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January 08 2010
Africa calling
Castrol reveals Chelsea to miss Essien not Drogba during African Cup of Nations.
Michael Essien – rather than Didier Drogba – will be the player Chelsea miss most during this month’s African Cup of Nations, potentially costing Carlo Ancelotti’s side crucial points, according to new Castrol Performance Analysis.
Chelsea’s Premier League title charge has been hit by the loss of four key players for up to six weeks - Essien, Drogba, Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel. Rivals Arsenal have been forced to cope with the loss of Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue, while Manchester City are without Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure.
Castrol has applied the same expertise they apply to the development of their oils, using objective data and highly advanced technology to analyse the performance of every player in Europe’s five major leagues. This analysis reveals that Ghana midfielder Essien has been more influential on Chelsea’s fortunes this season than any of his Chelsea colleagues.
Essien’s presence at African football’s premier tournament in Angola could therefore have a major impact on the Blues’ domestic title hopes. The midfielder’s form this season was one of the main reasons behind Carlo Ancelotti’s side’s excellent start to the season with Chelsea winning more points, scoring more goals and conceding less. A recent hamstring injury meant that the Ghanaian missed most of December and his absence was certainly felt, with Chelsea averaging 2.36 points per game when Essien plays compared to 2.0 points per game when he is missing.
Castrol Ambassador and former France midfielder Marcel Desailly said: “I’m not surprised Michael has had such an impact on Chelsea’s performances because he is one of the world’s most outstanding midfielders.
“He is an incredibly strong and powerful midfielder and an opposition player would certainly know when they have been tackled by him! He also has a powerful shot and occasionally scores important goals although a lot of his good work can go unnoticed.”
Drogba’s loss will be less keenly felt, principally because Nicolas Anelka is available to carry the load of goal-scoring responsibility. In fact, Castrol Performance Analysis shows Chelsea have performed better when Drogba has not been in the team.
As the table below illustrates, Chelsea have struggled to score in the four league games Nicolas Anelka has missed this season, scoring at a below par rate of 1.5 goals per game. In contrast, the two games that Didier Drogba has missed have seen Carlo Ancelotti's team rack up six goals and six points.
While Ancelotti must work out how to accommodate the loss of Essien, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger faces a similar problem replacing Cameroon international Song who has emerged as the most effective defensive midfielder in the Premier League this season.
Song has a superior tackle success rate of 85% to any of his defensive midfield rivals in the Premier League including Arsenal legend, and new Manchester City signing Patrick Vieira, one of his predecessors at the north London club. He has also proved to be very effective going forward, and his pass completion in the final third, 77%, is superior to any of the other seven players in the table.
Big spending Manchester City is the other leading Premier League club affected by the tournament, with Ivory Coast defender Toure and Togo striker Adebayor away. Adebayor was City's most expensive signing last summer, and started his Eastlands career well, but recent poor form suggests that City will easily cope without the forward.
As the data in the table below indicates, they have a better win percentage in the games that Adebayor has missed than they do in the matches he has played. Furthermore, new City manager Roberto Mancini won his first two Premier League games, both without the services of the former Arsenal striker.
Micah Richards and Vincent Kompany are both in contention to deputise for Toure and while the Ivorian has been a regular for City, his potential replacements boast similar records this season. Toure has won 59% of his duels, the same rate as Kompany, while Richards has won 57%. The centre back has won 89% of tackles made while Richards has won 84%, although Kompany’s success rate is a less impressive 57%.
Castrol will continue to bring their expertise and passion to football by providing fans with unique insights into what it takes for teams and players to deliver winning performance leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
Chelsea’s Premier League title charge has been hit by the loss of four key players for up to six weeks - Essien, Drogba, Salomon Kalou and John Obi Mikel. Rivals Arsenal have been forced to cope with the loss of Alex Song and Emmanuel Eboue, while Manchester City are without Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure.
Castrol has applied the same expertise they apply to the development of their oils, using objective data and highly advanced technology to analyse the performance of every player in Europe’s five major leagues. This analysis reveals that Ghana midfielder Essien has been more influential on Chelsea’s fortunes this season than any of his Chelsea colleagues.
Essien’s presence at African football’s premier tournament in Angola could therefore have a major impact on the Blues’ domestic title hopes. The midfielder’s form this season was one of the main reasons behind Carlo Ancelotti’s side’s excellent start to the season with Chelsea winning more points, scoring more goals and conceding less. A recent hamstring injury meant that the Ghanaian missed most of December and his absence was certainly felt, with Chelsea averaging 2.36 points per game when Essien plays compared to 2.0 points per game when he is missing.
| 2009-10 EPL | With Essien | Without Essien |
| Games | 14 | 6 |
| Wins | 11 | 3 |
| Draws | 0 | 3 |
| Losses | 3 | 0 |
| Goals For | 35 | 10 |
| Average Goals For | 2.5 | 1.67 |
| Goals Against | 10 | 6 |
| Average Goals Against | 0.71 | 1 |
| Win % | 79% | 50% |
| Points per game | 2.36 | 2 |
Castrol Ambassador and former France midfielder Marcel Desailly said: “I’m not surprised Michael has had such an impact on Chelsea’s performances because he is one of the world’s most outstanding midfielders.
“He is an incredibly strong and powerful midfielder and an opposition player would certainly know when they have been tackled by him! He also has a powerful shot and occasionally scores important goals although a lot of his good work can go unnoticed.”
Drogba’s loss will be less keenly felt, principally because Nicolas Anelka is available to carry the load of goal-scoring responsibility. In fact, Castrol Performance Analysis shows Chelsea have performed better when Drogba has not been in the team.
As the table below illustrates, Chelsea have struggled to score in the four league games Nicolas Anelka has missed this season, scoring at a below par rate of 1.5 goals per game. In contrast, the two games that Didier Drogba has missed have seen Carlo Ancelotti's team rack up six goals and six points.
| 2009-10 EPL | With Anelka | Without Anelka | With Drogba | Without Drogba |
| Games | 16 | 4 | 18 | 2 |
| Wins | 12 | 2 | 12 | 2 |
| Draws | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| Losses | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Goals For | 39 | 6 | 39 | 6 |
| Average Goals For | 2.44 | 1.5 | 2.17 | 3 |
| Goals Against | 13 | 3 | 15 | 1 |
| Average Goals Against | 0.81 | 0.75 | 0.83 | 0.5 |
| Win % | 75% | 50% | 67% | 100% |
| Points per game | 2.31 | 2 | 2.17 | 3 |
While Ancelotti must work out how to accommodate the loss of Essien, Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger faces a similar problem replacing Cameroon international Song who has emerged as the most effective defensive midfielder in the Premier League this season.
Song has a superior tackle success rate of 85% to any of his defensive midfield rivals in the Premier League including Arsenal legend, and new Manchester City signing Patrick Vieira, one of his predecessors at the north London club. He has also proved to be very effective going forward, and his pass completion in the final third, 77%, is superior to any of the other seven players in the table.
| 2009-10 EPL | Song | Essien | Mascherano | Fletcher |
| Team | Arsenal | Chelsea | Liverpool | Manchester United |
| Appearances | 17 | 14 | 17 | 16 |
| Touches per game | 82.9 | 90 | 86.3 | 83.3 |
| Pass Completion % | 86% | 88% | 85% | 85% |
| Pass Completion in final third % | 77% | 75% | 73% | 72% |
| Tackles Made | 59 | 25 | 92 | 53 |
| Tackles Won % | 85% | 64% | 84% | 81% |
| 2009-10 EPL/Serie A | Palacios | Petrov | Barry | Vieira |
| Team | Tottenham Hotspur | Aston Villa | Manchester City | Internazionale |
| Appearances | 20 | 19 | 18 | 11 |
| Touches per game | 60 | 58.2 | 77.5 | 50.5 |
| Pass Completion % | 85% | 78% | 76% | 84% |
| Pass Completion in final third % | 70% | 64% | 66% | 71% |
| Tackles Made | 81 | 72 | 61 | 34 |
| Tackles Won % | 74% | 81% | 80% | 68% |
Big spending Manchester City is the other leading Premier League club affected by the tournament, with Ivory Coast defender Toure and Togo striker Adebayor away. Adebayor was City's most expensive signing last summer, and started his Eastlands career well, but recent poor form suggests that City will easily cope without the forward.
As the data in the table below indicates, they have a better win percentage in the games that Adebayor has missed than they do in the matches he has played. Furthermore, new City manager Roberto Mancini won his first two Premier League games, both without the services of the former Arsenal striker.
| 2009-10 EPL | With Adebayor | Without Adebayor |
| Games | 13 | 6 |
| Wins | 5 | 4 |
| Draws | 7 | 1 |
| Losses | 1 | 1 |
| Goals For | 23 | 15 |
| Average Goals For | 1.77 | 2.5 |
| Goals Against | 19 | 8 |
| Average Goals Against | 1.46 | 1.33 |
| Win % | 38% | 67% |
| Points per game | 1.69 | 2.17 |
Micah Richards and Vincent Kompany are both in contention to deputise for Toure and while the Ivorian has been a regular for City, his potential replacements boast similar records this season. Toure has won 59% of his duels, the same rate as Kompany, while Richards has won 57%. The centre back has won 89% of tackles made while Richards has won 84%, although Kompany’s success rate is a less impressive 57%.
Castrol will continue to bring their expertise and passion to football by providing fans with unique insights into what it takes for teams and players to deliver winning performance leading up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.
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