Beattie edges Crouch on statistics

Whenever Liverpool and Everton meet sparks are always likely to fly but for Peter Crouch and James Beattie there’s more at stake this weekend than simply local pride.

The 203rd Merseyside derby could finally provide the answer to one of English football’s most pressing questions – who should be given the nod for Sven-Goran Eriksson’s World Cup squad?

With the trip to Germany now less than three months away the make up of the Swede’s final 23-man party is still nowhere near finalised – and one of the most hotly-contested areas of competition centres around the attack.

At Anfield on Saturday, Crouch and Beattie will get the chance to stake their claims.

According to the Actim Index, the official ratings system for the Barclays Premiership, it is a close-run thing as to which of the two Eriksson would be better to take.

If it is goals that England want, Beattie looks a better bet.

He has scored 10 in the Premiership so far this term and boasts an impressive goals-to-shots ratio – with 24 shots on target.

Contrast that with Crouch, who has scored six league goals from 32 shots on target, and the Everton man clearly has the edge.

Eriksson, however, has always insisted that Crouch gives him a ‘plan B’ and has other facets to his game other than his ability in front of goal.

The England coach said recently: “Crouch is quite, quite different.

“He’s not the most elegant football player in the world but, if the right ball comes up there, he will win it.

“I don’t suppose Brazil have seen a player like him too often but he’s good on the floor as well.”

The Actim statistics seem to suggest that Eriksson is right. Despite playing the targetman role, Crouch has weighed in with 253 passes while he has also embarked on 14 dribbles.

Beattie may have enjoyed more time on the pitch (1992 minutes to the Liverpool man’s 1861) but he falls short in both departments – with just 221 passes and nine dribbles by comparison.

Crouch has only flung in one cross all season – at 6ft 7ins Rafa Benitez would no doubt prefer him to be on the end of balls into the box – while Beattie’s 17 suggest he is far more adept at working the channels.

Tellingly, the Everton man is also higher in the overall rankings with a total Actim Index of 3.14 (82nd) as opposed to Crouch’s 3.00 (91st).

The stats prove it is a close-run thing as Sven begins to finalise his plans.

A match-winning performance this weekend could just give one the edge.