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    Saturday
    Mar222014

    Statistical Preview: Norwich vs Sunderland

    Norwich’s bid to move further away from the bottom three took a blow last weekend as they fell to a 4-2 defeat away to Southampton at St Mary’s. Chris Hughton will be hoping the character his side showed after going 3-0 down can be revived again this weekend.

    Nathan Redmond remains a crucial attacking outlet for Chris Hughton’s side this season, adding width and creativity to their play. He leads the Norwich squad for both assists and dribbles, with three and 46 to his name respectively according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

    Midfielder enforcer Bradley Johnson may be renowned for his defensive work but he is not short of technique with the ball at his feet either. No Norwich player has completed more passes in the opponent’s half this season than Johnson’s 467 so expect plenty of their attack’s this weekend to begin through him.

    Gary Hooper continues to provide a consistent threat in front of goal for the Canaries this term, the former Celtic man visibly settling into life in the Premier League more each week. According to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index he’s worked the opposition ‘keeper with 63.3% of his 30 shots on goal this season and his manager will be hoping he can find the room to test out Vito Mannone this weekend.

    Centre-half Michael Turner remains amongst the most physically committed Norwich players this campaign, repeatedly throwing himself in the line of fire when the opposition launch attacks on Norwich’s goal. He leads the Canaries’ squad for blocks this term with 19.

    Sunderland played out a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace last weekend but Gus Poyet praised the fighting attitude of his players after the final whistle. He will no doubt be hoping they can show similar resolve when they travel to Carrow Road this weekend in what is another crucial fixture as the season enters into it’s final phase.

    Striker Jozy Altidore has continued to be handful for opposition defences this term, the American frontman utilising his physical presence to bully defenders and link play with his widemen. He has a strong shot accuracy rate as well, hitting the target with 70.6% of his 17 shots on goal this season according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.

    Adam Johnson has rediscovered some of his best form under Gus Poyet, his renewed confidence driving Sunderland’s attacking play forward. He leads the Black Cats across numerous categories this season, including dribbles (30, crosses (20) and assists (4), a great illustration of just how vital he is is to this Sunderland side in opposition territory.

    Defender Phil Bardsley is another who has apparently benefitted under his new manager’s tutelage, his defensive statistics this season reflecting his excellent form in recent weeks. He has the best tackle success rate of any Sunderland player to have attempted more than 30 tackles, winning 81.4% of his 59 attempted to date.

    Fellow defender John O’Shea has racked up some similarly impressive stats in his role as the Black Cats defensive leader this term. His reading of the game has been particularly strong, with the former Man Utd man completing 34 interceptions this season, a squad-best.