{"id":1366664,"date":"2024-10-24T17:30:51","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T16:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1366664"},"modified":"2024-10-25T17:13:53","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T16:13:53","slug":"arsenal-liverpool-william-saliba-absence-stats","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/arsenal-liverpool-william-saliba-absence-stats\/","title":{"rendered":"How much worse are Arsenal without Saliba? Worrying stats ahead of Liverpool clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite the form of Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz, for many observers William Saliba is Arsenal<\/a>‘s most influential player. <\/strong>So when he saw red against Bournemouth, knowing what was to come, you could understand supporters’ trepidation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This weekend, Premier League<\/a> leaders Liverpool<\/a> will visit the Emirates in scintillating form under new head coach Arne Slot. The Gunners will be without their French centre-back, whose absence was cited as the central reason behind how Mikel Arteta’s team collapsed during the 2022\/23 title run-in.<\/p>\n

A back injury sustained at the wrong time was a costly setback for Arsenal, as they lost their lead in the Premier League to eventual champions Manchester City. During his absence, the Londoners played 11 games, winning five, including a victory against Wolves on the final day, when the championship had already been decided. However, they crucially squandered two-goal leads in consecutive road matches against Liverpool and West Ham. Overall while their attacking performance remained steady they only kept two clean sheets in that run, conceding at least twice in five games.<\/p>\n

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Breaking down those 11 games further, six were at home and five were away. Two of those away games were arguably the toughest any Premier League team can face: the aforementioned Liverpool draw and Manchester City, which they lost 4-1. The latter effectively dashed their dreams of ending a 19-year championship drought.<\/p>\n

At home without Saliba, the record is a much more impressive: four wins, one draw, and one loss. They scored 19 goals, conceded nine and kept one clean sheet. But the damage done by Saliba’s absence is something Arsenal players have openly spoken about.<\/p>\n

“When he plays, we concede few goals, when he doesn\u2019t play, the number increases,” Gabriel Jesus said last year. “When I got injured, Eddie [Nketiah] replaced me very well. Then we signed Leo [Trossard]. We kept the pace. But when Saliba got injured, it was complicated. The other defenders are good, but we were playing in a certain way. Look at the stats we concede a lot less with him.”<\/p>\n

The stats Jesus refers to are as such: When Saliba plays, Arsenal have a 74% win rate and concede on average 0.8 goals per game. Without him, their win rate is 45% and they concede 1.6 goals.<\/p>\n

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Capturing the value of central defenders in statistics can be difficult, but there are two critical metrics where Saliba excels. Firstly, his one-on-one defending isn’t just exceptional; it’s arguably the best in England’s top division. Players are almost always stopped when they try to run past Saliba, who boasts the best success rate for tackles on dribblers in the Premier League this season (90%).<\/p>\n

Furthermore, he’s displayed remarkable tenacity by attempting 21 tackles and winning possession 12 times this season, a feat unmatched by any other Arsenal player. In contrast, his usual partner-in-crime, Gabriel Magalhaes, has only attempted six tackles. During the 2023\/24 campaign, he recorded 213 ‘ball recoveries’ — where a player collects a loose ball. This was more than any other Premier League centre-back and eighth among all players.<\/p>\n

Combining his recovery stats from last season with his tackling success in this one, you get a picture of an elegant yet formidable centre-back adept at both positional play and one-on-one challenges. These attributes are essential for Arsenal, especially when facing Liverpool’s direct runners such as Luis Diaz.<\/p>\n