Forums » News and Announcements

the statistics ahead

  • February 25, 2020 10:05 PM CST

    Eden Hazard is leading Chelseas Premier League title charge with five goals in his last five appearances. But whats behind his prolific form? We examine the statistics ahead of their Nissan Super Sunday clash with Middlesbrough. This time last year, Eden Hazard was in the middle of the toughest period of his career. The Belgium international had been named PFA Player of the Year after inspiring Chelseas title triumph a few months earlier, but he hadnt scored a single goal in 2015/16 and his performances had dipped dramatically. Mboro vs Chelsea November 20, 2016, 3:30pm Live on Get Sky Sports Get a Sky Sports pass Chelseas title defence was in tatters, and Jose Mourinho was unimpressed by the contribution of a player he had compared to Cristiano Ronaldo that summer. The Chelsea boss wasnt alone in his frustration. You have to question Hazards mentality, said Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville. I think hes a good boy but is he a killer? Is he really selfish like Messi and Ronaldo? Hazard eventually went 355 days without scoring a Premier League goal. Mourinho was long gone by the time he ended the drought in a 4-1 win over Bournemouth in April, but it is only this season that the 25-year-old has finally discovered the selfish streak he needed to take him to the next level. Chelseas Eden Hazard celebrates after scoring against Everton So far, Hazard has scored seven goals in 11 Premier League games, with five of them coming in his last five appearances. It is his best scoring run since joining Chelsea. Only Sergio Aguero and Diego Costa have netted more, and Hazard is already halfway to matching his highest total for a single Premier League campaign. Eden Hazard season-by-season shooting stats Stat 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Mins played 2640 2898 3379 2192 918 Goals scored 9 14 14 4 7 Shots per 90 mins 1.5 1.7 1.5 1.0 2.6 Shots on target per 90 mins 0.9 1.0 0.9 0.6 1.7 Shot accuracy 60.5% 59.3% 58.9% 56.0% 63.0% Shot conversion 20.9% 25.9% 25.0% 16.0% 25.9% Mins per goal 292.9 206.8 240.9 547.5 131.1 Mins per shot 61.3 53.6 60.2 87.6 34.0 Hazard has found that killer touch in front of goal, and the statistics show how he has changed his approach to focus on scoring. Hazard has already taken more shots than in the whole of last season. He is shooting once every 34 minutes on average - far more regularly than in previous years - and his shooting accuracy of 63 per cent is also at its highest.Antonio Conte has changed the emphasis. Hazard no longer has the same creative responsibilities, and rather than seeking out a team-mate, he is encouraged to go for goal himself at every opportunity. His shooting stats have risen from 1.5 to 3.3 per 90 minutes, while his key passes have dropped from 2.7 to 2.0 per 90 minutes. Eden Hazards change of focus Stat 2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 Shots per 90 mins 2.1 2.3 2.1 1.5 3.3 Key passes per 90 mins 2.1 2.9 2.7 2.7 2.0 Hazard has been one of the main beneficiaries of Contes switch to a 3-4-3 formation in October. Marcos Alonsos overlapping runs on the left flank have freed him up to move into goalscoring positions, and his defensive responsibilities have also been reduced. In fact, Hazards average position has been even more advanced than Costas in four of the last five games. Chelseas average positions in their 3-0 win over Leicester show Hazard (10) stationed ahead of Diego Costa (19) Hazard is unshackled, and the freedom to play higher up the pitch is helping him flourish. In this moment, he is putting his talent and himself in the team, said Conte recently. This is fantastic and the right way to become one of the best in the world.But while Hazard is spending less time defending, thats not to say his work-rate has dropped. Premier League tracking data shows he is covering an average of 9.5km per game compared to 8.4km last year, and his sprints per game have risen from 48.8 to 62.5. Hazard is more dynamic with and without the ball in Contes pressing system. Eden Hazards running stats Stat 2015/16 2016/17 Distance covered per game 8.4km 9.5km Sprints per game 48.8 62.5 Its a satisfying transformation. I know the great talent of Eden and he must continue to work and to improve all the time, added Conte. It is important in this type of modern football that you have the talent and technique. You must run with intensity and the strength. Here in England, we play with an intensity that is supersonic.Hazard seemed to lose his way last season, but hes thriving in a changed environment. His new focus on finding the net is helping him hit new heights, and his past struggles are fast becoming a distant memory. So is Hazard a killer like Messi and Ronaldo? The stats suggest hes heading in the right direction. Also See: Fabregas the Chelsea misfit? Your clubs Premier League omens Calgary Flames Gear. Anthony Calvillo, through 20 CFL seasons, was frequently invincible and largely stoic in the heat of competition. But underneath the professional exterior he was, and is, compellingly human. Fake Flames Jerseys. -- Bryant McKinnie came out of his stance and lowered his shoulder into a practice squad player, causing a crisp thud to reverberate in the Miami Dolphins practice bubble. https://www.cheapflames.com/.C. -- Calgarys Kevin Koe did it the hard way again. Calgary Flames Shirts. William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Flames Jerseys 2020. -- The Portland Timbers and Real Salt Lake played to a 0-0 tie Saturday night that left the top of the Western Conference standings unchanged. Over the past few years, visitors to Zimbabwe have faced an unwelcome prospect: little to gain, everything to lose.The decreasing value of a tour of Zimbabwe can be seen in its most consistent marker. As India visited in three of the last four years, the teams they selected became ever weaker. In 2013, five first-XI players were rested. This year, as many as 17 players who were in Indias previous limited-overs squads were left at home.Sri Lankas situation on this tour is slightly different in that the five first-choice players back home were all injured, and so this is the strongest possible side. Yet, the players coming in still faced the prospect of gaining little at best, and, at worst, kissing goodbye to future selections at the highest level. The way they have gone about their business has not suggested that this has been weighing on their minds.The first Test brought a maiden century for Kusal Perera, and a first Test hundred in a decade for Upul Tharanga. But with Zimbabwe dropping six catches as they felt their way back into top-flight cricket, and both batsmen benefiting from the foundation laid by Sri Lankas openers, neither century was one to seal debates on their long-term future.The situation was different when Dhananjaya de Silva walked to the crease on the first day of the second Test. Sri Lanka were 112 for 4, and under pressure for the first time in the series. I think we dropped our guard a little bit yesterday morning and we found ourselves in a spot of bother, Graham Ford, Sri Lankas coach, said after day two. Some of our batters came in under pressure, and it was pleasing to see the composure in the way they absorbed the pressure that we needed them to.Zimbabwe had enjoyed a little bit of luck in taking three wickets prior to lunch. It wasnt necessarily luck that they deserved, but after the first Test, it could be argued that it was luck they were due. When they came out after lunch, the hosts seemed to have acknowledged that and decided to make the most of it. Bowlers who were so errant in the first session ramped up the pressure on de Silva and Tharanga, with the first 18 overs of the session yielding just 44 runs. We started off badly in the first session, but I think we pulled it back quite nicely as the day wore on, Hamilton Masakadza said.De Silva looked the perfect batsman for the circumstances. Although the pitch had even bounce, it remained on the slow side. Zimbabwe were playing the waiting game - a game that flashier batsmen than de Silva might well have lost. Instead, he remained compact, his neat technique never allowing him to get ahead of himself. Crucially on this surface, his range of strokes made it difficult for Zimbabwe to bowl in one place and block him up. By the end oof the first day, he had an unbeaten hundred, having feasted on the spinners during the evening session.dddddddddddd A Cricviz analysis showed the balance in his strokeplay: 51 runs off the front foot, 49 off the back foot; 51 on the off side, 49 on the leg side.Hes known as the Ice Man in our dressing room because he showed such composure and handled real pressure against Australia - they were one of the best attacks in world cricket and he showed that he was up for Test match cricket, Ford said. Theres that side to it, but he also seems to have a lot of time. We saw he plays the short ball pretty well - he can dispatch it - and has good technique. There are lots of positives there when you add all of that together, so hes a real find for Sri Lankan cricket.While de Silva looks to have set up his stall for the foreseeable future, adding depth to a batting department that is coming to terms with the retirement of Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara, Asela Gunaratnes case may be slightly different. Already 30 years old, Gunaratne is classified as an allrounder, but his bowling is never likely to be used on more than a part-time basis in Test cricket. As Sri Lanka toiled for 10 wickets on the last day of the first Test, Herath never once tossed him the ball.But 186 runs in three innings for two dismissals is difficult to argue with. In the first Test, Sri Lanka were 351 for 5 when Gunaratne came to the crease. In the second Test, the score was 255 for 5. With Gunaratne marshalling the tail, they have added 435 runs for the last five wickets over the course of two first innings. Angelo Mathews will walk back into the Test side when Sri Lanka head to South Africa next month, but it will be difficult to keep Gunaratne off the plane.Its good to see the form that the batsmen have shown, Ford said. Before the series, we knew that some of the fringe players had some talent but hadnt seen much opportunity. Now, theyve put their hands up and scored runs, so to see some depth in our batting department is really encouraging and important.On the little to gain dilemma, he added: The batsmen can only do what they can do, which is go out and score runs. If the wicket is flat, theres nothing they can do about it.Sri Lankas greatest challenge may yet come over the final three days of this match, as they face an improving Zimbabwe side on another flat pitch. Ford believes it will take some turn, but with fewer favours from Zimbabwes batsmen - and the umpires, now that DRS is in place - a lot of hard work lies ahead. So far, Sri Lankas batsmen have ticked all the boxes. Now, its over to the bowlers. Wholesale Jerseys ' ' '