The 4 Spanish Wizards

Much has been said about the four Spanish wizards and debate has gone round and one regarding which of these four is the best. All are regarded among the world’s most dangerous and potent attacking midfielder. Each player was heavily involved in their clubs last season with each player playing 32+ league games, with none starting less than 29. . Although their styles of play vary slightly they are all capable of bringing goals, assists and footballing intelligence to whichever team they’re playing for.

Goals and Shot Conversion

Player Name	Goals Scored	Shot to Goal Conversion Rate
Santi Cazorla	12	16%
Cesc Fabregas	11	28.2%
Juan Mata	12	26.1%
David Silva	4	11.1%

Cazorla and Mata were the most prolific in front of goal with 12 each while Fabregas was the most clinical. Silva was poor in comparison to the other three, scoring only 4 at a conversion rate of 11.1%

Assists and Key Passes (The final pass leading to the recipient of the ball having an attempt at goal without scoring)

Player Name	Assists	Key Passes
Santi Cazorla	11	84
Cesc Fabregas	11	39
Juan Mata	12	83
David Silva	8	95

David Silva made the highest number of key passes but had the lowest number of assists out of those in question. Mata led the way with 12 assists with Cazorla and Fabregas close behind on 11 apiece. As the Silva and Fabregas stats show the quality of teammates/finishers can distort assist numbers.

Pass Length, Accuracy and Direction

Player Name	Pass Length	Pass Accuracy	Pass Direction (Forward)
Santi Cazorla	17m	87%	65%
Cesc Fabregas	15m	89%	57.4%
Juan Mata	17m	85%	59%
David Silva	15m	85%	60.5%

Fabregas was the best passer of the ball, completing 89% of his pass, although at the shortest average length.  Mata and Cazorla had the longest average length with the latter also being the most direct with 65% of his passes going forward.

Duels

Player Name	Take Ons	Success rate
Santi Cazorla	86(/131)	66%
Cesc Fabregas	23(/50)	46%
Juan Mata	21(/52)	40%
David Silva	31(/51)	62%

Cazorla is by far the most talented with the ball at feet completing more take ons than the rest combined at a success rate of 66%. Silva was 2^nd best but still completed around 1 take on a game. Fabregas and Mata are similar I this sense but Mata came off slightly worse with 2 less take ons and at a lower success rate.

Player Name	No. of Greens	No. of Yellows	No. of Reds	Points Accumulated
Santi Cazorla	5	4	0	19
Juan Mata	3	4	2	12
Cesc Fabregas	2	5	2	11
David Silva	1	5	3	6

Refer to the bottom of This Post for clarity on the system used.

As the league table shows, on the basis of league performances last year Cazorla is the best of the four followed by Mata, Fabregas and then Silva. Cazorla consistent in all areas and is never the worst performer. He is the most well rounded and complete player. This may be expected as he is the oldest and most experienced. Mata was the 2^nd best on display and we wold expect him to improve and surpass Cazorla as he is younger. The aspect of his game that was weakest is his dribbling, although he may be able to become a great player without it. His productivity supports this theory. Fabregas had a low number of key passes and forward passes. This seems to be as a result of the Barcelona philosophy of the nearest player, retaining possession etc. Silva, by his own high standards, had a poor season last time out and will need to reproduce his 2011/12 season form if Man City are to win the league.

England's World Cup Strikers

2 of the main forward options, Sturridge and Rooney, look to kick off for England

In the season before the World cup everyone will be looking at England’s chances of bringing the trophy home for the 1^st time since ’66. These chances will rest heavily on someone stepping into the number 9 shirt and scoring consistently for the 3 lions. I will be attempting to identify this man, and other options available to Roy Hodgson.

Wayne Rooney

When mentioning currently great English strikers Wayne Rooney is the man top of that list. He is widely considered England’s only world class player. By his own high standards his last season was mediocre in front of goal, netting 12 times in 27 appearances.  This can be attributed to due to the fact he didn’t receive as much game time as the main striker at United, RVP. Rooney was subbed off in 1/3 of his appearance and made a further 5 off the bench. His chance conversion of 18.2% wasn’t amazing but his chance creation should be noted. Rooney was 1 of 4 me to score ad assist 10 plus goals (Cazorla, Mata and Walcott the 3 others).  This coupled with his high passing accuracy could see hi drop into the number 10 role behind the main striker.

Rickie Lambert

Not the most flashy or attractive name but he did finish as the top English scorer in his debut premier league season. He will be hoping to replicate his performances last season and force his way into the England side. 4 of his 15 goals came from his head and his aerial prowess would be of use to England if Hodgson decides he wants the team to play that way. His chance conversion of 19% is slightly better than Rooney’s. His lack of top level experience will count against him.

Adam le Fondre

Le Fondre is the stereotypical ‘fox in the box’, with all of his 12 goals coming from within the 18 yard box.  He made most off his Reading appearances off the bench and could do the same in an England shirt. His conversion rate of 24.5 is very high, he’s also 50% from inside the 6 yard box from 14 chances. He’s not a bad passer of the ball either, maintaining an accuracy of 72%. Again his lack of experience against the highest standard of opposition will count against him,

Daniel Sturridge

Sturridge scored a total of 11 premier league goals last year. 10 of these came in his 14 appearances after his move to Liverpool. If his continues this form into next season it will be hard for Hodgson to not start him. His pace would be useful against high lines that will be undoubtedly be deployed in the world cup. This coupled with his chance conversion of 18.9% means he has to be at the forefront of Hodgson’s thoughts. His pass accuracy of 85% will also be a positive factor.

Jermain Defoe

Jermain Defoe has been a regular in Roy Hodgson’s England, making appearances in 8 out of the 17 games since Hodgson has been manager. He scored 11 premier league goals last season at a low conversion rate of 13.9%. He is renowned for his desire to shoot from anywhere and not contributing to all round play. This style of forward play isn’t what England want or need during the world cup, against teams that will monopolise possession.

Andy Carroll

Although his style of play isn’t to everyone’s liking he has a role and executes it well. He is a throwback to the more physical eras of the game and uses every inch of his 6 ft 3 inch frame efficiently. His dominance in the air was evident last season, winning almost 10 headers per game at a success rate of 65%. He missed a sizeable chunk of last season through injury and will need to prove his fitness to be part of the England squad. He will also need to reproduce the goal scoring form he showed during the 2010-11 season to cement his position, scoring 13 premier league goals.

Conclusion

Including those mentioned above there are several other options that Hodgson has available to him. Danny Welbeck has scored 1 every 3 games for his country but had an awful season in front of goal last season for United, scoring once in 27 appearances. Some would argue that Welbeck has only scored 1 goal of importance for England, scoring 2 in friendlies and 2 against San Marino. Other names Hodgson should be monitoring are those of Gary Hooper and Charlie Austin. Hooper has now arrived in the premier league and will partner Van Wolfswinkel upfront for Norwich. Austin was on his way to the prem until he failed a medical at Hull and has now moved on to QPR. Both have an eye for goal; Hooper scoring 19 and Austin, 25 in their respective leagues last season.

England could go into the world cup as a genuine threat if 2 or 3 of those mentioned above perform to their capabilities in the league ad reproduce it on the world stage in the summer months.

Feedback Needed

The next article, 'England's World Cup Strikers', will be up at 7pm GMT today. I hope you will all be reading that, but I want you guys to have a say on the article that will be released following this one, there are two options for you to choose between. The 1st is a comparison between the '4 Spanish Wizards' Fabregas, Mata, Cazorla and Silva. The other will be looking at whether Arsenal should change formation to solidify the defence. Please comment down below telling me which article you would like to have first.