Riyad Mahrez vs Willian: Stats Battle
If someone was to ask us ‘who could be the two best wingers this year in the Premier League? this season, we would certainly be stumped, especially if the answer would come as Riyad Mahrez and Willian. Mahrez might have enjoyed a brilliant first season at Leicester in the Premier League last season but by no means was he the best winger out there.
Likewise, we all know that Willian is known for his work-rate for the team rather than his attacking ability but both players this season have done extremely well for their club. Leicester as a whole are having an incredible season and with Vardy firing on all cylinders and they could very well end the season qualifying for Europe.
Chelsea on the other hand, have had a horrible season thus season, but small signs of a revival are on display thanks to their 0-0 draw over much fancied Tottenham. Willian though has been the one shining light for Chelsea this season and has even eclipsed the likes of Fabregas and Hazard. He is the only player who seems to be capable of doing something good in the final third of the pitch and his stats are certainly doing the talking.
We compare these two unlikely heroes for their teams with the help of Squawka.com and check out the per average stats from the Premier League season thus far.
Algeria vs. Brazil
While both players play wide and are known to cut in with devastating effect, it is Willian who has a greater link up with the rest of his teammates. Willian, unsurprisingly, has a greater number of successful passes completed per game when compared to Mahrez. The Chelsea attacker averaged 31 successful passes per game compared to 19 for Mahrez, but the number of forward passes was more or less the same.
Willian averaged 19 forward passes per game while the Algerian managed 15 forward passes this season. Key passes is an extremely important stat since these two players get that all-important ball through and Mahrez just about trumps Willian in this stat with 1.9 key passes per game compared to 1.8 for the Brazilian.
Chelsea’ misfiring strikers aren’t helping Willian though in the assist column while Vardy has been banging them in for Leicester that has led to Mahrez notching up an assist almost every other game while Willian has averaged just 0.08 assists per game. Even in the goals scored column, the Algerian is far ahead of Willian with a goal every other game while the Chelsea attacker only averages a goal over every six games or so.
Taking players on with their dribbling ability, Mahrez leads this stat as well with a 64% success rate compared to 59% for the Brazilian. It seems that Willian might be the star at Chelsea but the real star, at least amongst these two is Mahrez and no one really knows how far he can go for the Foxes this season or where they could end up but it is a great story and we hope it continues as well.
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