Castrol International Football Stats - England v Montenegro
With more international matches on the way, Castrol have served up another batch of stats that certainly make for some interesting viewing. Oh, and once again they're a great comeback when you're discussing tactics with your mates!
England Winger Johnson Ready For Regular Starting Place
Adam Johnson has more than shown he is ready to be a regular starter for the Three Lions on the right side of midfield, with the Manchester City star already netting two goals for England in just 93 minutes of EURO 2012 action. The former Middlesbrough starlet has also been in impressive form for Manchester City in the league this season, netting once and creating a chance every 54 minutes on average. Of the widemen named in Fabio Capello s squad, only late call-up Stewart Downing has netted more often than Johnson in the league while Johnson s minutes per shot and minutes per dribble rates are significantly superior to any of the other wingers.
Lampard Still Important To England
It seems the debate will always rage on over the merits of Frank Lampard's selection, but when you read the stats the evidence for his inclusion is quite conclusive. Despite enjoying an impressive start to their EURO 2012 qualifying campaign without the injured Frank Lampard, England have still performed better in their competitive games when the attacking midfielder has played, winning 65% of those games compared to 63% when he hasn t appeared.
Lampard Compares Favourably To Gerrard And Scholes
Lampard also compares favourably to fellow schemer Steven Gerrard in terms of England performances as well as the now-retired Paul Scholes. Indeed, since 2000 (when Gerrard made his competitive debut), the Chelsea star has scored more goals on average, mustered mores shots per game and won a higher percentage of his tackles than either Gerrard or Scholes. While the Three Lions may be coasting through their EURO 2012 campaign so far, the importance and influence of Lampard should not be dismissed.
Tangerine Hero Deserves Chance For Scotland
Surely it's time Scotland considered using Charlie Adam for their faltering EURO 2012 qualifying campaign. Adam has been instrumental in Blackpool s surprising start to their very first Premier League campaign, attempting more shots and creating more chances than any of his team-mates. The set-piece specialist has already scored twice this season in the Premier League, with both goals coming from the penalty spot, and 11 of the 15 shots mustered by the former Rangers player have come from outside the box, which is not surprising considering that he held the record of most long-distance goals last season in the Championship.
Experienced Striker Aduriz Brings Aerial Threat
With Scotland looking to shut-out their opponents, Spain may need to vary their style of play to record a victory, and in Aduriz they have a man more than capable. Called-up as a replacement for injured Fernando Torres, the 29 year-old Aritz Aduriz has scored more headed goals than any other player in the Spanish Liga this season. The former Mallorca player has scored four goals in all competitions this term with his new club Valencia.
Eastern Promise For Wing Wizard Aiden McGeady
Winger Aiden McGeady has been in impressive form in the Russian Premier League since making the move to Spartak Moscow in the summer, with the tricky wideman embarking on the highest number of dribbles per game in Russia s top tier this season. The 24 year-old attacker moved to Spartak Moscow after having spent his entire career at Celtic and hit the ground running. Indeed, McGeady has already been involved in three goals after just four appearances in the Russian top flight (one goal and two assists), displaying an impressive 100% shooting accuracy and completing 85% of his passes.The skilful Irish international has also attempted a league-high 6.5 dribbles per game.
What's YOUR opinion on the stats, do they make for surprising reading?
