Swansea vs Southampton – Statistical Preview
Swansea all but secured their Premier League status for another season following a convincing 4-1 win against Aston Villa last weekend. Back to back victories have rocketed The Swans out of the relegation battle and will be looking to close the gap to Crystal Palace in 11th position.
Jonjo Shelvey produced one of the goals of the season with a half volley from the centre circle against Villa bringing his tally for the season to six. Only Wilfred Bony has scored more than the ex-Liverpool man this term. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that as well as scoring, Shelvey assisted two goals and made eight attacking contributions (assists, shots on target, crosses and dribbles), the most in the Swansea side. With the England squad yet to be announced for the World Cup, Garry Monk believes Shelvey has a chance of making Roy Hodgson’s squad.
Swansea’s star striker, Wilfred Bony, added to his impressive debut season in the Premier League with two more goals against Aston Villa. He now has 16 goals this season, the same number as Sergio Agüero and joint 5th highest goal scorer in the league.
Welsh defender and Swansea captain Ashley Williams has been a key player for Swansea this season and he was again the stand out defender against Villa. Williams made 21 defensive contributions (blocks, tackles, clearances and interceptions), far more than second placed Ben Davies on nine.
Southampton recovered from a small dip in form last weekend with an impressive 2-0 victory over Everton who are pushing for a Champions League position. It was their first win in four games and The Saints will hope to further secure their position of 8th in the league.
Ricky Lambert yet again did his World Cup chances no harm with a solid display against Everton last week. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that Lambert has scored 11 goals this season, only Jay Rodriguez has scored more (15). What is just as impressive is he also has the same number of assists this season (11), two more than midfielder Adam Lallana. The Englishman will be looking to add to his tally and further improve his chances of making the World Cup Squad.
Left Back Luke Shaw was in fine form against Everton last weekend boasting the highest number of attacking contributions (5) and providing the most crosses (3). Although employed as a defender Shaw is just as effective going forward and has provided the joint highest number of crosses (25) for the Saints this season alongside Adam Lallana.
In defence, Nathaniel Clyne was the stand out performer. He made the most tackles (9) during the game against Everton but what is even more impressive is that he was successful in every one. With Everton sure to attack at every opportunity Clyne will have be alert to counter attacks.
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