Matchday 12 facts and figures, for Hay Mills and beyond….
HELP SAVE
Husk around Brad Guzan finally looks a little bit ripe.
A sign that he has been getting some actual protection from Villa defending: Only three of Guzan’s last 17 saves have come off shots from a forward. And in the past six matches, only one opposing forward has registered more than two shots inside “Greaves Land” (12-yard space between the goal box and edge of the penalty area).
Below is the full look at all opposition shots on goal during that period.
(Forwards noted by bold print)
vCardiff
*12th minute: Gunnarson, lower center
@West Ham
*13th minute: Downing, upper right corner
*20th minute: Jarvis, lower center
*78th minute: J. Cole, lower center
*93rd minute: J. Cole, lower right corner
vEverton
*26th minute: Lukaku, lower center
*31st minute: Lukaku, lower center
*29th minute: Barkley, crossbar
vTottenham
*17th minute: Sandro, bottom left
*48th minute: Townsend, lower center
*50th minute: Paulinho, lower left corner
*71st minute: Paulinho, upper left corner
@Hull City
*45th minute: Huddlestone, lower center
vManchester City
*9th minute: Dzeko, upper center
*40th minute: Toure, upper center
*59th minute: Negredo, upper center
*75th minute: Kolarov, lower left corner
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UP LOAD
The 67 defensive challenges (43 tackles, 24 fouls) waged by Karim El Ahmadi account for a little over 18 percent of the entire squad total. Only four other players in the league — Claudio Yacob, Aaron Ramsey, Lucas Leiva and Pajtim Kasami — entered Round 12 with a higher share of one club’s total individual challenges. Below is the full list.
Pct of Team’s Total Tackles/Fouls
20.6 Yacob, West Brom
20.2 Ramsey, Arsenal
19.2 Leiva, Liverpool
18.3 Kasami, Fulham
18.1 El Ahmadi, Aston Villa
16.8 Debuchy, Newcastle
16.5 Zabaleta, Manchester City
16.5 Schneiderlin, Southampton
15.5 Jedinak, Crystal Palace
15.3 Ramires, Chelsea
14.5 Fer, Norwich
13.7 Noble, West Ham
13.5 Medel, Cardiff
13.5 Flores, Swansea
13.3 Baines, Everton
13.2 Huddlestone, Hull
13.2 Pieters, Stoke City
12.2 Paulinho, Tottenham
11.5 Evra, Manchester United
10.2 Colback, Sunderland
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EACH TIME
Below is a more individualized look at how Gareth McAuley and Jonas Olsson, the very familiar centre-half pair who will be starting together for the 34th time in a span of 37 league matches for West Brom when Villa visits, have operated this season within their cohesive partnership.
Clearances Inside 12 Yards From Goal
McAuley: 26
Olsson: 31
Blocks Inside 12 Yards From Goal
McAuley: 4
Olsson: 1
Tackles
McAuley: 15
Olsson: 8
Fouls
McAuley: 8
Olsson: 10
Beaten One-on-One
McAuley: 5
Olsson: 5
Long Balls Attempted
McAuley: 41
Olsson: 65
Long Ball Completion Pct
McAuley: 48.7
Olsson: 58.4
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—Patrick Kinmartin (PKtype@Gmail.com ….. http://goo.gl/kLJDB)
