Here’s an article if youre looking to decide which of these 2 Spanish midfielders to choose for your fantasy premier league team
Im going to concentrate on the last 6 matches:
Mata
last 6 opponents: Ars A, Nor H, Tot A, Man U, H Swa A, Liv H (one of the hardest fixture lists)
Points: 53 4 goals 5 assists 8 bonus points
Next 6 opponents: WBA A, MCY H, Ful H, Whm A, Sun A, No game (17th hardest fixtures)
Cazorla
last 6 opponents: Che H, Whm A, Nor A, QPR h, Man U H, Ful A (difficult but not as bad as Chelsea)
Points: 25 points 2 goals 1 assist 2 bonus points
next 6 opponents: Tot H, Avl A, Eve A, Swa H, WBA H, Rdg A (6th hardest fixtures)
Analysis
So lets compare their underlying stats for the last 6 games. You’ll see that Mata was 4th and Cazorla 8th in the last 6 shooting stats article (link at bottom). Cazorla was first in chances created , Mata 5th.
So lets look at the individual components of this:
- As far as being involved in the attacking areas, Cazorla is more involved than Mata. No surprise really if you watch games. Cazorla is the focal point. Mata tends to share the play more with Hazard and to less an extent Oscar.
- Mata touches the ball in the penalty area significantly more than Cazorla though.
- Shooting. Both have roughly the same number of shots but Mata has a far higher % in the box. Crucially though Mata is more than twice as accurate in his shooting. The level of accuracy is not sustainable though and will drift down.
- Both created roughly the same amount of chances for their teammates
- While Mata’s average position on the pitch is getting further up the field Cazorlas is going backwards
Summary
- Mata over the last 6 games has outscored Cazorla by 53 points to 25 despite harder fixtures.
- Mata crucially has shot far more inside the box and with significantly better accuracy although its too high to be sustainable.
- Mata is also getting further up the pitch.
- Mata is a far better captain prospect
- Cazorla has far better fixtures coming up but Mata appears fixture proof
Go for Mata!
