In-depth player stats: Liverpool vs Norwich
Liverpool v Norwich, Saturday 15:00
– An encouraging effort was not enough to prevent Liverpool slipping to a 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford last weekend. New signing Daniel Sturridge made an almost immediate impact after coming on as a substitute, and despite his goal seeming to galvanise Brendan Rogers’ side in the latter part of the match, it was not enough to snatch a draw.
– Liverpool will as ever be looking to the talismanic Luis Suarez to propel towards three points this weekend against Norwich. The dynamic Uruguayan may be slightly wasteful with some of his chances in front of goal, boasting a 59% accuracy rate from 114 attempted shots, but it’s a case of law of averages for him given that he’s scored once from every 7.6 of those attempts on goal.
– Suarez remains one of the main men in the Premier League though, placing second only to Robin van Persie in terms of his statistical affect on games this season. He’s notched up a combined 20 goals and assists this season.
– Glen Johnson remains the top defender in the Liverpool squad according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index this week. The England full-back has won 40 tackles this season, giving him a solid 71.4% success rate.
– His young teammate Andre Wisdom is obviously learning a few things from Johnson and has been justifying the new long-term deal he signed recently by also establishing a 71.4% success rate from 21 attempted challenges.
– Fellow young tyro Raheem Sterling has also been making quite the impression in his debut season in the Premier League. The pacy winger sits third on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for dribbles with 30, as well as whipping in 34 crosses and notching 4 assists.
– A game of few chances resulted in a 0-0 stalemate between Norwich and Newcastle at Carrow Road last week. While the draw stemmed a run of defeats for Norwich, it was a performance they will be looking to improve upon come this weekend.
– Robert Snodgrass continues to carve out opportunities for his teammates, delivering 83 crosses, yet has only managed to register 4 assists, something he will be looking to improve upon this weekend.
– Bradley Johnson will need to once again be careful against a Liverpool midfield starting to play some expressive football in the middle of the park. The Norwich hardman remains near the top of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for fouls committed, his 39 placing him 4th.
– Despite impressing many this season largely through his defensive efforts, Sebastian Bassong has certainly found time to contribute at the other end of the park. He has an excellent shot-to-goal ratio of 3.6 from 11 attempts so far this season.
– The Frenchman knows where his priorities lie though. No Norwich player has assisted more defensively that him this season according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, with 156 positive defensive contributions.
– Grant Holt has been struggling a little to find his best form this season, the big frontman only mustering a 54% accuracy rate from 28 attempts on goal. That give him a shot on target only once every 101 minutes, something he will be keen to boost in the latter half of the season.