Yacob’s defensive contributions for West Brom vs Holt’s shot to goal ratio for Norwich
West Brom v Norwich 15:00
– West Brom played out a goalless draw with West Ham last time out, neither side creating enough to make a dent on the scoreline. James Morrison looked to be the Baggies’ brightest hope of grabbing all three points, as he was twice denied by the woodwork.
– Romelu Lukaku continues to mature at West Brom and his time at The Hawthorns may prove instrumental in his development when he looks back at his career. The young powerhouse has a shot accuracy rate of 80% and has one of the highest goals to minutes played ratios in the league according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, netting once every 127.8 minutes this season.
– Many Baggies fans will no doubt agree that Claudio Yacob has been one of the unsung heroes of West Brom’s fantastic early season form. The combative midfielder has made 115 defensive contributions this season at a rate of one every 11.5 minutes, and has successfully completed 220 passes in the opponent’s half.
– Shane Long is the type of player than many managers crave, one who works hard and gives his all for the team every time he takes to the field. Steve Clarke will likely be looking for a little more subtlety in defence from the ever-committed striker, as he has given away 26 fouls this season according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, and only has a 28% tackle success rate.
– On the other end of the spectrum defensively speaking, Jonas Olsson has been crucial to the Baggies hard-nosed approach to defending their goal this year. He’s made a squad-high 188 defensive contribution this season at a rate of one every 8.7 minutes.
– Peter Odemwingie has been building on his growing reputation from the last few seasons again this year, quietly establishing himself as one of West Brom’s most important players. No one in the squad has provided more combined goals and assists this season, the Uzbekistani striker already racking up a total of 7 this campaign.
– A superb individual display from Wesley Hoolahan helped Norwich to a 2-1 victory over Wigan last time out. A goal and an assist for Karl Pilkington from the Irish midfielder helped Chris Hughton’s side climb to seventh in the league in a performance which suggests they are ready to make the next step up in their level of performance.
– Hoolahan’s goal last weekend was a timely reminder of just how important the Irish midfielder has been for Norwich this year. According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index he’s successfully completed 312 passes in the opponent’s half.
– Bradley Johnson is well known for his combative nature and it is undoubtedly an integral part of his game and the value he brings to Norwich. However, one can imagine Chris Hughton asking him to tighten up some of his challenges given that he has so far conceded fouls on 37 occasions this season, at a rate of one every 42.6 minutes, and has only won 48% of his 60 challenges.
– Defender Jonathan Howson’s form has been a key part of Norwich’s strong form this season. He’s committed to 27 tackles this season but has only conceded 6 fouls.
– Robert Snodgrass has certainly been willing to try his luck in front of goal this season and has established a solid accuracy rate to complement it. His 59% accuracy rate is the third highest in the Norwich squad.
– Striker Grant Holt revels in his role as the big front man who is able to draw the attention of defenders and free up space for his team mates. But he also knows exactly where the goal is and has quickly compiled an excellent shot-to-goal rate of 6.75 according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.