With almost a quarter of the Premier League season already done, managers will use the international break to take a look at how their players are doing.
Possession so important at this level of football, but it’s not all that useful if all you’re doing with it is getting your defenders to pass it back and forth in your own half.
By using the data for passes made in the opposition half, we can see which players are putting their teams in the best position to attack. And there are some surprising results, as two British players make the top ten.
Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey comes in as the sixth most positive passer and Bournemouth’s Andrew Surman is a surprise inclusion with 257 successful passes – but neither has recorded an assist this season.
Unsurprisingly, there is an Arsenal man on top. Santi Cazorla completed over 50 passes more than his nearest rival, with Mesut Ozil coming in at fifth on the list despite his four assists.
Louis van Gaal won’t be happy with this at all, as not one of his players make the cut, whilst local rivals Manchester City boast four representatives in the form of Fernandinho, Yaya Toure, Aleksandar Kolarov and David Silva.
Former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas leads the charge for Chelsea as the second top passer, and last year’s Player of the Year Eden Hazard ranks fourth.
Here are the top ten passers in the opposition half:
1. Santi Cazorla (Arsenal)
Successful passes: 413/494 (83.60%). Assists: 2
2. Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea)
Successful passes: 356/480 (74.17%). Assists: 1
3. Fernandinho (Man City)
Successful passes: 339/381 (88.98%). Assists: 1
4. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Successful passes: 338/405 (83.46%). Assists: 2
5. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
Successful passes: 302/379 (79.68%). Assists: 4
6. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal)
Successful passes: 286/361 (79.22%). Assists: 0
7. Yaya Toure (Manchester City)
Successful passes: 272/327 (83.18%). Assists: 3
8. Andrew Surman (Bournemouth)
Successful passes: 257/311 (82.64%). Assists: 0
9. Aleksandar Kolarov (Man City)
Successful passes: 256/367 (69.75%). Assists: 0
10. David Silva (Man City)
Successful passes: 253/312(81.09%). Assists: 6
Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League.
