Lincoln City Man of the Match v Watford: Andrei Coubis

Andrei Coubis has been voted the Stacey West readers’ Man of the Match following our 1-0 defeat at Watford.

Coubis finished with an average rating of 6.38, ahead of Ben House on 5.97. Deji Elerewe completed the top three with 5.77, on a tough evening for the Imps.

This one arrives a little later than usual, with travelling to away games, press conferences and the rest of a busy week delaying our Watford result. We’re catching up now, with Coubis taking the honours for his performance at Vicarage Road.

Coubis v Watford in numbers

Across 96 minutes, Coubis recorded nine interceptions and 17 recoveries, repeatedly helping us regain possession. Three of those recoveries came in Watford’s half, although the bulk of that work understandably took place further back.

His success in individual contests was another strong feature of the performance, winning 12 of his 16 duels for a 75% return. That included all four of his defensive duels, giving him a perfect record in that particular category.

Coubis also won all three of his loose-ball duels and made six clearances. Alongside the interceptions and recoveries, those numbers underline how much of his contribution involved stopping attacks, collecting possession and dealing with danger around our defence.

His aerial figures were more mixed, with three wins from seven challenges, a 43% success rate. The strongest returns came in his defensive and loose-ball duels, with the overall figures showing plenty of effective work despite the defeat.

On the ball

Coubis completed 26 of his 34 passes, a success rate of 76%, while one of his two attempted long passes found a teammate. He also completed his only attempted dribble, adding a successful individual action to his passing contribution.

There were 12 losses of possession, four in our own half, while his attempted cross was unsuccessful. Those figures provide some balance to the stronger defensive numbers, with room for improvement in possession alongside his work winning the ball back.

He did not register a shot or an assist, with his clearest contribution coming through his defensive work. The combination of nine interceptions, 17 recoveries and a 75% duel success rate gives a good indication of why readers placed him first.

Readers’ top five