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2014/15 Goals 1 4 Assists 0 1 Shots 10
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PHILADELPHIA - Through 14 games the Philadelphia Eagles have committed a league-high 34 turnovers, three more than the next highest team, and 11 more than any other NFC team with a winning record. Alex Killorn Lightning Jersey .Yet the Eagles still have nine wins, despite 19 interceptions from quarterbacks Nick Foles (10) and Mark Sanchez (nine) and 15 fumbles, five of which have come from the quarterbacks.The 19 interceptions are a league-high, one more than Jacksonville, Chicago and Tampa Bay. And the 15 fumbles also lead the league, one more than Indianapolis and the New York Giants.We keep coaching not turning the ball over, Eagles offensive co-ordinator Pat Shurmur said. We keep and keep coaching ball security.Six more turnovers the past two weeks led to two losses to Seattle and Dallas and dropped the Eagles from first place in the NFC East to now needing help to get into the playoffs.The Eagles, at 9-5, need to win their last two games against the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants and need Dallas (10-4) to lose one of its last two games against the Indianapolis Colts and the Redskins.The Eagles are the only team with a winning record that has more often turned the ball over than taken it away.Early in the season, the turnovers were offset by the fact the Eagles had 10 touchdowns via return, either by the special teams or the defence. There were none of those in the last two losses.You cant say we turned it over, but our defence scored so were OK, Eagles coach Chip Kelly said. Every unit is responsible.The Eagles still have an opportunity to make the playoffs. They need help, but they also need to help themselves by holding onto the ball.Thats whats been hurting us (the past two weeks), Sanchez said. We need better ball security and that starts with me.NOTES: Outside linebacker Trent Cole had surgery to have a plate inserted in his broken left hand Wednesday, according to Kelly, and is out for Saturdays game in Washington. Brandon Graham will make his first start since 2012 and his first start ever as an outside linebacker in Coles place. Graham also confirmed a report that his agent is talking with the Eagles on a new contract. He is scheduled to become a free agent in March. First-round pick Marcus Smith, who has not seen action in seven games this season, becomes the top backup linebacker. ... Cole and quarterback Nick Foles (broken collarbone) were the only two players out of practice Wednesday. Tyler Johnson Lightning Jersey . So heres what I do when I want to get into the baseball mood—I delve into "The Baseball Project". Martin St. Louis Lightning Jersey . But history aside, theyre still happy to participate in the Par 3 contest, traditionally held on the day prior to the first round of the Masters.Two midfield all-rounders could decide Tottenhams game against Manchester United at White Hart Lane this Sunday, live on Sky Sports. Tottenham host Manchester United with both sides keen to keep pressure on the sides above them. Mousa Dembele and Morgan Schneiderlin are two players enjoying strong seasons in midfield and both will play crucial roles in this match.The presence of several key English players often generates attention at Spurs, but Dembeles return to form and full fitness has arguably been as integral to their fine season as anything else. The Belgium international has generally partnered Eric Dier in midfield, augmenting much of what Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb produced last year. Spurs midfield comparison Stats per 90 mins Dembele - PL 2015/16 Mason - PL 2014/15 Bentaleb - 2014/15 Tackles 4.5 3.3 2.4 Interceptions 2.3 2.0 2.4 Successful dribbles 3.4 0.7 1.1 Chances created (open play) 1.0 1.0 0.7 Successful passes 51.2 52.1 56.4 Passing accuracy 90% 84% 87% Sprints 49.4 44.9 47.2 Distance covered 10.8km 11.6km 11.2km Dembeles major strength is his tackling; only three players have recorded more tackles in the Premier League this season and only four average more than the Belgians 4.5 per 90 minutes. Most tackles PL 2015/16 Tackles Tackles per 90 mins NGolo Kante (Leicester) 139 5.0 Idrissa Gueye (Aston Villa) 123 4.4 Erik Pieters (Stoke) 108 3.5 Mousa Dembele (Tottenham) 96 4.5 Cesar Azpilicueta (Chelsea) 94 3.3 While this is impressive enough, and a platform from which Tottenham have sprung many attacks this season, its the midfielders actual proficiency in this department that stands out further.Tackles won and lost are easily accessible stats, but they dont reveal a players actual tackling ability. Lost tackles are still successful actions, just ones where the opposing team maintains possession. Therefore, Optas dribbled past category, a stat highlighting when a player is beaten, can be used to explore this better. Challenge success PL 2015/16 Tackles Dribbled past Challenge success Mousa Dembele (Tottenham) 96 8 92.3 Gabriel Paulista (Arsenal) 32 3 91.4% Virgil van Dijk (Southampton) 55 6 90.2% Angelo Ogbonna (West Ham) 37 5 88.1% Wes Morgan (Leicester) 39 6 86. Braydon Coburn Jersey. % Dembele has only been dribbled past eight times while making 96 tackles this season, giving him a 92 per cent success rate which officially classes him as the Premier Leagues hardest man to beat.Furthermore, those near Dembeles ratio havent made anywhere near as many tackles. No player with more than 55 tackles maintains a ratio higher than 85 per cent and the vast majority have been dribbled past at least twice as many times.For example, NGolo Kante leads the way with 139 tackles, but hes been dribbled past on 45 occasions, the tenth most in the division. Similarly, Idrissa Gueye (26 times), Erik Pieters (35) and Cesar Azpilicueta (24) have all been beaten on at least three times as many occasions as Dembele. Jamie Carragher says Dembele should be seen as a top defensive midfielder The Spurs man is not just one of the Premier Leagues most frequent tacklers this season; more importantly, hes been the best.Schneiderlin has similar disruptive responsibilities for Manchester United. While his stats dont quite match up to Dembeles, he still offers the most to his side in this department. Man Utd tackles and interceptions PL 2015/16 Tackles per 90 Interceptions per 90 Tackles and interceptions per 90 Morgan Schneiderlin 3.1 2.9 6.0 Matteo Darmian 3.8 2.0 5.8 Marcos Rojo 2.7 2.7 5.4 Daley Blind 2.8 2.4 5.2 Chris Smalling 1.8 2.9 4.6 Uniteds inconsistencies in attack often detract from the fact they have one of the Premier Leagues best defensive records and Schneiderlin has played his part in that. With the Frenchman involved, United win 54 per cent of games, taking 1.92 points per game, compared to just 29 per cent and one point without him.While United appear more compact with Schneiderlin protecting the defence, hes yet to offer as much in the final third as he did while at Southampton. Given his sides publicised struggles to get shots on target this season, one can understand Louis van Gaals occasional urge to leave the midfielder out in favour of more attacking combinations. Schneiderlin year-on-year Premier League only Man Utd 2015/16 Southampton 2014/15 Goals 1 4 Assists 0 1 Shots 10 30 Chances created 9 20 In a similar amount of time on the pitch, Schneiderlins been directly involved in just one league goal at United, shooting and creating chances far less often than at Southampton, though he took positive steps in this direction against Everton on Sunday.Although Marcos Rashfords back-heel, Timothy Fosu-Mensahs cross and Anthony Martial scoring took the headlines in the move for the only goal of the game, it was Schneiderlins long, defence-splitting pass that prompted the move. Schneiderlin (28) produced the pass for Anthony Martial (9) to score against Everton This more rounded involvement is what Van Gaal and Manchester United fans will hope to see more of from their summer signing over the next few seasons.While Schneiderlin and Dembele wont always be head-to-head on Sunday, charged with screening their respective defences, each man will look to disrupt opposing attackers and switch defence into attack. The player who is more successful at doing that will provide his side with the better platform from which to take the points. Also See: Old Spurs boys to decide title Schneiderlin: Plenty to come ' ' '