Marc Albrighton has been a seasoned campaigner in the English Premier League. He started his career at Aston Villa and was then signed by Leicester City on their return to the Premier League. The 33-year-old was a part of their 2015-16 title-winning campaign, and that is the biggest achievement in his professional career to date. Now that he’s nearing the end of his career, the player is struggling to get some playing time for the Foxes this season. So he decided to move to the EFL Championship club, West Bromwich Albion, on a loan deal till the end of the season. He carries a lot of experience playing top-division football and will look to strengthen a West Brom side fighting for promotion. We now look at some of the stats from the past few seasons that show how Marc Albrighton can be the key to West Brom’s success this season.
The 33-year-old Englishman only made six appearances for Leicester City this season. He started in one match and was also able to score a goal for the Foxes. He had more influence on the team in the last two seasons, where he accumulated a total of 48 appearances in the English Premier League.
Last two seasons for the Foxes
The above two visuals show the percentile rank of the player in comparison to other right-wingers in the English Premier League. The first pizza chart is from the 2020–21 season, and the next pizza chart shows the percentile rank from the 2021–22 season. In the 2020–21 season, the winger made 31 appearances, including 17 starts. He scored a goal and also provided five assists in that campaign. In the next season, the appearances went down to 17 with 11 starts. He scored a goal and provided two assists during that time.
The pizza chart from the 2020–21 season shows that the player dominated in the defensive stats as well as in the possession stats. His role was more on the defensive side. In the last season, there was a bit of degradation in his performances. This was probably due to the veteran’s lack of playing time. However, the player maintained his rank for positioning and for contesting defensive duels as well. The last two seasons saw more of the defensive side of Marc Albrighton.
The creative side of Albrighton
West Brom will expect their new signing to contribute more towards scoring goals. Albrighton likes to stretch the defence and is a frequent ball-crosser. The first visual above shows the winger actions of the player in the 2020–21, 2021–22, and 2022–23 campaigns. In the 2020-21 season, the player averaged 4.85 dribbles and had a 54.5% success rate. He delivered 4.7 crosses per 90 minutes and had a success rate of 23.5%. In the next season, the dribbles and crosses came down to 3.15 (44.2% success rate) and 3.51 (25% success rate) per 90 minutes, respectively. The second viz shows that the success rate was a bit low on the right side. However, the crosses that he successfully delivered either landed on the far post or just on the edge of the six-yard box. He will look to improve his success rate for the remainder of the season.
The title-winning campaign
Marc Albrighton played an instrumental role in Leicester City’s title-winning campaign. He appeared in all 38 matches and started 34. The winger scored two goals and provided seven assists. The above shot assist map shows that the player was active on set-piece duties. One of the key observations that can be made is that Albrighton featured on both flanks for his side. This shows that the player is versatile and can play on both flanks. His stats for dribbles and crosses also thrived. West Brom will hope that Albrighton unleashes his creative side as soon as he settles into the squad.
Betting Analysis
Marc Albrighton’s addition to the team adds more experience to the side. As for the 1×2 odds, the odds for West Brom are likely to fall if they face weaker opponents. Albrighton’s inclusion in the starting lineup will also lower the over goals rate for the Baggies. He is a threat on the attack and will strengthen his new squad.
West Bromwich Albion aims to reach the top division once again. There is a lot of fighting going on amongst the teams to reach the playoffs. The veteran will look to add a bit of experience and guide his team to success this season. He will also look to earn regular playing time and enjoy his football towards the end of his career.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
