Manchester United star Tom Cleverley has come in for a lot of stick since the defeat at Stoke, but is it fair? The stats would suggest not.
Criticism has been piled onto the shoulders of Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley following his performance against Stoke last weekend, but is the criticism justified?
The main criticism of Cleverley seems to be that he’s not a forward thinking, decisive enough midfield man, not the sort of midfielder who can move the ball forward quickly into the final attacking third.
However, his stats from the match and from this season across several passing areas suggest otherwise.
Forward Passes against Stoke
| Player | Club | Pos | Fwd Pass | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrice Evra | Man Utd | DF | 20 | 1 | 90 |
| Michael Carrick | Man Utd | MF | 19 | 1 | 90 |
| Chris Smalling | Man Utd | DF | 19 | 1 | 90 |
| Tom Cleverley | Man Utd | MF | 18 | 1 | 90 |
| Wayne Rooney | Man Utd | FW | 18 | 1 | 90 |
| Ashley Young | Man Utd | MF | 15 | 1 | 90 |
| Juan Mata | Man Utd | MF | 14 | 1 | 90 |
Only three players made more forward passes than Cleverley during the defeat at Stoke. Two of them were defenders and the other was his midfield partner Michael Carrick.
The defenders are explainable through the logic that they play the ball forwards once they pick possession up inside their final defensive third, but Cleverley was more productive in this respect against Stoke than Wayne Rooney, Ashley Young and even Juan Mata.
Forward Passes this Season
| Player | Club | Pos | Fwd Pass | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Carrick | Man Utd | MF | 375 | 16 | 1,333 |
| Patrice Evra | Man Utd | DF | 339 | 23 | 2,010 |
| Jonny Evans | Man Utd | DF | 319 | 16 | 1,316 |
| David de Gea | Man Utd | GK | 288 | 24 | 2,160 |
| Tom Cleverley | Man Utd | MF | 260 | 18 | 1,359 |
It’s a similar story with Cleverley passing the ball forward this season, with only four players ahead of him.
One of them is the goalkeeper David De Gea, who United fans should start to worry long and hard about should he start passing the ball backwards.
Accurate Passes this Season
| Player | Club | Pos | Accurate Pass | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Carrick | Man Utd | MF | 946 | 16 | 1,333 |
| Tom Cleverley | Man Utd | MF | 901 | 18 | 1,359 |
| Wayne Rooney | Man Utd | FW | 690 | 19 | 1,576 |
| Jonny Evans | Man Utd | DF | 682 | 16 | 1,316 |
| Patrice Evra | Man Utd | DF | 663 | 23 | 2,010 |
| Luis Antonio Valencia | Man Utd | MF | 660 | 20 | 1,503 |
Only Michael Carrick has completed more passes than Cleverley this season, which suggests that the under fire midfield man is one of the most effective at the club when it comes to protecting the ball.
Cleverley is just over 200 accurate passes ahead of the next player on the list; Wayne Rooney and nearly 250 passes ahead of Antonio Valencia.
Forward Zonal Passes
| Player | Club | Pos | Total Fwd Zone Pass | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wayne Rooney | Man Utd | FW | 747 | 19 | 1,576 |
| Michael Carrick | Man Utd | MF | 668 | 16 | 1,333 |
| Luis Antonio Valencia | Man Utd | MF | 657 | 20 | 1,503 |
| Tom Cleverley | Man Utd | MF | 617 | 18 | 1,359 |
Cleverley is also right in the mix when it comes to passes in the opponent’s final third, with Wayne Rooney, Carrick and Valencia the only players in front of him and he’s also made fewer appearances this season than Rooney and Valencia. Another example, which counters the argument that he doesn’t do enough in the final third to move the ball around and create chances.
image: © joncandy
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