Chelsea host local rivals Fulham this weekend, and both teams will be looking to bounce back from disappointing results last time out.
Striker Samuel Eto’o was one of the chief culprits for Chelsea failing to find the net, and the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index demonstrates exactly why. The former Barcelona & Inter Milan striker took a total of 6 shots, but failed to hit the back of the net once. Only Andros Townsend had a worse record at the weekend, as he had 7 attempts but also failed to score.
Samuel Eto’o’s arrival at Chelsea has not been the only talking point at Stamford Bridge in recent weeks, Jose Mourinho’s hesitancy on starting Juan Mata has come under scrutiny too. Chelsea’s Player of the Season was at the heart of the action on Saturday, making an impressive pass in the opposition half every 2.28 minutes – a better record than any of his teammates.
One of the pretenders for Mata’s position this campaign has been Eden Hazard. The Belgian has started every game for Chelsea so far this season, and has completed 136 passes in the opposition half – the most of any Chelsea player. You can find Hazard at 17/11 to score at any time with 888sport.com
John Obi Mikel may have his critics, but the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index highlights his worth to the Chelsea team. He completed 8 tackles against Everton, the second most in the league.
Chelsea’s defensive plaudits this season must go to Branislav Ivanovic. The Serb has made 12 more defensive contributions (interceptions, tackles, blocks and clearances) than any of his teammates.
Fulham’s slow start to the season continued against West Brom, as the match ended as a stalemate.
The Cottagers have only found the net three times this season, and Bryan Ruiz will have to up his game to alter Fulham’s fortunes. The silky midfielder had 4 attempts on Saturday but failed to hit the target once. 888sport.com have Ruiz at 18/1 as first goalscorer on Saturday.
Fulham’s inability to find the net is also evident when examining the number of crosses that they attempted on Saturday. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index highlights that throughout the whole 90 minutes, only 2 crosses were swung in.
A shrewd piece of Summer business for Martin Jol might well be Scott Parker. The former Spurs man has made a total of 115 attacking contributions (passes in the opposition half, crosses, dribbles and shots). This is 16 more contributions than any other Fulham player.