Wyke v Lafferty: Data that could aid Phil’s striker call
around them?
We’ve already touched on their assist numbers, showing that they both average an assist roughly every ten games. And the duo are fairly even-matched when you delve deeper into the stats.
Both put in a fairly low number of crosses per game, which is to be expected given their desire to be on the end of the deliveries rather than providing them.
An interesting stat, therefore, is the number of successful forward passes made by each player.
Wyke slightly edges this category, completing 4.48 per game compared to Lafferty’s 4.21.
It’s worth noting that while we have spoken about finding the back of the net here, that is not a prerequisite of the central striker role in Parkinson’s system.
Instead, they are tasked with acting as a focal point and helping to bring those around them into play something Parkinson feels Wyke has done well since the turn of the year.
And the stats back that up. Wyke has won a fairly impressive percentage of his aerial duels (39%), showing his ability to win long balls and ensure Sunderland do not lose possession when they hit him.
With Parkinson keen to press high up the pitch, Wyke has also shown his ability to win the ball back - averaging 1.65 interceptions per game - while he also only loses possession 16.21 times per game, on average.
But Lafferty’s record suggests he may well be able to adapt to this role in Parkinson’s team too - having won more aerial duels (41.4%) and forced more interceptions (2.11 per game) than Wyke. The only area where he falls short is when it comes to losing possession.
Parkinson also expects his strikers to drop deep, picking up the ball and helping to bring in the two more attack-minded midfielders into play. A look at the heatmaps of both Wyke and Lafferty show that they do most of their work just inside the opposition half, with their touches in the box fairly minimal - showing their willingness to drop deep and do the job Parkinson desires.
The data, therefore, offers hope that Lafferty could seamlessly slot into the role that Wyke has performed admirably in recent weeks should Parkinson opt to make that big call.
It’s important to remember that while this data may paint a picture as to which option Parkinson will opt for, footballing decisions are not made purely on statistics. There are other considerations to make - not least the fact that Lafferty hasn’t started a competitive game in several months.
More importantly too is the element of trust. Parkinson knows that Wyke can perform the desired role well and, for the most part, he has been a key cog in a Sunderland
side performing well.
That may well give the edge to Wyke, who has been a regular under Parkinson since he took charge at the Stadium of Light.
Ultimately, though, we won’t know the decision of the Sunderland boss until 2pm on Saturday.
*Phil Parkinson has revealed the club’s players have been banned from going abroad due to coronavirus fears.
Sunderland will be out of action for a week after the Blackpool game on March 14 following Bury FC’s withdrawal from League One. And with the coronavirus continuing to spread, the club has informed its players to stay within the UK.
Parkinson said: “The break comes after our game with Blackpool when we were due to play Bury and possibly the Southend game. “We’ve told the lads they can’t go abroad. Some of them want to go away but we don’t think it is wise for anyone to go abroad.”