Middlesbrough have been the form team of late, not just in the EFL Championship but in the entire English football pyramid.
In the 17 league games since the appointment of Michael Carrick, Boro have lost just three games, drawn once, and won the other 13 games.
One player who has stood out for them is attacking midfielder Chuba Akpom.
The 27-year-old has started every game in this run and has been vital to Boro’s rise to third place in the Championship table.
The visualization below shows Chuba Akpom’s ranking for some key metrics compared to other attacking midfielders in the Championship this season.
Chuba Akpom Radar Map
Akpom, playing as a “10” for Middlesbrough, is the leading scorer in the Championship (at the time of writing), with 19 goals to his name.
However, the Englishman has only one assist, which might come as a surprise for some, given that he regularly plays a slightly deeper role and not as an out-and-out centre-forward.
Since the Preston game (Michael Carrick’s first game), Akpom has scored in 11 out of the 17 games, netting 15 times during this run.
That is an incredible return.
What is impressive about his game is how frequently he finds himself in goal-scoring positions.
As seen in the visual above, he ranks above average for touches inside the Opponent’s Penalty Area.
Chuba Akpom is not as creative as a typical “10”.
The 27-year-old is also very good aerially — ranking 90th percentile for Aerial Duels per 90 and 67th percentile for Aerial Duels won.
Middlesbrough sat 19th on the table when Carrick took over.
Now, Boro are third and look clear favourites to finish, at least, in the playoff spots.
Carrick will want his star player, Chuba Akpom, to maintain his form as we approach the most crucial period of the season.
