STATS: Toure’s passing for Manchester City vs Bassong’s defensive work for Norwich
Manchester City v Norwich 16:00
– Manchester City recorded their first win following the dismissal of Roberto Mancini on Tuesday night with a 2-0 win over Reading. Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko both got on the scoresheet as City begin their planning their title challenge for next season.
– Yaya Toure will likely end the a highly impressive season as Manchester City’s most influential midfield player, having now completed a staggering 1269 passes in the opponent’s half. This places him second on the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index but he has the best minute per pass ratio of any player in the league, completing one on average every 2.30 minutes he’s been on the pitch this season.
– Despite struggling to hold down his place in the team this season, Joleon Lescott has made a healthy contribution to the Manchester City cause this term. He’s made a solid 124 defensive contributions (blocks, clearances, interceptions and successful tackles) at a squad-best rate of, on average, one every 12.9 minutes.
– After some turbulent moments under Roberto Mancini, Carlos Tevez has shown his worth with some excellent performances this season. The Argentinian’s footballing ability has never been in doubt and he has knuckled down as the season has progressed to record a combined 25 goals and assists, a squad best.
– A free-flowing Norwich performance saw them record one of their biggest wins of the season with a 4-0 victory over West Brom. Goals from season standouts Robert Snodgrass and Grant Holt, as well as a top drawer strike from Jonny Howson, completed the rout for Chris Hughton’s side.
– Robert Snodgrass’ goal capped a fine season for the Scottish midfielder. Snodgrass has been one of the shining light for Chris Hughton’s side, regularly driving their play forward as well as helping out in defence. He’s completed a massive 726 passes in the opponent’s half as well as contributing defensively 147 times, a figure surpassed only by Bradley Johnson amongst Norwich’s other midfielders.
– Sebastian Bassong remains Norwich’s standout defender as the season draws to a close. He leads the Norwich squad across numerous categories according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, including clearances (83), interceptions (138) and blocks (21).
– Although the Norwich faithful will most often turn to Grant Holt when in need of a goal, Kei Kamara has also been a solid option for the Canaries up front. The striker has one of the best minutes per shot rate of any Norwich player this season, racking up an attempt on goal on average once every 41.9 minutes he’s been on the field of play.