STATS: Townsend’s dribbles for QPR vs Tiote’s tackles for Newcastle
QPR v Newcastle, 15:00
– Relegated QPR showed good fight against Arsenal in their last game, losing 1-0 to an early goal but matching the Gunners for much of the game.
– Andros Townsend, in particular, impressed. He completed six dribbles in the game to take the match to Arsenal, the most by a player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for a single game in the last round of matches.
– Just as impressive for a midfielder of Townsend’s age and unquestionable attacking ability is his defensive stats this season. Townsend has 31 tackles this season and won 80.6% of them, while committing a foul on average every 6.2 tackles.
– Clint Hill worked hard to stop Arsenal from opening the flood gates after the early goal, one of two players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to make four blocks in the last round of games, and the joint third highest in a single game for the whole season.
– Hill is now one of five players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to have made 200 or more interceptions this season. Hill has 203 to his name in total this season.
– That takes Hill’s defensive contributions this season to 316 across tackles won, interceptions, blocks and clearances, one of five players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to have passed 300, and the one to have done so in the least pitch time (2,626 minutes).
– Newcastle risk joining QPR in the relegation zone at the end of the season after a 0-0 draw with West Ham leaves them just three points clear of the drop.
– Chieck Tiote is gave his all against West Ham, winning 8 tackles, the 9th highest in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index by a player in a single game this season. He attempted 13 tackles in total, the joint highest by a player in a single game this season. Of the five players who have attempted 13 tackles this season, Tiote’s percentage of them won is third highest.
– Tiote has now attempted 100 tackles this season, one of 22 players in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index to have hit this milestone, although he has the fifth lowest tackles won percentage of these 22 with just 45% of tackles won.
– Sylvain Marveaux has an equally impressive, but different defensive stats to his name this season. The Magpies midfielder has the cleanest minutes per foul conceded rate in the league, having played 1091 minutes and committed just two fouls, averaging 545 minutes 30 seconds per goal.
– Davide Santon has been Newcastle’s top ranked player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index this season ranked in 97th. He’s won 67.6% of 68 tackles attempted, made 31 clearances and 81 interceptions.