The Castrol EDGE Rankings rate player performance in the top five European leagues over the last 12 months, to give fans the most accurate view of who are the world’s top performing players. Here we focus on the central midfielders that are pushing for a place in the England side with UEFA EURO 2012™ just four months away.
Despite starting only five of England’s last 13 internationals, Frank Lampard (18th) is the top ranked England midfielder. Over the last 12 months, no English player has completed more passes in the opposition half (997) and with 17 goals and six assists in the Premier League since February 2011, he is still the top man when it comes to goal involvement at Chelsea.
Michael Carrick (197th) has not featured for England for nearly two years but over the last 12 months, no English midfielder has posted a better duel success rate than the 30-year-old in the Premier League (68%).
Manchester City’s Gareth Barry (243rd) continues his rise up the Castrol EDGE Rankings while Tottenham’s Scott Parker (357th) – with a 90% passing accuracy in the Premier League this season – looks set to take an active part in his first major international tournament.
Leon Osman (62nd) and Jamie O’Hara (142nd) are the surprise inclusions at the top of England’s midfielder rankings: however the former has proved himself more accurate in his delivery in the final third (79%) than the likes of Frank Lampard (75%) and Steven Gerrard (76%) this season, while O’Hara’s 94% tackle success rate and the fact that Wolves haven’t won any of the nine games he’s missed this season should give Capello food for thought.
Steven Gerrard’s (1331st) lack of playing time over the last 12 months – only eight league starts since February 2011 – means he is still a long way off the top performers.
Edin Dzeko (9th) makes a surprise entry into the top 10. Despite starting only 19 league games since February 2011, the Bosnian striker has netted 13 goals and delivered four assists for Manchester City in the Premier League. Roberto Mancini could be well advised to give him more playing time as the season begins its final stretch.
With Luis Suarez (13th) back following his eight-game ban, Liverpool will breathe a sigh of relief. The Reds have picked up 1.7 points per game this season with Suarez as opposed to only 1.4 when he’s been absent.
Tottenham Hotspur are riding high on a wave of positive results and are looking odds-on to secure a top 3 finish for the first time in their Premier League history. One of the main architects of this prominent rise is Gareth Bale (35th), the best climber in the top 50 of the Castrol EDGE Rankings last month. The Welsh winger is enjoying the most prolific league campaign of his career, with a return of nine goals and seven assists. His expertise will be called upon when Spurs travel to the Emirates on 26thFebruary in one of the most crucial North-London derbies in years.
(TheSportsCampus)
