STATS: Swansea vs Norwich
Swansea v Norwich – 15:00
– Two goals from Michu were enough to earn Swansea all three points at Arsenal last weekend. The Spaniard kept a level head to calmly tuck away his two opportunities. Nathan Dyer was the provider for the second, whilst Angel Rangel again looked lively, in what could well prove to be a defining win for Michael Laudrup’s team.
– No two players have spent more time on the pitch this season than Swansea’s Angel Rangel and Ashley Williams. They rank 1st and 2nd respectively on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the defensive pairing having clocked up 2,904 minutes between them on the pitch this season.
– Rangel could do with improving on some of his discipline though should he wish to add to this total. He’s also joint second on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for yellow cards, having compiled 6 this campaign and been pulled up by the referee on 17 occasions.
– Liverpool’s Luis Suarez is deservedly grabbing plenty of the headlines at the moment with some eye-catching displays but people shouldn’t discount Swansea’s Michu performances. The Spaniard is joint top-scorer in the league this season with 10, alongside Suarez, Demba Ba and Robin van Persie, but has taken the fewest attempts on goal to get there with 39.
– However, the Swansea midfielder’s accuracy rate surpasses all over his rivals at the top of the scoring charts. He’s been on target with 59% of his attempts according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
– Sung-Yeung Ki was Swansea’s hardest worker at the Emirates last weekend, racking up an impressive 6.63 miles.
– Sebastian Bassong and Anthony Pilkington struck for the Canaries as they got past Sunderland 2-1 last weekend. Chris Hughton will be looking for his side to kick on this weekend and try to push into the top half of the table.
– The consummate disrupter of the opposition, Bradley Johnson, put in the biggest shift of any Norwich player last weekend, running for a hard-earned 6.48 miles according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
– Grant Holt and Johnson now hold the unwelcome distinction of joint 2nd on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for fouls, having racked up 62 fouls between them.
– To add to his defensive woe, Holt is also second on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for tackles lost, having come out on the wrong side in 78% of his 49 attempted challenges.
– One of last week’s goalscorers Sebastian Bassong, has been at the centre of everything good about Norwich’s defensive work this season. The defender has been throwing himself into his duties, literally, having chipped in 32 clearance this season, placing him fourth on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
– Anthony Pilkington’s speed is often what helps him to get into dangerous positions and he again showcased his fleetness of foot against Sunderland. He was Norwich’s quickest player, having been clocked at 19.51mph by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
– Midfielder Robert Snodgrass is quickly establishing himself as one of the most consistent providers of opportunities in the league given that he’s currently sitting third on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for crosses with 47.