Michu’s goals for Swansea vs Valencia’s crosses for Manchester United
Swansea v Man Utd, Sunday 13:30
– Swansea fell to a 0-1 defeat away to Tottenham last weekend, in a result that leaves them 10th in the Premier League table. The Swans showed flashes of their trademark creativity but were unable to carve out any definitive chances to help swing the match in their favour.
– Michu remains joint top scorer in the league this season despite not finding the net against Tottenham. He has proven himself to be one of the bargain buys of the summer, quickly establishing himself as one of the most deadly finishers in the league, garnering a goal once every 129 minutes or once every 4 shots.
– Defender Ben Davies has quietly emerged as a dominant force in the Swansea defence this season. At only 19 years of age he has grasped his chance in the first team this year, establishing an 80% tackle success rate from 35 challenges, conceding only 7 fouls.
– Many people are still wondering what Wayne Routledge has to do to earn an international call-up following his stellar form this season. He’s the second highest ranked English midfielder in the league for combined goals and assists with 8 according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
– Michael Laudrup will be hoping to keep Jonathan de Guzman fit in the second half of the season, given how much the Canadian midfielder has already contributed to the Swans’ campaign this year. He has the highest total completed passes in the Swansea squad with 366, also providing 24 crosses and 4 assists.
– Angel Rangel’s general defensive contribution for Swansea this season has been outstanding. The Spaniard has made more defensive interventions than any other Swansea player with 141 as well as successfully completing 64% of his tackles.
– Ashley Williams has been many people’s pick for Swansea’s player of the season so far, with his exceptional reading of the game at the back helping to provide the platform for the midfielders to push forward. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index indicates he has intercepted the ball 102 times this season, as well as providing 22 blocks.
– Manchester Utd strongly underlined their credentials for the title this year with a ruthless 3-1 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford. Goals from the Robin van Persie, Tom Cleverley and Wayne Rooney were more than enough for Utd to claim the victory, solidifying their place at the summit of the Premier League.
– Sir Alex Ferguson admitted this week that even he is surprised by how quickly Robin van Persie continues to settle into his Man Utd side. The matured Dutch striker has registered six assists this season and has a fantastic record of a goal every 123 minutes this season.Â
– No striker in the Premier League has completed more passes in the opponent’s half than Wayne Rooney this season, his total of 371 marking him out as the special kind of forward who can easily integrate into his tram’s midfield as easy as he can poach goals.
– Tom Cleverley has been continuing to slowly emerge as a real high quality performer in the Man Utd midfield. The EA SPORTS Player Performance has tracked him being successful in 68% of his 22 challenges, as well as completing 240 passes in the opponent’s half.
– Javier Hernandez will be pushing for heavier involvement in the Utd team as the season progresses into 2013. He has proven to Sir Alex Ferguson that he has the ability to score despite limited starting opportunities given that he already has an excellent shots to goal ratio of 3 to 1.Â
– Almost no one in the league will deliver as consistently as Antonio Valencia, the athletic winger once again topping the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for the Man Utd player to provide the most crosses with 37.