The Passing Midfielders

It is always difficult picking a starting point as to where you should start when considering what makes a passing midfield player. You can set parameters all you like but one man’s parameter is another man’s obstacle. You can set a certain amount of appearances as some form of standardisation, say 20 for argument’s sake, but that is fraught with danger. Why, I hear some cry from the terraces, why is that? Regression, regression to the mean. Big mathematical concept that can be summarised very sharply; a accurate passing midfield player playing 20 games will have a higher passing accuracy (completion %) that another accurate passing midfield player who has played 39 games. This is so simply because more games played, more time on the field, more passes attempted leads to more chances of failed passes cropping up.

I’ll be upfront with what I chose as my main criteria for the follow ‘top 5 midfield passers’: high percentage of time played with a passing accuracy of 80%+. My thinking behind this was simple, If a player plays as much of a season as they possibly can then 80%+ passing shows they have a high level of passing acumen, leading to a higher level of pass completion.

The following are ranked 5 down to 1 in terms of their accuracy of passing, but I will be breaking this down to see what other benefits they bring to their respective teams. Purely ranking them in terms of their passing completion 5 doesn’t really give you a decent snapshot as to their skill as a passing midfielder.

All statistics are derived from the WhoScored.com data set

5. Kevin McDonald (Wolverhampton Wanderers)

38 appearances (1 substitute), 3,438 minutes played (98% available game time)

Apart from 72 minutes this season, Kevin McDonald has played every minute of Wolverhampton’s 2014/15 Championship campaign. During this time in the middle of the park, he has managed to make the following passing returns:

2,687 passing attempts (70.3 attempts per 90 minutes)

2,183 passes completed (81.20% passing accuracy)

0.821 ‘short to long’ passing ratio

61 ‘shot assist’ key passes

10 goal assists

65 free kicks taken (60 accurate)

Kevin McDonald is a high volume passer of the ball (around 70 attempted passes per 90 minutes) and he combines this high-volume of passing with high accuracy. This accuracy also translates to his ‘free kicks’ where 60 of his 65 free kicks are accurate or have found a teammate rather than the opposition. His 61 ‘shot assists’ (passes leading to a teammate shot at goal) is good enough to place him as the 18th-ranked player in this category in the Championship. Furthermore, his 0.821 ‘short to long’ passing ratio shows that he prefers to pass forward 82% of the time, so getting his team on the front foot. McDonald’s 10 goal assists is good enough to place him third in he Championship behind Michail Antonio (11) and leader Matt Ritchie (13).

4. Grant Leadbitter (Middlesbrough)

35 appearances (3 substitute), 3,168 minutes played (90.26% available game time)

Grant Leadbitter has made 3 substitute appearances this season, which has obviously cut into his game time, but this has not stopped him making a valuable contribution to a Middlesbrough team up and around the higher echelons of the Championship league table. During this time in the middle of the park, he has managed to make the following passing returns:

1,987 passing attempts (56.2 attempts per 90 minutes)

1,627 passes completed (82.30% passing accuracy)

0.848 ‘short to long’ passing ratio

90 ‘shot assist’ key passes

9 goal assists

97 free kicks taken (74 accurate)

Grant Leadbitter is one of the main reasons behind Middlesbrough’s form this season. Whilst not possessing the volume passing of Wolverhampton’s Kevin McDonald (70.3 vs 56.2 per 90 passes), he does possess other strengths. Passing-wise, his ‘short to long’ ratio is .848, meaning that 84.8% of passes are of a short range, where he is 87.8% accurate with these types of passes. This accuracy is also reflected in terms of free kicks taken, with Leadbitter being accurate with 74 free kicks – this making him the third most accurate outfield free kick taker. The 90 shot assists places him 6th in the Championship this term so far, with 4.5% of his passes ending in shooting opportunities for his teammates. If you add in his 12 goals, joint leader for midfield goals, then you have a great passing midfielder with high accuracy and who is also a goal threat.

3. Jonathan Douglas (Brentford FC)

38 appearances, 3,323 minutes played (94.67% available game time)

Jonathan Douglas has missed one game this season and has been substituted out on two occasions but has still played in nearly 95% of all Brentford’s game time this season. Occupying a central midfield role, Douglas has proven to be a handy weapon in the Brentford arsenal. During this time in the middle of the park, he has managed to make the following passing returns:

1,741 passing attempts (47.2 attempts per 90 minutes)

1,427 passes completed (82.40% passing accuracy)

0.905’short to long’ passing ratio

31 ‘shot assist’ key passes

4 goal assists

35 free kicks taken (33 accurate)

Jonathan Douglas is that ‘neat-and-tidy’ midfielder in the centre of the park and, whilst not possessing the volume passing of Kevin McDonald nor the creativity of Grant Leadbitter, is one of the reasons behind Brentford’s good form this term. Whilst having a lower passing output than the previous two midfielders in this list, Douglas still makes 47 passing attempts per 90 minutes and with good accuracy (82.40%). He has a ‘short to long’ passing ratio of .905, meaning that 90.5 of his passing attempts are of the short variety and this helps drive Brentford forward. In addition to this, he shows greater accuracy when considering these short passes only, with his 1,341 completed short range passes displaying a short passing accuracy of 85%. Accuracy-wise, Jonathan Douglas is highly accurate with his free kick taking, the 33 accurate free kicks representing a free kick accuracy of 94%.

2. Harry Arter (Bournemouth)

36 appearances, 3.126 minutes played (89% available game time)

Harry Arter has been an ever-present in the Bournemouth side this term, his only three missing appearances being enforced due to yellow card suspensions. He has come to be seen as one of the better, younger midfield players in the Championship. During this time in the middle of the park, he has managed to make the following passing returns:

2,310 passing attempts (66.5 attempts per 90 minutes)

1,979 passes completed (85.70% passing accuracy)

0.882 ‘short to long’ passing ratio

41 ‘shot assist’ key passes

3 goal assists

86 free kicks taken (83 accurate)

Harry Arter combines a higher volume of passing (66.5 attempts per 90 minutes) with excellent accuracy (85.7%) and this is one of the reasons that Bournemouth are able to command the centre of the park and dominate teams in this area. Arter has a ‘short to long’ passing ratio of .882, meaning that he prefers shorter passes over longer passes 88.2% of the time; it is in this area of shorter passes that he shows an 88.6 accuracy. His 83 accurate free kicks from 86 free kick attempts shows excellent accuracy (96.50%) and the 83 accurate free kicks places him as the Championship leader in this category. Added to his worth to the Bournemouth side is the fact that he also has marked 8 goals so far this term.

1. Andrew Surman (Bournemouth)

33 appearances (1 substitute), 2,966 minutes played (84.5% available game time)

Andrew Surman, alongside Harry Arter, form a solidly accurate core at the heart of the Bournemouth midfield. Despite only playing 84.5% of the South Coast’s game time, the South African midfielder has put in some excellent performances. During this time in the middle of the park, he has managed to make the following passing returns:

2,218 passing attempts (67.30 attempts per 90 minutes)

1,928 passes completed (86.90% passing accuracy)

0.889 ‘short to long’ passing ratio

35 ‘shot assist’ key passes

4 goal assists

55 free kicks taken (55 accurate)

Alongside Harry Arter, Andrew Surman is a cog that has been working smoothly in the well-oiled Bournemouth midfield. He combines high passing output per typical 90 minutes (67.30 passes) with a high overall passing accuracy (86.90%). Surman favours shorter passing and possesses a .889 ‘short to long’ passing ratio, meaning that just shy of 89% of his passes are of the short variety, this helping him maintain a high overall passing accuracy. Whilst not making huge numbers in the more creative aspects of midfield such as ‘shot assist’ key passes (35) and goal assist passes (4), Surman’s accuracy in free kick taking is impressive, with him possessing 100% accuracy from the 55 free kicks that he has taken.