FAST DOWNLOAD
The usually imperious Premier League champions endured a run of six matches without a win and Pep Guardiola suffered five consecutive defeats for the first time as a manager. Key absentees in key areas have been a crucial factor in that slump.
Rodri is a big loss at the base of the midfield. Since February 2023, City have lost just 2.6% of their games with the Ballon d’Or winner in the team. This climbs to 34.5% in the 29 matches played without him in the team but who are the other players that are integral to their team’s success in Europe’s top leagues?
Big Misses for Their Clubs, Big Opportunities for Bettors?
Martin Odegaard
Martin Odegaard is a vital cog in the Arsenal midfield. He is a huge creative presence for the Gunners and was sorely missed after picking up an injury during the September international break.
Over the past 12 months, Odegaard averages 6.08 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes played, meaning he ranks in the 99th percentile of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues. He also ranks in the top 2% for assists, progressive passes and touches in the opposition box.
Odegaard couples a tireless work rate off the ball with enormous ability with it. It’s no surprise that Arsenal suffer when he doesn’t play.
With their club captain in the team, Arteta’s men have a win percentage of 66.4% in the Premier League. This drops to 43.75% without him. Odegaard’s return makes Arsenal a team for bettors to watch in the coming weeks.
Hakan Calhanoglu
Calhanoglu started his career as an attacking midfielder but has emerged as a hugely important player for Inter in a deeper role. He controls the pace of the game and creates plenty of shooting opportunities for his teammates. The Turkey international attempts an average of 83.87 passes per 90 minutes played over the past year, amongst the highest for a midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues.
Since the start of last season, Inter have won 69.74% of their matches with Hakan Calhanoglu in the team across all competitions. Without him, Simone Inzaghi’s team have won just 41.66% of their games.
Lamine Yamal
Golden Boy Lamine Yamal may still be 17, but is already indispensable for Barcelona. He forms one part of Hansi Flick’s deadly front three. The team are averaging three goals per game in La Liga this season. Lamine has the most assists in the Spanish top flight with seven he has also chipped in with five goals.
Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha are also enjoying wonderful seasons and posting exceptional attacking numbers. However, the stats show that the Blaugrana haven’t fared as well in La Liga when Yamal is absent. The team have won 11 of their 15 league matches. The winger hasn’t started the four games where the Blaugrana haven’t won.
Yamal is in line to start against Mallorca after playing the second half against Las Palmas at the weekend.
Joao Pedro
Brighton have made their best-ever start to a Premier League season. They have collected 23 points from their opening 13 matches, three more than they had at this stage last season. Joao Pedro has missed half of those matches but Fabian Hurzeler’s team are well-equipped to deal with an injured attacker. They have had 11 different scorers this season, more than any other Premier League team.
Nevertheless, Brighton will be delighted to have Pedro back in the starting 11. He has four goals and two assists in seven league appearances this season. Much like the three other sides mentioned, bettors should keep an eye on Brighton in the coming weeks.
