Anthony Elanga’s sprints key for Nottingham Forest | Pau Torres and Daniel Munoz additionally in The Debrief

Welcome to The Debrief, a Sky Sports activities column during which Adam Bate makes use of a mix of knowledge and opinion to replicate on a number of the key tales from the newest Premier League matches. This week:

⚡ Anthony Elanga’s gorgeous dash stats
⬆️ Pau Torres’ significance to Aston Villa
🏃🏻‍♂️ Daniel Munoz’s distances at excessive velocity

Elanga velocity units all of it up for Forest

Technically, the quickest man within the Premier League this season is Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven, clocked at 10.31 metres per second in September. However essentially the most spectacular speedster within the competitors is definitely Nottingham Forest’s persistently fast Anthony Elanga.

It’s Elanga who’s second on the checklist. However the Swede has six entries in complete among the many prime 18 sprints of the season. No person else is in there greater than as soon as, not even Van de Ven, whose hamstring points imply he has began solely six Premier League video games in six months.

Elanga’s operating just isn’t a mere statistical quirk however an integral characteristic of Forest’s success this season, offering an outlet for the passes of Morgan Gibbs-White and a daily out-ball for a Nuno Espirito Santo crew that favours these quick counter-attacks.

There was a wonderful instance of its effectiveness within the 2-1 win over West Ham on Sunday. Gibbs-White despatched an angled move forwards that gave the impression to be drifting out of play just for Elanga to retrieve it and win a foul after squaring up Jean-Clair Todibo.

Elanga took the free-kick himself with Nikola Milenkovic getting the contact for what turned out to be the profitable aim. The run by Elanga that made it was not his quickest of the season – a comparatively sluggish 9.63 metres per second – nevertheless it was the quickest of the match.

As Jamie Carragher identified on co-commentary for Sky Sports activities, Elanga’s tempo is “absolutely electrifying” and it signifies that Forest at all times retain an imminent menace in video games even when the ball is round their very own penalty field. Chelsea beware on Sunday.

Villa thriving with Torres or Mings

Youri Tielemans’ potential to play ahead passes between the traces is essential for Aston Villa, which is why it has been significantly spectacular that they’ve gained their final two video games with out him. Pau Torres performed an necessary position in securing the one towards Tottenham.

Torres is the one different Villa outfield participant to rank among the many prime 50 within the Premier League for many defenders bypassed per 90 minutes (based mostly on a minimal of 1000 move makes an attempt). He carries the ball, enjoying piercing passes by way of the opposition.

Requested about Torres after the sport, Unai Emery stated: “More or less, Pau Torres has been consistent, last year and this year. Of course, after we recovered Tyrone Mings we are stronger and we can manage both players, helping in the moments that we need.”

Villa’s season has been a busy one. The go to to Manchester United can be their 57th sport of the season in all competitions. Having Torres and Mings out there has allowed Emery to rotate based mostly on the necessities of that particular sport. Mings began at Bournemouth.

“They are different players but both are very good players. The problem we had was when we could not play with one of them because they were both injured. In that moment, we had problems. When both players are available to play, I am so, so happy.”

Emery is correct, after all. There are solely three Premier League video games this season during which Villa have named neither amongst their beginning line-up. Two of them have been misplaced and the opposite was a draw at house to Ipswich, during which Mings got here on as an early substitute.

It is usually price mentioning the house sport with West Ham during which Mings was compelled off by way of damage along with his facet main. West Ham duly equalised. Had Emery had not less than one out there all season, Villa would most likely have Champions League soccer already.

And at last… shout out to Munoz

This column tends to concern itself with gamers’ Premier League statistics and whereas that precept continues it will be remiss to disregard the efforts of a crew not in motion within the competitors over the weekend as Crystal Palace gained the FA Cup for the primary time.

Daniel Munoz thought he had scored Palace’s second aim however needed to content material himself with a hard-earned winners’ medal and the Colombian wing-back is effectively worthy of it given his contribution to their marketing campaign. Munoz continues to be a statistical outlier.

There are different elements of his sport which have been flagged on this column over the course of the season however how about his distance lined when operating at excessive velocity. Genius IQ information tells us that this totals 33,641.77 metres within the Premier League alone.

That’s 3,457 metres extra – over two miles extra – than anybody else.

Sky Sports activities to point out 215 reside PL video games from subsequent season

From subsequent season, Sky Sports activities’ Premier League protection will enhance from 128 matches to not less than 215 video games solely reside.

And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League video games subsequent season are on Sky Sports activities.