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The Premier League's Best Passer May Come As A Big Surprise

The Premier League's Best Passer May Come As A Big Surprise

It may shock a few.

Josh Lawless

Josh Lawless

Stats don't always tell the story as sometimes you can manipulate them to make it look like Matt Jarvis is better than Cristiano Ronaldo, but they remain a useful tool nonetheless.

When you think of the top passers, normally central midfielders spring to the mind as typically they are most involved in the game and see the ball more often than other players.

And though the Premier League top passers chart features several midfielders, it's a defender who is at the top of the tree when it comes to the most passes completed.

According to data courtesy of EA Sports, Chelsea's Cesar Azpilicueta completed 46 passes in the 2-0 loss to Manchester United at the weekend and that now takes him to 1777 for the season - 10 ahead of Jordan Henderson.

Image: PA

His overall passing accuracy sits at 87.62%, which is the fourth best in the league.

Here is the full list:

Paul Pogba is the top passer in the opposition half according to stats, with an accuracy of 82.54.

David Silva and Mesut Ozil are closely behind, while Azpilicueta is still in the mix. Impressively for a defender, he has completed the fourteenth most passes in the opposition half of all Premier League players this term, with 877 reaching a teammate. He also boasts the fifth highest accuracy in the opposition half - having successfully completed 85.64% of the passes he has attempted.

Image: PA

The latter statistic would suggest that he's not merely passing backwards and sidewards to his fellow defenders and goalkeeper, he's playing with a purpose.

Here is the full list of best passers in the opposition half:

Should Azpilicueta have made the PFA Team of the Year?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Data Courtesy of EA SPORTS, the Lead Partner of the Premier League.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Chelsea, Cesar Azpilicueta, Premier League