Crystal Palace's Aaron Wan-Bissaka: Under the radar
Thursday 15 November 2018 10:33, UK
Crystal Palace right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka has impressed since bursting onto the scene earlier this year. We put the England U21 international under the radar to see how he fares against fellow full-backs...
The 20-year-old was thrust into the limelight in February when Roy Hodgson drafted him into the starting line-up against Tottenham, amid an injury crisis at the club.
But the London-born youngster shone against the likes of Harry Kane and Co and proceeded to face Manchester United and Chelsea before starting this campaign as first-choice right-back.
After a stellar performance against Fulham on the opening day, he was shown a straight red for a last-man challenge against Liverpool - but bounced back after suspension with above-average run-outs against Huddersfield and Newcastle.
Where Wan-Bissaka excels
As the graphic below shows, Wan-Bissaka excels across a raft of defensive stats - primarily outnumbering his Premier League counterparts for interceptions, tackles, blocks, duels and clearances.
Factoring all positions, the 20-year-old ranks as the league's second top tackler with 45 in 975 minutes on the field, equating to 4.2 per game on average - only Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye has more with 57 in 978 minutes.
In addition to being defensively solid, the Palace graduate dwarfs other full-backs for dribbling ability and, despite making slightly fewer passes overall, he attempts an above-average number of forward passes - epitomising his forward-thinking style.
Room for improvement?
He has earned rave reviews during a brief top-flight career, but while his red-card challenge was arguably justified to keep his side in the game at 1-0 down, his penalty conceded against Southampton was less so.
The youngster is also dispossessed far more frequently, which is to be expected of a player prone to running with the ball, but his stats also suggest he can improve his first touch.
Roy Hodgson has undoubtedly ushered in a potential star, and his attacking tendencies, developed during his youth career, have shaped a modern-day full-back - but the 20-year-old still has areas in which to improve.
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