(Stats War): Liverpool’s Mr Consistent vs Man United’s Unsung Hero, Find Out Who’s The Winner

It is fair to say that the Red half of Merseyside, Liverpool, are on a roll. Besides that visit to Burnley, Jurgen Klopp’s men have done everything perfectly. The left-back issue has been resolved by the versatile Englishman James Milner, while the players like Adam Lallana, Gini Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson are  adapting to their new roles perfectly.

The defensive partnership has been sort out as well and the front three are working like a horse game after game. From the sticks to the attack, Liverpool have rejuvenated themselves, but one player has been there like a rock. Nathaniel Clyne, the former Southampton man took his time to settle down at Anfield and since the arrival of Klopp, he has hardly missed a showdown (important games) for the club.

The 25-year-old has been rightly nicknamed as ‘Mr. Consistent’ by the Liverpool faithful and the player himself is doing justice to the nickname. He hasn’t missed a single minute this season and will surely be looking forward to continue his run.

On the other hand, we have Manchester United’s Antonio Valencia. The 31-year-old former Wigan man has established himself as a reliable sheriff to Jose Mourinho in the squad. The midfielder turned defender faced some heavy criticism during his time at the club, but it seems like he has now found the footing.

So here we will compare both the right backs according to their stats and will try to figure out that who among both have had a better time so far.

Clyne vs Valencia:

For the starters, both the players have played every single game for the side, i.e., 7, but the Manchester United man has been substituted once, while Clyne hasn’t.

In their number of appearances, both have failed to grab a goal but Clyne has managed to have a go at the post six times; three of them have been on target, and the rest have been way off. As a fullback, you are burdened with the task of running up and down the flank tirelessly to create the goal scoring opportunities for the side.

Well, Clyne easily wins the attribute as he has created 14 chances for the side so far and one of them has found the back of the net, while Valencia has only created 6 chances with no assists to his name. Furthermore, while taking about the passing strength, the Manchester United man is miles ahead of his counterpart as he has managed an average passing accuracy of 89% so far – completing nearly 280 passes, while Clyne has only managed a passing accuracy of 80% – completing 271 passes.

When it is about defending the lines, Valencia has completely outnumbered the English international as he has won 57% of duels while Clyne has only managed a number of 44%. Giving a proper breakdown of it:

Valencia:

1. Won 15 of his 26 Tackles
2. Won 11 of his 18 Take ons
3. Won 7 out of his 13 Headed duels

Clyne:

1. Won 12 of his 22 Tackles
2. Was involved in just 6 Take ons and won 4 of it
3. Won just 2 of his 12 Headed Duels.

Clyne may have got an edge against his counterpart offensively, but Valencia has totally dominated the Liverpool’s talisman in the defensive attributes. So it is fair to say that is has been a draw.
What’s your point?