A former Liverpool flop also features alongside an ex Spurs player and one of Everton’s Belgian stars.
With the help of data from Octa, we have complied a list of the best crossers in the Premier League from the 2013-14 season, and it has produced some interesting results.
To minimise the players that could feature, ensuring they regularly turn out for their team, the players must have made over 45 accurate crosses in the competition.
Inevitably, the accuracy of the pass will owe a lot to the target the player is aiming for, and it is notable that those below all feature in teams that employ target men with outstanding aerial abilities.
For the purpose of this study, the most successful crosser is judged by the one with the highest percentage of accurate crosses compared to their total crosses.
| Team | Pos | Total Cross | Accurate Cross | Percentage Accurate | mins / Accurate Cross | Assists | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stewart Downing | West Ham | MF | 290 | 84 | 28.96% | 29.88 | 2 | 2,510 |
| Samir Nasri | Man City | MF | 204 | 66 | 32.35% | 37.85 | 8 | 2,498 |
| Tom Huddlestone | Hull | MF | 183 | 60 | 32.79% | 52.40 | 2 | 3,144 |
| James Ward-Prowse | Southampton | MF | 159 | 55 | 34.59% | 29.11 | 2 | 1,601 |
| Kevin Mirallas | Everton | MF | 168 | 53 | 31.55% | 43.96 | 8 | 2,330 |
Southampton youngster James Ward-Prowse has been compared to David Beckham with his crossing and dead ball delivery, and it’s easy to see why with the youngster having the best percentage of accurate crosses of the entire league, and also the strongest minutes per accurate cross out of the top five. Ward-Prowse captained England to the fourth place at the recent Toulon tournament, and is likely to be a key figure at Southampton next year, especially if the Saints lose skipper Adam Lallana.
Former Liverpool man Stewart Downing tried more crosses than any other player in the Premier League in his first season at West Ham, and can be relieved to see he achieved the most accurate crosses. He just sneaks it into the top five when it comes to turning the figures into a percentage.
Both Samir Nasri and Kevin Mirallas are the best crossers from the Premier League’s top five clubs, with excellent percentages and a high number of goal assists (note – this figure is all kinds of assists, not just crosses).
A special mention to Hull’s Tom Huddlestone, who despite being a central midfielder and playing the most minutes of the above players, had the second best percentage of accurate crosses.
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