Our series of article on Key Passers continues with a look at Serie A. Italy’s top division is renowned for its defensive solidity and, in comparison to the Premier League Key Passers, our top ten found it harder, on average, to make assists here. Our lists contains players who saw promising seasons hampered by injury, loanees at the foot of the table and even Ronaldinho, before his return to Brazil in the New Year.
With 123 Key Passes, Andrea Cossu made the most chances in Serie A least season. The Cagliari playmaker also averaged the highest Key Passes per game, with an outstanding 3.51 proving to be the best in Europe’s top five leagues. Cossu also claimed the most Assists (13) in Italy’s top division, capping a brilliant 2010/11 campaign.
Cossu played in the hole as his side alternated between 4-3-2-1 and 4-1-2-1-2 and made 40 Passes per game, fourth highest for his team, with only the three central midfielders behind him making more. He grabbed 4 Goals for Cagliari but his game is clearly more about the creative side- Cossu averaged just 0.9 Shots per game. He was joint-top of our featured players for Crosses, with 2.7 per game and although his 0.9 Successful Dribbles isn’t particularly outstanding, it was the highest his club side could muster.
Francesco Totti may have missed six games last season for Roma, but it didn’t stop him finishing the season as top for Goals (15) and Assists (8) for the sixth-placed club.
With a total of 97 Key Passes, this means Totti grabbed 1 Assist for every 12.12 Key Passes. Although he played up front for 33 of his 37 appearances in all competitions, Totti’s 42 Passes per game show his tendency to drop a little deeper in order to orchestrate matters, with 1.1 Through Balls per match highlighting his ability to slide a killer pass.
Totti’s 2.3 Shots per game is third best of our top ten and was only slightly edged into second place for Roma by fellow-forward Mirko Vucinic. He managed 74 Shots in total, grabbed 15 Goals, an average of 1 Goal per 4.93 Shots.
Wesley Sneijder missed 15 of Inter’s league games last term and his absence proved crucial for the Nerazzurri, as the club finished six points off top spot in the race for the title. Playing just off the front as Inter switched between 4-1-2-1-2 and 4-2-3-1, Sneijder’s 2.88 Key Passes per game saw him far and away the side’s chief creator, with Maicon next best on 2.1. He grabbed 5 Assists from a total of 72 Key Passes, an average of 1 Assist per 14.4 Key Passes.
Sneijder saw plenty of the ball, averaging 60 Passes per game for Inter and, on average, was also the club’s most persistent goal threat; he managed 3.0 Shots per game, with Samuel Eto’o’s 2.5 second best. Sneijder’s 3.0 Shots per game are also the highest of our featured players, illustrating his added worth when compared to the league’s chief creators.
Sitting in front of the back-four, David Pizarro -when fit- dictated much of Roma’s play last season. A thigh injury blighted his campaign and saw him sidelined for 16 of his club’s 38 but when available, Pizarro averaged 66 Passes per game, the most of our top ten. Stationed so deep, Pizarro’s superb distribution (88% Pass Accuracy) saw him hit 7.8 Long Balls per game as he looked to start attacks quickly from the back.
His defensive role meant there was little goal threat from Pizarro, with just 0.2 Shots per game, culminating in 1 Goal for the season. It didn’t prevent him supplying his side with plenty of goal scoring chances, as an average of 2.73 Key Passes per game saw him rack up a total of 60 Key Passes, though he can count himself somewhat unfortunate, with just 1 Assist to show for his creative endeavours.
A storming first half to the season for Catania saw Guiseppe Mascara snapped up by Napoli on the final day of the January window. So far, the move has been a frustrating one, with just 4 starts for his new club thus far; with the likes of Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi for competition, establishing himself in the starting XI is going to be difficult for Mascara.
It is his performances for his previous club we will focus on, however; alternating as a left winger and an attacking central midfielder, Mascara made 2.61 Key Passes per match for Catania, firing in 2.2 Crosses, third best on our top ten. At Catania, he was top in both these areas and was a clear miss to the side upon leaving. Playing out wide meant he saw less of the ball, making 33 Passes on average and his relatively low 0.6 Successful Dribbles (for a winger) suggests he doesn’t feel the need to beat a man before delivering a pass.
Mascara managed 25 Shots for Catania but some shaky shooting meant he scored only 1 Goal and his Key Passes suffered from a similar lack of quality finishing from team mates- he made 47 in total, yet picked up just 2 Assists.
While Javier Pastore hogged the headlines, it was Josip Ilicic who proved the chief creator for Palermo last season, eclipsing the Argentine by 2.59 Key Passes to 2.2. Playing alongside Pastore behind a lone front man in Palermo’s favoured 4-3-2-1, Ilicic saw less of the ball than Pastore (36 to 47), Ilicic was also more effective in distribution, with an 83% Pass Accuracy to Pastore’s 73%.
Ilicic managed 1 Successful Dribble per game and was a goal threat throughout, with an average of 1.6 Shots over 34 matches meaning he took 54 Shots, scoring 8 Goals for his side as they managed an eighth place finish in Serie A. His 7 Assists from 88 Key Passes saw Ilicic grab 1 Assist per 12.57 Key Passes for Palermo.
Ronaldinho made 11 appearances for Milan last term before departing Italy in the January transfer window for his native Brazil and a place in Flamengo’s first XI. He offered little goal threat, with just 1.1 Shots per game, and failed to find the net even once but Ronaldinho’s 2.45 Key Passes per game were better than any Milan player managed last season, with Ibrahimovic next best on 2.2.
With 3 Assists from 29 Key Passes, Ronaldinho picked up 1 Assist per 9 Key Passes, second best in this category of our top ten. His low Shots tally, combined with just 0.7 Successful Dribbles from a wide left position and 33 Passes per game (Ibrahimovic averaged 42) highlight Ronaldinho’s lack of real work ethic and despite his impressive creative side, he offered little else and his transfer proved a positive one for the champions.
Ezequiel Lavezzi’s stats are stronger across more categories than any other player in top ten. The Argentine excelled in his side’s 3-4-2-1 formation, wreaking havoc alongside Marek Hamsik as the pair supplied the passes for lone front man Edinson Cavani. In our top ten, Lavezzi’s trickery was top for Successful Dribbles (2.5), second to Sneijder for Shots (2.5) and second for Assists, with 12, highlighting just what an exciting player he is on the ball.
With an average of 2.39 Key Passes over 31 games, Lavezzi he supplied 74 in total and those 12 Assists means he grabbed 1 Assist for every 6.16 Key Passes made, easily the best of our featured players; with Cavani in such lethal form -he grabbed 26 goals- Lavezzi was the main beneficiary.
A loan move from Chievo to Bari in January gave Simone Bentivoglio plenty chance to show his talents but despite an impressive 2.25 Key Passes per game, he couldn’t stop Bari finish last on their way to slipping into Serie B. Bentivoglio averaged 49 Passes per game for Bari and at the heart of their play going forward, with a total of 36 Key Passes in his 16 games. Bari’s poor finishing saw him bag just 2 Assists, however, an average of 1 Assist per 18 Key Passes. Bentivoglio’s 82% Pass Accuracy was fourth in our top ten and his 1.3 Shots per game offered Bari a much-needed goal threat, as the loanee found the net 2 times.
Fernando Marques was one of the most entertaining players on show in Serie A last season, with 2.23 Key Passes and 2.2 Successful Dribbles per game. The left winger’s season was cut short by injury in January and in total, he made 13 appearances for Parma. His club badly missed Marques’ talents- he was top for both categories for Parma, and also for Crosses, making 2.7 per game, joint-top here with Cossu.
Marques only made 28 Passes per game and his delivery from the wing, although aiding his total of 29 Key Passes, returned just 1 Assist for the Spaniard. An average of 0.9 Shots per game failed to see Marques find the net though his Key Passing and Dribbles stats suggest he’ll be an integral member of the starting XI come next season.
