Premier League player stats: 10 stats you need to know about
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Most crosses, most tackles, and more
The Premier League returns this weekend, and it kick-starts a six-week blast to the end of the campaign.
Everything is still up for grabs. Will Liverpool or Man City win the league? Who will secure a top-four spot? And who will be relegated?
We’ll find out all of that in the coming weeks, but we’ve run through the numbers and put together a few of the more unusual statistics about the season so far…
Crosses – Matt Ritchie (Newcastle United)
If you’ve got a striker like Salomon Rondon to feed, then of course you want to be whipping balls into the box at every opportunity.
So that’s exactly what Matt Ritchie has been doing for Rafa Benitez’s Magpies. The winger has pinged in a mighty 221 crosses this term. That’s an average of 7.6 per game.
Everton’s Lucas Digne is next on 218, with Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser the only other man to clear a double-ton with 200.
Through balls – David Luiz (Chelsea)
Nobody loves a marauding run and a through ball more than David Luiz. The Chelsea defender is the clear leader in this bracket, with the Brazilian spraying 38 through balls this season.
Team-mate Jorginho is second on 26, with Christian Eriksen and James Maddison joint-third on 18.
Blocks – James Tarkowski (Burnley)
Nobody puts their body on the line more than Burnley’s James Tarkowski. The England international leads the way with 44 blocks for the Clarets.
Team-mate Ben Mee is right behind him on 38, with Cardiff City’s Sol Bamba and Brighton’s Shane Duffy level in third on 32.
Headed clearances – Shane Duffy (Brighton)
Speaking of Duffy, he’s winning the aerial battles this term. The Seagulls’ 6ft 4in warrior has made 119 clearances.
That puts him ahead of Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake (110) plus Burnley duo Tarkowski (108) and Mee (105).
Yellow cards – Jefferson Lerma (Bournemouth)
Every side needs a midfield enforcer, and for Bournemouth that’s the job of Jefferson Lerma.
The Colombian has kept referees busy this season, racking up 11 yellow cards. That’s one more than Wolves’ Ryan Bennett, Watford’s Jose Holebas and Newcastle’s Fabian Schar.
Tackles – Wilfred Ndidi (Leicester) & Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace)
Leicester lynchpin Wilfred Ndidi topped the tackling charts last season, and the Foxes man is leading the way this term too with 109 tackles.
But he’s been matched all the way by Crystal Palace’s up-and-coming star Aaron Wan-Bissaka. The pair are one ahead of Everton’s Idrissa Gueye.
West Ham’s Felipe Anderson makes a surprise appearance in the top 10 here, with 73 tackles.
Fouls – Glenn Murray (Brighton)
Lerma might be racking up the cards, but when it comes to fouls, nobody can match wily veteran Glenn Murray.
The Brighton forward has committed 67 fouls this season. That’s 16 more than the next serial offender in Aleksandr Mitrovic. It might not be a coincidence that the pair are both burly strikers who enjoy the physical element of the game.
Offsides – Chris Wood (Burnley)
Once the domain of Emanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe, it’s Burnley striker Chris Wood who has been flagged offside most this term.
The Kiwi forward has been a bit too keen on 42 occasions, ahead of Mitrovic (34) and Murray (28). Jamie Vardy is fourth on 25, Mo Salah sixth on 24, and Sergio Aguero seventh on 23.
Big chances missed – Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal)
This isn’t a table any striker wants to be top of, but the honour falls to Arsenal’s Aubameyang, who has missed 19 big chances.
Salah and Callum Wilson have missed 15 each, with Romelu Lukaku and Vardy wasting 13 good chances apiece.
Arsenal fans won’t be too impressed to see both of their forwards here, with Alexandre Lacazette guilty of missing 12 key opportunities.
Touches – Jorginho (Chelsea)
Nobody is surprised to see Jorginho top this one. The Italian is the crux of Maurizio Sarri’s Sarri-ball vision.
The 27-year-old has taken 2,880 touches this season. Amazingly, six of the top 10 touch-taking players play for Chelsea. Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, David Luiz, Marcos Alonso and N’Golo Kante all feature highly.
*All statistics from Premier League.com
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
