In-depth player stats: Stoke vs Southampton
Stoke v Southampton, Saturday 15:00
Stoke’s incredible unbeaten run at home continued with a 3-1 win over Liverpool on Boxing Day. Two goals from Jonathan Walters and a second in three games for Kenwyne Jones saw the Potters bounce back from conceding an early Steven Gerrard penalty
Jones looks like a striker with new confidence, but will need to sharpen up his accuracy in front of goal in order to add to his tally. He has hit just 50% f his 12 efforts this season on target
Jonathan Walters’ goals lifted him up to 32nd in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index overall to make him Stoke’s highest ranked player. He now has 5 goals to his name for the season, but like Jones will need to work on his accuracy as he has hit just 40.7% of his shots on target this season
Stoke are known for their players’ willingness to put their bodies on the line for the club. Ryan Shawcross has made the second highest number of blocks in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index with 22, while Glenn Whelan has made more than any other midfielder with 11
Steven Nzonzi joined Stoke from Blackburn at the end of last season, and he has impressed in midfield, completing more passes in the opposition half than any other Stoke player with 247. However, only he and Jonathan Walters from the Stoke side are in the top 100 overall in the league
A late Rickie Lambert penalty earned Southampton a valuable point against Fulham in their fight against relegation
Lambert’s goal was his 7th of the season, coming from 41 efforts at target. Like his opposition strikers today, though, he will need to work on his shooting accuracy if he is to improve that tally as his current on target percentage is just 46.3%
Nathaniel Clyne made the step up to the Premier League this season, joining Southampton from Crystal Palace. Of all the defenders in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index only Aston Villa’s Matthew Lowton has won more tackles than Clyne. Clyne has won 44 tackles, 77.2% of all those attempted
Jose Fonte has also impressed in defence for Southampton, and is ranked third in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index for interceptions with 134