Comparison: Alexis Sanchez vs Eden Hazard
Arsenal are yet to resolve the contract issues of two of their star players Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. While the German playmaker may yet commit his future, Sanchez has been linked with an exit constantly, with Antonio Conte’s Chelsea being one of the many clubs looking to sign him. Chelsea already have a star in Eden Hazard, and adding Sanchez to this lineup will make them one of the most exciting attacks in Europe. But how does the duo compare this season? Here is a statistical comparison of the figures for both the beasts so far this season.
The Chilean winger has been more productive in front of goal, playing a crucial role in Arsenal’s season. He has 19 goals and 9 assists to his name compared to 15 goals and 5 assists from Hazard. He has also been slightly more creative, with 74 chances created to his name, but Hazard is close, with 72. The Belgian however, has two key passes more than Sanchez with 67 to his name.
Both players play in similar positions and though Sanchez played as a false-9 at the start of the season, they have similar roles at their clubs. The Chelsea man however, has made 90 passes more than Sanchez, at an accuracy of 84%. Sanchez has an accuracy of just 73%.
Playing behind the likes of Diego Costa, Hazard has been able to stick to his strengths and stands as one of the most fouled players in the top flight of English football. He has drawn 89 fouls from opponents compared to just the 56 from Sanchez.
The biggest strength for the duo is their ability in one on one situations. They are right up there with the most difficult players to defend against and their stats show the same. While Hazard has a take-on success rate of 78.03%, which is among the best in the league, Sanchez is not too far away with an accuracy of 66%.
Both players are effective in winning the ball back quickly and putting themselves on the line. The Chelsea man has made 26 interceptions and 11 successful tackles, winning more than 68% of his total duels. Sanchez has just 21 interceptions to his name but he has made 37 tackles, most of them in the final third, thus making him an effective player. However, he has won just 50% of his total duels.
The duo is among the best players in the world at the moment and if Chelsea can partner them together next season, they wouldn’t be too far away from landing more silverware.
*Stats for Sanchez and Hazard were taken from Squawka.
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