Modric – left-wing or central?
When played in his strongest position of central midfield, Modric contributes more than just creativity – he’s actually a great all-rounder.
VDV Effect
If Van Der Vaart had not suffered with such injuries this season, Spurs would probably not have been overtaken by Arsenal recently. In fact, out of the 8 league goals he’s scored this season, only 1 hasn’t made a direct difference to the result – that was one of 3 scored by Spurs against QPR’s 1. Every other goal has been a factor in a result – either in a one-goal margin victory or an equalising goal. The late strike against Stoke was the latest in a series of vital goals that account for 10 points – taking ten from Spurs’ total would have them now in 6th, instead of one point off third.
If we calculate that his 8 goals have gained 10 points so far this season, then had he scored the 13 that we calculated in the adjusted table above, some more simple maths estimates that Spurs might be benefitting from another 2 or 3 points, and would still be sitting pretty looking down at Arsenal. If they want to finish the season in third, it’s almost imperative that the Dutchman doesn’t succumb to injury again.
All of the stats from this article have been taken from the Opta Stats Centre at EPLIndex.com – Subscribe Now (Includes author privileges!) See Demo’s and videos about the Stats Centre & read about new additions to the stats centre.
