The Binocular

Here are the top 10 ranked players in terms of least minutes per goals and assists in the premier league (min 5 goals/assists):

1) Francesc Fabregas (59.52 minutes per goal/assist)
2) Robin Van Persie (68.42 minutes per goal/assist)
3) David N’Gog (68.67 minutes per goal/assist)
4) Didier Drogba (71.77 minutes per goal/assist)
5) Jermain Defoe (85.06 minutes per goal/assist)
6) Martin Petrov (85.50 minutes per goal/assist)
7) Craig Bellamy (90.07 minutes per goal/assist)
Ryan Giggs (90.83 minutes per goal/assist)
9) Fernando Torres (92.58 minutes per goal/assist)
10) Ivan Klasnic (96.5 minutes per goal/assist)

There are a few things to note here, firstly the top two are Arsenal players who between them have secured 16 goals and 19 assists from just 2208 minutes (roughly 25 games worth).

Secondly we must mention the appearance of David N’Gog, Martin Petrov and Ivan Klasnic who have not played the most football by any means but still have a very good strike rate, between the three of them they have 13 goals and 5 assists in 1504 minutes (roughly 17 games). This suggests that they ought to play more for their clubs, but with N’Gog competing with Torres he may not have much of a look in. As for Petrov, Mancini has started the Bulgarian in his first two games in charge so we may see more of him. Ivan Klasnic is becoming more of a regular in the Bolton line-up and will also be given chances.

It is also evident that players who have impressed this season are not on the list, such as Rooney, Bent and Lennon. So where as it is obvious that this is an indicator of a match winner it can’t tell us all we need to know. There is also a secondary point to be made there is only one Englishmen on the list and even Defoe was helped by his 5 goal effort at Wigan.

If we take a look at the minutes per goal/assist when the player has not won a match then we get a clearer indication of the match winner title.

In the six games that Arsenal have failed to win this season, Cesc Fabregas has been absent in one game and has scored once and provided one assist in the other five games. The one goal he scored put Arsenal a goal up against Burnley, after which Fabregas came off injured and Burnley equalised. This is compelling evidence to any football fan that didn’t know it already for the opinion that Cesc Fabregas is a match winner. He has a strike rate of 201 minutes per goal/assist when Arsenal fail to win, and 44.63 minutes per goal/assist when Arsenal win.

There are two men who can provide strong cases as match winners. England’s Wayne Rooney has played in all of the six games that Man United have failed to win this year, he has played all 540 minutes and has not scored or provided an assist, where as when Man United win he has a strike rate of 66.47 minutes per goal/assist. There is a similar trend with United’s Ryan Giggs who has also not scored or provided an assist in the games Man United have not won compared to his 65.12 minutes per goal/assist when they do win.

Here is a list of a few more players which make interesting reading (Player name, No win strike rate, Win strike rate):

Didier Drogba, 135 minutes per goal/assist, 57.72 minutes per goal/assist
Fernando Torres, 256 minutes per goal/assist, 59.9 minutes per goal/assist
Jermain Defoe 235 minutes per goal/assist, 63.64 minutes per goal/assist
Darren Bent, 157.375 minutes per goal/assist, 58 minutes per goal/assist
Louis Saha, 147.67 minutes per goal/assist, 58.4 minutes per goal/assist
Bobby Zamora, 198.5 minutes per goal/assist, 83.71 minutes per goal/assist
Hugo Rodallega, 225 minutes per goal/assist, 71.83 minutes per goal/assist

The last four on that list play for teams lower down in the league and it shows a heavier reliance on their goals. There are a few examples in the midfield too especially from two young English midfielders.

Aaron Lennon, 720 minutes per goal/assist, 79.82 minutes per goal/assist
James Milner, 337.5 minutes per goal/assist, 89.10 minutes per goal/assist

These two have pushed on this year and are developing into match winners. An interesting point here is that Aston Villa don’t show a heavy reliance on too many attacking players compared to Tottenham which suggests that the Aston Villa defence is a lot stronger and that they have a couple of match winners in that area.

The third contenders to break into the top 4 this year, Man City seem to have goals from all over the pitch and combining the talents of Bellamy, Tevez, and Adebayor we have a strike rate of 129.81 minutes per goal/assist when Man City have failed to win compared to 81.7 minutes per goal/assist when they do win. This isn’t a massive difference and suggests that Man City are good for goals in most situations and confirms the observations that their defence is the biggest problem.

So on the evidence that this season has provided so far, the usual match winners Lampard and Gerrard have fallen back a bit this season and some younger Englishmen are aiming to step up, whereas Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs and Didier Drogba have all done so much for their team it is the young Spaniard Cesc Fabregas who has taken his team the furthest this year.