Does Yohan Cabaye flatter to deceive?

Yohan Cabaye has established himself as key player for Newcastle United this season, but how 'key' is he in reality?

Rarely, if ever, do I read a critical analysis of his contribution to the team.

There's no doubt that he's our best player for that position. A creative midfielder whose main responsibility is to play in front of the defensive midfielder and be the main link from defence to attack. But how does he compare to other midfielders from the top teams in the Premier League?

Here are some comparative stats;

	Played	Goals	Assists	Shots
Yohan Cabaye	22	2	5	31
David Silva	25	5	13	62
Frank Lampard	22	10	5	43
Luka Modric	20	3	6	57
Mikel Arteta	23	5	1	34
Charlie Adam	20	2	6	47
Kieran Richardson	24	2	4	30

The above includes the top midfielders from the top teams but I've included Kieran Richardson from the Mackems, who surprisingly is on par with our so called magical maestro.

I appreciate statistics don't tell the full story, but they should be taken into account when they cover the most important aspects of a players role.

In my opinion, attacking midfielders should be largely judged on the above criteria. Strikers careers live or die on goal stats and quite rightly so.

We can all see the effort and commitment shown by Cabaye, the constant demand for the ball to his feet, his tidy passing and the eye for a long precise pass, but does this deceive us into believing he's more effective than he actually is?

Your thoughts?

Written by Troy Stavers.