Comparing Arda Turan's 2014/15 Stats to His 2013/14 Numbers

When Diego Simeone arrived at Atletico Madrid in late 2011, he, like so many other incoming managers, was given a briefing on his new players and how they might fit into the vision that he'd outlined for his side at his unveiling. 

"I like an aggressive team," Simeone said at the time when he was presented to a news conference. "I want to see a team that is strong, committed and quick on the break."

Essentially, the Argentinian was putting one quality above all else: work ethic. And interestingly, when he arrived, he was told Arda Turan didn't have it. 

"When I arrived they told me that he [Turan] did not run, that he did not track back to defend," the Atleti boss revealed to NTV Spor (h/t Goal) last November, indicating that there was a perception at the Vicente Calderon that the Turk couldn't meet Simeone's standards. 

Fast forward almost four years, and Turan has made more than 150 appearances under Simeone, becoming one of the manager's most trusted players in the process. In 2013-14, the midfielder put together perhaps his finest complete season to date, proving instrumental in Atletico's run to an extraordinary league title and charge to the Champions League final. 

So how does his 2014-15 campaign compare to last season statistically?

Below, we take a look.

Note: Only statistics from La Liga and the Champions League have been used, due to the lack of advanced data available for competitions such as the Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup. 

Basic Data 

	2013-14	2014-15
Starts	29	37
Substitute Apps	10	4
Minutes Played	2,590	3,104
Goals	7	3
Assists	5	6
Yellow Cards	9	7
Red Cards	0	1

Immediately noticeable in the table above is the significant increase in Turan's workload this season. Of Atletico's 36 league games, the Turk has appeared in 31, starting 27. In the Champions League, he was part of Simeone's starting XI for all 10 of the club's matches. 

As illustrated, with two games still to play in Atleti's season, Turan has already racked up an extra 500 minutes in 2014-15. And given that running power isn't his strong suit, it hasn't been surprising that we've seen the creative midfielder withdrawn from games in the second half extremely regularly this season (a theme of his Atletico career). 

Yet, what's striking is that despite the added playing time, Turan's goal tally this season is the lowest of his Atletico career. 

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Perhaps playing a role in that scoring decline has been Simeone's use of his gifted technician.

Whereas in previous seasons we've seen Turan deployed in various positions across Atleti's midfield line—"when he comes inside he is very creative and he makes the difference," Simeone has said of the Turk—this season Turan has played almost exclusively on the right, with WhoScored.com indicating he's started on that side 31 times. 

Consistently used out wide, Turan has formed a brilliant right-sided partnership with full-back Juanfran, but as a predominantly right-footed player, the 28-year-old has been somewhat starved of opportunities to cut inside and score himself. 

Advanced Data

	2013-14	2014-15
Shots	1.67	1.22
Dribbles	3.37	3.04
Key Passes	1.49	1.45

Supporting the theory that Turan's constant positioning on the right has affected his ability to threaten the opposition's goal is the advanced attacking data presented in the table above. 

Compared to last season, the former Galatasaray star is taking 0.45 fewer shots per 90 minutes in 2014-15, which represents a 27 percent decrease. 

Additionally, while the decrease in key passes (chances created) is negligible, the 10 percent drop in dribbles could possibly be attributed the the significant jump in playing time that will have undoubtedly had an impact on Turan's energy levels—something the advanced defensive data supports, too. 

	2013-14	2014-15
Tackles	2.47	2.26
Dribbled Past	1.22	1.68
Interceptions	1.32	0.93
Blocks	1.49	1.54
Clearances	0.66	0.35

Indeed, the table above shows that a number of Turan's defensive measures have dropped this season compared to last. 

Of course, Turan is an attacking midfielder and can't be defined by his work without the ball. But it is notable that there's been a substantial increase in the amount of times he's been beaten by a dribbling opponent. In 2013-14, the total number of such incidents stood at 35, per WhoScored.com; this season, it's risen to 58. 

Like the drop seen in his own number of dribbles, such a sharp increase could suggest Turan's legs have suffered from the added minutes he's completed in 2014-15.

Also likely a contributing factor is the loss of Diego Costa, who provided Atletico's midfield with a supreme counter-attacking outlet. Now without the Brazilian-born striker, players such as Turan have had to shoulder an increased responsibility for carrying the ball up the pitch. 

Verdict

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

It seems absurd now to think that Simeone was once told Turan "did not run," given the unrelenting work ethic we've seen from the Turk in recent seasons.  

And in that sense, 2014-15 has been another fine campaign from Atleti's most creative midfielder, who's shouldered a heavy burden for Simeone.

But like Atletico as a whole, Turan's season from a statistical standpoint has been fractionally below the standard he set in 2013-14.