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Having crossed the halfway stage of the Premier League over the festive period, here’s a look at the top passers in the league based on the total number of successful passes made by the players so far this season. (Stats Source: Squawka)
5. José Cañas (Swansea): 986
The Spaniard arrived from Real Betis this summer, and has been an important player for the Swans. Playing as a defensive midfielder, the Spaniard has been really impressive so far in his ability to cycle possession from his deep lying role just in front of the defense. Boasting a 91% passing accuracy so far this season, the Spaniard has already made more successful passes than he did in the entirety of last season at Betis. Almost 31% of his passes are backward passes, and only 2 of his almost thousand successful passes have been key ones, but he does boast an impressive 67.6 average passes per game.
4. Chico (Swansea): 989
The Spanish defender’s presence, highlights the willingness of Swansea to pass the ball around the backline. He is comfortable on the ball, and most of his passes are short ones (average length 19m), looking for players in and around him (passing accuracy 90%). Not surprisingly however, even though almost 80% of his passes are forward ones, he has created only one chance in 18 appearances. Chico has successfully cemented his place in the Swans backline and has become one of the integral parts of a well-oiled passing machine with 61.2 average passes per game.
3. Jonathan De Guzmán (Swansea): 1023
He is the third Swansea player on this list, and one of three players to have made over 1000 successful passes, suggesting the type of football being encouraged at the Liberty Stadium. He has an incredible 90% passing accuracy despite all those passes, but almost 45% of his passes are backward passes owing to the possession-based approach advocated by Swansea manager Micahel Laudrup. The Dutchman has created 31 chances this season, including 3 assists and 28 key passes to go with an average of 63.1 passes per game.
2. Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal): 1045
The Arsenal midfielder has been the Gunners’ player of the season so far, and has grabbed more headlines than their star signing Mesut Ozil. With 1243 attempted passes, the young Welshman has been central to most of the play for Arsenal and has created 26 chances this season, making 6 assists to go with 20 key passes. An average of 69.1 passes per game suggests his inclination to get involved in the buildup play and 64% of his passes are forward passes, but his 84% passing accuracy is the lowest among the players in this list.
1. Yaya Touré (Manchester City): 1266
The Ivorian is the hands down leader when it comes to successful passes made this season, and has made more than 200 more passes than his closest competitor, Ramsey. His performances this season in the middle of the park for City have been outstanding and he has been running the show week-in week-out for the Citizens. With an average of 73.7 passes per game at 90% accuracy, Toure has created 22 chances (19 key passes and 3 assists) for his team mates to go with the 10 goals he has scored this season, and will undoubtedly be crucial to City’s sustained challenge for the Premier League title this season.
