Leicester City v Aston Villa Statistical Preview
Leicester Stat Attack
Leciester claimed a vital point against Liverpool as they fought back from 2-0 to claim a 2-2 draw after two quickfire strikes from David Nugent and Jeffrey Schlupp. Nigel Pearson will no doubt be looking for his men to build on this confidence boosting result this weekend.
Midfielder Riyad Mahrez has been one of the standout players for Leicester so far this season, clearly relishing the chance to test out some of the Barclays Premier League’s best defences. Not only does he lead the Foxes squad for total dribbles (39), he’s also had the highest number of attempts on goal of any Leicester player (29), hitting the target with 58.6% of his total efforts according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Despite being known more for his efforts with the ball at his feet, Jamie Vardy has also compiled some impressive defensive statistics as a result of his tireless workrate and desire to help the team. He’s won a superb 90.9% of his 11 challenges so far this season.
Defensive stalwart Wes Morgan has been leading by example from the back this term, racking up a standout collection of defensive statistics to his name in the process. He is the only Leicester City player to have made more than 200 total defensive contributions this season (248)(interceptions, blocks, clearances, tackles won), a total that also places him 7th overall in the Barclays Premier League according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Aston Villa Stat Attack
Aston Villa could only claim a point in a stale 0-0 draw with Crystal Palace on New Year’s Day, in a result that left Villa just short of the top 10. Paul Lambert will no doubt be expecting a response from his side this weekend against the Foxes.
Although the spotlight is often shined on Christian Benteke, his forward partner Andreas Weimann is often the man to supply the never-ending workrate and stamina in chasing down loose balls and making intelligent runs that allows him to shine. No Villa player has completed more sprints than the Austrian international who has 1,096 to his name according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. This marks him out as the only Villa player to have surpassed the 1,000-sprint mark this season.
Midfielder Carlos Sanchez has seamlessly fitted into the Villa system since arrived in the summer, establishing himself as one of their most consistent performers. Not only has he attempted the second highest number of challenges of any Villa player this season (58 – winning 77.6%), behind only Tom Cleverley (69), he’s also completed a pass in the opponent’s half on average once every 3.5 minutes he’s been on the pitch this term.
Striker Gabriel Agbonlahor has once again been showcasing his pace this season to great effect, enabling him to get in the position to score his three goals so far this term. Unsurprisingly, he has hit a higher top speed than any other Villa player this campaign, recording 34.8km/h against Southampton in late November.
Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars at http://fantasy.
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@Rick Middleton, the title of the page is `Mahrez Threat Missing`, so perhaps not.
Riyad Mahrez gone to african cup of nations so completely invalid points about him for the game against Villa
It’s a EA Sports written copy where they profile the stats and top performers of the two teams. It’s not the first time I’ve told them a player they’ve focused on is suspended or injured (or, in this case, not in the country!). Still, it’s interesting to see who’s been doing the business for them, not that they needed him today!