Football League World
·14. November 2024
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·14. November 2024
Bristol City's Scott Twine and Leeds' Willy Gnonto have created the same number of big chances, but there is a gulf in their assist numbers.
With seven points between them at the point of the November international break, Bristol City and Leeds United have different objectives for 2024/25.
However, one thing has been identical between two of each club's key playmakers. Scott Twine and Willy Gnonto have created eight big chances for their respective teams, a division high. However, their assist numbers diverge greatly.
Bristol City have endured rotational issues with their strikers this season, and it has only been through a red-hot streak from Nahki Wells that they have managed to keep their scoring on track. Leeds, on the other hand, have proven consistent throughout, perhaps explaining why Twine has only one assist while Gnonto has accrued five.
Bristol City midfielder Scott Twine has only featured eight times for the Robins this season, after he sustained a thigh injury that has kept him out since mid-October. He has racked up one goal and one assist in seven starts for Liam Manning's side.
Despite the attacking midfielder's last appearance coming against Cardiff on October 6th, he is currently the league's joint-leading creator when it comes to big chances, with eight. This ties him with Willy Gnonto, who has started every game of Leeds' campaign so far.
Despite the similarity in the pair's big chance creation, it is clear that their colleague's ability to finish their created chances differs greatly. Gnonto has registered five assists thus far, with Twine only picking up only one.
Twine's performances in chance creation per 90 far surpass those of Gnonto. Twine creates almost double the amount of chances of the Italian, with the same gulf for expected assists per match.
This demonstrates that Twine has been incredibly unfortunate to not have gained more than his single assist this season, as Bristol City's strikers have not been capitalising on his chances.
The main difference between the two players is the forwards in front of them. Joel Piroe has six goals this season, with Brenden Aaronson on four and Largie Ramazani on three. Leeds' 24-goal tally so far has meant Gnonto has had clinical finishers ahead of him who will gobble up the chances with which he presents them - he teed up Piroe for goals against Coventry City and Sunderland, whilst assisting Ramazani's equaliser against Norwich City between those games.
For Bristol City, however, the story has been very different. If it were not for Wells having scored four goals in his last five games with Twine out of the side, the club's top scorer would be Anis Mehmeti on four, with Fally Mayulu behind him on two.
Before Twine's injury, the likes of Mayulu, Sinclair Armstrong and loanee Yu Hirakawa had really struggled to find the net on a consistent, which resulted in Twine's inability to add to his assist tally, despite his impressive chance creation.
The midfielder is allegedly out of contention until the end of November 23rd. However, with Wells now in-form and the Robins having lost only one of their last 10 matches in the league, there is ample opportunity for Twine to race up the assist rankings and level Gnonto upon his return.