Football: The League’s Most Influential Players

The Premier League boasts some of the biggest stars in the world but while Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are clearly crucial to their teams’ success, there are few players in England who dominate proceedings in the same way. Every club has a number of players capable of having a big impact on a game but which players are so influential that they are irreplaceable?

Dele Alli

Despite joining Tottenham just a short while ago, Alli has quickly become one of the key players for the Spurs. The young Englishman has shown great signs of becoming the next Frank Lampard with his late runs into the box and his ability to contribute important goals.

During the 2016-17 season, the 21-year-old scored 18 League goals and Spurs won all but two of the games in which he scored (losing to Manchester City and West Brom).

Chelsea and Manchester United beat Spurs when Alli failed to score, underlining the impact of his goals on the team’s results. Spurs created 14% more chances when Alli was on the pitch last season and kept 6% more possession.

He made a team-high 37 appearances so you could argue that the England midfielder has become more important than Harry Kaneto Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

Gylfi Sigurdsson

Swansea City may have replaced the Iceland international with Renato Sanches but the influence of the attacking midfielder may become clearer once he begins to have an impact at Everton.

The £45m man was crucial to Swansea surviving relegation last season, scoring nine times and assisting 13 goals. He featured in all 38 games with his goals winning Swansea 13 points, making him statistically the fourth-most influential player in the league last season.

With a pass completion rate of 88% (higher than any other Swansea player), the 27-year-old will certainly be missed at the Liberty Stadium.

Sadio Mane

One of the most visible dips in form last season came from Liverpool during the African Cup of Nations when Sadio Mane was away playing for Senegal.

The winger carried his nation to the finals but the Reds struggled for any kind of form without him. Liverpool played 27 League games with Mane last season and won 17 times and yet  it won just five of its 11 games without him, so its win ratio fell from 63% to 45%.

When he’s not in the team Jurgen Klopp’s side scores 1.1 fewer goals a game and has 9% less possession. If Liverpool wants to compete in the Champions League and Premier League this season Klopp needs his main man to stay fit.

Diego Costa

Costa may be in Antonio Conte’s bad books but the Spanish forward was fundamental to Chelsea’s title triumph. Costa’s 20 goals in the 2016-17 season won the Blues 15 points, meaning he had a higher impact on the league table than any other player, even though Kane scored nine goals more than the Chelsea striker.

Costa’s average of a goal or assist every 114 minutes made him Conte’s most influential player in terms of scoring outcomes per minute played.

Another factor that is vital for Chelsea is set pieces and the 28-year-old’s status as the most fouled striker in the league last season allowed Chelsea to get the ball into the penalty area more frequently. The champions scored more goals from set pieces (20) than any other team, so losing the Spaniard may not be Conte’s best idea.

Alexis Sanchez

The want-away forward would have left Arsenal in a heap of trouble had he walked out on the club during the transfer window.

The influential Chilean was Arsene Wenger’s highest scorer last season with 24 goals, twice as many as second-placed Olivier Giroud. He also registered one more assist than Arsenal’s main pass maestro Mesut Ozil, meaning that Sanchez directly contributed to 33 goals.

He won Arsenal 11 points, again more than any other player for the Gunners, removing any doubt about why Wenger refused to let go of him during the transfer market.

 

by Nubaid Haroon

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