da 888casino： This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
da luck： Another Premier League matchday, another Liverpool win.
The Reds’ 2-0 victory against Watford was their 16th win of the campaign in just 17 matches, with Mohamed Salah to thank for a fantastic brace of goals. It wasn’t always the easiest of days for the Anfield outfit – the Hornets managed eight shots overall, but were particularly wasteful in front of goal. However, Jurgen Klopp’s men got the job done, just as they have in almost every game so far this term.
For this clash, the former Borussia Dortmund boss made a few changes, probably with the Club World Cup in mind. Three replacements came in, one of which was James Milner. The 33-year-old had signed a new contract on Friday, and it is fair to say that he justified that decision with his performance 24 hours later.
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Starting at left-back – which is not his natural position – he did well. Defensively, he made little contribution to the side, although he didn’t really need to – as you can tell via the heat-map below, most of the attacks from Nigel Pearson’s side came down the opposite flank. Still, he made two clearances, and also won six of the seven duels he contested.
Going forward, he was comfortable. He landed 90% of all the passes he attempted, whilst he also won two fouls and made one key pass. Not only that, he completed the only dribble he tried, and also lost possession of the ball on just 13 occasions – amongst his teammates, only Xherdan Shaqiri and Georginio Wijnaldum did so less.
The former Leeds man’s display at the weekend was emblematic of the team’s overall showing – solid, if not exhilarating, and it got the job done. Nothing new from £10.8m-valued Milner – as per Transfermarkt – there, then.
At 33 years of age, some people may have wondered whether it was the right decision to give him an extra two years. However, he answered any of those potential doubts emphatically against Watford. He may no longer be a guaranteed starter, and there will be the odd occasion where he struggles to keep up, but his desire to perform for the team, as well as his versatility, make him indispensable.
On the whole, his experience and dedication are invaluable. In the end, 48 more months may not be long enough.
In other news, this Liverpool star would be downgrading if he made the move to PSG.