Stats: Santi Cazorla becomes first player to complete 1000 passes in the Premier League this season

Santi Cazorla has a pass accuracy of over 90%

A total of 14 rounds of matches have been played in the 2015/16 Premier League season and as we bid goodbye to November, only one player has completed more than 1000 passes. After four months of action, Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla stands alone at the top of the list.

The 30-year-old Spanish international is probably the smallest player on the pitch when the Gunners play. But in a physically demanding league that is the EPL, the 5’5” central midfielder is head and shoulders above the rest.

Deployed in a new role deeper in midfield by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, Cazorla has been the main link between midfield and attack as he keeps the ball ticking in midfield. Ably supported by the likes of Francis Coquelin and Mesut Ozil (who finds himself in fifth place on the list), opponents have found it hard to contain Cazorla who thrives in his element.

The ambidextrous footballer (nobody knows if he’s left-footed or right-footed) is a cunning midfielder and has the ability to ride tackles and get himself out of sticky situations, no matter how many defenders try and dispossess him. The ability to turn quicker than others around him, even with the ball at his feet, makes him a very slippery customer.

The fact that no other player in the top 10 has completed more passes per game than Cazorla speaks volumes about his ability to control the game. Among the top 10, Cazorla is also the only player to have a passing accuracy of over 90%.

The next closest player is Bournemouth’s South African-born English midfielder Andrew Surman – a good 222 passes behind Cazorla!

Top 10 passers in the Premier League so far

#	Team	Player	Mins Played	Passes Complete (Opp. Half)	Total Passes Complete	Pass Completion	Passes per 90mins
1	Arsenal	Santi Cazorla	1204	719	1034	90.30%	53.7
2	Bournemouth	Andrew Surman	1260	436	812	86.70%	31.1
3	Chelsea	Cesc Fàbregas	1044	557	810	83.20%	48
4	Manchester City	Fernandinho	1194	545	750	88.40%	41.1
5	Arsenal	Mesut Özil	1117	579	732	89.10%	46.6
6	Everton	Gareth Barry	1259	396	717	83.50%	28.3
7	Swansea City	Ashley Williams	1260	252	710	89.40%	18
8	Stoke City	Glenn Whelan	1260	332	701	87.10%	23.7
9	Bournemouth	Simon Francis	1260	332	668	79.60%	23.7
10	Swansea City	Jonjo Shelvey	1147	341	667	85.20%	26.7

Data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, the Official Player Rating Index of the Barclays Premier League