Nordi Mukiele once again shone for Sunderland against Wolves on Saturday.
Nordi Mukiele Mulere, however did we live our lives without you? From the moment the Sunderland defender was parachuted into Regis Le Bris’ starting XI to deputise for the injured Dan Ballard earlier this season, he has been nothing short of exemplary, and week-on-week he continues to find new levels to his game.
On Saturday, it was Wolves who felt the full force of the Frenchman’s “happy football” - as coined by Match of the Day commentator Guy Mowbray - with Mukiele scoring his first goal in English football, and running roughshod over Wanderers’ attack with a commanding display that was as magnificent as it was customary.
The stats bear that out too; 73 touches, 15 duels won, 10 aerial duels won, seven possessions won, two out of two take-ons completed, and of course, that first Premier League strike. It was sublimity personified, and as the man himself put it: “Unbelievable feeling to score here today. HUGE WIN!!! Thanks for the love!!”
But this was no flash in the pan outing. Mukiele has been producing these performances consistently of late, and according to stats database Whoscored, there is only one man in the top flight who has outshone him so far this term. As per the number-crunchers, Mukiele has registered an average match rating of 7.58 in the Premier League, a figure eclipsed only by Manchester City talisman Erling Haaland. The Norwegian has hit 11 goals and an assist across his first eight league outings this season, and is rated at a lofty 7.98 as a result. Freakish Scandinavian goal machines aside, however, nobody has bettered Mukiele.
And a deeper dive into the Sunderland star’s output only reinforces why he is valued so highly by the statisticians. At the time of writing, Mukiele is recording eight clearances per 90 minutes, the fourth-best tally in the Premier League, as well as 3.3 tackles, the eight-best in the top flight. Nobody else across the entire division is in the top 10 for both.
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In other words, Mukiele has come in and instantly settled into his role as a well-rounded and impactful defensive leader. Given his pedigree - a former France senior international with 35 Champions League appearances to his name - perhaps this should come as no great surprise, but even the most optimistic forecasts couldn’t have predicted how effortlessly he would take the rigours of the Premier League in his stride.
When all is said and done, Mukiele may not grab headlines in the same way Haaland currently is at the Etihad - few players to lace up their boots in the English top flight. But come the end of the campaign, if he continues on his present trajectory, the Sunderland man may prove to be just as vital to his side’s fortunes.
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