Stats: Arsenal and Liverpool players vying for World Cup glory

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In Roy Hodgson’s England side, Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling will compete for a spot in the team.

With the World Cup in Brazil drawing ever closer, Hodgson will have some tough decisions to make when he has to name his 23-man squad to take to South America at the end of the season.

There are still positions up for grabs in the squad and with plenty of players impressing at this key stage of the season, Hodgson won’t be short of options to take on the plane.

Yet whilst he will have tough decisions to make for the squad, they will only get tougher when he has to name his starting XI to face Italy in Manaus on July 14th.

Both Oxlade-Chamberlain and Sterling are tipped as stars of the future, but with the Arsenal star missing most of the season, it seems Liverpool starlet Sterling is favoured as an option on the right hand side – but what do the stats say?

Dribbling

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The stats between the two players are somewhat hard to compare because Sterling has played almost four times as many minutes as Oxlade Chamberlain, limiting the former Southampton man’s impact this campaign. But when it comes down to dribbling, Sterling leads in both total dribbles attempted and successful attempts too. His electric pace is a large part of his success here, and whilst Oxlade-Chamberlain is no slouch, he can’t match the frightening speed of the Liverpool star.

Assists

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With Hodgson likely to deploy two holding midfielders to protect the back four, the onus will be on the wide men to provide service to the likes of Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge. Sterling only has two more assist than Oxlade-Chamberlain in far more playing time, but has created far more chances. His chemistry with Sturridge is likely to be a huge bonus to Hodgson – if he decides to play Sterling.

Shooting

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The wide men will also be expected to contribute goals, and Sterling’s nine goals this season represent a superb return. He has also got over 50% of his shots on target, compared to Oxlade-Chamberlain’s 28%. Sterling’s ability to get in behind defences has been key to Liverpool’s success this season, and should be for the Three Lions this summer as well.

Conclusion

Both players have huge futures in the England setup, but if Hodgson decides to go with one of these two players on the right hand side, then it should certainly be Sterling. Oxlade-Chamberlain has shown flashes of his ability in his sporadic displays, but with questions over his fitness and Sterling’s outstanding season, the Liverpool star should get the nod for England.