View From The Sphere

SIX things you should know about Norwich and Arsenal

|

premier-league-olivier-giroud-arsenal-reading-emirates-stadium_2922450Six things you should know about Norwich and Arsenal before the two sides meet at Carrow Road this afternoon:

1. Against Chelsea, Norwich worked hard to keep a clean sheet. Michael Turner was at the heart of the defence and produced a superb performance to keep Chelsea at bay. Turner provided 15 defensive contributions (tackles won, blocks, interceptions and clearances) but it was fellow defender Steven Whittaker who made a team high 21 defensive contributions.

2. Norwich had few chances in attack but it was youngster Nathan Redmond who made two attacking contributions (shots on target, assists, crosses and dribbles), the most in the team. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that Robert Snodgrass, the Canaries top scorer on seven goals, also made seven tackles during the game showing that all Norwich players were called on to defend. The Scotsman is 7/2 to score at anytime with 888sport.com.

3. One of the games’ biggest talking points involved Martin Olsson being brought down in the Chelsea penalty area. Olsson proved to be a nuisance to Chelsea all afternoon and took two shots throughout the game, more than any other Norwich player.

4. Olivier Giroud was Arsenal’s goal scorer in a game with few stand out chances against West Brom in their last Premier League outing. With 16 goals this season, the Frenchman is by far Arsenal’s top goal scorer. The Gunners should be grateful he was able to stay fit for most the season as his goals have been invaluable.

5. Per Mertesacker has been a rock in defence this season and has performed well alongside Laurent Koscielny. Mertesacker made 18 defensive contributions against West Brom and only Koscielny has made more contributions all season in defence (397).

6. Mesut Özil was Arsenal’s best player against West Brom and showed some excellent stats. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that Özil made six attacking contributions, three times more than any other Arsenal player. The German was at the heart of most of the attacking moves making the most passes during the game (52), Mikel Arteta was second with 33. The Gunners record signing has had a turbulent first season in English football but is finishing the season strong. He is an industry best 7/2 to score at anytime with 888sport.com.

Share this article

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *