League Focus: Premier League Halfway Point Stats Round-up
The conclusion of Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Sunderland on Wednesday night signalled the halfway point of the current Premier League season. There have been plenty of shocks over the last six months, notably Leicester’s impressive rise up the table, and here WhoScored looks at the current stat leaders in England’s top tier.
As one may expect, the creative qualities of Mesut Ozil have helped Arsenal. The Gunners end 2015 in top spot and were recently installed as title favourites for the first time since December 2013. With the German fully settled into life in North London, Arsene Wenger’s side are reaping the benefits. Ozil has registered seven more assists (16) than any other player in Europe’s top 5 leagues. Meanwhile, he has played more key passes (80) and created more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities (20) than any other performer in the top 5 divisions of European football.
The 27-year-old is well on course to break the record for most assists in a single season, which was set by Thierry Henry with 20. Given there are 19 games of the campaign still to go, one would not bet against Ozil raising the standards even higher over the coming months. He is unsurprisingly the most valuable player this season on the Buabook exchange with a current fair price of £14.73. Could that rise in 2016?
The only player to better Ozil's WhoScored rating of 7.86 in the top-flight of English football so far is Leicester star Riyad Mahrez. As previously mentioned, the Foxes ascent up the Premier League has been nothing short of spectacular. Given they footed the table back in April shows just how far forward they have leapt in terms of a transformation from favourites to be relegated to genuine title contenders. Much of that has been down to the attacking qualities of Mahrez, who has gained a better WhoScored rating (8.20) than any other Premier League player.
He tops the list for most successful dribbles (63) and has been directly involved in more league goals (20 - 13 goals, 7 assists) than any other player. Furthermore, his eight WhoScored man of the match awards is also the best return, not only in the Premier League, but in Europe as well. He isn’t the only Leicester star to impress, with Jamie Vardy excelling on the frontline and N’Golo Kante performing above and beyond in the midfield.
Only Erik Pieters (76) has made more tackles than Kante (75) this season, who in turn has made more interceptions (77) than any other player. With regards to Vardy, no player has scored more Premier League goals than the England international (15) so far, that level with in-form frontman Romelu Lukaku, while Premier League debutant Odion Ighalo is also faring exceptionally with 14 league goals to his name. The Nigerian has scored in six consecutive league games, so those that backed him in Buabook's season market at the start of the campaign will be delighted to have seen his fair price rise to £12.49.
With Ighalo doing the business in front of goal, teammate Heurelho Gomes is silencing any critics at the other end of the pitch for the Hornets. No goalkeeper has kept more clean sheets than Gomes (8), who sits level with Petr Cech, Joe Hart and Jack Butland. The latter has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the Premier League this season, with his WhoScored rating (7.20) better than any other shotstopper. His 74 saves - more than any other goalkeeper - have contributed to that return, with the Potters ending the year just six points off the top four. An entertaining 4-3 win over Everton would have really boosted morale ahead of the second half of the season, with the Toffees’ inability to shut out the opposition is very much hindering their chances of a European finish.
Nevertheless, in Gareth Barry, they have the player who has attempted more passes (1248) than any other player in the Premier League this term. Renowned for his ball retention qualities, the experienced English midfielder is not disappointing in this regard, though his waning defensive ability has proven costly at times. No player has committed more errors that have led to an opposition shot on goal than Barry (5) in England’s top tier this term, having a negative effect on Everton’s chances of securing a place in Europe.
One of the bigger surprises of the season so far comes from White Hart Lane, however, with Tottenham boasting the strongest defence in the Premier League. Spurs have conceded fewer goals (15) than any other team, with the acquisition of Toby Alderweireld proving to be an astute one for Mauricio Pochettino’s side. It’s a far cry from last term, where only four teams conceded more goals than Spurs (53). Their strong foundation provides them with a better chance of finishing in the Champions League places.
The 33 goals they have scored also stands them in good stead, but sits behind top spot chasers Leicester and Manchester City (37 goals) in that regard. The former’s excellent form in front of goal has been largely down to the exploits of Mahrez and Vardy, though City have been unable to call on their star striker Sergio Aguero for much of the campaign. The Argentine may be the club’s top scorer (7 goals), but five of those came in the 6-1 win over Newcastle back in October. As such, the goalscoring burden has been shared at the Etihad Stadium, with no fewer than 13 players each scoring at least one league goal for the Citizens, the biggest return of individual goalscorers in the Premier League.
While Aguero’s absence has at times limited their offensive influence, that so many players can chip in with goals will buoy City in their pursuit of the title. Either way, it’s been an exciting first half of the Premier League season, but as the cliched term goes; it’s a game - and indeed a season - of two halves. Over the next 19 games, we’ll see who can hold their nerve to achieve their seasonal goals, be it gunning for the title, securing a European finish or staving off relegation.
You can trade the values of the star players from the Premier League so far with Buabook, the first player trading exchange based on detailed statistics
