Norwich City put five points between themselves and the relegation zone with a crucial 1-0 win over Hull City in their last Premier League outing.
Ryan Bennett’s late header could prove decisive come the end of the season as the Canaries look to secure a third successive season in the Premier League.
Norwich have struggled for goals this season and are one of four teams to have averaged less than a goal a game in the Premier League. No player has typified this more than Nathan Redmond, who has taken 33 shots this season to get a return of just one goal. No player in the EA SPORTS Player Performance index has taken more shots to reach a single goal.
Robert Snodgrass has become a key member of the Norwich team, with his distribution ability a key cog in the Canaries’ offensive play. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index highlights his outstanding passing ability as it shows that he completed 33 passes in the opposition half on Saturday – the most in the Norwich team.
Russell Martin has featured prominently for Norwich since his arrival from Peterborough and he has established himself as Norwich’s skipper. He showed his excellent offensive ability at the weekend, as his foraging runs down the right caused all sorts of headaches for Hull’s defence. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he made a total of 33 offensive contributions (based on passes in the opposition half, crosses, dribbles and shots on target).
Critics have been quick to point their fingers at Johan Elmander this term due to the fact he hasn’t managed to hit the back of the net in the league, but those who are passing judgments should not question his overall contribution. The Swede has registered 4 assists for the Canaries this term, which is more than any other player in the squad.
Newcastle ended a run of four successive defeats with a 3-1 win over West Ham in their last game. A brace from Yohan Cabaye and Loic Remy’s 11th goal of the season helped the Magpies turn around their fortunes.
Cabaye was on confident form against West Ham, being the only midfielder in the last round of games to have five or more efforts at goal. Remy also had five efforts at goal against West Ham, ensuring the travelling Magpies fans had ample entertainment to reward their trip to East London.
Cabaye has had 48 shots at goal this season, making him the most frequently shooting midfielder in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, and the fourth highest overall after Suarez, Giroud and Aguero, so it will be interesting to see how Newcastle cope without him.
While the goalscorers took the headlines, the score could have been very different is Mike Williamson hadn’t snubbed out the aerial threat of Cole and Carroll. Williamson made 22 clearances in the game against West Ham, the joint highest in the last round of Premier League games. He made a total of 23 defensive contributions (based on blocks, clearances, tackles won and interceptions). This was the fourth most in the league.
Since making his debut at the start of the season, Paul Dummett has produced a number of promising displays that have highlighted his undoubted potential. In particular, his excellent tackling ability has been clear, as he has won 83% of his challenges.
Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the official player rating index of the Barclays Premier League.
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