Want to be the pub/terrace know-all this weekend? Want to know who has committed the most fouls? Or who has covered the most ground? Which player has provied the most crosses and who last week put in a true captain’s performance? Then read on and let the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index arm you with enough stats to impress everyone but girly girls.
Saturday 20th October 2012
Tottenham v Chelsea 12:45
Goals from Steven Caulker and Aaron Lennon were enough to give Spurs their fourth consecutive victory in the Premier League and release any early season worries over coach Andre Villas Boas with a 2-0 win over Villa
Caulker’s goal came from an initial effort by Jermain Defoe, who remains the player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to have had the most shots on target with 19. Defoe has had a further 16 attempts at goal miss the target this year, as the England striker has average an effort at goal every 17 and a half minutes
Defoe is joined in the shooting ranks by Welsh midfielder Gareth Bale who is fourth for shots on goal so far this season with 26. Bale delivered nine crosses against Villa, the second highest by a player in a single game so far this season
Lennon’s goal for Spurs was his first in nine months, a stat which is evident from the shot shy winger’s statistics. Lennon has had just five shots at goal and converted just once, and had required 657 minutes of playing time to do so. Compare this to fellow Arsenal winger Theo Walcott, who notched up the same number of shots but converted two goals, and did so in just 204 minute
Lennon’s more telling contributions have been in supplying team mates. He has delivered 13 crosses, contributing 2 assists, whereas Walcott has delivered just two crosses contributing 1 assist.
Lennon has also completed 125 passes in his opponent’s half compared to Walcott’s 36. That averages a pass every 5 minutes 40 seconds for Walcott compared to one every 5 minutes 15 seconds for Lennon.
Chelsea hit four past Norwich in their last game, with goals from Torres, in form full back Ivanovic, the evergreen Frank Lampard and new boy Eden Hazard
Those goals put Fernando Torres and Branislav Ivanovic first and second in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index respectively
Torres now has four goals from thirteen shots on goal, with nine on target. He also has three assists meaning he has contributed to a goal every 95 minutes on the pitch this season and to almost half of Chelsea’s 15 goals as a team. Torres looks back to his lethal best, having got his four goals from just twelve attempts at goal, a conversion rate of 33%
Only team mate Eden Hazard and City striker Carlos Tevez have contributed to more goals this season, with each contributing to eight goals via goals or assists.
Ivanovic’s goal was his third of the season, a remarkable return from a defender, although he must concentrate on his defensive duties too having won seven tackles but lost out on nine
Eden Hazard’s second goal for Chelsea boosts him up to fourth in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, meaning Chelsea have a remarkable three players in the top five. Hazard leads the league for assists with six. Hazard completed an incredible 72 passes in Norwich’s half during their last game – the second highest by a single player in a game so far this season. Meanwhile midfield team mate Mata completed 63 passes in the game, the fourth highest
Lampard continues to roll back the years for Chelsea, and has three goals so far this season despite having played just 381 minutes
Chelsea have combined their dangerous attacking play with an admirable work ethic. The Blues may sit top of the Premier League, but they are second in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for distance covered as a team with 424.7 miles covered
Fulham v Aston Villa 15:00
Fulham could only take a point out of their game with newly promoted Southampton, despite goals from Keiron Richardson and an own goal earnt from a deflected John Arne Riise shot
Southampton are consistently one of the hardest working teams in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, and they brought that out in Fulham in their last match. Fulham covered 67.85 miles in that game, by far their most as a team so far this season, while Bryan Ruiz’s 6.94 miles is a high for an individual Fulham player this season
Despite the result, Fulham’s Damien Duff remains in the top ten in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index have scored three goals so far this season and also contributed an assist. Duff has also delivered 13 crosses.
Fulham’s old guard have been leading the way this season. Riise is another Fulham veteran who continues to impress this season, and has contributed three assists so far this season, while Steve Sidwell has both won and attempted the fifth highest number of tackles in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index with 20 won and 35 attempted
Mark Schwarzer, another established player, has been the busiest goalkeeper in the league so far this season with 42 saves so far
Striker Hugo Rodallega, in contrast, is a new addition making an impact at Craven Cottage. He may only have one goal to his name, but he has had twenty shots at goal so far this season with fourteen on target (the 7th highest shots on target for a player this season)
Aston Villa continued to slide down the Premier League table with a 2-0 defeat against Spurs, a result made all the worse because of injury to young defender Joe Bennett
Another young player for Villa, 23 year old defender Cieran Clark, is ranked fourth for blocks so far this season with ten
Another bright point is that Villa’s 61.29 miles against Spurs was the second highest distance posted by Spurs in a single game so far this season
Villa striker Brett Holman has been doing his best to win the ball back in Villa’s attacking third, having attempted more tackles than any other striker in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index this season
Karim El Ahmadi has been the focal point of his team this season, receiving the ball 336 times, more than any other Villa player
Steven Gerrard stands alone with 36 crosses so far this season.
Liverpool v Reading 15:00
Liverpool couldn’t take all three points against North West rivals Stoke in their last game, with Martin Skertl and Raheem Sterling both hitting the post while Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger both went close.
Suarez was again at the centre of the headlines after he had a penalty claim refused. Suarez has shown inconsistent form this season, scoring five goals but getting as many of his 36 shots at goal off target as on target. Suarez’s tactic of running with the ball to unnerve defenders is also evident with the stats with him completing 25 dribbles so far this season, more than any other player
Liverpool and England captain Steven Gerrard continues to show the dangerous delivery that has plagued Premier League centre backs for years. He has delivered 36 crosses so far this season, second only to Merseyside rival Everton’s Leighton Baines
Gerrard is also in the top ten for shots on target this season with twelve so far, netting two goals in the process, and sixth for passes completed in his opponent’s half with 234
Joe Allen has also been influential for Liverpool completing 208 passes in his opponent’s half so far this season. He is, however, yet to be credited an assist. Only Michael Carrick has completed more passes without an assist in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Allen has been at the centre of Liverpool’s hard work this season, having covered the second highest amount of ground of any player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index with 44.06 miles so far this season
Centre back Martin Skrtel has been in dominant form for Liverpool, contributing 15 clearances, 14 interceptions and 7 blocks so far this season. Skrtel has also completed 223 successful passes in the defensive third this season, more than any other player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance as Brendan Rodgers aims to get his team playing from the back.
Reading are still searching for a first Premier League win of the season after a late equalizer from Swansea shared the spoils at the Liberty Stadium after goals from Pavel Pogrebynak and Noel Hunt for the Royals
Pogrebnyak was one of the form strikers at the end of last season for Fulham, and his goal against Swansea was his second for Reading so far this season. The Russian striker may do well to focus on scoring opportunities rather than winning back possession, however, as he has attempted more tackles (15) this season than he has shots at goal (7)
Fellow striker Noel Hunt share similar statistics, having scored twice from three attempts at goal but having attempted nine tackles as Reading adjust to life in the Premier League
Goalkeeper Alex McCarthy was on great form for Reading to save them a point. McCarthy made nine saves in the game against Swansea, the joint eighth highest by a goalkeeper in a single game so far this season
Defender Shaun Cummings has won seven tackles without losing a single tackle, the most of any player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index without losing a tackle
Meanwhile Kaspars Gorkss has lost just one of 14 tackles attempted this season leaving him with a tackles won percentage of 93%, the highest of any player attempting ten or more tackles this season
Man Utd v Stoke 15:00
Manchester United remain second in the Premier League after goals from Jonny Evans, Patrice Evra, and Tom Cleverley completed a comprehensive 3-0 victory against Newcastle
Evans’ progress into the United first team has been fast tracked in recent seasons by injuries. The defender has contributed nine clearances, three interceptions and three blocks so far this season
Evra, on the other hand, has been an established part of the United back line for years and continues to stamp his authority, winning nine of the eleven tackles he’s attempted so far this season while also getting forward to deliver 15 crosses
Tom Cleverley has stated his intention to score more goals this season, and his goal against Newcastle was his first in the Premier League so far this season. Cleverley had got four of his six shots at goal on target this season, and if he continues that ratio it will surely only be a matter of time before he adds to his tally
United will also be hoping that Wayne Rooney’s return will see more goals for United. Only one player (Papiss Cisse) has had more shots without a Premier League goal than the England striker, who has attempted 14 shots without scoring
Carrick put in a virtuoso performance against Newcastle, covering 6.75 miles, the highest by any United player so far this season
Michael Carrick will also be looking forward to Rooney’s return. Carrick has completed more passes in his opponent’s half without being credited an assist than any other player, having completed 213 passes without an assist.
Carrick’s ongoing impact and development of passing play mirrors the sort of performances seen by the evergreen Paul Scholes. Scholes has completed 189 passes in his opponent’s half so far this season, one every 1 minutes 57 seconds – the best passing rate for time on the pitch in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index
Stoke earnt a point against Liverpool in their last game, and could have taken all three points if Pepe Reina hadn’t saved well from Charlie Adam and Michael Kightly
Kightly has seen nine of his ten shots at goal on target so far this season, an accuracy rating of 90% which is the best in the league (for players who have had 6 or more shots at goal)
Clean tackling Ryan Shawcross has played his part in Stoke’s clean sheets this season. He has attempted 20 tackles so far this season without conceding a single foul, the most of any player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index
Peter Crouch has four Premier League goals so far this season, but he has also continued to unsettle defenders with his ball winning. Crouch has 42 defensive contributions so far this season across tackles, interceptions, clearances and blocks
Crouch has also received the ball more times than any other Stoke player, with 289 ball receptions, showing how he proves a focal point for his team up front
Swansea’s Danny Graham. A force up front and indispensible at the back.
Swansea v Wigan 15:00
Two of Swansea’s stars of the season, Michu and Wayne Routledge, were on target in their 2-2 draw with Reading in their last Premier League game
The pair are now ranked 20th and 23rd in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index respectively, having scored seven goals between them, almost two thirds of Swansea’s total goals for the season
Routledge also had four assists to his name, the third highest overall in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index and the highest for an English player
With Routledge and Michu contributing the attacking threat, striker Danny Graham has been turning his attention to helping out at the back. Graham has contributed 11 clearances this season, more than any other striker, and just two shy of the 13 efforts at goal he has attempted
Despite that attacking threat, it’s a defender for Swansea who has received the ball more times than any other player in the team. Ashley Williams has received the ball 471 times
Wigan earnt a point against early season high fliers Everton in their last game, thanks to goals by Arouane Kone and Franco di Santo
Kone’s goal was his third of the season, coming from eighteen shots on goal with eleven on target. The Ivory Coast striker also has two assists to his name meaning he has contributed directly to five of his club’s seven goals this season
Di Santo has also scored three now for Wigan this season from fifteen shots at goal with seven on target
Full back Jean Beausejour must be praying one of the pair gets on the end of one of his crosses soon – he has put in 23 crosses without being credited an assist, the second highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index
At the other end of the pitch, midfielder James McCarthy has both won and attempted more tackles so far this season than any other player with 25 and 43 respectively. He leads fellow midfielder James McArthur in the tackles attempted category, with McArthur second with 37 tackles attempted
Wigan also have the top three interceptors in the league in Gary Caldwell (67), Ivan Ramis (60), and Maynor Figueroa (56). The fourth placed player in the category is their opponent in this fixture, Ashley Williams of Swansea, with 48 of which 27 were contributed in the last game against Reading (the most by a player in a single game so far this season). Williams is also ranked fourth for blocks with 11.
At the last line of defence, goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi has been the second busiest goalkeeper in the league so far this season making 40 saves for Wigan. Nine of those saves were against Everton in his last game, enough to rank as the eighth highest number of saves made by a keeper in a single game this season. His counterpart Michel Vorm is ranked fourth with 35 saves.
West Brom v Man City 15:00
West Brom continued their incredible start to the season with a fine 3-2 victory over QPR at the Hawthorns last time out. Goals from James Morrison, Zoltan Gera and Youssouf Mulumbu combined to cement the Baggies firmly in the top 4, a spot they looked unwilling to relinquish given the energetic display they showed here.
Zoltan Gera covered a game high 6.36 miles for West Brom in that game, which was also the second highest distance covered by a West Brom player in any game this season
Jonas Olsson is fourth overall in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for defensive contributions, with 89 contributions across 46 interceptions, 14 tackles, 20 clearances and 9 blocks
Youssuf Mulumbu has received the ball more times than any other player in the West Brom team this season with 439 ball receptions showing the reliance of the team on the midfield star
Man City looked to have returned to something like their ominous best as they swept past Sunderland 3-0. Whilst the reigning champions have been struggling for form of late they showcased some fine play against the Black Cats with Aleksander Kolarov and David Silva particularly impressive for Roberto Mancini’s side.
Carlos Tevez has been more than willing to try his luck in front of goal this season and has the accuracy to back it up. He ranks third on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for shots on target with 16.
That shots on target rating may lead people to reignite debate over Tevez as a team player, but the striker has helped his team mates with 158 passes in his opponent’s half – more than any other striker in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, and leading to an impressive five assists
Yaya Toure has this week lost his place at the top of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for both ball receptions and passes completed in his opponent’s half to Arsenal players this week. Toure is now second for ball receptions to Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta with 654 receptions compared to Arteta’s 668. Meanwhile Santi Carzola now tops the index for passes in the opponents half with 334 passes compared to Toure’s 326
Kolarov has played just four Premier League games this season, with his free kick against Sunderland his first Premier League goal. He’s also contributed two assists, with the rampaging full back averaging 6.15 miles per game
Mark Noble. Tops the charts.
West Ham v Southampton 15:00
West Ham lost 3-1 to Arsenal in their last Premier League game, with Mohamed Diame putting West Ham ahead
That was Diame’s first goal from ten attempts at goal with 50% on target. The striker’s attempts to win the ball back have not been so successful, with Diame giving away 17 fouls and losing out on 13 of the 21 tackles he has attempted
Although they both provide some of West Ham’s biggest threats on goal when playing, Kevin Nolan and Carlton Cole need to put more precision into their defensive duties. They’ve racked up 30 fouls between them this season according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Mark Noble continues to be the heartbeat of the Hammers in the engine room this season. His displays this season now put him joint third on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for successful tackles with 21.
Noble also remains top of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for distance covered with 46.21 miles clocked up so far this season
It’s no surprise to also see Noble tops the West Ham player charts for ball receptions too, as his team mates constantly seek out the West Ham midfielder leading to him receiving the ball 417 times this season
Southampton’s last performance against Fulham earnt them a point in an exciting 2-2 draw, and also saw them continue to break records for distance covered this season
The 67.85 miles covered by the squad was the highest distance covered by a team in a single game so far this season
Meanwhile three Southampton players entered the top ten for distance covered in a single game by an individual this season. The ever energetic Morgan Schneiderlin posted the most distance by a single player in a game so far this season with 7.56 miles. He now holds all three top spots for distances covered in a single game
He is joined in the top ten by Adam Llalana who posted 7.15 miles against Fulham and is now 4th for individual distance covered, and Steven Davis who posted 7.03 miles against Fulham, the 7th highest in an individual game
The game is set up to be the battle of the midfield work horses, as Southampton will face West Ham’s Mark Noble who remains top of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for distance covered with 46.21 miles clocked up so far this season
As well as his work rate Schneiderlin has impressed with his defensive duties this season. He currently sits joint third with his midfield opponent Mark Noble on Saturday the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for successful tackles with 21
It’s Schneiderlin’s midfield team mate Adam Lallana who’s been sought out by his team mates more than any other Southampton player, having received the ball 341 times so far this season
Norwich v Arsenal 17:30
Alexander Tetty played his first full game for Norwich against Chelsea, and put in a match high 6.7 miles during the game. That’s the third highest distance covered by a Norwich player in any game this season
Bradley Johnson is renowned for enjoying the physical side of the game, but his efforts have evidently strayed over the mark at times this season. He’s racked up 14 fouls placing him fourth on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index
However, Johnson remains a crucial part of his team, having received the ball more times than any other Norwich player this season with 365 ball receptions
Norwich’s difficult start to the season has been typified by the busy shifts put in by John Ruddy. Ruddy has been the third busiest goalkeeper in the league so far this season making 36 saves
Robert Snodgrass continues to face frustrations, despite a generally impressive start to the season. The former Leeds winger has delivered more crosses (24) without being credited an assist than any other player in the Premier League
The buy of the season so far, Santi Carzola, is more than happy to have an attempt on goal as he is to create chances for others. He sits fifth on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for shots on target with 15.
Carzola also this week over took Yaya Toure as the player to have completed most passes in his opponent’s half. Carzola now sits on 334 passes completed compared to Tour’s 326, in what looks like being one of the battles of the season to come out as the top passer
Despite the emergence of Carzola, team mate Arteta remains Arsenal’s ‘go to’ man, having received the ball 668 times, more than any other player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index
Left-back Kieran Gibbs continues to showcase his potential international credentials with some extremely mature defensive performances of late. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index places him second in the league for successful tackles with 22.
Meanwhile, defensive team mate Carl Jenkinson has completed 184 passes in his opponent’s half, the second highest of any defender after England and Everton left back Leighton Baines. He has also received the ball more times than any other defender with 485 receptions
Steven Fletcher finds the back of the net yet again.
Sunday 21st October 2012
Sunderland v Newcastle 13:30
Both teams competing in the North East derby this weekend are looking to bounce back from 3-0 defeats at the hands of the Manchester clubs from their last outing
Jack Colback has been at the heart of Sunderland’s play this season, receiving the ball 251 times, more than any other player
Steven Fletcher remains a revelation since joining the Black Cats, and has five goals from just 11 attempts at goal so far this season making him the highest scoring British player in the Premier League
Tellingly, Liverpool star Luis Suarez has the same number of goals as Fletcher but has required 36 attempts at goals in order to get them compared to Fletcher’s 11
Sebastian Larsson began to show signs of a return to last season’s excellent form in the second half against City, supplying a great cross for Fletcher whose volley was blocked by Micah Richards
Larsson has two assists so far this season, but has only delivered 7 crosses in 6 games. Last season Larsson delivered 113 crosses in 32 games, averaging 3.5 crosses per game compared to 1.2 this season
Newcastle were one of the hardest working teams in the league last season, and despite the result the game against United saw them returning to that. The 63.49 miles covered by the team was their second highest of the season so far, while Yohan Cabaye’s 6.52 miles was the second highest individual distance
Papiss Cisse must be hoping for a return of last season’s goal scoring touch. The striker has had more shots without a goal than any other player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index
Although rightly backing himself in front of goal as any striker should, Demba Ba has a little work to do in fine-tuning his accuracy in front of goal. At the moment the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index ranks him third for shots off target, the Senagalese frontman having being wayward with 58% of his 24 shots on goal this season.Saying that, Ba has still netted six goals this season which makes him Newcastle’s highest ranked player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index in 12th place overall, and is the Premier League’s top scorer so far this season
Newcastle fans may be missing Tim Krul after a stuttering display by Steve Harper in the game against Manchester United. Krul was the second highest ranked goalkeeper in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index at the end of last season, behind only Joe Hart
QPR v Everton 16:00
QPR lost 3-2 to high flying West Brom in their last game, despite goals from Esteban Grenaro and Adel Taarabt
Taraabt has made just three appearances for QPR this season, but it’s looking like the talented midfielder may be a key part of their push for survival. Taraabt has had 13 attempts at goal with 77% on target resulting in two goals in his three appearances this season
Granero’s goal was his first Premier League goal for QPR. The Spanish midfielder has an admirable pass rate considering the struggling team, completing 151 passes in three games, averaging one every 3 mins 10 secs
A difficult start to the season sees QPR bottom of the table and without a single player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index’s top 100 players. Their closest is Bobby Zamora, who is ranked 101st after scoring three goals in six games and from nine shots at goal
New QPR defender Nedum Onouha has impressed in the tackle this season, winning 92% of his tackles, the second best success rate of players attempting ten or more tackles this season
Another new signing Ji Sung Park remains at the heart of QPR’s play so far this season, having received the ball more than any other QPR player with 336 ball receptions
Everton hit a snag in their excellent start to the season with a 2-2 draw against Wigan
Leighton Baines scored the second goals from the penalty spot, and sits high in 3rd place in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index overall. That makes Baines the highest ranked English player in the index, while the second highest English player is his rival for the three lions left back slot Ashley Cole
The full back has two goals and two assists to his name, and has also delivered more crosses than any other player this season with 38
Baines has also covered more distance at a sprint (1616 metres) than any other player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, ahead even of Spurs’ flying winger Gareth Bale
Steven Pienaar is also in the top five overall for the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index having contributed an impressive four assists in seven games, and contributed 259 passes in his opponent’s half, the fourth highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index and ahead of the likes of Steven Gerrard (234), Juan Mata (245) and David Silva (230)
Midfielder Marouane Fellaini continues to produce mixed results this season in front of goal. While he has caught the eye with some fine strikes, he’s also been off target 10 times from 23 attempts this season according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
The imposing Belgian also continues to throw his weight around in the tackle this season, repeatedly bringing him to the attention of the officials. He sits atop the EA SPORT Player Performance Index for fouls with 20.
Everton defender Seamus Coleman has had an attacking minded start to the season, completing 6 dribbles, more than any other defender
