Premier League’s best super-sub revealed as Arsenal’s Theo Walcott… while Pep Guardiola makes the best use of his bench options
England forward has earned 43 points for his team coming off the bench, while Man City chief has bagged 114 points in subs
MANAGERS often get a lot of stick in modern football, with one or two high-profile mistakes enough to cost them their job.
But they certainly don't have it easy... having to take care of transfers, player morale, press conferences and tactics, to name a few responsibilities.
But one of the biggest roles of any manager worth their salt is the art of the substitution.
A good switch from the bench can win a game by itself, while a bad one could throw away all three points.
With some help from bwin, we've taken a look at which manager in the "Big Five" European leagues is the best at utilising their bench options... and which players make the best super-subs.
First and foremost, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is far and away the best for using his substitutions wisely, having racked up 114 points from 199 league matches.
That's an average of 14.5 points per 38-game season... second in Europe to only Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane on 15.2.
Big names including Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Diego Simeone and Arsene Wenger make the top ten, while Claudio Ranieiri and Ronald Koeman also featuring highly.
In terms of impact players, no-one is better than Arsenal ace Theo Walcott - who has won 43 points at 0.5 points per game, by himself off the bench.
That's better than other super-subs, including Clinton N'Jie, Michy Batshuayi and Javier Hernandez.
At the other end of the scale, some players just aren't cut out to make a positive impact off the bench.
Las Palmas' former Barcelona ace Alen Halilovic has managed to LOSE his team eight points after being introduced.
Memphis Depay and Bakary Sako are two other high-profile not-so-super-subs, along with Ibrahim Affelay.
Much like Walcott, some players are just meant to come off the bench.
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One such example is Everton ace Oumar Niasse, who average a goal every 1,246 minutes as a starter... but just one strike every 35 minutes off the bench.
Chelsea's Batshuayi is another natural-born sub, along with Nolito, Olivier Giroud and Christian Benteke.
Of course, some players just don't have such a quick-fire impact and need a little time to settle.
Everton's former Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney for instance averages a goal every 165 minutes as a starter, but can only muster one per 277 minutes off the bench.
Other notable should-be-starters including Andrea Belotti, Mario Balotelli, Harry Kane and Alexandre Lacazette.
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