Player Performance Index | EPL Week 30 Star Line Up
Tom Henderson
2012-03-28
Arsenal's 3-0 win over Aston Villa propelled them 3 points clear of Spurs in third place in the latest round of Barclays Premier League action.
Wojciech Szczesny, Thomas Vermaelen, Kieran Gibbs, Theo Walcott and Mikel Arteta all make the starting line up this week.
Hatem Ben Arfa and Papis Cisse's goals for Newcastle over West Brom earn them starting berths. Yaya Toure starts in midfield after his 40 yard strike against Stoke.
Plus Grant Holt leads from the front for Norwich after his double saw off Wolves and lifted his side to eleventh in the table.
See the full team below as judged by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
And here are the interesting facts from week 30 of the Premier League.
West Brom vs. Newcastle
• Papiss Cisse moves up a massive 68 places in this week’s EA SPORTS Player Performance Index after scoring 2 goals and assisting 1 in Newcastle’s impressive 3-1 victory away to West Brom. According to The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index Papiss Cisse’s fastest shot of the game hit a top speed of 42.64mph.
• The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index tells us that from Cisse’s 17 shots at goal since signing for Newcastle in January that 12 of these shots have hit the target resulting in 5 goals being scored.
Liverpool vs. Wigan
• Wigan claimed an unexpected yet fantastic 2-1 victory at Anfield to help them in their attempts to survive relegation. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index suggests that they certainly worked hard for their victory as they covered a total distance as a team of 62.97 miles during the game which was the highest distance covered by any team during game week 30. Wigan goal scorer Shaun Maloney covered 6.84 miles during the match which was the highest distance covered by any Barclays Premier League Player during game week 30.
• Jose Enrique is Liverpool’s highest ranked player within The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index currently sitting in 21st place. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows the attacking full back has so far supplied 74 crosses this season; only two defenders have managed more crosses than this, Everton’s Leighton Baines (93 crosses) and Newcastle’s Ryan Taylor (76 crosses). Enrique has assisted 2 goals so far this season.
Stoke vs. Manchester City
• 2 stunning goals courtesy of Peter Crouch and Yaya Toure meant this encounter ended in a 1-1 draw and sent Manchester City temporarily back to the top of the Barclays Premier League. Stoke’s Peter Crouch scored a goal of the season contender with a stunning 25 yard volley. According to The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index his volley reached a top speed of 30.96mph on its way to hitting the back of the net.
• Manchester City’s Yaya Toure scored a stunning 40 yard goal to help salvage his team an important point in their bid to win their first Barclays Premier League title. The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he has made a total of 948 passes in his 25 Premier League appearances this season; only 3 players have made more passes this season, Luka Modric (991 passes), David Silva (1016 passes) and Mikel Arteta (1046 passes).
• Arsenal have now won 7 league games in a row which is the first time they have done this for over 4 years. Walcott, Gibbs and Arteta all make The EA SPORTS Team of The Week and all were on target in a 3-0 win for the Gunners in a game which interestingly saw two Englishman score for Arsenal in the same game for the first time since 1997.
• Theo Walcott continues to impress and moves up 6 places in The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index ranking to 8th place making him the second highest ranked Englishman in the Index only bettered by Wayne Rooney who is placed 2nd. The pacey winger has made 10 assists this season and scored 6 league goals; no other Arsenal player has made more assists this season.
Bolton vs. Blackburn
• Bolton ran out 2-1 winners in the Lancashire derby which was a real 6 pointer as both teams battle it out to survive relegation. David Wheater scored both of Bolton’s goals and makes this week’s EA SPORTS Team of the Week. The defender covered 5.09 miles during the game, interestingly The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that this was the least distance covered by any Bolton outfield player who started and finished the game. Wheater has won 21 won of 28 tackles made in games this season giving him a 72.41% tackle’s won success rate.
