The 20 best Premier League midfielders of the season so far.
Follow @Mazana1721.
The third part of our ranking of the best players in the Premier
League so far this season turns its attention to midfielders. Some are
unsung heroes at title chasing clubs, others are the star performers at
your bottom of the table clubs. Or middle of the table. It's just a
ranking of the best midfielders, basically.
We've used a combination of all the stats that show a midfielder is doing their job; goals, assists, chances created, interceptions and other similar criteria.
It's not all about data though - the eye often says more than numbers ever could.
Here are the 20 best midfielders so far...
Games: 21
Goals: 2
Assists: 0
Chances created: 20
Passes: 1212 (88.3% accurate)
Shots: 25 (9 on target)
Interceptions: 26
Tackles: 54
Dribbles completed: 27 (out of 37)
Average distance covered per match: 10.98km
An inspired summer signing by Mauricio Pochettino, Wanyama provides steel, reliability and a mean tackle in the centre of the pitch, near-perfectly complimenting Spurs' style of play.
19. Matt Phillips (West Brom)
Games: 20
Goals: 4
Assists: 8
Chances created: 30
Passes: 368 (67.7% accuracy)
Shots: 34 (8 on target)
Interceptions: 14
Tackles: 16
Dribbles completed: 36 (out of 78)
Average distance covered per match: 9.99km
Phillips is having a stunning season so far and is one of the key reasons West Brom are so doing well. The chances the Scot creates are being converted at such a high rate because the supply he provides is good.
18. Mousa Dembele (Spurs)
Games: 13
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Chances created: 13
Passes: 685 (91.5% accuracy)
Shots: 8 (1 on target)
Interceptions: 8
Tackles: 36
Dribbles completed: 41 (out of 52)
Average distance covered per match: 8.73km
The ying to Wanyama's yang, Dembele wins the ball in the middle of the pitch and then doesn't lose it. Ever. His passing is incredibly accurate and his own teammates say they hate playing against him training because it's impossible to get the ball off him, as his impressive dribbling stats suggest.
17. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea)
Games: 21
Goals: 5
Assists: 6
Chances created: 42
Passes: 613 (75.5% accuracy)
Shots: 63 (28 on target)
Interceptions: 18
Tackles: 25
Dribbles completed: 16 (out of 38)
Average distance covered per match: 11.2km
At times Sigurdsson keeps Swansea in games and without him they'd be even more trouble than they already are. His passing accuracy isn't the best but you have to remember that he plays for Swansea - were he in a decent team, that would almost certainly be higher, and as it is, the five goals and six assists is a fantastic return for anyone at a bottom of the table club.
16. Idrissa Gueye (Everton)
Games: 19
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Chances created: 14
Passes: 1128 (84.8% accuracy)
Shots: 14 (2 on target)
Interceptions: 44
Tackles: 93 - highest
Dribbles completed: 17 (out of 25)
Average distance covered per match: 10.63km
The much-sung hero of Goodison Park this season, Gueye was signed as a sort of budget N'Golo Kante and likes to tackle. No player has made more tackles than Gueye in the Premier League this season.
15. Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
Games: 20
Goals: 0
Assists: 6
Chances created: 17
Passes: 1190 (88.2% accuracy)
Shots: 9 (2 on target)
Interceptions: 33
Tackles: 38
Dribbles completed: 18 (out of 33)
Average distance covered per match: 10.75km
A number of Chelsea's high profile players had shockers last season and Matic was one of them. He's turned it around and is back to something near his best, protecting the defence and becoming a key player in attack. His vision and passing ability are important for the quick, multi-pass moves the Blues put together - six assists for a deep lying player is excellent.
14. Robert Snodgrass (Hull)
Games: 20
Goals: 7
Assists: 3
Chances created: 45
Passes: 709 (82.9% accuracy)
Shots: 39 (17 on target)
Interceptions: 9
Tackles: 26
Dribbles completed: 20 (out of 39)
Average distance covered per match: 11.09km
Snodgrass has been linked with a move to West Ham recently and his creative output makes
it obvious why. Snodgrass can score incredible free-kicks, finds himself in space to get shots away and doesn't shirk from the defensive side of the game. The amount of running he does shows that Snodgrass works hard.
13. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
Games: 18
Goals: 5
Assists: 3
Chances created: 48
Passes: 1132 (86.2% accuracy)
Shots: 27 (9 on target)
Interceptions: 11
Tackles: 11
Dribbles completed: 18 (out of 32)
Average distance covered per match: 9.86km
Ozil is the super premium oil that can turn a great team into an elite one, but hasn't been quite at his best this season in terms of numbers despite his new second striker position at Arsenal. The defensive statistics are particularly low for a midfielder but Ozil does what Ozil wants, and that is usually creating chances for others or being the player just before the one that provides the assist.
12. Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Games: 19
Goals: 9 (2nd)
Assists: 4
Chances created: 33
Passes: 801 (79% accuracy)
Shots: 43 (16 on target)
Interceptions: 4
Tackles: 20
Dribbles completed: 47 (out of 93)
Average distance covered per match: 10.59km
Jurgen Klopp's best signing so far, Mane is a very direct, very skillful attacking midfielder and will be missed while at the AFCON. His passing and dribbling might not look particularly accurate on these stats, but it's important to remember that Mane is the kind of player who tries these things and is one of a few in the league who can create something out of nothing. His solo goal against Arsenal at the start of the season was a superb example of this.
11. Ander Herrera (Man Utd)
Games: 18
Goals: 0
Assists: 3
Chances created: 22
Passes: 1264 (87.7% accuracy)
Shots: 24 (3 on target)
Interceptions: 57 - highest
Tackles: 48
Average distance covered per match: 10.15km
Sir Alex Ferguson said in an interview with Sky Sports that N'Golo Kante was the best midfielder in the league last season, and looking at the performances of Louis Van Gaal's, there was no more obvious a perfect signing than the Frenchman. But Jose Mourinho has discovered that Herrera can do the same thing - and he's good at attacking from deep! Herrera has made more interceptions than anyone in the league and made 48 tackles, as well as recording 1264 passes. His workrate in the middle of the pitch next to the calming influence of Michael Carrick has helped squeeze much more out of Paul Pogba.
10. Paul Pogba (Man Utd)
Games: 20
Goals: 4
Assists: 3
Chances created: 37
Passes: 1447 - 2nd highest (84.5% accuracy)
Shots: 68 (19 on target)
Interceptions: 23
Tackles: 37
Dribbles completed: 54 - 4th highest (out of 92 attempts)
Average distance covered per match: 10.88km
Yes, he cost a lot of money and sure, you might say he could have been better, but Pogba's stats prove that he's actually been great so far. Man Utd took a while to suss out how to play but now that's down, Pogba is playing really well. He's been the focal point of United's passing and creates a lot of chances, as well as being exceptional gifted at dribbling his way out of tight spaces.
9. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
Games: 14
Goals: 5
Assists: 5
Chances created: 34
Passes: 673 (84% accuracy)
Shots: 50 (17 on target)
Interceptions: 10
Tackles: 17
Dribbles completed: 33 (out of 59)
Average distance covered per match: 8.81km
Coutinho is the player in this Liverpool team who unlocks the opposition's bolted door; a midfielder capable of spotting a pass and creating space to shoot with a burst of pace and flash of skill. There is a reason that Barcelona are said to be seriously interested in signing him.
8. Dimitri Payet (West Ham)
Games: 18
Goals: 2
Assists: 6
Chances created: 74 - highest
Passes: 761 (81% accuracy)
Shots: 55 (15 on target)
Interceptions: 5
Tackles: 9
Dribbles completed: 47 (out of 87)
Average distance covered per match: 9.64km
Don't leave, Dimitri. You're just so fun to watch. Payet has only scored two goals this season - one a goal of the season solo dribble candidate against Middlesbrough - but he has created 74 chances. That is more than any other player in the entire league and he plays for West Ham, who have been awful this season.
7. Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Games: 20
Goals: 2
Assists: 9 - highest
Chances created: 61
Passes: 935 (81.4% accuracy)
Shots: 56 (14 on target)
Interceptions: 19
Tackles: 24
Dribbles completed: 25 (out of 44)
Average distance covered per match: 10.14km
De Bruyne is one of the few players in the Premier League who could definitely slot into a team like Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Juventus and look entirely at home. He creates a ridiculous number of chances for others and they are usually so well made that the receiving player can't help but score.
6. Dele Alli (Spurs)
Games: 20
Goals: 10 - highest
Assists: 2
Chances created: 29
Passes: 672 (80.4% accuracy)
Shots: 51 (23 on target)
Interceptions: 6
Tackles: 30
Dribbles completed: 28 (out of 75)
Average distance covered per match: 10.36km
Alli had a quiet start to the season but since being moved higher up the pitch into a second striker position, has become a prolific scorer of goals for Spurs. No midfielder has scored more than Alli, who is a player that possess an unteachable skill - being in the right place at the right time. He is not the finished article yet but Alli is on track to become one of the Premier League's most effective and best players.
5. Adam Lallana (Liverpool)
Games: 19
Goals: 7
Assists: 7
Chances created: 24
Passes: 836 (86% accuracy)
Shots: 32 (11 on target)
Interceptions: 13
Tackles: 34
Dribbles completed: 21 (out of 37)
Average distance covered per match: 10.46km
Jurgen Klopp has turned Lallana into one of the best midfielders in the league. He is one of the first to win the ball back in the high press and works hard all game long to do so but importantly is also extremely quick at deciding what to do with the ball when he wins it back. Usually he chooses the right option too as his seven goals and seven assists suggests.
4. N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Games: 20
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Chances created: 14
Passes: 1244 - 4th highest (88.6% accuracy)
Shots: 22 (6 on target)
Interceptions: 49 - 3rd highest
Tackles: 62 - 4th highest
Dribbles completed: 24 (out of 35)
Average distance covered per match: 11.57km - 3rd highest
Is there a football fan alive who doesn't love N'Golo Kante? He possesses all the attributes that English crowds love (running a lot, tackling, getting stuck in etc) and is never found out of position. Leicester won the league with Kante in the side and are now near relegation without, Chelsea went from mid-table without Kante to potential champions with him. It is no coincidence.
3. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Games: 20
Goals: 9 - highest
Assists: 3
Chances created: 42
Passes: 984 (84% accuracy)
Shots: 49 (22 on target)
Interceptions: 12
Tackles: 9
Dribbles completed: 88 (out of 119) - highest
Average distance covered per match: 9.93km
Eden Hazard's returns to form, Chelsea fly up the league table. This is a truly great player enjoying himself once more and his new role slightly further ahead of Diego Costa, or as part of a rotating trio with Willian and Pedro is proving ridiculously effective.
2. Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
Games: 20
Goals: 1
Assists: 4
Chances created: 27
Passes: 1701 - highest (86.9% accuracy)
Shots: 15 (2 on target)
Interceptions: 33
Tackles: 79 - 2nd highest
Dribbles completed: 4 (out of 11)
Average distance covered per match: 11.91km - highest
There was no better evidence as to how important Jordan Henderson is to Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp's style of play than how poor they were without him in their 1-0 defeat to Southampton. Forget the leadership he brings to the side - everything goes through Henderson and nothing gets past him. He runs more than any other player but never on pointless, energy wasting adventures and controls the pace of play. Henderson passes, moves, passes, moves, looks forward, passes and moves. Non-stop. That is why nobody else has made as many passes in the league as he has either. Oh and his goal was an absolute peach - a 30 yard curled power hit over the top of Thibaut Courtois.
1. Christian Eriksen (Spurs)
Games: 20
Goals: 5
Assists: 8 - 2nd highest
Chances created: 59 - 3rd highest
Passes: 1103 (80.4% accuracy)
Shots: 81 - highest (28 on target - highest)
Interceptions: 14
Tackles: 29
Dribbles completed: 16 (out of 35)
Average distance covered per match: 11.9km - 2nd highest
Pochettino has moved Eriksen to a slightly deeper midfield role this season and opposition teams are finding it an absolute nightmare to deal with. From his new position he has been able to create 59 chances, setting up eight goals and scoring five himself. A former Football Manager wonderkid, there were suspicions that he wasn't going to live up to his potential a few seasons ago - clearly they have been proven wrong.
We've used a combination of all the stats that show a midfielder is doing their job; goals, assists, chances created, interceptions and other similar criteria.
It's not all about data though - the eye often says more than numbers ever could.
Here are the 20 best midfielders so far...
20. Victor Wanyama (Spurs)
Games: 21
Goals: 2
Assists: 0
Chances created: 20
Passes: 1212 (88.3% accurate)
Shots: 25 (9 on target)
Interceptions: 26
Tackles: 54
Dribbles completed: 27 (out of 37)
Average distance covered per match: 10.98km
An inspired summer signing by Mauricio Pochettino, Wanyama provides steel, reliability and a mean tackle in the centre of the pitch, near-perfectly complimenting Spurs' style of play.
19. Matt Phillips (West Brom)
Games: 20
Goals: 4
Assists: 8
Chances created: 30
Passes: 368 (67.7% accuracy)
Shots: 34 (8 on target)
Interceptions: 14
Tackles: 16
Dribbles completed: 36 (out of 78)
Average distance covered per match: 9.99km
Phillips is having a stunning season so far and is one of the key reasons West Brom are so doing well. The chances the Scot creates are being converted at such a high rate because the supply he provides is good.
18. Mousa Dembele (Spurs)
Games: 13
Goals: 0
Assists: 0
Chances created: 13
Passes: 685 (91.5% accuracy)
Shots: 8 (1 on target)
Interceptions: 8
Tackles: 36
Dribbles completed: 41 (out of 52)
Average distance covered per match: 8.73km
The ying to Wanyama's yang, Dembele wins the ball in the middle of the pitch and then doesn't lose it. Ever. His passing is incredibly accurate and his own teammates say they hate playing against him training because it's impossible to get the ball off him, as his impressive dribbling stats suggest.
17. Gylfi Sigurdsson (Swansea)
Games: 21
Goals: 5
Assists: 6
Chances created: 42
Passes: 613 (75.5% accuracy)
Shots: 63 (28 on target)
Interceptions: 18
Tackles: 25
Dribbles completed: 16 (out of 38)
Average distance covered per match: 11.2km
At times Sigurdsson keeps Swansea in games and without him they'd be even more trouble than they already are. His passing accuracy isn't the best but you have to remember that he plays for Swansea - were he in a decent team, that would almost certainly be higher, and as it is, the five goals and six assists is a fantastic return for anyone at a bottom of the table club.
16. Idrissa Gueye (Everton)
Games: 19
Goals: 0
Assists: 1
Chances created: 14
Passes: 1128 (84.8% accuracy)
Shots: 14 (2 on target)
Interceptions: 44
Tackles: 93 - highest
Dribbles completed: 17 (out of 25)
Average distance covered per match: 10.63km
The much-sung hero of Goodison Park this season, Gueye was signed as a sort of budget N'Golo Kante and likes to tackle. No player has made more tackles than Gueye in the Premier League this season.
15. Nemanja Matic (Chelsea)
Games: 20
Goals: 0
Assists: 6
Chances created: 17
Passes: 1190 (88.2% accuracy)
Shots: 9 (2 on target)
Interceptions: 33
Tackles: 38
Dribbles completed: 18 (out of 33)
Average distance covered per match: 10.75km
A number of Chelsea's high profile players had shockers last season and Matic was one of them. He's turned it around and is back to something near his best, protecting the defence and becoming a key player in attack. His vision and passing ability are important for the quick, multi-pass moves the Blues put together - six assists for a deep lying player is excellent.
14. Robert Snodgrass (Hull)
Games: 20
Goals: 7
Assists: 3
Chances created: 45
Passes: 709 (82.9% accuracy)
Shots: 39 (17 on target)
Interceptions: 9
Tackles: 26
Dribbles completed: 20 (out of 39)
Average distance covered per match: 11.09km
Snodgrass has been linked with a move to West Ham recently and his creative output makes
it obvious why. Snodgrass can score incredible free-kicks, finds himself in space to get shots away and doesn't shirk from the defensive side of the game. The amount of running he does shows that Snodgrass works hard.
13. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal)
Games: 18
Goals: 5
Assists: 3
Chances created: 48
Passes: 1132 (86.2% accuracy)
Shots: 27 (9 on target)
Interceptions: 11
Tackles: 11
Dribbles completed: 18 (out of 32)
Average distance covered per match: 9.86km
Ozil is the super premium oil that can turn a great team into an elite one, but hasn't been quite at his best this season in terms of numbers despite his new second striker position at Arsenal. The defensive statistics are particularly low for a midfielder but Ozil does what Ozil wants, and that is usually creating chances for others or being the player just before the one that provides the assist.
12. Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
Games: 19
Goals: 9 (2nd)
Assists: 4
Chances created: 33
Passes: 801 (79% accuracy)
Shots: 43 (16 on target)
Interceptions: 4
Tackles: 20
Dribbles completed: 47 (out of 93)
Average distance covered per match: 10.59km
Jurgen Klopp's best signing so far, Mane is a very direct, very skillful attacking midfielder and will be missed while at the AFCON. His passing and dribbling might not look particularly accurate on these stats, but it's important to remember that Mane is the kind of player who tries these things and is one of a few in the league who can create something out of nothing. His solo goal against Arsenal at the start of the season was a superb example of this.
11. Ander Herrera (Man Utd)
Games: 18
Goals: 0
Assists: 3
Chances created: 22
Passes: 1264 (87.7% accuracy)
Shots: 24 (3 on target)
Interceptions: 57 - highest
Tackles: 48
Average distance covered per match: 10.15km
Sir Alex Ferguson said in an interview with Sky Sports that N'Golo Kante was the best midfielder in the league last season, and looking at the performances of Louis Van Gaal's, there was no more obvious a perfect signing than the Frenchman. But Jose Mourinho has discovered that Herrera can do the same thing - and he's good at attacking from deep! Herrera has made more interceptions than anyone in the league and made 48 tackles, as well as recording 1264 passes. His workrate in the middle of the pitch next to the calming influence of Michael Carrick has helped squeeze much more out of Paul Pogba.
10. Paul Pogba (Man Utd)
Games: 20
Goals: 4
Assists: 3
Chances created: 37
Passes: 1447 - 2nd highest (84.5% accuracy)
Shots: 68 (19 on target)
Interceptions: 23
Tackles: 37
Dribbles completed: 54 - 4th highest (out of 92 attempts)
Average distance covered per match: 10.88km
Yes, he cost a lot of money and sure, you might say he could have been better, but Pogba's stats prove that he's actually been great so far. Man Utd took a while to suss out how to play but now that's down, Pogba is playing really well. He's been the focal point of United's passing and creates a lot of chances, as well as being exceptional gifted at dribbling his way out of tight spaces.
9. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool)
Games: 14
Goals: 5
Assists: 5
Chances created: 34
Passes: 673 (84% accuracy)
Shots: 50 (17 on target)
Interceptions: 10
Tackles: 17
Dribbles completed: 33 (out of 59)
Average distance covered per match: 8.81km
Coutinho is the player in this Liverpool team who unlocks the opposition's bolted door; a midfielder capable of spotting a pass and creating space to shoot with a burst of pace and flash of skill. There is a reason that Barcelona are said to be seriously interested in signing him.
8. Dimitri Payet (West Ham)
Games: 18
Goals: 2
Assists: 6
Chances created: 74 - highest
Passes: 761 (81% accuracy)
Shots: 55 (15 on target)
Interceptions: 5
Tackles: 9
Dribbles completed: 47 (out of 87)
Average distance covered per match: 9.64km
Don't leave, Dimitri. You're just so fun to watch. Payet has only scored two goals this season - one a goal of the season solo dribble candidate against Middlesbrough - but he has created 74 chances. That is more than any other player in the entire league and he plays for West Ham, who have been awful this season.
7. Kevin De Bruyne (Man City)
Games: 20
Goals: 2
Assists: 9 - highest
Chances created: 61
Passes: 935 (81.4% accuracy)
Shots: 56 (14 on target)
Interceptions: 19
Tackles: 24
Dribbles completed: 25 (out of 44)
Average distance covered per match: 10.14km
De Bruyne is one of the few players in the Premier League who could definitely slot into a team like Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Juventus and look entirely at home. He creates a ridiculous number of chances for others and they are usually so well made that the receiving player can't help but score.
6. Dele Alli (Spurs)
Games: 20
Goals: 10 - highest
Assists: 2
Chances created: 29
Passes: 672 (80.4% accuracy)
Shots: 51 (23 on target)
Interceptions: 6
Tackles: 30
Dribbles completed: 28 (out of 75)
Average distance covered per match: 10.36km
Alli had a quiet start to the season but since being moved higher up the pitch into a second striker position, has become a prolific scorer of goals for Spurs. No midfielder has scored more than Alli, who is a player that possess an unteachable skill - being in the right place at the right time. He is not the finished article yet but Alli is on track to become one of the Premier League's most effective and best players.
5. Adam Lallana (Liverpool)
Games: 19
Goals: 7
Assists: 7
Chances created: 24
Passes: 836 (86% accuracy)
Shots: 32 (11 on target)
Interceptions: 13
Tackles: 34
Dribbles completed: 21 (out of 37)
Average distance covered per match: 10.46km
Jurgen Klopp has turned Lallana into one of the best midfielders in the league. He is one of the first to win the ball back in the high press and works hard all game long to do so but importantly is also extremely quick at deciding what to do with the ball when he wins it back. Usually he chooses the right option too as his seven goals and seven assists suggests.
4. N'Golo Kante (Chelsea)
Games: 20
Goals: 1
Assists: 0
Chances created: 14
Passes: 1244 - 4th highest (88.6% accuracy)
Shots: 22 (6 on target)
Interceptions: 49 - 3rd highest
Tackles: 62 - 4th highest
Dribbles completed: 24 (out of 35)
Average distance covered per match: 11.57km - 3rd highest
Is there a football fan alive who doesn't love N'Golo Kante? He possesses all the attributes that English crowds love (running a lot, tackling, getting stuck in etc) and is never found out of position. Leicester won the league with Kante in the side and are now near relegation without, Chelsea went from mid-table without Kante to potential champions with him. It is no coincidence.
3. Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Games: 20
Goals: 9 - highest
Assists: 3
Chances created: 42
Passes: 984 (84% accuracy)
Shots: 49 (22 on target)
Interceptions: 12
Tackles: 9
Dribbles completed: 88 (out of 119) - highest
Average distance covered per match: 9.93km
Eden Hazard's returns to form, Chelsea fly up the league table. This is a truly great player enjoying himself once more and his new role slightly further ahead of Diego Costa, or as part of a rotating trio with Willian and Pedro is proving ridiculously effective.
2. Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)
Games: 20
Goals: 1
Assists: 4
Chances created: 27
Passes: 1701 - highest (86.9% accuracy)
Shots: 15 (2 on target)
Interceptions: 33
Tackles: 79 - 2nd highest
Dribbles completed: 4 (out of 11)
Average distance covered per match: 11.91km - highest
There was no better evidence as to how important Jordan Henderson is to Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp's style of play than how poor they were without him in their 1-0 defeat to Southampton. Forget the leadership he brings to the side - everything goes through Henderson and nothing gets past him. He runs more than any other player but never on pointless, energy wasting adventures and controls the pace of play. Henderson passes, moves, passes, moves, looks forward, passes and moves. Non-stop. That is why nobody else has made as many passes in the league as he has either. Oh and his goal was an absolute peach - a 30 yard curled power hit over the top of Thibaut Courtois.
1. Christian Eriksen (Spurs)
Games: 20
Goals: 5
Assists: 8 - 2nd highest
Chances created: 59 - 3rd highest
Passes: 1103 (80.4% accuracy)
Shots: 81 - highest (28 on target - highest)
Interceptions: 14
Tackles: 29
Dribbles completed: 16 (out of 35)
Average distance covered per match: 11.9km - 2nd highest
Pochettino has moved Eriksen to a slightly deeper midfield role this season and opposition teams are finding it an absolute nightmare to deal with. From his new position he has been able to create 59 chances, setting up eight goals and scoring five himself. A former Football Manager wonderkid, there were suspicions that he wasn't going to live up to his potential a few seasons ago - clearly they have been proven wrong.
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