Aston Villa v West Ham – 2015
Villa Stat Attack
Christian Benteke’s 11th goal in nine matches helped guide Aston Villa to a 3-2 victory over Everton, moving them two points clear of the relegation zone.
Following an impressive all-round performance, Tim Sherwood went on record to say that “there’s not a better midfielder in the country at the moment than Fabian Delph” and it’s fair to say that, if he maintains the level of performance he showed against the Toffees, he’ll keep his place in the England squad for a long time to come. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he made a total of 53 attacking contributions (based on passes in the opposition half, dribbles, crosses and shots on target).
With all of Delph’s energy and probes into the offensive half, he needs a fellow midfielder who can cover for him when he makes his foraging runs and in the form of Ashley Westwood, he has the perfect shield. Time and time again, Westwood broke up Everton attacks, making a total of five interceptions – the most in the Villa squad.
The clamour for Jack Grealish to pledge his international future is growing stronger following every game, as he has produced a number of impressive performances that has both Roy Hodgson and Martin O’Neill interested in his services. Grealish has shown that he has a fantastic engine on him and he worked his socks off for the team again on Saturday, covering 11.8km – which was more than any other Villa player. A repeat of him topping the effort stakes against Manchester City in Villa’s previous game
West Ham Stat Attack
West Ham moved up to ninth with their victory over Burnley at the weekend and realistically need two more wins to guarantee their spot in the top 10.
Mark Noble scored the decisive goal at the weekend, from the spot, to move the Hammers up the table. The goal would have been the cherry on top for the midfielder, who produced a passing master class to condemn Burnley to defeat – with the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index showing that he completed an impressive 40 passes in the opposition half.
Operating alongside Noble was fellow midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate, who was the energy to Noble’s craft. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he completed 11.2km, which was the most in the West Ham squad.
18 year-old Recce Burke has made a sizeable contribution to the West Ham cause since being drafted in earlier this year, with the West Ham academy graduate showing excellent defensive awareness, which show a maturity beyond his tender years. This awareness of his can probably be best demonstrated by the fact that he made a total of eight clearances against Burnley, the second most in the Hammers squad (behind fellow centre back James Collins).
Data & words supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
