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23rd October 2015
08:17pm BST

More tackles, more interceptions, more clearances and blocks. McCarthy has seen more men dribble past him and committed, on average, much more fouls per game.
Offensively, McCarthy has been slightly better.
The Scottish-born player has had more shots and drawn more fouls and he's lost possession less times but neither have directly affected their respective teams' goal tally.
Whelan's passing stats is better.
Pretty close. But Whelan is playing more passes per game.
And his in-play stats are more impressive as well.
More key passes is a genuine shocker and his touches have been tidier.
What does this mean?
Honestly? Probably just that football stats are still behind the times a little.
There's nothing there to suggest that the passes being counted weren't just buck-passing exercises or that they weren't back to the 'keeper or full back.
It doesn't take into account the team's dominance. McCarthy would obviously have had less defending to do than Whelan, playing for Roberto Martinez's Everton.
Key passes are relating directly to chances created but, as midfielders, there are so many key elements that can come into play with quick passing, with forceful passing, taking men out of the game and that could all happen way before the goal or chance takes place.
The stats don't prove anything conclusively and they certainly don't disprove what people have been seeing in the Ireland team recently.
Still, they're interesting all the same.
Whelan is rated and trusted by managers for some sort of reason.
But we're not saying that strict stats like this should be trusted as the only form of judging a footballer over 90 minutes.Explore more on these topics: