David Silva and Juan Mata go head to head on Wednesday night when Manchester City take on Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium. The Spaniards have spoken of their close friendship, and Castrol EDGE Performance data shows that they are very closely matched on the pitch as well.
Both have scored five league goals this season, nearly all of which have come from their favoured left feet. They also have the same chance conversion rates (11%), although Silva’s shooting accuracy (54%) is marginally better than Mata’s (45%).
In terms of overall attacking play, Silva and Mata are crucial to their teams’ chances of success. Both are comfortable running with the ball and they also have similarly impressive pass completion rates (DS = 88%, JM = 87%). This has resulted in a notable number of assists; whilst Silva (12) has two more than Mata (10), Mata’s record is particularly impressive given the poor form of Chelsea’s strikers this season.
David Silva and Juan Mata in the 2011/12 Premier League
| Player | David Silva | Juan Mata |
| Team | Manchester City | Chelsea |
| Appearances (PL 11/12) | 27 | 26 |
| Starts | 24 | 24 |
| Minutes On Pitch | 2,146 | 2,037 |
| Goal Attempts | ||
| Goals | 5 | 5 |
| Mins per goal | 429 | 407 |
| Right footed goals | 1 | 0 |
| Left footed goals | 4 | 5 |
| Goals inside box | 4 | 4 |
| Goals outside box | 1 | 1 |
| Shots | 46 | 44 |
| Shots On Target | 25 | 20 |
| Shots Off Target | 21 | 24 |
| Shooting Accuracy | 54% | 45% |
| Chance Conversion | 11% | 11% |
| Passing | ||
| Touches | 2008 | 1690 |
| Touches per game | 74.4 | 65.0 |
| Goal Assists | 12 | 10 |
| Total Passes | 1,570 | 1,226 |
| Pass Completion % | 88% | 87% |
| Pass Completion in final third % | 82% | 79% |
| Crossing | ||
| Total Crosses | 81 | 202 |
| Cross Completion % | 23% | 25% |
| Dribbling | ||
| Dribbles & Runs | 61 | 40 |
| Dribble Completion % | 49% | 60% |
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