Wolves were struggling for results in the opening weeks of the season but the decision to bring Toti Gomes into the starting XI was an inspired one – and a very impressive statistic has now emerged about the defender.
Not long ago, Gary O’Neil stated that Toti was ‘extremely important’ to his squad.
He was not in the team at that point, but it felt as though his time would come, given the strength of O’Neil’s comments.
Sure enough, it did. Against Manchester City, Toti started and Wolves pulled out a 2-1 win. Since that game, the 24-year-old has started every Premier League match for Wanderers.
Overall, Wolves have just looked a bit more solid with him in the team. The less said about his display against Nottingham Forest last week, the better, but on the whole, Toti has been excellent.
Toti Gomes statistic may indicate why Gary O’Neil likes him so much
Something many Wolves fans like about Toti is that he is just a good, natural defender.
He’s a decent ball player too, but by and large he is known for providing solidity, both on the ground and in the air.
It does take a lot to beat him one-vs-one, too.
This is evidenced by the statistic that Toti has actually only been dribbled past once this season in the Premier League, according to The Other 14.
Toti has played 945 minutes so far, so that means he currently has a dribbled past rate of just 0.10.
Only Virgil vs Dijk, Aaron Hickey and William Saliba have lower values than this in the Premier League, with the former two players having both not been dribbled past a single time.
Toti’s two defensive colleagues Max Kilman and Craig Dawson also appear on the list. Kilman has been dribbled past four times giving him a rate of 0.25, and Dawson has been dribbled past five times for a rate of 0.34.
Toti is a solid defender
This is a seriously impressive statistic about Toti, who can be so pleased with his performances in a Wolves shirt this season.
He’s come into the starting XI, deservedly so, and had a major impact on the team and really helped Gary O’Neil to pick up points.
It is little wonder why the head coach has kept Toti in the team since bringing him in against City.
Simply put, he’s just solid, with forwards clearly finding him very difficult to get past – the statistic is clear evidence of that.
He is officially rubbing shoulders with the likes of van Dijk and Saliba who are two of the best centre-backs the Premier League has to offer, so Toti sure deserves a lot of praise.