This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Gjanni Alioski is a character full of life. Whether it’s being caught on camera doing something silly or generally playing like someone with far too much energy, he is a player that has divided opinion in the past.
He was slated for his efforts in a win over Brentford earlier this term but was then praised after scoring against Stoke.
The North Macedonia international was again on the scoresheet against West Brom, proving to be the unlikely man to find the back of the net as Leeds ended Albion’s unbeaten run.
It was a crucial goal, one that lifted the spirits of what was starting to become a negative atmosphere surrounding Elland Road.
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Even Marcelo Bielsa was being criticised last weekend so this was a much-needed performance from a team who now lead the Championship.
Alioski was tremendous going forward and registered a colossal five shots. For someone playing at left-back that’s quite the effort.
However, it’s a common acknowledgement that the 27-year-old is good in the final third. He scored seven times last season in the league, popping up with some valuable contributions.
This time, though, it was his all-round game that duly impressed.
The defender, who usually can’t defend very well, showed a new resolute nature to his play as he proved inspired in both phases of the play.
He was particularly poor defensively against Derby and was unable to complete a single tackle. He only registered one interception and that theme carried on versus Charlton.
Via WhoScored, he made no interceptions in the half he played at The Valley either.
But Alioski bounced back tremendously on Tuesday evening, keeping an incredibly tricky attack that boasts Matt Phillips and Matheus Pereira at bay.
As the heat map above shows, the left-sided player was playing deeper and despite the number of shots he managed, he spent large periods sat inside his own half.
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Rather than rampaging forward as he did for the goal, he also stayed a pillar of solidity in defence.
Alioski was able to win three aerial duels and three interceptions in what was a much-improved defensive performance.
It’s now up to him to find that level on a consistent basis.