The Radar column also examines Emiliano Martinez's claim to be the Premier League's best goalkeeper having signed a new deal at Aston Villa; watch Aston Villa vs Arsenal, B'mouth vs Newcastle and Liverpool vs Brentford live on Sky Sports this weekend
Saturday 24 August 2024 20:41, UK
Welcome to The Radar, a Sky Sports column in which Nick Wright uses a blend of data and opinion to shed light on need-to-know stories from up and down the Premier League. This week:
🔴 Jota to usurp Nunez under Slot?
📈 Saka's continual improvement
👍 Aston Villa's Martinez boost
🔍 Two players to track this weekend
Arne Slot earned praise for his proactivity in substituting Jarell Quansah for Ibrahima Konate at half-time of Liverpool's win over Ipswich last Saturday. But it was just one of many decisions which paid off for him. Deploying Diogo Jota up front was another.
The Portuguese international spurned his first scoring chance following a quiet first period, uncharacteristically heading wide from an inviting Trent Alexander-Arnold cross. But his opener, dispatched from Mohamed Salah's pass, arrived only 70 seconds later.
The ruthless, first-time strike, having immediately shrugged off his earlier miss, was typical of Jota and called to mind Jamie Carragher's assertion last season that he is Liverpool's best finisher of the Premier League era. "He is so clinical," said the Sky Sports pundit.
Jota's scoring record underlines his efficiency.
With 42 Premier League goals in 5,845 minutes since joining the club, Jota ranks joint-fourth in the division for goals scored per 90 minutes, his average of 0.65 putting him level with Harry Kane, just ahead of Salah, on 0.64, and way ahead of Darwin Nunez, on 0.48.
It makes sense, then, that Slot wants to put him in scoring positions as much as possible by using him up front, as he did throughout pre-season as well as at Portman Road, especially with Nunez, Jota's main competition for the role and an erratic finisher at the best of times, still building his fitness following the Copa America.
"It's obviously a bit different from [Jurgen] Klopp where I maybe was useful out wide," said Jota after Saturday's victory over Ipswich. "If I stay in the middle, wait for those chances to come in and score them, I think that is what I do best."
His poaching ability shines through when looking at the shot locations of his 42 Premier League goals for Liverpool. All but three have come from inside the box, with the vast majority, Saturday's opener included, converted from within 12 yards of goal.
The hope for Slot is that, with Jota deployed centrally more consistently, there will be many more to come this season. His injury record demands caution, of course. But following a goalscoring start, he looks primed to take centre stage in Liverpool's post-Klopp era.
Last season required another monumental effort by Bukayo Saka. Having made 47 appearances for Arsenal, he started all seven England games on their run to the European Championship final. Few players are more important to club and country.
Those international commitments made for a quick turnaround to the new season. But there was little evidence of fatigue in how he started it. The 22-year-old picked up where he left off against Wolves, setting up Arsenal's opener with a pinpoint cross for Kai Havertz and superbly scoring their second himself.
His goal and assist took him to 70 in the Premier League since the start of the 2021/22 season, a combined total made up of 42 goals and 28 assists which puts him behind only Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland and Heung Min-Son, highlighting his elite status.
"When you look at those numbers at his age, that's very, very special, especially in the position he plays," said Mikel Arteta on Friday. Indeed, given Haaland plays as a striker and Son often occupies the same role, Saka is second only to Salah among outright wingers.
Most encouraging of all, though, is how his numbers continue to trend upwards. Saka has improved his goal total from one season to the next in each of the last four campaigns. His average of 0.77 goal involvements per 90 minutes last term followed the same pattern.
Many fans are eager to see a back-up signed before the end of the transfer window to ease his workload. Understandably so given the number of minutes he has played. But Saka continues to confound.
In addition to his goal and assist against Wolves, he achieved his second-highest ever totals for chances created (five) and touches in the opposition box (15) in a Premier League game.
His potential for further improvement, after an outstanding, 16-goal season last term, should be factored into the conversation around Arsenal's supposed need for a new striker.
Aston Villa will face Arsenal on Saturday buoyed not only by their victory over West Ham on the opening weekend but by news of a new contract for Emiliano Martinez.
The Argentina international has become one of the Premier League's best goalkeepers since moving to Villa Park. In fact, the club's fans rate him as the best and they have a strong case having watched him go from strength to strength under Unai Emery, during which time he has become a World Cup and Copa America winner.
Villa's 2-1 win at the London Stadium provided reminders of his shot-stopping ability as he pushed a powerful Emerson Palmieri effort around the post in the first half, then made a diving save from a Danny Ings header look far easier than it was late in the game.
The underlying data highlights the value of his shot-stopping to Villa.
Since Emery's appointment in October 2022, Martinez has prevented more expected goals than any other regularly starting Premier League goalkeeper, a number calculated by comparing the number of goals he has conceded (71) to his expected total (76.41).
His total of 5.41 expected goals prevented puts him way ahead of Liverpool's Alisson Becker, on 0.89 in the same timeframe, and Manchester City's Ederson, on -0.94. He is also ahead of last season's PFA Team of the Year entrant David Raya, who scores 2.77.
Martinez will of course face Raya on Sunday, the meeting with Arsenal serving as another reminder of just how far he has come.
Interviewing him in 2020, when, at 27, he was finally enjoying a run in the Arsenal team following a series of loan spells, highlighted another of his major strengths: his mentality. "I always believed I could do it here," he told Sky Sports. "I never let my head go down."
His move to Villa Park came after helping Mikel Arteta's side win the FA Cup a few months later and it wasn't long before the £17m fee began to look like a bargain. Four years on, Martinez continues to thrive. His new contract is news worth celebrating for Villa.
Jhon Duran might not start for Aston Villa against Arsenal but his cameo against West Ham showed he is surely getting closer to earning more opportunities. The Colombian striker, a product of Envigado's academy, scored Villa's winner and had nearly twice as many touches as Watkins in half as much time on the pitch.
Bournemouth remain an intriguing proposition under Andoni Iraola. With Roberto Senesi fit again, it will be interesting to see whether Dean Huijsen, a 19-year-old summer signing from Juventus, keeps his place in defence against Newcastle following an encouraging debut at Nottingham Forest. He is one to watch.
It's a trip to Villa Park on Saturday to cover Aston Villa's meeting with Arsenal, live on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm ahead of the 5.30pm kick-off time.
A Super Sunday double-header sees Bournemouth host Newcastle in the Eddie Howe derby, kick-off 2pm, before Liverpool welcome Brentford to Anfield in the 4.30pm kick-off.
Catch up on last week's column as The Radar focused on Manchester City's Savinho, Brentford's Fabio Carvalho, Crystal Palace's Chadi Riad and Arsenal's Oleksandr Zinchenko.
