Open Data XI, Week 5: There Is No Perfect 8

The 8 is the hardest job in a high-press 4-3-3, and the data agrees: nobody does it all.

Week 5 of the Open Data XI ranks WSL 2023/24 central midfielders for the two 8 roles. This position asks for everything: defending (35% of the score), passing (20%), carrying (20%), creating (15%) and goals (10%).

Grace Clinton (Tottenham Hotspur): 77.8
Jess Park (Manchester City): 76.1
Missy Bo Kearns (Liverpool): 69.7
Fran Kirby (Chelsea): 68.6
Jutta Rantala (Leicester City): 65.3

Clinton’s 77.8 is the lowest top score of any position so far, because no one ranks highly on all five measures. Clinton presses and carries (100th percentile for defending). Park carries and scores but rarely passes forward. Kearns passes and defends but rarely carries.

So don’t look for one perfect 8. Pick two who cover each other. Clinton passes more; Park creates and scores more; both win the ball back. The catch: Park played only 1,092 minutes, and three of the top five are smaller samples.

Five weeks in, the XI has seven names and one gap: Brosnan; Payne, ???, Layzell, Charles; Cuthbert; Clinton, Park. Right center back is still the hole, and the front three are still to come.

Still a screen, not a verdict: no fees, no wages, no video. The radar comparing the top three is on X.

Next week: the wingers.

New to the series? Start at Week 1, goalkeepers: