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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Serge Aurier’s likely absence from Tottenham Hotspur’s first game of the season has opened up a golden opportunity for Kyle Walker-Peters.
Indeed, reports suggest that, given his frustration over how the Ivory Coast were playing in an African Cup of Nations game, he smacked his hand on a table. He needed surgery because of his actions.
And Mauricio Pochettino has subsequently been left with one option if he wants to play a specialist right-back against Aston Villa next weekend: Kyle Walker-Peters.
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Kieran Trippier, of course, was sold to Atletico Madrid earlier this summer and Juan Foyth, the centre-back who was set to be repurposed into a full-back, sustained an injury against Bayern Munich in pre-season.
And, really, this could well be a good thing for Spurs, as the statistics prove that Walker-Peters is, in fact, the better defender.
In the Premier League in 2018/19, Aurier made just eight appearances due to injury but, still, his statistics are enlightening.
His pass completion rate of 75.5%, per WhoScored, is average at best, while he made 2.1 fouls per game, just 0.4 fewer than the number of tackles per game he made.
His 2.1 clearances is a fine number for a right-back but, offensively, he was poor, averaging just one dribble per game and 0.5 shots per game.
He made 0.9 crosses per game but his passing accuracy is so poor that it is difficult to imagine any of them really finding their target. Aurier also averaged 0.8 key passes.
Walker-Peters, by comparison, averaged a pass completion rate of 83% in his six Premier League outings, along with just 0.7 fouls and 1.2 tackles.
He also averaged 0.7 clearances, 1.5 dribbles and 0.3 shots per game, along with 1.2 key passes.
Aurier had a higher cross per game rate but Walker-Peters is a better distributor of the ball, and is also a more disciplined defender.
Bringing in the Englishman for the first game of the season against Aston Villa makes all the sense in the world, then, particularly if Aurier is unavailable.
In fact, even if the Ivorian is fit to play, he shouldn’t, as the statistics prove.
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