment of Gary Cahill - a ball-playing centre back who caught an average of 1.5 offsides per match for Bolton (one of the highest in the league) – he knows exactly the type of player he needs. Michael Dawson, Ledley King, and William Gallas are too slow for the new-look Tottenham. Jan Vertonghen is an excellent signing, with all the hallmarks of an AVB star.

Nevertheless, AVB will probably need one more star defender, and will want to shift some of the dead wood.

Striker

This position is more difficult to define in the AVB set-up. He fluctuated between Torres and Drogba at Chelsea, while using the explosive Falcao in his days at Porto. The one certainty is that he will almost exclusively play with one out-and-out striker; there will be no forward partnership, and the front man must be capable of providing significant support to attacks, as well as scoring a large majority of the team's goals.

Will this work at Spurs? Defoe has reportedly been told he must stay at Spurs, which suggests Villas-Boas sees a future for him at the club. However, there is every chance that this is out of necessity, as he remains the only senior striker at the club. It is no surprise that Spurs are still interested in the powerful Adebayor, and their recent links to Guisseppe Rossi seem reasonable, with the Italian representing an all-round striker with a history of scoring goals. Klaas Jan Huntelaar, again, seems like a good fit.

Conclusion

We know the style, and we know the consistency he will play with. AVB's insistence on his tactical model was what ultimately led to his dismissal at Chelsea, as the Portugese manager stubbornly refused to change the style to fit the squad. In his mind, it should be the other way around. The squad must fit the style, and he will make signings and sell players accordingly.

A Modric replacement is a problem that needs to be urgently addressed, and Moutinho represents the perfect fit. Elsewhere, AVB will want at least two more forwards, considering his propensity towards squad rotation. Another defensive player, comfortable on the ball and quick off it, is also something he needs to look into.

The Tottenham squad is already set-up for AVB's style, and needs only minor tweaking. With a couple more signings, this Spurs squad could be very, very exciting next season.

Battle with club-mate Ronaldo hands Arbeloa the chance to justify Spain spot

2012-06-27T13:28:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's Euro 2012 StatsZone app to demonstrate the role played by Real Madrid fullback Alvaro Arbeloa in Spain's back four

In an ideal world, Vicente del Bosque wouldn’t be starting with Alvaro Arbeloa at right-back.

That’s a harsh assessment of the Real Madrid full-back’s ability, but it’s true – had Carles Puyol been fit, he would have joined Gerard Pique at the back, with Sergio Ramos playing at right-back, where he played throughout Spain’s tournament victories in Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010.

But Arbeloa has kept his place ahead of Atletico right-back Juanfran, and has started all four of Spain’s matches at Euro 2012 so far. He is not a spectacular player, but instead a very functional one. His versatility means he’s assured of his place in the squad – more so than some of Spain’s bigger names, and besides, his experience means he’s not overawed by the matches.

While he hasn’t looked out of place playing for Liverpool and Real Madrid, he’s struggled in a couple of Spain’s matches so far. Defensively, there are no problems – and Spain enjoy such a large proportion of possession, Arbeloae rarely has to perform any particularly taxing tasks in his own third. But his passing has often been slow, frustrating Spain’s creative players, who want the ball played into their feet more quickly.

Another problem has been his poor pressing. In Spain’s opening game against Italy, Xavi Hernandez could be seen shouting at Arbeloa to move forward quicker, to pressure Emanuele Giaccherini in possession. Arbeloa eventually did so – but by the time he did, it was too late in Xavi’s book. This was slightly unfair on Arbeloa – he was a full-back in a back four, while Giaccherini was a wing-back, with more license to push high up the pitch. Arbeloa’s pressing seemed leisurely in comparison, but he did have a different tactical role in the side.

Since then, his pressing has improved – but more interestingly, so has his distribution and his attacking positioning. Against France, for example, Laurent Blanc tried to shut down Jordi Alba by deploying two right-backs, Mathieu Debuchy and Anthony Reveillere, in tandem. That evidently failed, as Debuchy’s slip allowed Alba to cross for Xabi Alonso’s opening goal.

But it was equally interesting what France did on the opposite flank. Franck Ribery, whether because of managerial instructions or pure laziness, had no interest in tracking Arbeloa. The Bayern winger stayed high up the pitch, the closest man in support of Karim Benzema. Arbeloa would have been informed by the Spanish coaching staff (who put considerable effort into scouting individual opponents) that Ribery had counter-attacked past Ukraine right-back Oleg Husiev in France’s second match, setting up the winner. He could have been cautious.

Instead, Arbeloa motored forward, stretched the play, and provided the constant out-ball on the right, generally found by Xavi or Xabi Alonso’s long diagonal passes. He may not have been involved in play as often as Alba, but the distance on the passes shows that his positioning allowed Spain to switch the angle of attack, moving France across the pitch.

Of course, Arbeloa isn’t as naturally attacking as Alba, a former winger. “The manager asks me to be aware when Jordi Alba attacks, to cover,” Arbeloa told Sid Lowe of the Guardian. “I go on to the pitch focusing on trying to be defensively perfect. That's my first objective…the quality of your runs up the wing is more important than the quantity.”

Tonight will be the biggest test of Arbeloa’s tournament, as he faces club teammate Cristiano Ronaldo. In Arbeloa’s Liverpool days, he famously did a fine job on Lionel Messi when playing at left-back, taking advantage of Messi’s tendency to come inside onto Arbeloa’s stronger right foot. This challenge will be very different – the reverse, in fact.

It will be fascinating to see how Arbeloa plays against Ronaldo. Will he remain cautious and stay close to Gerard Pique, denying Ronaldo space in that zone? Does he stick very tight to Ronaldo, as the Czech Republic’s Theodor Gebre-Selassie did in Portugal’s previous game? Or is he even braver, and do what he did against Ribery – pushing forward and trying to force Ronaldo back?

As Portugal play no true attacking midfielder, Sergio Busquets would be able to move across and cover.

Ronaldo is clever and varied with his positioning – against the Czechs he got away from the man-marking but drifting into the centre of the pitch much more frequently than he did against Holland.

Arbeloa is the most important player when it comes to stopping Ronaldo – but Spain will need to deal with him as a team.

ANALYSIS Italian intelligence the real test for Gerrard

Euro 2012 Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE in-play during all Euro 2012 matches. Stats Zone is brought to you in association with Coral

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Sneijder and Ozil use different methods to shake off the shackles

2012-06-10T11:40:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's Euro 2012 StatsZone app to analyse the action from Poland and Ukraine

Many pundits feared the opening games of Euro 2012 would be cagey and defensive, and that over the first couple of days, we’d be marvelling at excellent defensive displays, rather than impressive individual performances in the final third.

To a certain extent, that’s true; Denmark’s centre-back pairing of Daniel Agger and Simon Kjaer performed impressively during the final stages of their surprise 1-0 win over the Netherlands, while Mats Hummels and Holger Badstuber looked solid at the back when Portugal pushed forward and asked questions of the German defence, and held onto a 1-0 lead.

But two of the most impressive individual displays have come from attacking midfielders who also starred at the World Cup two years ago: Wesley Sneijder of the Netherlands and Mesut Ozil of Germany.

The Dutch failed to score, while Germany relied on a deflected cross for their breakthrough – but the intelligence and invention of these two playmakers during their opening Group B games shouldn’t be underestimated.

The two men played similar roles. Although they were listed as central attacking midfielders on the pre-match team-sheets, both were starved of space in their natural zone. Denmark used William Kvist in a very deep-lying midfield role just ahead of the defence, and this forced Sneijder to drift into deeper and wider positions.

Denmark weren’t particularly strict with their defensive positioning, however, particularly on the flanks. Right-winger Dennis Rommedahl stayed very high up the pitch and barely looked to help Lars Jacbobsen down that side of the pitch. His defensive contribution was minimal, whereas on the other flank, goalscorer Michael Krohn-Dehli was more involved when out of possession.

This meant Sneijder could drift into that pocket of space between Jacbonsen and Rommedahl, and he combined nicely with Ibrahim Afellay. The Netherlands’ top two pass combinations were Sneijder to Afellay, and Afellay to Sneijder, as that was the zone where Denmark were allowing the Dutch space.

As a result of that space, Sneijder completed more passes than any player on the pitch, 62, generally towards the left of the pitch. Furthermore, he created an incredible ten chances, the majority from that zone. His astonishing pass to Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the second half, played with the outside of his right foot and bisecting the Danish centre-backs perfectly, was the highlight of a superb all-round display.

In the other Group B game, Mesut Ozil was faced with a similar problem. But whereas Sneijder tended to drift to the left, Ozil was more varied with his movement, popping up on both flanks sporadically. His average position is in the centre of the pitch, but a look at the positions he received the ball in will show you that he barely featured in the middle.

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Could Charlie Adam be the first victim of the 'Rodgers Revolution'?

2012-06-01T14:53:00Z

Brendan Rodgers’ Swansea side were applauded from the field by Liverpool supporters after their performance at Anfield back in November. That is rare to see in the modern game – even in front of a set of supporters renowned for appreciating good football – particularly because of the scoreline. Swansea hadn’t even won the game. They had drawn 0-0.

In terms of turning possession into shots, Swansea were actually one of the least efficient sides in Europe. They tended to hold onto the ball for extremely long periods, particularly at the back, even when trailing in games. It’s difficult to think of a side – even Barcelona – who place such emphasis upon ball retention over chance creation.

In one sense, it’s a defensive tactic – the more you hold onto the ball, the less chance there is that the opposition will threaten. This approach broadly worked for Swansea, although they only had the joint-tenth best record of goals conceded in the league last season, and they also conceded the seventh-most shots, which is surprising considering they enjoyed the third highest possession.

Rodgers’ approach was essentially very pragmatic. He knew his side excelled at holding onto the ball, but by Premier League standards Swansea were not particularly potent upfront, nor overwhelmingly secure at the back. Therefore, the longer Swansea were in possession, the better. They might create only a couple of clear-cut chances a game, but that was a better situation than forcing the ball forward too quickly, conceding possession and allowing the opposition into the game.

A clear feature of Rodgers’ game is his insistence on the goalkeeper passing out from the back. He actually recruited Dutchman Michel Vorm specifically because he was comfortable with the ball at his feet, and this style should suit Pepe Reina – renowned as a very good distributor of the ball, although often over longer distances than Vorm’s passes.

That said, Vorm did often hit the ball long when the opposition pressed Swansea’s centre-backs at goal kicks – see the difference in his distribution between the Bolton and Stoke home matches.

Daniel Agger is perfect for that style, too, while Martin Skrtel won’t be uncomfortable. At Swansea, right-back Angel Rangel was considered one of the best players on the ball, so almost all Swansea’s moves went through him – that might happen at Liverpool with leftback Jose Enrique, though rightback Glen Johnson is also good on the ball.

In midfield, Rodgers is likely to want neat, reliable passers. Lucas Leiva fits into this strategy perfectly, while Jordan Henderson should also benefit from Rodgers’ appointment, as he provides energy to connect the midfield and attack.

Steven Gerrard should have the discipline to adapt, though there could perhaps be question marks about Charlie Adam – he tries ambitious passes too often, and while Rodgers did favour quick switches from flank to flank, Adam’s pass completion rate will have to rise dramatically if he wants a place in Rodgers’ midfield – compare his passing to that of Leon Britton...

Upfront, we’re assuming that Rodgers will play a wide front three, with two wingers and a central striker. Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy are a perfect fit for either role, and Dirk Kuyt might be favoured for his versatility and hard running too. Stewart Downing might have more of a problem – he’d be pushed higher up the pitch, whereas he generally likes getting the ball to feet and running with it – though after his poor 2011/12, he should be open to a change of role.

There will inevitably be questions about how Andy Carroll will fit into a side based around short passing, but Carroll isn’t just a static, lumbering targetman. When he starred for Newcastle in the first half of 2010/11, he was potent all-round striker – quick across the ground, good at working the channels, and excellent when presented with a chance in the penalty box on his favoured left foot.

Carroll is not the antithesis of a short passing system, and has been wrongly typecast as a mere header of the ball. He could benefit from being asked to play an all-round game, and while Rodgers tending to stick to 4-3-3 at Swansea, a system with two strikers in home matches is perfectly possible.

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE in-play and covering Champions League and Premier League. Coming soon: the completely free Euro 2012 StatsZone, in association with Coral.

Could Kalou's direct running be what wins the Champions League for Chelsea?

2012-05-18T11:00:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app to preview Saturday's Champions League Final between Bayern Munich and Chelsea...

Chelsea’s performance in their semi-final victory over Barcelona was highly reminiscent of their former coach Jose Mourinho’s tactics in the 2010 semi-final, when his Inter side travelled to the Nou Camp and enjoyed a similarly successful result. Mourinho also went onto play Bayern in the final that year, kept roughly the same tactics, and Diego Milito scored both goals in a 2-0 win.

Will Chelsea follow Mourinho’s lead, and play the same way against Bayern as they did against Barcelona? The two sides play a similar style of football – Barcelona have the highest pass completion rate and highest average possession in Europe’s five major leagues, but Bayern are second in both categories. With 'home advantage' helping their dominance, the German side are likely to enjoy well over 50% of possession.

Of course, Bayern play with more natural width than Barcelona and, in Mario Gomez, have an aerial target for crosses. But the defensive stats from their match in Barcelona demonstrate that Chelsea have already been playing in a manner that will suit the challenge of Bayern – intercepting the ball in very central positions, but making tackles in wider positions to close down the wingers.

Frank Lampard has taken on a different role in Chelsea’s European fixtures this season. In the league, even when fielded as a deep-lying midfielder alongside John Obi Mikel, he still gets plenty of time to move forward into the opposition half and help create chances. But in the Champions League, he’s played as a very disciplined holding midfielder, something we haven’t seen him do before.

The graphic below demonstrates this – his Premier League role is as something of a box-to-box midfielder, spraying passes all over the pitch. In the home game against Barcelona, he barely got into the final third, and focused on playing passes out to Ramires and Juan Mata on the break.

It will be interesting to see where he is fielded in the final – he could play as a holding midfielder alongside Mikel, with Mata as the number ten and Florent Malouda and Salomon Kalou on the flanks. Alternatively, if Malouda isn’t fit, Mata will move wide, Lampard will be pushed higher up, and Michael Essien would come into the side alongside Mikel. Even then, it isn't yet clear whether Lampard would play high up the pitch in support of Drogba, or much deeper alongside his two midfield colleagues.

The suspension of Brazilian holding midfielder Luiz Gustavo means Bayern are without a certain first-teamer deep in midfield, and will therefore have to play Toni Kroos and Bastian Schweinsteiger as their two holders.

That means Kroos has to be brought back from the advanced midfield role he has filled so well in the two legs against Real Madrid. Instead, Thomas Muller will play there, probably occupying a position higher up the pitch, close to Mario Gomez.

But Muller also has a tendency to drift to the right when fielded in that No.10 position – in the away game against Marseille, for example, he consistently took up positions on the right wing (where he can also play) despite the fact Arjen Robben was playing in the same zone. Chelsea will have to be wary of this, and be careful that Ashley Cole isn’t overloaded in the left-back position.

Another enforced change for Bayern will be Diego Contento coming in at left-back in place of the suspended David Alaba. Contento won’t know his direct opponent until kick-off – Salomon Kalou could play on that flank, or Di Matteo could decide to put Juan Mata out there. Those two players offer a very different threat, with Kalou more of a dribbler and Mata likely to put himself in central positions and create.

Interestingly, Contento is a very different style of left-back to Alaba. As Contento showed in Bayern’s game at Manchester City earlier in the season, he’s much more of an interceptor than a tackler, the complete opposite of Alaba. With that in mind, his style might be more suited to playing against Mata’s clever positioning than against Kalou’s direct running with the ball.

Why Michael Carrick should start for England this summer

2012-05-16T10:47:00Z

If it's a straight shoot-out between Carrick, Parker and Barry for the defensive midfield role, the stats show the Old Trafford man should get the nod, says Alex Keble

Until recently, Michael Carrick's league form has gone somewhat characteristically unnoticed. His quiet consistency, although never overlooked by his manager, fails to draw the attention of the press. This is no real surprise: Carrick's play relies primarily on tackles and interceptions, breaking up opposition attacks before playing a simple pass to begin the classic Man United counter attack.

It's fair to say Carrick wouldn't be the first name suggested for Roy Hodgson's Euro 2012 squad, but a brief look at statistics from FourFourTwo's Stats Zone quickly answers any questions. It's not his defensive work that merits inclusion ahead of rivals like Tottenham's Scott Parker and Manchester City's Gareth Barry, but his excellent use of the ball.

Will England use a defensive midfielder?
Roy Hodgson is well renowned to be a pragmatic manager who, given only a short space of time to work with the players before the Euros, will look to focus on defensive solidity. He will be acutely aware of England's technical deficiency, knowing that England are, despite media hype, underdogs.

With this in mind, there's a good chance of Hodgson utilising a midfield anchorman. Analysing England's recent international record, we can see that in the last six competitive games England have won four and drawn two. All four wins came when England used a 4-5-1 with Parker playing deep; both draws were when Capello selected a more traditional 4-4-2.

Hodgson's West Brom team regularly switched between 4-4-2 and 4-5-1, choosing the latter against stronger teams when a more defensive set-up is necessary. In the last two months Hodgson has used five in midfield (with Youssouf Mulumbu in the holding role) against Man City, Newcastle, Chelsea and Man United. The likelihood of him fielding a similar formation in the European Championships seems relatively high, considering he has already acknowledged success in the summer is 'going to be unbelievably hard'.

Carrick, Parker or Barry?
So why pick Carrick ahead of Parker, the man whose terrier-like approach has seen him become an international regular and guaranteed first choice for high-flying Spurs – or Barry, who has been England's default defensive midfielder for half a decade? At first glance, Parker makes more tackles per game than Carrick (3.8 to 3.1) and his interceptions are also superior (3.2 to 2.5). His play on the ball, however, is far weaker than Carrick's.

This isn't an abstract problem. Hodgson has been quoted as saying "If you take [the second striker] out, the threat to the back of the defence has to come from the midfield, you need midfield players bursting forward... The central midfielders do an important job for you, they’re going to protect the back four, and they’re also going to be the catalysts for attacks'.

In other words, in Hodgson's 4-5-1, he needs two thing from his central midfield. He needs them to be "bursting forward" – which seems much more like Parker than Barry – but he also needs them to be the "catalyst for attacks". Step forward Michael Carrick.

Carrick's defensive statistics may not be as high as Parker's but they are still very good. He makes 3.1 tackles per game, more than both Marouane Fellaini and Alex Song. He also averages 2.5 interceptions per match – no mean feat for a midfielder.

What's most intriguing is the number of clearances Carrick makes: a puny 1.6 per game, lower than Parker and Barry. Why is it that a midfielder so adept at breaking down opposition attacks rarely makes clearances? The answer: he seldom feels the need to do so.

Carrick's ball retention is outstanding. He makes an average of 72.4 passes per game, significantly higher than Parker or Barry, and bettered only by Yaya Toure and Mikel Arteta, arguably the two best midfielders in the league this season. Of these passes, Carrick has an 89.8% completion rate, and his long pass completion is even more impressive, with an average of 6.1 per game: Carrick rarely loses the ball, rarely gives away possession.

Given Hodgson requires a midfielder who can be the "catalyst for attacks", Carrick fits the bill perfectly. The consistency of his passing and his ball retention skills make, as can be easily seen in any Man United match, a huge contribution to their swift counter-attacks.

If Hodgson requires attackers to burst forward to support a lone striker, than surely an anchorman who will play the pass rather than clear his lines is the best way to ensure his fellow midfielders can offer attacking support quickly and efficiently. The cool head of Carrick, calmly retaining possession and beginning an England attack, suddenly appears as a favourable option to Parker.

Evidence: Head-to-Head In Key Games
To consolidate this idea, let us analyse Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur against the same opponent: their 2-1 victories against Arsenal.

When United won at the Emirates in January, Carrick played as part of a four-man midfield, in an anchor role that allowed Giggs the freedom to link up with Rooney, dropping into his familiar role at No.10. Parker played a very similar role as part of a four-man midfield in Spurs' October win over Arsenal.

The Stats Zone statistics show us Carrick's high pass success rate (51 out of 56) and his unusually low number of clearances (2), suggesting good ball retention and controlled defensive play.

What's more, Carrick made more passes and more tackles than any other player on the pitch, although, importantly, he made comparatively few clearances, and fewer than his counterpart Alex Song. United had 51.4% possession at the Emirates, completing 350 passes to Arsenal's 334.

Whereas Carrick trumped his fellow midfielders for the number of passes made, the stats show that Parker made fewer passes than five other players including four Arsenal midfielders; indeed, at White Hart Lane Arsenal had 61.7% and completed 415 passes to Tottenham's 227.

Perhaps as a result of this pressure, Parker made more tackles than Carrick (and the second most in the game).

Both men attempted two clearances, but Carrick's were inside his own penalty box, suggesting he will only clear the ball and willingly concede possession when there is imminent danger. Parker's clearances, from slightly further forward, may indicate a deficiency in composure. This may appear a subtle difference, but it may just be exposed at international level.

Perhaps more damningly, Opta stats reveal that Parker was tackled more often than Carrick (or for that matter Gareth Barry). The Spurs man was dispossessed 58 times in his 29 league games – twice a game, double the average of Barry (36 times in 34 games) and four times Carrick, who was dispossessed only 15 times in 30 games. With possession of paramount importance, Carrick is simply less likely to lose the ball.

Carrick for England?
England were transformed in 2007 when Gareth Barry re-entered the England set-up in a similar role, albeit in a 4-4-2 formation. Having relied on the tenacity of Owen Hargreaves up until this point, the introduction of an excellent passing midfielder in a deep role instantly gave more freedom to Steven Gerrard. Barry has remained in the England set up ever since, but his defensive work cannot compare to that of Parker or Carrick.

It is interesting to note that Manchester United, a team with the highest possession rate in the league, have won fewer aerial duels than any team bar Swansea and Wigan. Having a defensive midfielder who does not put the ball in the air, but instead quickly and efficiently turns over possession, certainly helps this statistic, and gives his fellow midfielders more time on the ball.

It's no wonder that Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs have had such great seasons dictating play from the centre of the park, while Ashley Young has impressed on the left,Wayne Rooney has had his best league goalscoring season and Danny Welbeck has broken through for club and country. With Carrick in the England side, we can expect a similar amount of time and space for his team-mates in Ukraine.

Carroll lord of the skies, Gallas a pass-master and the thing Stephen Warnock is good at

2012-05-15T15:00:00Z

With the 2011/12 Premier League season now behind us, we reveal the Stats Zone Awards!

note: there is no tangible prize for any category.

Best and worst passing accuracy (of players to have attempted over 500 passes)
1. Leon Britton (Swansea) 93.49% (2258 passes)
2. William Gallas (Tottenham) 93.05% (676)
3. Paul Scholes (Man Utd) 93.05% (1137)

1. Steve Morison (Norwich) 56.04% (546 passes)
2. Kevin Davies (Bolton) 57.77% (901)
3. Peter Crouch (Stoke) 59.26 (1141)

Most unsuccessful long passes
1. Maynor Figueroa (Wigan) 178
2. Marc Wilson (Stoke) 158
3. Phil Jagielka (Everton) 146

Most shots per minute
1. Edin Dzeko (Man City) 71 shots in 1497 minutes (21.1 mins per shot)
2. Robin van Persie (Arsenal) 141 shots in 3334 mins (23.6)
3. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 120 shots in 2839 mins (23.7)

Fewest successful passes per minute
1. Djibril Cisse (QPR) 68 passes in 536 mins (7.9 mins per successful pass)
2. Ryan Shawcross (Stoke) 418 passes in 3169 mins (7.6)
3. Conor Sammon (Wigan) 116 passes in 835 mins (7.2)

Most shots off-target from outside the penalty area
1. Gareth Bale (Tottenham) 27
2. Wayne Rooney (Man Utd) 26
3. James Morrison (WBA) 24

Most blocks
1= Jonas Olsson (WBA) 39
1= Ashley Williams (Swansea) 39
3. Gary Caldwell (Wigan) 36

Most aerial duals won
1. Andy Carroll (Liverpool) 153
2. Peter Crouch (Stoke) 149
3. Younes Kaboul (Tottenham) 121

Most interceptions
1. Stephen Warnock (Aston Villa) 103
2. Youssuf Mulumbu (West Brom) 101
3. Stilian Petrov (Aston Villa) 97

Best shot-to-save ratio
1. David de Gea (Man Utd) 77.86%
2. Joe Hart (Man City) 76.98%
3. David Stockdale (Fulham) 75.86%

Most fouls committed
1. Wigan Athletic 485
2. Everton 481
3. Bolton Wanderers 463

1. Grant Holt (Norwich) 89
2. Marouane Fellaini (Everton) 88
3. Alex Song (Arsenal) 73

Most fouls suffered
1. QPR 446
2= Swansea 433
2= Newcastle United 433

1. Jonas Gutierrez (Newcastle) 86
2. Victor Moses (Wigan) 76
3. Luis Suarez (Liverpool) 74

Most goals scored from outside the penalty area
1. Manchester City 20
2. Manchester United 15
3. Tottenham Hotspur 14

Most goals conceded from crosses
1. Manchester United 27
2= Chelsea 24
2= Norwich 24

Team to hit the woodwork the fewest times (because we're bored of hearing about Liverpool's bad luck)
1= Norwich 7
1= Stoke City 7
3. Bolton Wanderers 8

Best shot conversion rate
1. Manchester United 18.94%
2. Manchester City 17.68%
3. Newcastle United 15.77%

Worst shot conversion rate
1. Liverpool 9.13%
2. Wigan Athletic 11.02%
3. Aston Villa 11.14%

Congratulations one and all. Now, about that after-party...

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE in-play and covering Champions League and Premier League. Coming soon: the completely free Euro 2012 StatsZone, in association with Coral.

The Premier League team that haven't given the ball away once all season

2012-05-15T11:33:00Z

Forget Barcelona (and Swansea), this would be the best passing team in the world.

OK, so they don't have a goalkeeper, and most of them are inexperienced forwards who made just one substitute appearance, but the below are the 11 players to have completed 100% of their passes in the Premier League this season...

Owen Hargreaves (Man City) 15 passes
Marcel Gecov (Fulham) 11
Callum McManaman (Wigan) 7
Cameron Lancaster (Tottenham) 4
Bruno Andrade (QPR) 4
Sebastien Squillaci (Arsenal) 3
Will Keane (Man Utd) 3
Ryan Noble (Sunderland) 3
John Gorman (Wolves) 1
Jordan Slew (Blackburn) 1
Stefan Maierhofer (Wolves) 1

Now all they need is a manager with experience of coaching a group of tika-taka types. If only there was one available...

20 FACT!s you didn't know about this season's Premier League

2012-05-14T13:42:00Z

Liverpool were the only team to convert fewer than 10% of their shots into goals this season. If all shots were goals, Liverpool would have finished third, behind Chelsea and Manchester City.
Sacked Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas had a higher win percentage in league games (48.2%) than Roberto di Matteo (45.5%).
Tottenham's Jermain Defoe became the first player in Premier League history to reach 20 (career) goals as a substitute.
Aston Villa recorded their fewest wins in a top-flight season since 1890/91 (seven), when there were only 12 teams in the division. Villa were the only side not to score from a corner in the PL this season.
Liverpool's Stewart Downing had 72 shots without scoring (more than any other player) and created 55 chances without supplying an assist (more than any other player) in the Premier League. He also took one penalty and hit the woodwork five times.
Manchester City are the third team in Premier League history to earn 55 points from a possible 57 on home soil (along with Chelsea 2005-06 & Manchester United 2010-11).
Manchester United’s total of 89 points is the highest recorded in a Premier League season by a team who didn’t win the title.
Liverpool’s total of 52 points is their worst ever in the Premier League.
Tottenham earned more points from London derbies than any other side this season (14). Their final total of 69 points is just one point fewer than their best (70 in 2009-10).
Only one player has scored more goals for a relegated Premier League side than Yakubu's 17: Andy Johnson (21 for Crystal Palace in 2004/05).
Norwich's Grant Holt scored 15, the most for a newly-promoted side since Andy Johnson.
Liverpool are the only top-flight team to have lost every away game they have fallen behind in this season (10 in total).
Arsenal have recovered more points from losing positions than any other team in the Premier League (24).
The last player to score as many goals on his debut PL season as Manchester City's Sergio Agüero (23) was Fernando Torres (24 in 07/08).
QPR received nine red cards in the PL this season, the joint-most by a team in a single Premier League campaign (with Sunderland 2009/10).
This is John Terry’s highest-scoring season in the Premier League (six goals).
Manchester United's Wayne Rooney has 27 league goals this season, the most he’s ever managed in a Premier League season. Rooney reached double figures for away goals in the Premier League for the first time.
Swansea recorded the second-highest pass completion rate in the PL this season (85.7%).
QPR's Djibril Cissé played in eight league games this season: he was sent off in two and scored in the other six.
Wolves didn't score in the opening 15 minutes of any league game until their last, at Wigan this weekend.

Premier Pub Ammo: Deep Scholes, supreme City, woeful Liverpool, deadly Arsenal

2012-05-14T11:42:00Z

Fascinating facts flung from FourFourTwo's StatsZone app, powered by Opta.
Coming soon: the completely free Euro 2012 StatsZone, in association with Coral.

Everton 3-1 Newcastle United
Despite only returning to Everton in January, this is Steven Pienaar’s joint-highest scoring season in the PL (four goals, all for Everton). Pienaar has been involved in eight goals in his last eight PL games: three goals, five assists. Nikica Jelavic has bagged nine goals in 13 PL games since joining Everton in February, making him their top league scorer for the campaign, and equalling Tim Cahill’s tally from 2010/11. Everton had 10 shots on target in this match, their most in a PL game this season. Demba Ba failed to score in all 13 league games where he and Papiss Demba Cisse have started together this season.

Manchester City 3-2 Queens Park Rangers
Pablo Zabaleta’s goal was his first of the season in all competitions; Edin Dzeko scored his first league goal since February. Dzeko's goal was City's 43rd shot, Sergio Agüero's was their 44th. City's 44 shots (to QPR's three) is the most by any team in the PL since 2003/04: no other side this season has managed more than 31 shots in a game.

City had 81% possession in this match, the most recorded by a team in the PL this season, and completed 651 passes to QPR's 85.

Norwich City 2-0 Aston Villa
Norwich got their first league clean sheet in 14 games.

Stoke City 2-2 Bolton Wanderers
Jonathan Walters scored for the first time in 19 league games: his last goal was on New Year’s Eve. It was only his second PL brace (also vs West Brom in November 2010). Kevin Davies scored three goals in his last four league games. Mark Davies scored four league goals this season, having scored just one in his career before this campaign.

Sunderland 0-1 Manchester United
Paul Scholes made 98 successful passes, more than any other player on the last day, but only eight in the final third.

Swansea City 1-0 Liverpool
Liverpool’s possession of 38% in this game was their lowest in a Premier League match this season.

Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Fulham
Emmanuel Adebayor has scored in three successive Premier League games for the first time since February 2010.

West Bromwich Albion 2-3 Arsenal
Arsenal have conceded two goals before half-time in three of their last five league games. Arsenal scored with all three of their shots on target in this game. Baggies ‘keeper Martin Fulop made two errors leading to goals.

Wigan Athletic 3-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wigan have scored six first-half goals in their last two Premier League home games. They have won three Premier League games in a row for the first time since January 2009, and have taken 21 points from their last nine games, more than any other side in the division. Wolves have won none of their last 14 Premier League matches, losing 10 in that run.

How QPR can beat Man City and West Brom can stifle Arsenal

2012-05-11T10:37:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app to preview the final round of Premier League games.

Coming soon: the completely free Euro 2012 StatsZone, in association with Coral.

With the title, the Champions League places and the relegation spots all to be decided this weekend, there are plenty of interesting fixtures on the Premier League’s final matchday of 2011/12. But there’s only one place to start – Manchester City’s home game with Queens Park Rangers, crucial at both ends of the table.

While Newcastle were eventually defeated once Roberto Mancini moved Yaya Toure higher up the pitch last week, their general approach worked quite well against City – they sat deep and very narrow, making it difficult for Mancini’s side to play through the middle. With David Silva and Samir Nasri both moving inside from the flanks, City had no natural width, and when they were shown wide, their crosses were poor.

Therefore, the natural strategy for QPR this weekend will be to replicate Newcastle’s approach – to defend narrow and not bother trying to win the ball in wide positions. Trouble is, that’s the exact opposite of what they did last weekend at home to Stoke. Then, QPR’s players were told to stop the delivery from wide zones – so this weekend will be a good test of Mark Hughes’ side’s tactical flexibility.

Of course, if QPR fail to get a point, Bolton Wanderers can survive with a win over Stoke City. There’s recent history between these two clubs – Stoke thrashed Bolton 5-0 in last season’s FA Cup semi-final at Wembley, before Bolton got revenge with the same scoreline in November’s win at the Reebok.

That match was while Stoke were competing in the Europa League, however, and Tony Pulis was scathing about his side’s performance after the game. “It’s in the bottom three or four games in over eight years I’ve been at the club,” he said. “The way we’ve played is just not good enough…we were very, very poor all over the pitch.”

This will be a much more closely-fought match, and since Stoke currently have nothing to play for, Bolton might regret giving them such a beating back in November – it gives Pulis’ side motivation ahead of an otherwise meaningless match for them.

Meanwhile, Arsenal will be trying to secure third place against a West Bromwich Albion side that has often frustrated them at the Hawthorns in recent years – last season Roy Hodgson’s side earned a point in a 2-2 draw.

That performance from West Brom was a stereotypical display from a Hodgson side – barely any closing down high up the pitch, but instead two solid banks of four behind the ball, well inside West Brom’s own half. As the graphic below shows, no tackles were made higher than the halfway line, and only six of 28 interceptions were made in the opposition half.

West Brom are currently in 10th place, but could (in theory) finish 14th if they lost to Arsenal. That would mean a difference of £2.8m in prize money – a decent amount to a midtable Premier League club, so this game isn’t without meaning for a home side saying farewell to the next England manager.

Tottenham will be looking to take advantage of any Arsenal slip-up, with a London derby at home to Fulham. Spurs’ 3-1 win over Fulham in November looks like a comfortable victory on paper, but they actually struggled to create clear-cut chances throughout the game, with Fulham recording more than twice as many shots.

Tottenham generally created chances by playing the ball into central positions on the edge of the box, and the likelihood of them replicating these attacking moves depends largely upon the players Fulham use in the centre of midfield.

It will be two of Mahamadou Diarra, Danny Murphy and Moussa Dembele. Diarra brings most defensive protection, while Murphy is a distributor and Dembele provides attacking thrust. Martin Jol’s selection in that position will probably determine what type of game Tottenham can expect, and where they should try to create from.

Premier Pub Ammo: Shaky Szczesny, dead-eye Dempsey, penetrating Petrov...

2012-05-08T12:45:00Z

More data mined from the Stats Zone app, yours from FourFourTwo and Opta.

Arsenal 3-3 Norwich City
Alex Song has managed 10 assists in 33 PL games this season, compared to four in 116 league games before this term. Norwich have conceded a goal before half-time in each of their last nine Premier League games. Grant Holt has scored eight goals this season against the Premier League's current top eight sides.

One of Norwich’s goals came courtesy of a Wojciech Szczesny error; overall this season Arsenal have registered 13 errors leading to goals and five own-goals, with that total of 18 self-inflicted goals six higher than any other team in the Premier League.

Arsenal mustered 11 shots on target against Norwich, their joint-highest total in a single Premier League game this season. Norwich scored three goals from just four shots on target, with Szczesny’s overall saves-to-shots ratio this season now just 63.3%, the third worst of any keeper to play 20+ games.

Newcastle United 0-2 Manchester City
Man City have scored a higher percentage of goals in the second-half than any other team in the PL this season (68%). After being pushed forward following Nigel De Jong's 61st-minute introduction, Yaya Touré netted his second Premier League brace. Touré also set up four shots.

Fulham 2-1 Sunderland
Clint Dempsey – who became the first American player to reach 50 Premier League goals – scored his second direct free kick in the league this season; only Sunderland's Seb Larsson has scored more (three).

Danny Murphy made the most passes in the PL this weekend (90). Moussa Dembelé completed seven dribbles: only three players have completed more in PL games this season. All four of Phil Bardsley’s Premier League goals have been scored from outside the area.

Queens Park Rangers 1-0 Stoke City
Djibril Cissé has either scored or been sent off in all seven Premier League appearances for Queens Park Rangers.

Aston Villa 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur
Emmanuel Adebayor has now been involved in 27 goals this season (16 goals and 11 assists), and is just one short of equalling his best campaign (07/08 – 24 goals, four assists). Tottenham had 19 corners in this match, the most by an away side in the PL since Opta started collecting that data in 2003/04, and the second-most in any PL game after Portsmouth (20 vs Fulham in November 2006).

Villa had just one shot on target in this match. Overall the Villans had just four shots, though this is actually one more than in their first meeting with Spurs this season (three), they didn’t have a single unblocked shot from inside the area.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 0-0 Everton
Wolves didn’t manage a single shot on target, but did manage to avoid equalling Sunderland’s record of 10 consecutive home league defeats.

Bolton Wanderers 2-2 West Bromwich Albion
West Brom got 10 shots on target, more than they've managed in any PL game apart from the 14 against Wolves in February. Excluding corners (two successful out of four), Martin Petrov made five successful crosses; the only player to manage more in the league this season is Wolves' Matt Jarvis, who has twice completed six.

Manchester United 2-0 Swansea City
United had 28 shots; they’ve only had more in one PL game this season (29 vs Aston Villa in April). Swansea achieved their lowest possession figure of the campaign (40.2%) this season, but Leon Britton completed all 27 passes he attempted.

Blackburn Rovers 0-1 Wigan Athletic
Blackburn had only 29% possession in the first half v Wigan. Rovers’ pass completion of 60.9% was their second lowest of the season and the eighth lowest of any team in any Premier League game this season. Paul Robinson has posted the lowest saves to shots ratio in the Premier League this season: 57% (the average is 69%).

Wigan's 20 shots equalled their best in a Premier League away game this season (they also managed 20 at Carrow Road). Franco di Santo created three chances, his best return in a Premier League game this season.

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE during the game, covering Champions League and Premier League.

Dalglish faces striker headache, and Torres could make it even worse

2012-05-04T12:30:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app to preview Saturday's FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Liverpool...

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish’s big decision ahead of Saturday's match against Chelsea at Wembley will be whether he starts Andy Carroll upfront, or uses Luis Suarez as his main striker. The Uruguayan forward is in great form following his hat-trick against Norwich last week, and enjoyed being able to roam the width of the pitch as the primary striker.

Suarez tends to play in the right-centre channel, where he gets the ball into feet and takes on opponents. Against Norwich, seven of his eight dribbles were on that side of the pitch, as were four of his five shots. He also played very well in the FA Cup semi-final by continually getting in behind Leighton Baines and taking on Sylvain Distin in that zone.

His opponent in that position would be John Terry, who dealt well with Suarez in their previous meeting at Stamford Bridge, despite the fact Andre Villas-Boas was ordering Chelsea to play with a high defensive line at that point. That meant Suarez’s main threat was his pace – now, with Chelsea playing deeper, Suarez will pick up the ball between the lines and run at Terry.

Carroll, of course, brings a more direct style to Liverpool’s passing. As the midweek game against Fulham showed, Liverpool hit a lot of long diagonal balls from the right-sided centre-back position towards Carroll, taking advantage of his aerial power, but making Liverpool’s attacks predictable.

Carroll had a difficult time in front of goal – from seven attempts, he got just one on target. Liverpool’s problem this season has been dominating games but not taking their chances, and Dalglish will have to question whether it’s worth bringing in Carroll’s aerial presence if he’s not offering a significant goal threat.

Roberto Di Matteo has been rotating his side in recent weeks, but has tried to keep his centre-back pairing together before big games, so the fact John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic started in the midweek defeat to Newcastle suggests they’re likely to start at Wembley this weekend.

There’s an interesting pattern to the way Chelsea pass the ball out of the defence – Terry always plays significantly more passes than Ivanovic, and is more likely to play incisive forward balls into attackers to the left of the pitch.

Ivanovic, however, is more ponderous on the ball, and plays either sideways passes to Terry, easy balls out to the full-back, or long, high diagonal balls. Liverpool would do well to focus on blocking potential forward passes for Terry – Ivanovic’s passing is unlikely to hurt them, unless he’s hitting long balls for Drogba.

But despite Drogba’s reputation as a cup final specialist, could Fernando Torres get a start against his former club? His late goal at Barcelona has improved his confidence, and his hat-trick last weekend against QPR showed he is back to something approaching his best. He’d relish the opportunity to play well against Liverpool on such a big stage this weekend.

Torres tends to pick up a lot of long balls towards the left of the pitch, yet becomes more involved in short passing over to the right. Equally interesting were the positions he scored from last Sunday – all three goals were hit from wide positions, either side of the six-yard box. If he starts, Torres will look to get into the positions between centre-back and full-back and receive balls through the defence – a very different threat from Drogba.

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE during the game, covering Champions League and Premier League.

Things you may not have noticed from Man City vs Man Utd

2012-05-01T11:13:00Z

Monday evening's crunch Premier League tie between Manchester City and Manchester United was perhaps as cagey and closely-fought as was to be expected, given what was at stake. Here are a few interesting tidbits we found using our StatsZone app...

One of the most telling statistics to emerge following last night's game was United's zero shots on target. It was the first time since May 16th 2009 against Arsenal that they have failed to hit the target in a league fixture.

But Wayne Rooney and friends weren't the only ones failing to hit the mark. Manchester City star Sergio Aguero also failed to find the target with his five shots on target, having previously been in sparkling form.

It was a case of18th lucky for City - the cross which lead to Vincent Kompany's first half header was their 18th of the match, and the first successfully find a man in a blue shirt. In the second half, City attempted a further eight crosses, all of which were unsuccessful.

Roberto Mancini's side found it far easier to create chances by attacking through the middle of the pitch and patiently waiting to thread passes through any gaps in United's defence.

Then again, this is perhaps no surprise given City's forwards - Aguero and Carlos Tevez - are both just 5ft8in.

Among City's top performers on the night was Samir Nasri. The Frenchman completed the most passes in the attacking third of the pitch and also completed the most successful take-ons of any player on the pitch.

But despite Nasri's impressive showing, it was one of City's defenders, Pablo Zabaleta, who created the most chances. The Argentine fullback made key passes on four occasions over the 90 minutes, generally from deep on the right.

Zabaleta also made the most interceptions of any player - six of City's 18. This consistent picking of United's pockets helped the Premier League's new leaders frustrate their rivals and fairly comfortably hold out for three points.

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE during the game, covering Champions League and Premier League.

Premier pub ammo: Torres and Pienaar reborn, Spurs break set-piece duck

2012-04-30T10:46:00Z

More data mined from the Stats Zone app, yours from FourFourTwo and Opta.

Chelsea 6-1 QPR
John Terry's 27th top-flight goal brings him only one behind Ian Harte in the list of Premier League goalscoring defenders – but second-placed Harte still lags 10 behind top man David Unsworth (38).

Chelsea's tally of 30 shots (including blocks) is the second-highest of any team in the PL this season. The only team to top it was Fulham with 31 when they lost 3-1 at home to Spurs in November – the Cottagers' only success that day coming via an own goal.

Fernando Torres has scored seven goals in 14 matches in all competitions under Roberto Di Matteo, compared to five in 49 under the previous two bosses at Chelsea. His compatriot Juan Mata now has the joint-most assists in the PL this term (13).

Tottenham 2-0 Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers became the first team since West Brom v Man City in December 2004 not to attempt a single shot (including blocked shots). Up the other end, Kyle Walker scored Tottenham’s first goal from a set piece in the PL this season: before his free-kick, they were the only team yet to score from one (direct or indirect). Conversely, only Aston Villa (23) have conceded more set-piece goals than Blackburn (22) this term.

Spurs' midfield partnership complemented each other perfectly. Sandro won 11 tackles, the highest in a PL game this season (yellow crosses on the screen below; green diamonds are interceptions). Luka Modric completed 103 passes in this game, the most by a PL player this weekend.

Everton 4-0 Fulham
Only Emmanuel Adebayor has provided more assists in a single PL game this season (four, v Newcastle in February) than Steven Pienaar's three against Fulham. Steven Pienaar has had a hand in 10 PL goals for Everton in 11 games (three goals and seven assists), compared to just one assist and no goals in 10 appearances for Tottenham.

Stoke City 1-1 Arsenal
The Potters scored with their only shot on target of the first half (they only managed two in the entire 90 minutes). In total, 39% of Stoke’s goals this season have been headers, a league-high proportion.

Sunderland 2-2 Bolton Wanderers
Nicklas Bendtner has been involved in six of Sunderland’s last 10 PL goals (five goals and one assist). Sunderland have scored a league-high five goals from direct free-kicks this season.

Swansea City 4-4 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolves have won 15 points from losing positions this season; only Arsenal (20) have gained more. Swansea have won just one of their last seven Premier League matches.

Wigan Athletic 4-0 Newcastle United
Victor Moses netted the earliest brace of the season in this match, both of his goals coming in the first 15 minutes.

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE during the game, covering Champions League and Premier League.

United will need defensive perfection to quell City's Argentine double-threat

2012-04-27T11:00:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses FourFourTwo's StatsZone app to preview Monday evening's Premier League title decider between Manchester City and Manchester United...

The relationship between Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero during Manchester City’s 2-0 win over Wolves last week was interesting – the two Argentines haven’t played together much this season, but they still had a good partnership, possibly because of their time together for their national team.

The basic idea was simple – Tevez would drop deep and play as the No.10, tempting the centre-backs to move forward and close him down. At the same time, Aguero would make runs in behind the defence and hope for a through-ball, generally from David Silva or Samir Nasri, though his goal was actually assisted by left back Gael Clichy. Aguero also drifted out to the left.

It will be interesting to see how United cope with this duel threat – the communication and understanding between Jonny Evans and Rio Ferdinand will have to be perfect – Evans will probably look to play as the covering defender to use his pace up against Aguero, while Ferdinand will watch former teammate Tevez more keenly.

At the other end, despite Manchester United’s shock collapse in the 4-4 draw with Everton, we did see some excellent link-up play between Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney – with Welbeck teeing up Rooney for United’s excellent fourth goal.

The two have a similar dynamic to Tevez and Aguero – Welbeck stays high up, Rooney drops deep, although there’s probably slightly more variation in their positioning.

A key part of the game will be precisely how deep Rooney and Tevez move to pick up possession. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Rooney playing as an extra midfielder, to help out Michael Carrick and Paul Scholes win the possession battle, and provide mobility. He might even drop back onto Gareth Barry when out of possession, to allow Carrick and Scholes to minimise the space between them and the United centre-backs, to close Tevez out of the game.

Sir Alex Ferguson described Jonny Evans as ‘arguably the best defender in the country’ earlier this month, but it was Manchester City’s Vincent Kompany who was elected into the PFA Team of the Year, alongside Newcastle Fabricio Coloccini.

But how do Evans and Kompany shape up statistically? Kompany makes more tackles per game (2.1 to 1.3) and more interceptions (2.4 to 1.9), but Evans makes more clearances (7.8 to 6.4) and blocks more shots (1.0 to 0.8). With the ball at their feet, Evans is more reliable, with a pass completion rate of 90.4% compared to Kompany’s 87%.

While both are excellent positionally, they are clearly very different in style – Kompany is an old-fashioned centre-back who dominates in the air with his physical strength, while Evans is a more precise, crafty defender who nicks the ball cleanly. In the biggest Premier League game of the season, the pressure will be on Kompany to live up to his billing from the PFA, and on Evans to prove his manager right.

One of the more striking contrasts in approach between the two teams in the reverse fixture was the distribution of the two goalkeepers. David De Gea looked to play short passes to his defenders, or longer balls out to the wing towards Nani, who could use his aerial power up against Gael Clichy. Whichever he did, his balls were generally controlled and precise.

Joe Hart, on the other hand, thumped long balls directly down the centre of the pitch towards Mario Balotelli, who tried to flick the ball on. That may change, however, with Tevez and Aguero unlikely to win many aerial balls, so City will most likely have to build up play more intricately.

The different approaches of De Gea and Hart with the ball are perhaps a reflection their nationalities, although over the course of the season there’s relatively little different between their pass completion ratios – De Gea is on 57.3%, Hart on 52.5%.

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE during the game, covering Champions League and Premier League.

Stats Zone analysis: How Chelsea shocked Barça and made it to Munich

2012-04-25T12:15:00Z

Much like the first leg, last night's Champions League semi-final second leg at Camp Nou featured a persistent attacking threat from Barcelona largely nullified by a stupendous defensive performance from Chelsea, as shown by the StatsZone app – from FFT & Opta, available now...

The player influence and average position diagrams for the second half of Tuesday evening's match are particularly telling – every Chelsea player was firmly entrenched deep in their own half, with every Barcelona man camped in opposition territory.

Having spent so much time pinned back in their own half, it’s no surprise that Chelsea had a lot of work to do repelling the ball from their own penalty area.

The Chelsea ‘wall’ made a combined 17 tackles, 24 interceptions and 59 clearances, but only conceded ten fouls for their trouble. This was all despite losing Gary Cahill to an early hamstring injury and John Terry to his own stupidity within 37 minutes.

Given the nature of the match, it comes as no surprise to see Barca dominating the passing statistics – but the degree to which they did so is still quite staggering.

In completing 161 passes, Xavi outdid all 14 of the visiting players to take to the pitch combined by 66.

In all, ten Barcelona players completed more passes than Chelsea’s top passer, Raul Meireles (15). The eleven players to complete the most passes in or into the offensive third of the pitch were all Barcelona players.

In fact, the Chelsea player to complete the most passes in or into the final third was goalkeeper Petr Cech, who found a man in a white Chelsea change strip six times.

This was six times more than Barca keeper Victor Valdes, mind you. The Catalan custodian unsurprisingly preferred to knock the ball short, rather than plant one on little Leo’s head from 70 yards.

This difference in approach summed up the two differing styles of play adopted by the two teams over the two legs. Barcelona persisted with their trademark patient short-passing game, while Chelsea loaked to soak up the pressure and get the ball forward as quickly and directly as possible in order to catch the European champions on the break. The simple fact Chelsea are in the final tells you which was the more effective tactic over the 180 minutes.

While none of the above came as much of a surprise, the fact Lionel Messi was unable to put Chelsea to the sword certainly did.

The two-times Balon d'Or winner completed just 74% of his passes - and only 69% of his passes in the attacking third - and was generally unsuccesful in his attempts to dribble past opposition players, succeeding just three times from nine attempts.

These stats certainly don't compare favourably to those from his last match against an English club at Camp Nou, the 3-1 victory over Arsenal of March 2011. On that night he was successful in nearly all of his dribble attempts and had a higher pass completion percentage in the final third (76%), though that was from fewer attempted passes.

He did, however, successfully complete more tackles than any other player on the pitch. Which is something to cling to, at least.

The Argentinean wasn’t the only pint-sized magician who was quieter than usual. Chelsea’s Juan Mata struggled to make much impact over the two ties, although that is perhaps forgivable given his side enjoyed so little possession. He completed just 17 passes over the two matches.

As a team, Barcelona were perhaps a little profligate. Although Chelsea did superbly to nullify them for large swathes of the match, the soon to be former Spanish champions still managed 23 shots at goal. Of those, ten were off-target, eight of which were from inside the penalty area.

Chelsea, meanwhile, made the most of the few openings they were able to carve – scoring three goals from the 11 chances they created over the two legs.

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE during the game, covering Champions League and Premier League – and, coming soon, Euro 2012.

Champions League preview: Bayern look to find Kroos control at the Bernabéu

2012-04-25T11:30:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses the StatsZone app – from FFT & Opta, available now – to preview Wednesday's Champions League semi-final second-leg...

Bayern Munich’s main men ahead of the trip to Real Madrid are, as usual, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben. But there’ll be even more focus than usual on the duo, after they reportedly came to blows at half-time of the first leg.

According to German daily Bild, Robben refused to allow Ribery to take a 40th minute free-kick, leading to a dressing room row which saw Ribery punch Robben and earn a €50,000 fine.

Nevertheless, both are expected to be in the starting line-up at the Bernabeu, offering an attacking threat down either flank. In theory, they play in a similar fashion – getting the ball on the flanks and then cutting inside onto their stronger foot. But there is a big difference in the way they pick up the ball – Franck Ribery drops deep into his own half, drifting away from his full-back and collecting the ball in deep positions before driving at the defence.

Arjen Robben, on the other hand, is more of a wide forward. Unlike Ribery, he never collects the ball directly from a Manuel Neuer pass, and instead stays wide in the final third, hoping to get possession when the opposition left-back has moved narrow, leaving space on the flank.

Real Madrid’s full-backs are actually badly-suited to playing against this threat. Alvaro Arbeloa is a defensive-minded right-back who doesn’t like moving too high up the pitch and tracking his opponent. Their left-back will be Marcelo or Fabio Coentrao, naturally more attacking, but likely to be forced to stay deep by Robben’s high positioning.

The key battle in the first leg at the Allianz Arena was the players used as the attacking midfielder on either side. Mesut Ozil was Real Madrid’s choice – he stayed high up the pitch, drifted to the right, and although he didn’t see a great deal of the ball, he did pop up in the box for Real’s equaliser.

Toni Kroos played that position for Bayern, but came much deeper, playing short passes in and around the centre circle and helping Bayern dominate possession.

The two are likely to start in the same positions again - Ozil will be high up playing the final pass, while Kroos will be in deep positions trying to prompt breaks.

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE during the game, covering Champions League and Premier League.

Champions League preview: Chelsea focus on the hole behind Alves

2012-04-24T10:47:00Z

ZonalMarking.net's Michael Cox uses the StatsZone app – from FFT & Opta, available now – to preview Tuesday's Champions League semi-final second-leg...

One of Chelsea’s better players last week was Ramires, who was moved across to the left of midfield and told to track Daniel Alves up and down the touchline, before quickly breaking past him when the ball was won. Ramires didn’t do the latter too often – but once was enough, as he set up Didier Drogba’s winner (the yellow arrow indicating the assist).

Ramires also had the energy and positional sense to help out defensively, shown by how often he helped break up a Barcelona attack. But on the other flank was Juan Mata – less energetic, less able defensively, more creative. Although he filled in well on the right, tucking in and making Chelsea narrow in midfield, he didn’t actively do anything in a defensive sense. His contribution was limited to a handful of passes, and one wayward shot.

Mata’s place in the Chelsea side at the Nou Camp is not assured. it’s likely he’ll be picked to give Chelsea some level of attacking threat and help make their passing flow, but Michael Essien performed well at the weekend and would be a stronger defensive option.

Chelsea’s intention to attack into the space behind Alves was also summed up by their passes in the final third at Stamford Bridge. As the graphic on the left below shows, the majority of their passes were down that side, particularly long balls in behind the full-back.

Compared to their weekend performance against Arsenal, it’s a huge difference. At the Emirates they played their more natural game, attacking down each flank equally – albeit with a different set of wingers, Saloman Kalou and Daniel Sturridge.

Chelsea’s attacking route should depend on Barcelona’s formation – if they play a back four and Alves pushes on, then breaking in behind him is the logical option. But if Pep Guardiola chooses a back three, there will be gaps on both flanks, as Real Madrid showed on Saturday night.

Stats Zone is a free-download app from FourFourTwo powered by stats from Opta, updated LIVE during the game, covering Champions League and Premier League.