Wolves opinion: Stats analysis of Neves & Moutinho – how have they fared?
Not many would have foretold what kind of season Wolves will have once they got promoted to the Premier League last summer. However, as it turned out, Nuno Espirito Santo’s men are having a dream campaign in the English top-flight.
They are currently seventh in the table with 47 points from 32 games, which is more than decent for a team that is playing its first season back in the big league.
Furthermore, the Molineux-based side reached the FA Cup semifinal before losing to Watford. This just goes on to show that they haven’t neglected the cup competition, which is very important for teams in order to generate momentum and end-season buzz.
If we look at their team and the system with which they play – the wing-backs are one of the key positions along with the three central midfielders.
It is because the former provide the width in the attack and have to track back while the latter are the ones that help the centre-forwards in possession and also cover the ground to protect the back-three when required.
Let’s now focus on the midfield and analyse the performance of two midfielderswho are playing their season in the Premier League and controlling things for Wolves – Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves.
Stats Analysis – Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho
On paper, Neves and Moutinho are two players of different generations. The former is 22 years old and just starting to blossom big time, while the latter is 32 and has played a lot of football.
Neves arrived at the Molineux in the summer of 2017 from Porto for a fee around £15million (h/t ESPN). On the other hand, Moutinho arrived last summer from Monaco for a fee around £5m (h/t BBC).
The duo has come in and stabilised the Wolves midfield. If we look at the numbers, the younger of the two has a pass accuracy of 80.6%, while the elder leads him with a precision of around 84%.
In terms of winning tackles, which is an important facet for defensive-minded midfielders, Neves has a success rate of 43%, but Moutinho leads this race with 47%. Both are good returns to be honest.
When it comes to making possession recoveries, the former leads the latter with 247 to 215. Again, both players have astonishing returns in winning the ball back for their team. On an average, they do that around seven times a game.
The duo has created nine big chances combined, supplied nine assists and threaded 14 through balls so far this season.
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Conclusion
If we look at those numbers, they sound so good. In every facet, the duo of Neves and Moutinho is doing a fantastic job for Wolves in the midfield. They are one of the main reasons why Nuno’s men are where they are right now.
Stats – Premier League, Whoscored