David Silva vs Andres Iniesta: Surprising stats behind Barcelona vs Manchester City

Andres Iniesta (L) and David Silva (C)

Both play for a team in the respective league’s title race and could well be vying for the same position in the starting eleven for Spain as the current holders look to retain the World Cup in this summer’s tournament in Brazil. But who is better, and who will come out on top when their teams meet in the Champions League on Tuesday night,  Andres Iniesta or David Silva?

If you were basing it purely on trophy hauls, the Barcelona man wins hands down with 11 major trophies at club level, including three Champions League titles, as well as two European Championships and a World Cup with Spain. On the international scene, Silva has the same amount of trophies but for Valencia and Manchester City combined  has only two domestic cup wins and a league title.

However, there is more to a player than how many trophies he has in his cabinet and both players have been in excellent form throughout the 2013/14 season.

Both, in terms of Squawka Performance Score, are among the best in their squad. Iniesta’s 901 puts him second to only Lionel Messi and Silva’s 666 sees him fourth at City behind Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri and Sergio Aguero.

These are players known for their passing ability and creativity and the stats from Squawka’s Comparison Matrix throws up some interesting outcomes.

Iniesta has both completed a higher number passes and has a better pass completion percentage than Silva. The Barca string puller has completed 91% of passes this season, while Silva has recorded a slightly inferior 89% success rate. In terms of pure numbers rather than averages, Iniesta has made 1277 passes while Silva has only completed 997, 280 fewer. However, it is worth considering that Silva has made six fewer appearances in the league due to injury.

Yet, it is Silva who is the more creative of the two. Remember he has played less games in the league? Well he has made over twice as many key passes as his rival, 54 compared to 25. What is more, his 54 key passes have resulted in seven assists whereas Iniesta has provided just four. Silva also has four league goals compared to Iniesta’s one.

Iniesta vs Silva Assists (above) and Key Passes – League Stats 2013/14

Defensively, though, Iniesta is superior, having won a higher number of tackles and having made more interceptions.

Iniesta vs Silva Tackles (above) and Interceptions – League Stats 2013/14

In the Champions League, though, besides assists, where they have one a piece, and goals scored, where Silva has one to Iniesta’s none, the La Liga star is better across the board. The pass completion percentages remain the same as the league data but in five games, Iniesta has completed 396 passes, or 79 passes per match; Silva has made 172 in four games which equates to 43 per game.

It is hard to say who is better as both have their strong points, and their roles in their respective teams vary. Iniesta is better at passing and attempts more passes while arguably contributing to the all-round team effort more.

But Silva, especially when looking at the league form alone, is far more creative and, to use a footballing cliché, has shown more of an ability to unlock a defence.

It will be interesting to see who comes out on top in the last 16 clash between the two sides in the Champions League, as they could well decide the tie.