Passing
We will be using Premier League stats from the start of last season to assess Anderson and Baleba. In terms of key passes, the Forest midfielder comes out on top, with 1.29 per 90 minutes compared to the Brighton star’s 0.64 per 90.
Anderson is also superior when we look at progressive passes (5.76 per 90 compared to 3.57), passes into the final third (5.19 per 90 compared to 3.45) and passes into the penalty box (0.77 per 90 compared to 0.67).
The only metric where Baleba is better is passing accuracy, with the Cameroon international having a completion rate of 86.9% to Anderson’s 80.1%. This demonstrates that Anderson is simply a more attack-minded player and more liable to take risks on the ball.
Some may point to the fact that Baleba is more of a carrier, but even here, Anderson is better (averaging 1.61 progressive carries per 90 to the Brighton midfielder’s 1.36).
