Cesc Fabregas is further enhancing his growing reputation by topping the Barclays Premiership passing chart. The Arsenal midfielder has made 824 successful passes in the opposition`s half so far this season according to The Actim Index – the Official Player Ratings of the Barclays Premiership.
The Spanish teenager`s impressive passing statistics have helped him to become the seventh highest ranked midfielder in the league.
Fabregas is joined in the Premiership`s Top 10 passers by two of his Arsenal team mates. 25-year-old former Stuttgart midfielder, Alexander Hleb, is ranked third with 604 passes while the experienced Brazilian international, Gilberto Silva, is ranked ninth with 456 passes.
Steven Gerrard is the highest ranked of the four Englishmen that have made it into the Top 10. The 26-year-old Kop hero is ranked second with 687 passes while his England midfield colleague, Frank Lampard, is ranked fourth with 601 passes. The 28-year-old Chelsea stalwart`s consistent performances this season have helped him to become the second highest ranked midfielder in the Barclays Premiership.
Top of the Manchester United trio of representatives is the 32-year-old ex-England international, Paul Scholes. The veteran midfielder is ranked fifth with 562 passes while his Old Trafford team-mate, Christiano Ronaldo, is ranked seventh with 519 passes. The Portuguese trickster`s dazzling displays have not only helped the Red Devils to the top of the table, but have also helped the 22-year-old winger become the highest ranked midfielder in the Barclays Premiership. Completing the hat-trick of United players is the England striker Wayne Rooney. The ex-Everton starlet is ranked tenth with 418 passes and is also the only striker to have made it into the Top 10.
The other two players to have made it into the Top 10 are Liverpool`s Spanish international, Xabi Alonso, who is ranked sixth with 536 passes, and Chelsea`s Ghanaian utility player, Michael Essien, who is ranked eighth with 464 passes.
Analysis of all Premiership games will take place throughout the season and The Top 10 pass masters in the Premiership according to the Actim Index are: –
Francesc Fabregas 18th
7th highest ranked midfielder
824 points
Steven Gerrard 14th
6th highest ranked midfielder
687 points
Alexander Hleb 57th
17th highest ranked midfielder
604 points
Frank Lampard 3rd
2nd highest ranked midfielder
601 points
Paul Scholes 19th
8th highest ranked midfielder
562 points
Xabi Alonso 55th
16th highest ranked midfielder
536 points
Cristiano Ronaldo 2nd
1st highest ranked midfielder
519 points
Michael Essien 53rd
14th highest ranked midfielder
464 points
Gilberto Silva 27th
9th highest ranked midfielder
456 points
Wayne Rooney 6th
2nd highest ranked striker
445
418 points
The Actim Index, the Official Player Ratings of the Barclays Premiership and Coca-Cola Championship, ranks players using Actim Stats according to their performance, both by position and overall.
It is calculated using a unique mathematical formula that rates each player`s contribution be it goals, shots, passes, dribbles, tackles, crosses, saves, clearances, blocks, interceptions, time on the pitch or number of points gained by the team with marks deducted for red and yellow cards. Two additional calculations, which take account of player assists and goalkeeper`s clean sheets, have been added for the new season to increase the amount of variables a player is now measured by.
The Premiership Actim Index was developed in partnership with statisticians from Salford University, one of the UK`s leading centres for sports statistics. The ratings are collated by PA Sport on behalf of The FA Premier League and The Football League.
The list of the Top 100 players and Top 5 players by position will be available free of charge from the Actim website: www.pa-sport.com/en/products/actim-statistics.html
which will be updated during the football season every Tuesday for the Barclays Premiership and every Thursday for The Coca-Cola Championship.
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