Man United’s Pogba vs Arsenal’s Ramsey – Who Has Been The Best Central Midfielder This Season?
Manchester United and Arsenal go head to head this weekend and neither team will settle for anything less than three points, going into this game. Both teams have star-studded squads, who are sure to provide some entertaining football and it is always interesting to draw comparisons between players who play in similar positions for different clubs.
Manchester United rely on French international Paul Pogba to add creativity to their midfield while Arsenal usually have Welsh international Aaron Ramsey for that role. Both the players have been brilliant for their respective teams but how do their seasons compare?
Here is a comparison of the numbers that both players have accumulated in the domestic league so far this season:
The Arsenal man has been a more frequent starter for Arsenal than Pogba has been for United, as the latter has played just 609 minutes in 7 games so far this season compared to 1017 in 13 games by Ramsey.
With 3 goals and 5 assists, Ramsey has been more productive in front of goal, compared to just the 3 goals and 3 assists for Pogba this season. Both players have a pass completion of 84% and have very little separating their campaigns so far.
Pogba has created 1.92 chances with 1.48 key passes per 90 minutes this season compared to just the 1.42 chances created and 0.97 key passes per 90 minutes by Ramsey this season.
With a successful take-on rate of 84.21%, compared to just 72.41% from Pogba, Ramsey has won 1.68 tackles per 90 minutes, 1.15 interceptions and 0.18 blocks per 90 minutes. On the other hand though, the French international has won just 1.33 tackles, 1.03 interceptions per 90 minutes. He is yet to make a block this season.
However, Pogba aces Ramsey in winning aerial duels (59.26% for Pogba vs 50% for Ramsey), total duels (55.86% for Pogba vs 47.33% for Ramsey), showing that he does a decent job shielding his backline. The Manchester United man has also suffered 2.36 fouls per 90 minutes, the most for any United player, while Ramsey has suffered just 1.68 fouls per game this season.
It is safe to say the Pogba has been more effective in a creative role in the midfield compared to Ramsey but the Welsh international is usually a better player in shielding his back line. Both players have different roles to play in their respective clubs and these figures show that they are doing it to their best.
Stat Credit: Squawka.com