How Arsenal’s Mathieu Flamini and Bayern Munich’s Philipp Lahm square up against each other statistically.
Arsenal’s Mathieu Flamini and Bayern Munich’s Philipp Lahm will be playing similar roles this evening when the Champions League last 16 tie gets under way at the Emirates Stadium.
Each player will have a big role to play in terms of protecting the defence and breaking up the play but who has done a more effective job so far this season.
We’ve taken a look at the stats across several key areas to judge how they match up against each other as holding midfielders.
Discipline
Lahm has been booked just twice in the Bundesliga this season whereas Flamini is one of Arsenal’s most penalised players.
| Player | Club | Pos | Yellow Card | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathieu Flamini | Arsenal | MF | 6 | 18 | 1,134 |
| Jack Wilshere | Arsenal | MF | 6 | 21 | 1,521 |
| Tomas Rosicky | Arsenal | MF | 4 | 16 | 827 |
| Bacary Sagna | Arsenal | DF | 4 | 23 | 1,980 |
| Olivier Giroud | Arsenal | FW | 3 | 24 | 2,064 |
Add a red card next to Flamini’s name and it’s clear that he’s a very aggressive player. However, that’s not a bad thing because it gives him a presence and intimidates opponents.
Tackles
| Player | Club | Pos | Won Tackle / apps | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Ramsey | Arsenal | MF | 3.11 | 18 | 1,495 |
| Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | MF | 2.26 | 19 | 1,354 |
| Kieran Gibbs | Arsenal | DF | 1.59 | 22 | 1,590 |
| Laurent Koscielny | Arsenal | DF | 1.52 | 23 | 1,999 |
| Mathieu Flamini | Arsenal | MF | 1.17 | 18 | 1,134 |
Lahm also enjoys a slightly higher tackle success rate with 1.3 per game, shading Flamini in this area. You may expect that to be higher from two holding midfielder but bear in mind they both play in slick passing teams.
Interceptions
| Player | Club | Pos | Interception Won / apps | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurent Koscielny | Arsenal | DF | 2.91 | 23 | 1,999 |
| Kieran Gibbs | Arsenal | DF | 1.86 | 22 | 1,590 |
| Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | MF | 1.79 | 19 | 1,354 |
| Per Mertesacker | Arsenal | DF | 1.75 | 24 | 2,160 |
| Mathieu Flamini | Arsenal | MF | 1.56 | 18 | 1,134 |
One area Flamini is ahead is in terms with interceptions, with a slightly higher average per match than Lahm’s 1.3. That will be important later this evening because Flamini will have to read the game well and position himself to counter against the pace and movement in the Bayern Munich attack.
Passes
| Player | Club | Pos | Total Pass / apps | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aaron Ramsey | Arsenal | MF | 70.11 | 18 | 1,495 |
| Mesut Özil | Arsenal | MF | 65.90 | 21 | 1,810 |
| Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | MF | 62.42 | 19 | 1,354 |
| Santiago Cazorla | Arsenal | MF | 59.80 | 20 | 1,629 |
| Mathieu Flamini | Arsenal | MF | 44.50 | 18 | 1,134 |
Lahm is significantly ahead in terms of passes with 80.8 on average per match in the Bundesliga this season. The difference can be put down to the gap in quality between the leagues with the Premier League perceived as a more difficult division. In short, Lahm is allowed to spend more time on the ball.
Long Balls
| Player | Club | Pos | Total Long Balls / apps | Apps | Mins |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wojciech Szczesny | Arsenal | GK | 12.23 | 26 | 2,340 |
| Aaron Ramsey | Arsenal | MF | 4.94 | 18 | 1,495 |
| Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | MF | 4.74 | 19 | 1,354 |
| Laurent Koscielny | Arsenal | DF | 4.39 | 23 | 1,999 |
| Mathieu Flamini | Arsenal | MF | 2.94 | 18 | 1,134 |
One interesting difference is that Lahm plays more long balls, 4.5 per game on average. Flamini is seemingly more keen to move the ball in quickly to those around him rather than hitting a long pass. Few Arsenal fans will complain if Lahm is forced to spray long balls around the pitch later.
image: © wonker
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