Date: 24th August 2013 at 12:45pm
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Manchester-United-v-Chelsea-Old-Trafford

Manchester United vs Chelsea

As David Moyes prepares for his first home game in charge, he has much to ponder ahead of the Special One’s visit to Old Trafford. The Glaswegian opted to leave England striker Wayne Rooney on the bench, but it will be hard for Moyes to do so again. As, following the opening weekend, Rooney leads the assist charts with 2 goal-scoring passes. According to the EA Sports Player Performance Index, only Manchester City’s Edin Dzeko matches Rooney. However he played the full 90 minutes rather than the 28 Rooney featured in.

On the other hand, Danny Welbeck has managed to double his Premier League goal-scoring tally from last season after only one game. He also appears to have upped his shooting accuracy as according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, he managed to hit the target with every one of his 3 shots.. This was in contrast to Cardiff’s Peter Whittingham who failed to find the target with every one of his 4 shots. 888Sport.com think the youngster can continue in this rich vein of form, by offering 6/1 for him to score first at Old Trafford.

Michael Carrick has been widely regarded as one of England’s most underrated midfielders. His ability to sit in the middle of the park is demonstrated by the 6 interceptions he made against Swansea, only Tottenham’s Etienne Capoue managed to match him in the first round of games.

He may have had his critics last year, but perhaps David De Gea is starting to fulfil his undoubted potential. The 5 saves he made were the most of any keeper who finished on the winning side.

Frank Lampard may have been close to leaving Stamford Bridge last year, but on the back of his performance at the weekend it seems that Chelsea will miss his ability to find the target. Both he and Edin Dzeko hit the target 4 times, more than any other player.

Lampard also managed to swing in the third most crosses on the opening weekend. Inevitably, Leighton Baines topped the crosses category with 5.

Youngster Kevin de Bruyne could learn a lesson or two from the experienced Englishman, as despite having three attempts at goal, he failed to find the target once.

Jose Mourinho’s previous Chelsea team received criticism over their style of play – with many critics labelling them as a team based on pragmatism rather than attacking flair. However, according to EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, Chelsea had four players in the top twenty passers in the league. Collectively, Oscar (37), Ramires (37), Hazard (36) and Lampard (35) sprayed the ball about in the opposition half, with only Everton matching the Europa League Champions.

Chelsea must be hoping that Eden Hazard maintains his fine form in- front of goal, as defensively he hasn’t had the best of luck. The EA SPORTS Player Performance index shows that of his 6 attempted challenges, he missed 4 of them.

Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ or with FIFA Ultimate Team for FIFA 14.

 

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