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A detailed statistical overview of Fernando Gago’s game

 

Fernando Gago has long been a subject of debate for people, especially Real Madrid fans. This season he has moved to Roma on Loan and seems to have done well. Was he really that bad for Madrid and has picked up his game now at Roma? Stats say otherwise!

A statistical look at Gago’s seasons after arriving at Madrid shows the real picture. 07/08 was the first full season for Gago, where he played in central midfield in a 4-4-2 with Guti/Diarra.

Gago Guti Diarra
Mins played 2833 3587 2938
Appearances 36 45 38
Assists 4 18 2

 

Again Gago adapted as well as he could with the slightly offensive minded Guti and a more defensive player in the form of Diarra. 07/08 was probably the best season for him at Madrid, but poor team performance overshadowed his own.

Gago Guti Diarra
Mins played 2743 1734 1102
Appearances 35 27 15
Assists 7 5 0

 

The prominence of Gago in Madrid’s play can be drawn from the above facts. Slowly, he gradually established himself as the main creative force, in both 4-4-2 and 4-3-3 formations. This was also true after Lass arrived in 08/09. Gago was injured for a minor part of the season but still put in brilliant performances with the likes of Sneijder at times. As Lass came in after the January transfer window, let’s compare how the two fared after January.

Gago Diarra
Mins played 1101 1852
Appearances 16 21
Assists 4 2

 

Contribution of Lass can’t be measured in terms of assists but it does give a fair indication about Gago.

The main focus being, Gago is not a defensive midfielder like Lass or Mahamadou Diarra. He is a central midfielder who excels in the defensive department. He also doesn’t have a great deal of pace and relies on his interceptions and immaculate tackling. He is somewhat similar to Denilson of Arsenal, in that he works really hard and rarely gets noticed. Gago is a creative player, who thrives alongside a more defensive minded player with whom he can share his defensive duties. The ideal formation for Gago is the 4-3-3; where he plays as the deeper player alongside a defensive midfielder.

This is exactly the reason why he has flourished in his first season at Roma. He has often played alongside a defensive midfielder like De Rossi, which has really helped him. His one touch passing is being best utilized by Luis Enrique, who prefers to use him exactly how he must be used. Playing Gago as the main defensive midfielder does create problems though, as his performance seems to drop. Against Novara at home he dished out an average performance, while in the away clash he was mesmeric. He played in a centre back role in the away clash and did admirably well given the fact that he is not used to that position.

 

How has Gago fared this season with respect to the other defensive and central midfielders in the league?

Gago Pirlo Montolivo Velloso Vidal
Appearances 23 29 27 26 24
Total Passes 1407 2389 1815 1419 1494
Average passes per game 61.2 82.4 67.2 57.5 59.1
Key Passes 28 90 36 30 37
Key passes per game 1.2 3.1 1.3 1.3 1.4
Pass success Percentage 86.1 82.4 86.1 82.7 84.9

 

Clearly he is up there with the best. Shouldn’t be forgotten that this is his first season and he has had more appearances than the rest mentioned, as a substitute. Also, he has played lesser number of games than the others. What about the defensive aspect? Gago bases his game on reading the situations. Interceptions and tackles are his strength.

Gago Ambrosini Marchisio Cambiasso
Appearances 23 20 29 29
Total Tackles 52 68 69 90
Tackles won/Game 2.3 3.4 2.4 3.1
Total Interceptions 57 52 55 62
Interceptions won/Game 2.5 2.6 1.9 2.1
Total Aerial duels 64 46 28 43
Aerial duels won/Game 1.4 1.6 0.4 0.7

Again, Gago has been pitted against the seasoned pros and the best players in the Serie A. He again comes out as one of the finest with these figures. Gago has been exceptional for Roma this season and a pivotal figure in their pressing game.

Now let’s consider Gago against players who are considered superior to him at Madrid. Khedira and Lass are the players in direct competition with him. Xabi Alonso is a supreme player who is just impossible to replace. Hoever, Gago clearly excels than both Lass and Khedira. Though the leagues differ, playing style of Madrid and Roma is very similar. Both employ a 4-3-3 and a pressing style.

Gago Khedira Lass
Apperances 23 21 17
Pass success Percentage/Game 86.1 87 86.7
Key passes /Game 1.2 0.4 0.5
Average passes/Game 61.2 35.1 42.4
Interceptions/Game 2.5 1.4 1.4
Aerial Duels/Game 1.4 0.9 0.4
Tackles/Game 2.3 1.6 3.9
Total Passes 1407 737 720
Total Key passes 28 8 8
Total Tackles 52 34 67
Total Interceptions 57 29 24
Total Aerial Duels 64 33 17

Clearly Gago leads the charge by a mile, especially over Khedira. Unfair comparisons and baseless hatred have made Gago a scapegoat for Madrid fans. He is not Redondo! He has a completely different style of play as compared to Redondo. Redondo used to dominate the midfield and he dictated the team’s play. Never has any other central midfielder been able to match him. Gago is his own self and a very good player in that respect. Hopefully, this article has shown what a true quality player he really is!

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