Yesterday saw Manchester City make their first transfer of the close season as the Eastlands picked up Gael Clichy from Arsenal for an undisclosed fee. Already, reports are surfacing of a possible bid for Jose Enrique as a replacement for the Frenchman and with Newcastle in a transitional period during this close season, will the left-back follow captain Kevin Nolan out the door? Here’s a look at some of the factors that may prove influential if a move to the Emirates does transpire for the Spaniard.
Newcastle
Enrique made 46.2 Passes per game, the third highest of any Newcastle player, as the side utilised his ability to build attacks from the back. Over the course of last season, 38% of Newcastle’s play came down the left hand side, with 32% in the middle and 30% from the right, as Chris Hughton then Alan Pardew played to Enrique’s strengths.
A look at the stats of Danny Simpson -Newcastle’s main right-back last season- highlights this difference in full-back roles; Simpson made 28.1 Passes per game, 18 less than Enrique, made less Crosses (0.7 to 0.9) and managed only half the number of Key Passes. Enrique’s 1.8 Successful Dribbles per game show his ability to beat a player is more in line with the stats of a winger; only Hatim Ben Arfa and Jonas Gutierrez made more for Newcastle. At right-back, Simpson averaged 0.1 per game.
It’s abundantly clear that if Enrique does leave St James’ Park, Pardew will not only need to replace a quality player but also address the balance of his starting XI, with a move away for his left-back depriving the Newcastle boss of a key first-team member.
Arsenal
There was a different balance to Arsenal’s play in comparison to Newcastle last term; only 31% came down the left, with 34% in the middle and 35% on the right. While on one hand, this will mean less reliance on Enrique as an individual, Arsene Wenger’s side had 60% possession per game to Newcastle’s average of 50%, with full-backs
Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna making 54.1 and 54.8 Passes respectively, indicating that Enrique would see more of the ball as Arsenal left-back.
While Enrique’s 77% Passing Accuracy is less than both Sagna (87%) and Clichy (80%), this may be down to Arsenal’s “Passing Types”, as the Gunners averaged 493 Short Passes per game compared to Newcastle’s 320. The Toon favourites also played 66 Long Balls per game to Arsenal’s 45 and in a different type of playing environment, Enrique’s accuracy in possession should also increase.
Enrique’s 1.8 Successful Dribbles is less than just two Arsenal players, Nasri and Diaby. Clichy and Sagna averaged just 0.6 and 0.4 per game respectively, illustrating Arsenal’s need for an extra injection of trickery from full-back positions. When it came to Crosses, Clichy just edged it over the right-back, with 0.5 to 0.4, suggesting there is more license for attacking full-back play on the left flank. This is down to Arsenal’s forward wide players; while Theo Walcott plays higher on the right, the likes of Arshavin or Nasri, when playing left, drop deeper, allowing the left-back more chance to bomb forward, a situation that will suit Enrique perfectly.
Comparing Clichy’s defensive stats to Sagna’s highlights how much more of a shift the left-back got through, with 3.4 Tackles to 2 and 3.2 Interceptions to 1.9. If this pattern continues, Enrique will need to up that’s area of his game- at Newcastle, his defensive stats were similar to Simpson, with his Clearances (he made 1.7 per game to Simpson’s 3.2) needing work. Clichy and Sagna made 4.5 and 4.3 Clearances respectively and for as much as the rest of our analysis Enrique would be a more than adequate replacement for Clichy, his reading of the game at the back could prove to be a weak spot.
