What makes a talisman? The phrase, bandied about with a certain regularity, tends to be applied to Carlos Tevez more than most Premier League players. Does the likes of Tevez give his team a better chance of winning, does him being on the pitch guarantee more goals or does his presence lift the side in an indefinable way that’s beyond measuring? We take a look at the stats to define the term and in do so, list the Top 10 Premier League talismen of 2010-11.
To begin with, a look at Tevez’s stats may help define the matter. Does he help them win more games? Man City’s total win ratio for the season was 55%, with 21 wins out of 38 games. Tevez missed seven games of the season, but of the 31 he took part in, City’s win ratio was 54%: they won 4 out of the 7 he missed, suggesting his presence wasn’t necessarily more likely to ensure victory.
A look at his effect on “Team Goals per Minute” is again, fairly negligible; City averaged 1 goal every 57 minutes (they scored 60 in 3420 minutes) last term for the season but looking only at the minutes when Tevez played, they scored 47 goals in 2513 mins, an average of 53.4 mins, a slight improvement.
Instead, his “on pitch contribution” is more revealing, and in line of the “talisman” tag. City scored 47 goals when Tevez was on the pitch last season, and of those 47, he had a hand in 26 (20 goals and 6 assists), meaning he played a part in 55% of all team goals when on the pitch. With Tevez ranking third in the Premier League here, this stat seems the most likely to define the term and the one we shall rank our players in.
Only two Dutchmen trump Tevez in the crucial category, then; Arsenal scored 40 goals with Robin Van Persie on the pitch, and the forward contributed to 25 of them; this means he played a part in 62% of all Arsenal’s goals when on the pitch. Bizarrely, though, he Gunners’ win ratio went down when he played; they won 44% of the games he took part in but won 50% of the matches he sat out.
His presence boosted the team goals per minute, though; Arsenal averaged 1 goal every 47.5 for the season (72 goals in 3420 mins) but in the minutes when Van Persie was on the pitch, it dropped slightly to 1 every 44.2 mins. If he stays fit next season, Arsenal’s chances of success will surely be greatly improved.
Rafael Van der Vaart is second for on pitch contribution- Spurs found the net 40 times with him on the park and Van der Vaart played a part in 21 (13 goals and 8 assists) of those goals, a total of 58%.
Harry Redknapp’s side won 46% of the games Van der Vaart took part in (13 of 28) a greater ratio than their season overall of 42%, though their goals per minute rarely varied; 1 goal every 62.1 mins for the season, with 1 goal every 63.4 mins for the time Van der Vaart was on the pitch (40 goals in 1770 mins).
What’s noticeable here is how important Andy Carroll was to Newcastle before his move-he contributed to 14 (11 goals and 3 assists) of the 26 goals the Magpies scored with him on the pitch, which is 53%.
A fully fit Asamoah Gyan will be crucial to Sunderland next season; the Black Cats forward only played 2006 minutes last season but played a part in 14 (10 goals and 4 assists) of the 26 goals Sunderland scored with him on the pitch.
The impact of Daniel Sturridge on loan at Bolton was telling; he played a part in 8 (8 goals) of the 17 goals Bolton scored when he was on the pitch, a contribution of 47%. Bolton’s win ratio was better with him (41% compared to season overall 35%) and scored a goal every 57.1 mins with him in the side, compared to every 65.7 mins without.
Peter Odemwengie’s importance to West Brom in his debut Premier League season cannot be underestimated; he played a part in 22 of his side’s 47 goals scored when he as on the pitch, 47%, and Tim Cahill’s influence on David Moyes’ Everton is shown with a 42% “on pitch contribution”, having a hand in 12 of the 28 goals the Toffees scored when he was on the pitch.
Steven Fletcher was highlighted in a recent article as last season’s most clinical finisher in the Premier League and once again, his importance to Wolves stood out here. Mick McCarthy’s side scored 26 times with Fletcher on the pitch and with 10 goals and 2 assists, he contributed to 46% of them.
Didier Drogba’s role at Chelsea cannot be underestimated, either; the Blues scored 63 of their 69 goals with him on the pitch, the highest team goals of all our featured players, yet he played a part in 24 (11 goals and 13 assists) which is 38%. Of the two games Drogba failed to appear in last season, Chelsea failed to find the net both times.
Both Thomas Hitzlsperger (contributed 6 of 13, which is 46%) and Demba Ba (7 of 16, which 43%) of West Ham scored highly enough to earn a place in the top ten in terms of stats but with the Hammers dropping down a division, it raises the question: Shouldn’t a talisman, by definition, inspire his side to greater success? With the pair playing in a Hammers side that took 2 points from their last nine games to earn a place in the Championship next season, they fail to make the cut.
