A Statistical Comparison Of Sadio Mane And Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Manchester United are currently 5th in the points table, just 4 points off Manchester City, with a game in hand. They are 6 points off Liverpool, having played two fewer games, and Mourinho will hope that they can push their arch rivals out of the top-4 come the end of the season. Both teams have some star players who will give their all for the rest of the season and two players who have been influential, playing in a similar role are Sadio Mane for Liverpool and Henrikh Mkhitaryan for Manchester United.
Both players are in their first seasons at the club but have been integral to the squad, right from the first game. Mane scored in his first game for Liverpool, against Arsenal on the opening day of the season and has 13 goals and 5 assists to his name. He is the highest goal scorer for Liverpool this campaign in all competitions. Mkhitaryan, on the other hand, missed the first couple of weeks of the season and has just 4 goals and an assist to his name this season. However, both players have made huge impacts on their respective squads this season but who has been more effective for their club? Which of the two has been most influential this season?
Sadio Mane has been more productive in front of goal, and a lot of it has to do with the way Liverpool play. The Reds do not have the width in the other areas of the pitch, so Mane has been able to add another dimension to their attack, which has led to some openings. Mkhitaryan has been used on the wing and also as a number 10 for United and he has been responsible for creating chances in the final third.
Mkhitaryan has a pass completion of 84% compared to the 77% of Sadio Mane this season. The Armenian international has been superb for United, creating more than two chances a game. He also averages more than two key passes per game, making him one of the most effective players in his position.
Mane, on the other hand, has just 1.5 key passes per game and has created around 1.7 chances per game, making Mkhitaryan a lot more effective in dangerous areas. The United attacker has also been disciplined and has put in the hard yards, making close to 1.5 interceptions per game while Mane is lying low at 0.36 per game.
Both teams play different forms of football, but according to these stats, Mkhitaryan has been more effective for United in the games he has played than Sadio Mane. Mane has been a regular goal scorer but Mkhitaryan has been a creator for United this season and he could turn into a top class player for the club in years to come.
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