It is fair to say that Manchester United have been on somewhat of a roller coaster ride since the start of December. Many of the players' form has been constantly fluctuating during a spell which has seen Fergie's side look back to their imperious best as well as disastrous in defence in recent weeks. However, if one man has maintained a level of consistency that the boss will be adamant upon it is Antonio Valencia.
The Ecuadorian was a key player in what turned out to be a hard fought win in the cup over bitter rivals Manchester City, with his delivery for Wayne Rooney's opener indicative of the improvements he has made when it comes to his final ball. Whipping the ball into the box first time when running onto a Rooney pass, Valencia found the striker's run with an inch perfect cross that was, needless to say, expertly dispatched by the Englishman.
However, the quality of the winger's end product in that instance has not been a one off this season, and Valencia's return to fitness has been well timed when considering Ashley Young's injury problems of late. Since the 4-1 victory over Wolves, Valencia has started a further 5 league matches and picked up 7 assists in the process, corresponding with a return to the scoresheet for the likes of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov, setting up 2 and 3 of the strikers’ 4 and 6 goals respectively in that timeframe.
Progress Report
Injuries have halted the fledgling career of the 26-year-old at United in recent seasons, but Valencia looks back to his best after missing much of last season with a broken ankle. The former Wigan man has had to adapt his game slightly in order to ensure his place in the first team at times this season, playing at right-back on occasion, though his versatility will only help him to keep his place in the side.
A look at his stats from the 2009/10 season shows that Valencia was one of United's top performers. With 5 goals and 7 assists he proved a significant goal threat. Attempting just 1.1 shots per game, Valencia has never been as confident to take a shot on as the likes of Nani, but his 2.6 key passes per game were testament to a superb level of creativity. Despite this, Valencia's 7 assists only came with every 12.7 key passes on average, indicating that his final ball was not always lethal, whereas this season he has been exactly that with his deliveries.
Playing from the right-flank in the most part, Valencia has started just 8 league games this season but has already matched his assist tally of 7 from two seasons ago. A run of 5 straight games prior to the defeat to Newcastle saw him pick up an assist in each, including 3 in his first start back in the side against Wolves. However, the prolific nature with which Valencia has picked up assists has come despite making significantly fewer key passes per game than in recent seasons (1.5).
He has therefore made a total of 18 key passes this season and registered an assist with every 2.6 on average - over 10 fewer key passes per assist than he needed in 2009/10. Playing in a more defensive role has led to a greater number of tackles with each season that he plays - currently making 2.4 per game - as well as a smaller number of shots per game - attempting just 0.5 thus far in 2011/12.
Stats Comparison
Ashley Young's return to fitness will see an interesting dilemma evolve for Sir Alex Ferguson, with the former Villa-man perhaps the most obvious of his three main wingers to field on the left. Both Nani and Valencia have made most of their respective starts this season from the right, and Nani has looked quiet by his standards in the last few games since switching flanks.
If Ferguson did feel that he had to choose between Valencia and Nani, he may opt for the harder working Ecuador international, whose 7 assists match Nani's figure but at a significantly greater rate having started less than half the number of games as the Portuguese. Nani averages more key passes per game (2.5) but with 50 over the season, takes 7.14 to register an assist compared to Valencia's aforementioned 2.6.
In terms of creation, 25-year-old Nani is perhaps more inventive but by the same token, is also less effective at times. While Nani completes 1.7 crosses per game to Valencia's 1.4, the latter is accurate with 26.2% compared to the former's 21.7%. However, Nani certainly has the upper hand when it comes to dribbling, completing 72% of his 54 attempts this season compared to 47% of just 17 attempts from Valencia.
If Nani were to get the nod over Valencia on the right, it remains to be seen whether Ferguson would be bold enough to continue to play Valencia at right-back, as he has done in the league of late. The 26-year-old's average of 2.4 tackles per game is better than any other regular starting defender other than Patrice Evra (2.7), though the wide man's average of 1.4 interceptions per game is greater than the Frenchman's 1.2. Either way, his manager won't want to limit Valencia's forages forward given the quality with which he is creating chances, and in turn setting up goals thus far.
