MARTIN ODEGAARD AND KEVIN DE BRUYNE'S 2023/24 STATISTICS COMPARED

As we enter the tail end of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign, Arsenal and Manchester City – joined by Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool – are surging towards the summit of the 20-team standings. Mikel Arteta’s side are looking to secure a taste of England top flight gold for the first time since their 'Invincibles' season, whereas Pep Guardiola is looking to strike a record-breaking fourth consecutive title.

Central to their respective success this term has been their creator-in-chiefs Martin Odegaard and Kevin De Bruyne. The latter, unfortunately, missed a large chunk of 23/24 but has been up to his usual world-beating standards when he's laced up his boots.

Odegaard has been in red-hot form since first kicking a ball for Arsenal in their 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest in August, having missed just three Premier League outings following. But who out of the two, at least statistically, has had the better season?

Taking De Bruyne’s injury absence into consideration, GIVEMESPORT have fired up Squawka’s Comparison Martix to look at their per 90 statistics for shooting, dribbling, and passing metrics in the Premier League this season. Read on to find out how they fare against one another.

Shooting Stats Compared

A mix between the two creative machines

Shooting and, subsequently, scoring goals is neither star’s forte given Odegaard has the likes of Bukayo Saka to convert, while De Bruyne has Erling Haaland to finish his side’s chances. As expected, the two share the metrics between them.

The Belgian magician, widely regarded as the greatest from his nation to grace the Premier League, is marginally superior in terms of goals (0.4 to Odegaard’s 0.3), while more of his goals come away from the penalty spot. 0.1 of Odegaard’s goals from 12 yards out, whereas his City counterpart is yet to convert from a penalty this season.

Neither are known for their fox-in-the-box nature, but they measure similarly when looking at how many of their goals have been scored from inside the penalty area. De Bruyne’s goals per 90 from outside the area, however, trumps that of Odegaard’s ever so slightly.

A significant aspect of shooting and scoring is accuracy. You can hit the ball as hard as you like but ensuring that it’s on target heightens the chance of the ball rippling the back of the net. Odegaard is far more precise in his shot-taking, converting 19.05% of his shots compared to De Bruyne’s 15%. His shot accuracy is also higher by 5%.

Dribbling Stats Compared

Clean sweep for the Arsenal man

The sight of a midfielder dancing through their opposition is fun. Centre-forwards often make darting runs behind the opposing back line – but watching both De Bruyne and Odegaard, one of the best players not going to Euro 2024, make an attempt to find space behind the defence by having the ball stuck to their feet is mesmerising.

But in terms of their dribbling statistics since the campaign got underway, the Arsenal skipper blows the former Chelsea ace out of the water in all five subcategories of ‘dribbling’. Reflecting on their take-ons attempted and take-on success, Odegaard is both more daring and more successful.

Having racked up 1.1 take-ons completed compared to De Bruyne’s 1, the Norway international has a better success rate too – 51.61% to 47.06%. Not only is he more inclined to attempt a take-on, Odegaard has won more fouls for his team this season, averaging 1.1 per 90, whereas De Bruyne wins far less (0.6).

Thanks to the risk-taking aspect of De Bruyne’s game, he has tended to lose possession more than his Arsenal counterpart. Guardiola’s ever-reliable asset loses the ball, on average, 25.1 times per 90, whereas the more conservative Odegaard loses possession just 13.1 times.

Passing Stats Compared

De Bruyne superior in all but two metrics

This is exactly where the Manchester City man’s expertise comes into play, with him being one of the best passers of the ball in world football – as evidenced by his eye-catching haul of 166 assists for his current employers.

Odegaard is by no means poor at passing, but the Manchester City man and Premier League midfield great is just a cut above the rest. Notching 0.8 assists and 5.1 chances created per 90, Odegaard’s respective tallies of 0.3 and 3 are far inferior. In terms of passing, the former Chelsea man is also more proactive, attempting 63.8 per 90 and completing 52.9 of those.

In comparison, Odegaard is more accurate (87.12% vs 82.93%) but attempts less (56.4) and, also, completes less (52.9). De Bruyne showcases his ability with long passes, too. He has completed 2.2 of his 2.8 attempted long passes on average per game - with a 78.26% accuracy rate – this season, proving his technical ability is out of this world.

The biggest chasm between the two midfield gems, however, is their number of crosses attempted per 90 – De Bruyne’s whopping 13.1 compared to Odegaard’s subpar 2. That said, the latter’s precision is superior, completing 41.67% of his crossing attempts, whereas De Bruyne completes just 22.02%.

To round off, De Bruyne’s passing ability and willingness to create in the final third is encapsulated by his amount of passes completed in the opposition half and passes made forward. Respectively this season, he scores 48 and 18.3 – in comparison to the Arsenal man’s 35 and 18.3.

Overall Verdict

Both are world class midfielders

Fans are obsessed with the old-age ‘eye test’ – but in this case, the numbers don’t lie. Fundamentally, Odegaard and De Bruyne have been excellent respectively this season and if either side is to secure the Premier League title at the end of the current term, they’ll both be within a shout of winning the Player of the Year gong.

De Bruyne’s passing acumen trumps Odegaard’s in terms of assists, chance creation, long passing and forward-thinking play. Arteta’s creative machine, however, seems to be more accurate in his passing and crossing. Dribbling, however, is where Odegaard is at his strongest given the free role he is given under Arteta.

In terms of shooting, the pair share the metrics. Given that Odegaard, 25, is seven years De Bruyne’s junior, the Belgian’s experience at the top level currently makes him the better midfielder overall (with the scores ending 16.5-11.5 in his favour) – but there is every chance that he could match his influence in years to come.

2024-04-25T05:38:28Z dg43tfdfdgfd