Statistical Review Of Mathieu Flamini’s Superb Performances So Far

Arsenal snapped up Mathieu Flamini on a free transfer this summer and so far it’s proved to be an astute move by Arsene Wenger. Here, blogger Gooner Daily looks at the Frenchman’s impact so far.

Amidst all the transfer speculation surrounding Arsenal in the summer, there was a certain Mathieu Flamini that was training with the squad to keep fit after his five-year stint with Milan came to an end. In his time in Italy, Flamini made 153 appearances, scoring five goals but he won the Scudetto and Italian Super Cup in 2011, which adds to his FA Cup he won with Arsenal in 2005.

Arsene Wenger had re-signed Sol Campbell and Jens Lehmann as well as securing a loan switch for Thierry Henry, so a few eyebrows were raised as it seemed as if Arsenal was going to sign the prodigal son for free, and guess what – they did! Some fans voiced their frustrations as Arsene Wenger had secured another “free” signing instead of spending some money but little did they know that this French enforcer had some unfinished business at Arsenal.

Flamini’s arrival mitigated a short-term challenge at the club, as Arsenal was desperately in need of cover in central midfield following the injury suffered by Mikel Arteta. In his second debut as a first half substitute for Jack Wilshere in the North London Derby, Flamini made his presence felt and he has been very vocal, directing his teammates and he has been willing to put his body on the line for his team.

He has offered some steel in midfield and his presence and influence have been hugely felt in the games he has played so far.

According to WhoScored, listed below are Mathieu Flamini’s stats this season,

	Premier League	Champions League
Appearances (subs)	3 (1)	2
Tackles made (per game)	9 (2.3)	6 (3)
Interceptions made (per game)	7 (1.8)	5 (2.5)
Fouls committed (per game)	5 (1.3)	3 (1.5)
Clearances (per game)	10 (2.5)	3 (1.5)
Blocked shots (per game)	3 (0.8)	–
Total Passes (accurate passes)	220 (202)	135 (128)
Pass Completion percentage	91.8%	94.8%
Bookings (Yellow/Red)	(3/0)	–

Now it’s time to compare Mathieu Flamini’s stats (league only) with some of the holding midfielders Arsenal were linked with throughout the summer.

	Flamini	Fellaini	Cabaye	Illarramendi	Gustavo	Bender
Appearances (subs)	3 (1)	1 (2)	2 (2)	3 (1)	4	6
Tackles made (per game)	9 (2.3)	2 (0.7)	9 (2.3)	10 (2.5)	11 (2.8)	16 (2.7)
Interceptions made (per game)	7 (1.8)	1 (0.3)	7 (1.8)	1 (0.3)	6 (1.5)	10 (1.7)
Fouls committed (per game)	5 (1.3)	3 (1)	5 (1.3)	6 (1.5)	10 (2.5)	9 (1.5)
Clearances (per game)	10 (2.5)	3 (1)	3 (0.8)	1 (0.3)	4 (1)	7 (1.2)
Blocked shots (per game)	3 (0.8)	–	–	–	–	1 (0.2)
Total Passes (accurate passes)	220 (202)	131 (119)	126 (100)	158 (137)	163 (144)	212 (172)
Pass Completion percentage	91.8%	90.8%	79.4%	86.7%	88.3%	81.1%
Bookings (Yellow/Red)	(3/0)	–	(2/0)	–	(0/2)	–

It’s worth noting that all the players compared with Flamini here would have cost Arsenal millions of pounds in trasfer fees alone. Many of Flamini’s peers have made more tackles than him per game but he’s on par with Cabaye and the £27.5m Fellaini is nowhere near him in the tackling department. No player in this list has made more clearances and blocked more shots than Flamini. His passing stats are hugely impressive as well, as he has a completion percentage of 91.8%, more than everyone on this list.

There may be some issues with his discipline but he’s nowhere near as bad as Luiz Gustavo, who has already notched up two straight red cards for Wolfsburg in this early stage of his career with his new team.

As these stats prove, Flamini has been an excellent performer for Arsenal, despite arriving at the club for nothing. It’s fair to say that some of the best things in life are free.

This post was originally published on Gooner Daily – you can check out their Facebook page here.