Bundesliga team VfL Bochum is in the international break. Captain Anthony Losilla continues to train at Castroper Straße during this time.

Two points from three games: VfL Bochum did not make a classic false start in the Bundesliga, but they were not able to trigger any euphoria either. After the unexpected 5-0 defeat at VfB Stuttgart at the beginning of the season, the team drew the following two games against Borussia Dortmund (1:1) and Augsburg (2:2). As a result, the Revierklub climbed to 13th place.

The reasons for the lack of a breakaway are well known. Only three of 45 shots on goal ended up in the opponent’s goal, the Bochum team has the worst passing rate in the league (75.9 per cent, data: bundesliga.com) and has covered the second fewest kilometres of all teams – behind SV Darmstadt, who are bottom of the league without a point.

One player who is not affected by these figures wears the number eight. We are talking about captain Anthony Losilla. Even at the age of 37, the Bochum identification figure is still going strong. This impression is confirmed by a close look at the statistics:

In the first three Bundesliga games (once substituted), Losilla ran a total of 32 kilometres – more than any other player in head coach Thomas Letsch’s squad. That makes for a good average of 10.6 kilometres per game. Surprisingly, Erhan Masovic, a central defender, is in second place internally. With a pass rate of 85.54 percent, the Frenchman is also much better than the team average. In this area, only the two defenders Ivan Ordets and Masovic are minimally stronger.

Losilla is really strong when it comes to winning duels. The captain won 35 direct duels. Of all the Bundesliga players in the 18 teams, only seven have a better figure after three games. With ten won headers, the 37-year-old is among the top 25 in the league – also a proud ranking.

Anthony Losilla: 312 competitive games for VfL Bochum

These statistics show how important the captain still is for VfL Bochum. The veteran is strong in two fights and running, present in the air, ball-secure and has a lot of experience. Losilla, who will celebrate his 38th birthday in March next year, has been pacing the Castroper Straße since 2014 and has since played 312 competitive games (20 goals, 21 assists) for Bochum. If he can maintain this form, there will probably be a few more games to come…