Stat, Viz, Quiz is the Opta Analyst football newsletter. This week’s edition is our 100th, and looks at England’s U21s, Martín Zubimendi, and Thomas Frank.
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England and Germany are set to renew their old rivalry in the Under-21 European Championship this week. The Germans have already qualified for the last 16, and England are well-placed to join them. That’s despite a frustrating draw vs Slovenia in their most recent group game, where Lee Carsley’s Young Lions set an unwanted record in front of goal.
We also look at what Arsenal target Martín Zubimendi could bring to their set-up should he arrive at the Emirates Stadium this summer. Spoiler alert: it’s a lot.
Elsewhere, this week’s Ask Opta question explores Thomas Frank’s record against the Premier League’s biggest clubs, following his appointment as Tottenham Hotspur’s new head coach.
And as we’ve already mentioned, this is our 100th edition of SVQ, so this week’s quiz has a centurion theme.
Let’s get into it.
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The mere mention of “England vs Germany” is enough to send a chill down the spine of even the most hardened Three Lions fan. It’s often been a fixture synonymous with national heartbreak for the English.
But at Under-21 level, that narrative has been shifting. Under Lee Carsley, England have won both of their last two meetings with Germany (3-1 in 2022 and 2-0 in 2023). A third straight win on Wednesday when the two sides meet in Group B of the European U21 Championship would be a first at this level.
Germany, who sit top of the group on six points, have already qualified. England are on four points in second, and a draw would almost certainly be enough to see them follow the Germans into the last 16. That said, finishing second would put them on a collision course with Spain in the first round of the knockout stages. They’ll want to avoid that.
Carsley’s side were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw with Slovenia on Matchday 2, despite attempting 20 shots and amassing 2.4 expected goals (xG). That’s the highest xG total England have ever managed in an Under-21 Championship on record without scoring.
They are yet to go consecutive games without scoring under Carsley, having last done so in March 2021 under Aidy Boothroyd (a 1-0 defeat vs Switzerland and a 2-0 defeat vs Portugal).
Can the Young Lions recover and roar into the latter stages? We’ll find out on Wednesday.
VIZ – Zubi to Mendi Arsenal’s Midfield?
When looking at Ryan Benson’s recent feature on Martín Zubimendi on the Opta Analyst site, one visual in particular leapt out at us: the glaring lack of depth in Arsenal’s midfield.
Most would argue that signing a centre-forward should remain Arsenal’s top priority this summer – and that likely still holds true – but it’s increasingly clear they also need to strengthen in midfield.
Jorginho has departed for Flamengo, while Thomas Partey appears set to follow him out the door when his contract expires at the end of the month. With no update on a possible extension, the club risks heading into next season rather light in the middle of the pitch. Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Martin Ødegaard can’t play every game, surely.
Enter Zubimendi. The 26-year-old Spaniard is coming into his prime and could make a significant impact at the Emirates. A product of Real Sociedad’s esteemed Zubieta academy, he has developed into one of La Liga’s most dependable and intelligent deep-lying midfielders.
Technically adept, tactically disciplined and excellent in duels, Zubimendi ticks all the boxes for a modern-day number six. His ability to dictate tempo, build from the back and read the game defensively would not only shore up Arsenal’s midfield, but also unlock greater freedom for Rice and Ødegaard to push forward.
In short, as well as being a quality addition to Arsenal’s midfield in his own right, landing Zubimendi could elevate the entire team.
QUIZ – The Century’s Up
To celebrate the 100th edition of SVQ, our quiz this week is all about players who have a fond association with the first three-digit number. Answers at the bottom of the page.
1. Who is the only Premier League player to have scored exactly 100 goals in the competition?
2. Which player reached 100 appearances in the Premier League at the youngest age?
3. Who has taken the fewest appearances to hit 100 Premier League goals?
4. Five players have registered more than 100 assists in total in the Premier League, but who are the only two to have reached a century for a single club?
5. Of all players to have won 100+ matches in the Premier League for a single club, who has the best win rate?
Ask Opta
This week’s question comes from Ruben Valmir, who asks: “It feels like Thomas Frank had Brentford punching well above their weight. Does his record against the bigger teams in the Premier League bear that out?”
Do you have a stat-based question you’d like Opta to answer in a future edition of SVQ? Email us at editors@theanalyst.com or message us on X @OptaAnalyst with #AskOpta and we’ll pick the best one.
Answer:
Given Brentford’s resources relative to the majority of the Premier League, Thomas Frank – and the club’s hierarchy – have undoubtedly done a terrific job converting them into top-flight mainstays.
They’ve largely done that by beating the teams around them, though. Frank’s points-per-game rate against teams who ended up finishing the season in the bottom half of the table (1.77) is a lot healthier than against those sides who finished in the top half (1.05).
Furthermore, the eight Premier League sides who Frank has his worst points-per-game record against are Liverpool, Newcastle, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Manchester United and his new employers, Spurs.
That’s not to diminish any of Brentford’s success, but to highlight that they too have struggled against the league’s best. That’s not exactly too surprising.
Chelsea are the anomaly. Brentford have beaten the Blues three times out of their eight meetings and drawn another three times. They are the only side of the traditional ‘Big Six’ against whom Brentford have a winning record. Of teams who have been in the division for every one of Brentford’s four Premier League campaigns to date, the Bees only have a better points-per-game record against West Ham (2.4).
As mentioned, Frank didn’t have a great record against his new club. He won just one of the eight matches against Tottenham, drawing three and losing four.
Spurs clearly liked what they saw though, and we can’t blame them. Guiding Brentford to 13th, 9th, 16th and 10th-place finishes in their four Premier League seasons was remarkable work.
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1. Who is the only Premier League player to have scored exactly 100 goals in the competition?
Matt Le Tissier, who scored all 100 of his goals for Southampton
2. Which player reached 100 appearances in the Premier League at the youngest age?
Wayne Rooney (19y 10m 17d)
3. Who has taken the fewest appearances to hit 100 Premier League goals?
Alan Shearer (124 apps), though Erling Haaland has scored 85 goals from 97 games; so could well break this record next season
4. Five players have registered more than 100 assists in total in the Premier League, but who are the only two to have reached a century for a single club?
Ryan Giggs (162 for Manchester United) and Kevin De Bruyne (118 for Manchester City)
5. Of all players to have won 100+ matches in the Premier League for a single club, who has the best win rate?
Gabriel Jesus won 121 of the 159 games he played for Manchester City (76.1% win rate). In fact, the top eight players for best win rates among this list all play/played for City
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Stat, Viz, Quiz 100: Martín Zubimendi Can Take Arsenal’s Midfield to the Next Level Opta Analyst.
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