This week while on international duty Joe Aribo featured for Nigeria against Benin. The midfielder’s performance warranted high praise from Nigerian fans. Some fans claimed he was better than John Obi Mikel and that he had broken into the national team for good (HITC).
But what has Aribo done to cause such an uprising in support from his national team fans? Aribo made the switch to Rangers this summer, leaving Charlton Athletic on a free transfer. Since then the midfielder has been great for manager Steven Gerrard, earning 1576 minutes of football (transfermarkt.co.uk). But let’s take a look at some of the statistics that prove exactly how Aribo has improved.
TIF Tactics – How Aribo has become a better midfielder under Gerrard?
To show Aribo’s growth we will be comparing his 2019/2020 data to his last season at Charlton Athletic, as well as his entire career as a whole. Each statistics will show his average contribution per 90 minutes of football. These are some of the key statistics where the Nigerian has shown considerable growth.
Regarding assists, Aribo averages 0.14 assists per 90, but only averaged 0.07 per 90 the year prior. This season he is back up to 0.13 assists per 90. But while his assist record isn’t incredible, his overall passing has improved. In his career, the 23-year-old averages 39.54 passes per 90 minutes. Last year he averaged 36.21 passes per 90, while this season that number has shot up to 51.77. The overall accuracy of his passes in his career is 84.1%. Last year he was accurate 81.2% of the time, while this year his he is accurate 89.4% of the time. His passing stats are continuously improving.
Another interesting passing stats is Aribo’s long passing. Overall in his career, Aribo averages 2.04 long passes per 90 minutes, with a 48.4% accuracy. Last season he attempted long passes 2.13 times per 90 minutes with a 40.2% accuracy. This season he only attempts 0.85 long passes per 90, but his accuracy is now up to 52.6%. It appears that Aribo is improving his pass selection, only making long passes when he has a higher chance of success.
It is also worth looking at Aribo’s goal scoring record. Overall in his career, Aribo has averaged 0.22 goals per 90 minutes. Last year that number was 0.25, while this year it is 0.31. That is nearly a goal every third full game played. The steady increase shows that Aribo is becoming more and more comfortable scoring goals.
This increase could come from his improved accuracy in front of the goal. In his career, Aribo averages 1.27 shots per 90 minutes of football. Last season it was 1.54 per 90, while this season it is 1.25 shots per 90. And while the number of shots has gone down, the accuracy has increased. Overall Aribo has a 37.9% shot accuracy in his career. Last year his accuracy was just 27%, while this year more shots are hitting the target than not, with a 57.1% accuracy.
Overall, Aribo has started to find himself more involved in games. He averages making 71.93 actions per 90 minutes in his career, 65.3% of which are successful. This average was the same last season, with just a 60.9% success rate. This season, however, Aribo averages 85.84 actions per 90 minutes with a 72.1% success rate.
These statistics suggest that Aribo is on an upward trajectory in his career. Not only is he making more successful decisions in his passing and shooting, but he is also finding himself more and more involved in games. With someone like Gerrard as his manager, one can safely assume the England legend is having a positive effect on the Nigerian.
(all data and stats from Wyscout.com, accurate at the time of writing)