Chelsea’s Eden Hazard vs Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez: A Statistical Comparison

The Premier League is home to some of the best players in the world of football at the moment as clubs from around the country spend insane amounts of money on their squad in the transfer market. A number of players have put in some impressive performances in the domestic league this season but Belgian international Eden Hazard and Chilean international Alexis Sanchez have been right up there with the best this season Both players, are playing for clubs currently close to the top of the table and here is a statistical comparison of how effective they have been to their team this season.

Chelsea playmaker Hazard has not been active in Europe this season as his side failed to qualify in the previous season and this has left him with a slightly less game time under his belt this season.  Alexis Sanchez, on the other hand, has been the most important player for Wenger in all competitions and is getting better and better with the season.

The 26-year old Chelsea man has mainly played on the wing this season in Conte’s 3-4-3 system and has been an influential player in Chelsea’s run to the top of the Premier League table. In 24 games for the Blues, Hazard has scored 10 goals and picked up 3 assists, playing a perfect fiddle to Diego Costa at the helm of the attack for Chelsea. Sanchez, on the other hand, has been used regularly as a false-9 and he has an astonishing 17 goals and 8 assists to his name in 25 games for the Gunners and stands as one of the most effective outfield players in the Premier League this season.

Both players play in slightly different systems but their jobs up ahead are similar to each other. Hazard has a pass completion of 84%, which is right up there with the best in the league while Sanchez is just at 73% which is low for a player of his stature. However, he averages 2.31 key passes per 90 minutes which is slightly better than Hazard’s 2.07 this season. The Arsenal star has created a league-high of 63 chances already this season which makes him one of the most effective players in the league while Hazard has 49 to his name, which is just around the average for the best in the league.

Both players are among the best dribblers in the competition as well and Eden Hazard wins this race so far this season. The Belgian has a successful take on % of 77.62 per 90 minutes while Sanchez has only been successful 67.62% of the times. Hazard also aces Sanchez in the ariel duels won as he has a success % close to 30%. Sanchez is reeling low at around 17% this season. The system in which he has played has also allowed Hazard to put in more interceptions, blocks, and clearances for his side this season, making him an overall star in the Premier League.

Sanchez has been superb in front of goal and has been simply unplayable at times but Hazard is having a superb season and has been a more influential player than his Chilean counterpart.