Welcome to The Radar, a Sky Sports column in which Nick Wright uses a blend of data and opinion to shed light on need-to-know stories from up and down the Premier League. This week:
💨 The Premier League’s quickest forward?
🔴 Lewis-Skelly’s underlapping runs
🔎 A player to watch this weekend
Speedster Elanga closing in on Van de Ven
Anthony Elanga gave a stunning demonstration of his explosive pace against former club Manchester United on Tuesday but the run for his goal was not even his fastest sprint in the game. That came 10 minutes later, when he clocked an amazing 36.7 kilometres per hour.
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Watch Anthony Elanga’s sensational solo goal for Nottingham Forest against Man Utd
That top speed, registered during another Nottingham Forest breakaway, ranks as the second-highest in the Premier League all season according to GeniusIQ tracking data, behind only Micky van de Ven’s 37.38 km/h set against the same opponent in September.
The Spurs centre-back is officially the fastest player in the Premier League but nobody reaches these kinds of speeds with the same regularity as Elanga, who accounts for 15 of the 100 fastest sprints in the division this season. It is 10 more than any other player.
He has been threatening to beat Van de Ven’s top speed all campaign, getting close in numerous matchdays before his latest effort against Manchester United. His goal was an example of his ability to sustain high speeds over long distances too.
In fact, while the total distance of Elanga’s run for the goal has been revised from initial estimates to 71 metres, it still ranks as the longest carry leading to a goal in the Premier League this season at 58 metres when measured from the point he first touches the ball.
Elanga’s pace has become a devastating weapon for a Forest side geared towards quick and direct attacks and it is nothing new to see him producing end-product to match.
In fact, with 11 goals and 17 assists since making his move from Old Trafford to the City Ground at the start of last season, in a deal worth only £15m, his combined total of 28 goal contributions puts him among the Premier League’s top 20 players.
Saturday 5th April 5:00pm
Kick off 5:30pm
It is far more than any of Manchester United’s current crop of attackers have managed and his heroics against his old side on Tuesday left head coach Ruben Amorim facing uncomfortable questions about the wisdom of letting him go, even though the decision was made long before his appointment.
Amorim argued there is less pressure on young players at other clubs compared to Manchester United. Maybe there is something in that. But it is of little concern to Forest as they savour the contribution of a jet-heeled winger who has proved his point.
Martinelli unlocked by Lewis-Skelly
Bukayo Saka made headlines with his goalscoring comeback in Arsenal’s 2-1 win over Fulham but their top performer was the winger on the opposite side. Gabriel Martinelli looked back at his best, setting up Saka’s goal and tormenting Fulham throughout.
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Gabriel Martinelli produced this moment of magic against Fulham on Tuesday night, leaving Timothy Castagne on the floor
Timothy Castagne would certainly testify to that having had a torrid night up against the Brazil international, repeatedly finding himself exposed at right wing-back and struggling to cope.
According to GeniusIQ, Martinelli’s total of 19 one-on-ones over the course of the game was his joint-highest all season. It enabled him to cause Fulham major issues on their right flank and it had a lot to do with the supporting work of Myles Lewis-Skelly at left-back.
Lewis-Skelly found Martinelli with 11 passes in the game, which was the most by any player, but his positioning on the inside of Martinelli was the biggest factor in allowing him to isolate Castagne.
It is not unusual to see Lewis-Skelly move inside in possession, of course, but usually he does it alongside Thomas Partey at No 6. In this game, he pushed much higher up, joining Arsenal’s attacking line.
With Issa Diop, the right-sided centre-back in Fulham’s back three, instructed to hold a narrow position, the aim for Lewis-Skelly was to occupy Fulham’s right-sided central midfielder Sasa Lukic, preventing him from moving across to double up on Martinelli with Castagne. He did it by making runs like the one below.
Lewis-Skelly occupies Lukic with a run on the inside of Martinelli
At other times, Castagne was the target of Lewis-Skellly’s runs. In the next example, he drags Castagne inside, allowing Martinelli to receive William Saliba’s diagonal pass in space and drive towards the box from the left-hand touchline.
Lewis-Skelly’s run pulls Castagne inside as Saliba prepares to pass to Martinelli
Lewis-Skelly continued in the same vein in the second half, creating space for Martinelli by carrying the ball forward himself as well as through decoy runs. In the image below, one such carry drags Lukic and Castagne away from Martinelli before he passes to him.
Lewis-Skelly occupies both Lukic and Castagne before feeding Martinelli in space to his left
Martinelli clearly relished the space to work in, earning praise for his performance from Mikel Arteta afterwards. “You see how much we missed him, that threat, that attacking purpose he has every time he is on the ball,” said the Arsenal manager in his press conference. But it was the smart work of Lewis-Skelly that made it possible.
Player Radar: Who else to keep an eye on
Bournemouth need a win at West Ham on Saturday to keep their hopes of European qualification alive. Evanilson is probably their best hope of getting it. The striker’s off-the-ball industry makes him a great fit for Andoni Iraola’s style; now he’s scoring regularly too, with four goals in his last five games.
Live Radar: What’s on Sky this weekend?
Aston Villa host Nottingham Forest on Saturday Night Football, with coverage starting on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event from 5pm ahead of the 5.30pm kick-off.
Super Sunday sees Fulham take on leaders Liverpool in the early game, kicking off at 2pm, then it’s Man Utd against Man City in the Manchester derby at 4.30pm. Coverage of that double-header begins on Sky Sports Premier League and Main Event at 1pm.
And don’t miss Monday Night Football, as Leicester face Newcastle at the King Power Stadium, with coverage starting at 6.30pm and kick-off at 8pm.
Read the last edition of the Radar column
Declan Rice’s evolution from a No 6 to an attacking midfielder was the subject of the last column, after which he handily scored two goals in two games for Arsenal. Newcastle’s left side and Adam Webster’s role in Brighton’s resurgence were also covered.
