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Stats Show This Arsenal Star Could Be The Perfect Replacement For The Ageing Barcelona Man

There really weren’t many positives to come out from the Barcelona- Arsenal clash in the UEFA Champions League. Truth be told, the result was a forgone conclusion as Barcelona eased past Arsenal over the two legs and made it yet another defeat for the Gunners in the knock-out stag of the tournament.

There were a couple of players who did shine in the tie; Alex Iwobi and Mohamed Elneny were pretty good while Hector Bellerin also came out with some respect after the tie. The Spanish right-back has been one of the star performers for Arsenal over the years and he did show his former club what they are missing out on.

Bellerin joined Arsenal from Barcelona and had his development in England, though he is a La Masia product, he didn’t really get a lot of chances to prove his ability in Barca. Now with a couple of complete seasons under his belt, the Spaniard could well be the man to replace another Barcelona legend at right-back Dani Alves.

Homecoming for Bellerin?

Hector Bellerin

Comparing the stats of the two it seems that Bellerin could be the successor to Alves at Barcelona. The Spanish youngster this season has averaged 38 successful passes per game compared to Alves’ 48 and the pass completion rate for the Brazilian defender is better as well with 87% pass completion compared to Bellerin’s 85%.

The two are inseparable when it comes to chances created with both notching up 0.68 chances per game on average. The real comparison begins in the defensive aspects of their games. Both are extremely quick and can bomb up and down the right flank rather easily and Bellerin is also known for his attacking intent just like Dani Alves.

When it comes to tackling it is the Arsenal defender who comes out on top with 1.36 tackles won per game compared to Alves who comes in with 1.27. Even when it comes to interceptions it is Bellerin who comes in with the better numbers as he averages 1.82 compared to 1.77 for Alves this season.

Clearances is another stat where Bellerin blows past Alves with an average of 3.21 per game compared to the Barcelona star’s paltry 1.41. Taking on other defenders is part of the job for these two and here too it is a pretty close battle.

Dani Alves comes out on top when it comes to running at defenders; he just about beats Bellerin with a success rate of 66% compared to the young Spaniard’s 65%. When it comes to overall duels won, it is the Spaniard who surges ahead with a 55% success rate compared to 44% for Dani.

The stats don’t lie, both players are almost similar in playing styles and their numbers are pretty similar too. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Barcelona had a buy-back clause when they sold Bellerin and well they should try to get him back to Spain.

Barcelona can provide more opportunities for the Spaniard to win trophies than Arsenal at the moment and who would not want to join this amazing Barca side if they had the chance?