Using data provided by Opta, we have compiled a top five list of the Premier League’s most accurate passers for both midfielders and defenders for 2013-14.
It is particularly good reading for Arsenal, who have the most accurate midfielder and the most accurate defender in their ranks.
Breaking up the categories into total and accurate passing, assists, and total and accurate passing in the final third, there are plenty of interesting results that appear. For the purposes of the study, only players that have made 1400 accurate passes or more are eligible.
See below for the statistics:
Midfielders
| Team | Total Pass | Accurate Pass | % Accurate | Goal Assist | Total Final Third Passes | Successful Final Third Passes | % Final Third Accuracy | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yaya Touré | Man City | 2,502 | 2,255 | 90.13% | 9 | 779 | 629 | 80.74% | 2,927 |
| Mikel Arteta | Arsenal | 2,152 | 1,982 | 92.10% | 0 | 495 | 414 | 83.64% | 2,407 |
| Michael Carrick | Man Utd | 2,094 | 1,824 | 88.59% | 1 | 359 | 233 | 64.90% | 2,764 |
| Samir Nasri | Man City | 1,899 | 1,738 | 91.52% | 8 | 843 | 730 | 86.60% | 2,498 |
| Morgan Schneiderlin | Soton | 1,927 | 1,722 | 89.36% | 1 | 459 | 360 | 78.43% | 2,766 |
Mikel Arteta was the most accurate passer in the Premier League, barring his club mate Per Mertesacker, who can arguably be excused given that many of his passes were unchallenged between his fellow defenders and his goalkeeper. The Spaniard, who has been linked with an exit from the Gunners this summer had an outstanding 92.1% accuracy, and was second only to Manchester City’s Yaya Toure in total number of accurate passes. Despite having a strong final third percentage too, Arteta failed to provide any assists. Toure had the highest number of accurate passes but attempted over 300 more.
His City teammate Samir Nasri came second in the percentage accuracy list, and also was the best passer in the final third – interesting stats for someone who didn’t make the French World Cup squad.
Defenders
| Team | Total Pass | Accurate Pass | % Accurate | Goal Assist | Total Final Third Passes | Successful Final Third Passes | Games Played | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashley Williams | Swansea | 1,936 | 1,673 | 86.41% | 1 | 170 | 86 | 34 | 3,040 |
| Chico | Swansea | 1,827 | 1,642 | 89.87% | 0 | 155 | 99 | 31 | 2,690 |
| Martin Skrtel | Liverpool | 1,760 | 1,598 | 90.80% | 1 | 151 | 85 | 36 | 3,222 |
| Per Mertesacker | Arsenal | 1,707 | 1,587 | 92.98% | 0 | 107 | 73 | 35 | 3,150 |
| John Terry | Chelsea | 1,708 | 1,540 | 90.16% | 1 | 184 | 107 | 34 | 3,060 |
Three of the league’s defenders have high enough passing percentages to gatecrash the overall top five, with John Terry, Martin Skrtel and Per Mertesacker all beating Yaya Toure for percentage of accurate balls.
Arsenal’s German international defender actually has the highest percentage in the league, at 92.98%, so is not only the most accurate defender, but also has a claim to best passer in the league, something he would have to argue over with teammate Arteta.
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