Which of the two Premier League superstars is having the better season for their club, according to statistics?
Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez are both having outstanding seasons, and have really stepped it up in recent games. Sanchez has scored several vital goals for Arsenal already, and his goal against Swansea looked set to be the winner – until his defence let him down. Hazard has played in a far better outfit, but still been very effective. But which players is doing better for their side? By analysing numbers from football stats site WhoScored, we think we’ve found out.
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Hazard’s Offensive Stats
Eden Hazard is at the heart of everything Chelsea do on the offensive, but the stats don’t fully reflect that. Hazard only has 3 goals and one assist this season. This is largely down to his aversion to shooting – the winger takes only 1.8 shots per game, far below the numbers put up by other players in his position. However his ability when moving with the ball is sensational. He dribbles an incredible 5.2 times a game, drawing an average of three fouls a match. Despite this love of running with the ball, Hazard rarely loses it, and is dispossessed only 2.3 times p/g.
Sanchez’s Offensive Stats
Sanchez’s goals and assists are much healthier – he has eight of the former and two of the latter. This is largely because he shoots much more than Hazard – 2.9 to the Belgian’s 1.8 times per game. Sanchez is a much less efficient dribbler than his rival however. Despite dribbling almost half as often (3.1 p/g), he is dispossessed the same amount, and his unsuccessful touches (2.6 a game) are also much higher than Hazard’s 1.6.
Hazard’s Defensive Stats
Hazard has clearly listened to Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho’s criticisms about his work rate. While he’s not exactly Bobby Moore, he is doing well for a winger. He makes 0.7 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 0.5 clearances a game, and is only dribbled past 0.5 times every match. His efficient tracking back allows Chelsea to play with only one dedicated holding midfielder.
Sanchez’s Defensive Stats
Sanchez makes an impressive 2.1 tackles and 1 interception a game. However he is dribbled past more than twice as often as Hazard (1.3), and gives away twice as many fouls (1.3 to Hazard’s 0.6).
Conclusion
What the stats tell us is that both players are key to their side’s attacking play, but in totally different ways. Hazard’s dribbling ability is part of Chelsea’s overall strategy, so he affects the game throughout, constantly stretching the opponent and creating space for others. Sanchez on the other hand is less consistent, loses the ball more often and gets beaten more often, but he makes the difference when it matters, scoring the goals even when the rest of his side lets him down.
Sanchez wins for the strength of his contribution to individual games, but Hazard contributes more to the success of his side.