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It might not be Baseball, but there is little denying numbers play a prominent role in soccer today. Sunday’s clash between Tottenham and Manchester City at White Hart Lane will be one of those matches where numbers go a long way in explaining what the outcome might be.
The Premier League-leading goal machine that is Manchester City’s attack will have to find a way to breach the wall Mauricio Pochettino set up so far in Tottenham’s defense.
With 18 goals on their scoring sheet, Pep Guardiola and the Citizens have yet to taste something other than a win in the Premier League.
Spurs, on the other hand, hold a tight grip on the second spot in the standings, and the biggest factor for their early success is a league-leading defense that only allowed three goals all season.
Nevertheless, while the Belgium defensive duo of Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld will need to perform at their best if Tottenham is to break City’s streak, the spotlight will be pointed at the other end of Tottenham’s formation.
Perhaps the biggest early surprise of the season, Heung-Min Son has been the catalyst of Tottenham’s quick rise to the runner-up spot in the EPL.
Picture this: last season Son scored four goals and had one assist in 28 Premier League games. Guess how many goals and assists he has tallied in just three games this season?
Bingo!
In just three matches, the Korean winger has already tied his numbers from last season.
Son missed the first four games of the Premier League season because of the Olympics, but since his return, Tottenham knows nothing but wins.
Much of his improvement can be explained by Son’s newfound aggressiveness in attacking the opposing defense. In 2015-16 the Korean winger took an average 1.4 shots at the opposing goal per game. This season he upped that average to 4.7.
His dribbling numbers have also gone up dramatically, from an average of 0.6 dribbles per game to 4.7.
Finally, Son has also taken an extra step in helping his teammates find the net, with his average of key passes per match going up from 0.6 to 3.3 in 2016-17.
At the other end, Guardiola will be counting on his top scorer to make the difference against Tottenham’s powerful defense. Unlike Son, Sergio “Kun” Aguero is no stranger to the Premier League’s top scorers list. And with five early goals under his belt, he’s also putting up numbers superior to his last season.
Aguero's shot count is up to 4.8 from last season’s four shots per game average, placing him second in the Premier League just behind Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Aguero is also contributing more with key passes going up to 1.5 per game from last season’s 0.9 average.
Still, his efficiency in keeping the ball has been a game changer for City. Last season Aguero was dispossessed an average of 3.4 times every game. This season, however, that number is down to 1.3 to go along with his pass success rating of almost 82 percent.
Son or Aguero? Who will be the difference maker in Sunday’s clash?
