These fierce rivals could not have had more contrasting fortunes during this Summer’s transfer window. Spurs have brought in a total of six players, and it appears that they have settled into life in North London rather quickly.
Central midfielder Paulinho may not have hit the back of the net so far this season, but on the back of his performance last week it seems that this may change rather quickly. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that the Brazilian took 6 shots against Swansea; only Ricky Lambert mustered more.
Who needs Gareth Bale when you’ve got Andros Townsend? The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index demonstrates exactly why Roy Hodgson opted to call him up to the England squad, as his total of 5 dribbles was tied with the most in the league.
The player to share this accolade with Townsend was his Belgian teammate Mousa Dembele. The Belgian midfielder also completed 5 dribbles at the weekend.
In Spurs’ match against Crystal Palace on the opening weekend of the season, defensive midfielder Etienne Capoue managed to make more interceptions than any other player – despite being on the pitch for only thirty-three minutes. He continued his fine defensive work against Swansea by winning 6 tackles, the most in the league.
French captain Hugo Lloris has made himself pretty much indispensible to AVB’s side, and the white half of North London will be delighted to see that he is still adding to his glowing reputation. According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, Spurs’ stopper has made 8 saves this season – tied with Simon Mignolet as the most of any keeper who is yet to concede a goal.
Spanish maestro Santi Cazorla is known for his creativity and ability to play defence splitting passes, and this was on show on Saturday as he was one of only 17 players who managed to register an assist. On the other hand, so far this season he has failed to win a tackle – this is despite attempting 10.
The news that Lukas Podolski is out for up to ten weeks will be a bitter pill to swallow for Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal faithful. The 100-capped German international has had 2 shots this season, and, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, both shots have resulted in goals.
Polish shot-stopper Wojciech Szczesny had his fair share of critics last season, but if he continues to perform like he did on Saturday these critics will soon disappear. He made 6 saves on Saturday, the second most in the league.
Theo Walcott’s performances on the flank will prove critical to the Gunners chances of success this year, and it appears that his pace was causing Fulham headaches at the weekend. His total of 4 dribbles was equal-second in the league.