Player stats 2013-14

The table below shows the current stats for our most featured outfield  players after 34 games in the EPL this season. The numbers are  gathered from Squawka.com and Premierleague.com and makes for some interesting observations, which I will try to outline below.

Some observations:

• Zabaleta tackles more than twice as often as the average player (every 16th minute), but Fernandinho beats him (every 14th).
• Demichelis’ passing accuracy (89%) is only beaten by Yaya (90%) and Nasri (91%).
• Kolarov creates chances more often than some midfielders (every 58th min which is also better than Dzeko and Negredo), but engage in duels and tackles less than Clichy.
• Silva is the extreme creative source in the team, and produces chances every 25th minute. Navas (32) and Nasri (33) are the only ones that are remotely close.
• Aguero is by far the most lethal creator of goals with involvement in 1 goal every 49th minute. No other player is even close.
• Jovetic produces chances as often as Aguero and tackles more often than any other forward (every 41st minute).
• Nasri is the midfielder that is least involved defensively.
• Garcia produces very little in front of the opposition goal (0 goals 0 assists). Clichy is just as ineffective. Garcia however has an extreme shooting accuracy (83% which is even better than Aguero). Why doesn’t he shoot more?
• Dzeko creates less chances than goal-involvement (110 min vs 97 min between).
• Dzeko is also the player that tackles less than any other in the team (every 92nd minute).
• Milner? Well he tackles more often than most (every 23rd min) but has a lower win rate (43%). He’s on average when it comes to passing accuracy but has a good shooting accuracy (55%). Sorry to say it but  these stats shows him as an average player, although better than Garcia.

Conclusions:

• Aguero and Jovetic have been our most effective strikers, sadly they have been injured for big parts of the season, and Dzeko and Negredo have not managed to fill the gap.
• We have no cover for Silva.
• Demichelis has been more effective than most fans have realised.
• Fernandinho has been extremely important in the engine room.
• Yaya is probably the most complete player we have with massive contributions both in defence and attack.
• The flak that Garcia and Dzeko have got from the fans have been partially due. We should expect more.