Our look at Lincoln City’s midfield numbers suggested there is no obvious pairing that gives us everything, but season averages only tell part of the story.
Individual matches show how those strengths and weaknesses can come together, and why the same player can leave us with very different impressions from one week to the next.
Having compared the four across defending, passing and attacking yesterday, I’ve picked out a stronger and a weaker performance from each for this piece. There are some familiar themes, but also a couple of reminders that a defeat doesn’t automatically mean everyone played badly, or that a good performance has to be good in every department.
All the figures here are match totals rather than per 90, with the minutes recorded in the data included for context. That matters when we’re comparing a 58-minute appearance with one lasting 94, and particularly when one of the examples ends with an early red card.
Yunus Konak
The 4-1 win against Burnley on 24 October is a good place to start with Konak. Across his 99 recorded minutes, he completed 47 of 54 passes, a success rate of 87.0%, including six of seven into the final third. We were getting a midfielder who could help move possession into useful areas as well as compete for it.
He won 11 of 14 duels, or 78.6%, and added nine interceptions and 11 recoveries. There was some attacking involvement too, with 0.10 xA and a second assist. Put that together, and it is a strong example of the balance we want: winning contests, gathering possession and then finding someone who can do something with it.
Watford on 3 November brought a much less convincing passing display. In 96 minutes, Konak completed 20 of 30 passes, or 66.7%, with only five of 12 forward passes and one of six long passes finding their target. Two successful passes into the final third from five attempts completed the picture of a player finding it harder to get us moving.
However, he also made 13 recoveries and won all five aerial duels. We can be frustrated with his distribution while recognising that he was still doing plenty to regain possession and win contests. The Burnley performance gave us both sides of the job; at Watford, the defensive contribution was considerably stronger than what followed with the ball.
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