WhoScored.com's latest feature focusing on the world's top crossers and dribblers of the ball, compiling the best 5 players from each of the top 5 divisions, moves onto Italy's Serie A.
In a league in which stereotypical wingers are less commonly utilized, the Serie A saw just 4 players make the minimum amount of 20 apperances plus to make the leader board. The top 4 in this scenario are analysed in terms of their threat from wide with regards to crossing and dribbling statistics, key passes, assists and chance conversion rates to give a detailed overview of just why the respective wide men are so effective.
Despite being a less formidable league in terms of out-and-out wingers, the results show that the Serie A still has real talent in wide areas, with Juventus possessing the top 2 on the list. The other two sides represented are Catania and Cesena, who finished 13th and 16th respectively.
Milos Krasic
26-year-old Serbia international Milos Krasic is undoubtedly one of the league's most feared attacking threats from a wide position and his displays for Juventus last term earn him a place at the top of our leader board. Krasic was the noticeable standout performer of his contenders having topped the rankings in no less than 8 of the 12 categories analysed. He led the way in terms of total crosses attempted with 121, dribbles per game with 5 and impressively, with a 48% dribble success rate. He also contributed to more goals than any of the others on the list, scoring 6 times and setting up a further 6, as well as possessing the best shots per goal ratio of 6.67.
The only department in which the Serb did not finish joint second or higher was in his cross accuracy. After hitting his target with just 14% of his 3.67 crosses per game, Krasic certainly has an immediate area to improve upon for next season as Juve look to progress after a disappointing previous campaign.
Simone Pepe
Krasic's teammate and winger on the opposite flank for much of last season, Simone Pepe showed decent all-round stats to finish second on our list. Undoubtedly his most attractive asset, and one in which his colleague falters somewhat, is his crossing. The Italy international made a list high of 5.1 crosses per game and his tendency to deliver rather than dribble was backed up by another leading stat of 18% accuracy with said crosses.
Though his crossing was commendable, Pepe may need to work on his dribbling if he wants to improve upon his 21 appearances from wide last season. Having attempted the lowest number of runs at opponents per match with 1.57, he also scored the lowest figures in dribble success rate, although a score of 32% is still respectable. His main facet for development will be his ability to set-up his teammates, having picked up just 1 assist from wide last season, along with a list low of 1.1 key passes per game.
Emanuele Giaccherini
25-year-old Italian forward Emanuele Giaccherini made the second most appearances in the league from wide positions with 24. The Cesena-man made a decent number of crosses per game, matching Krasic's figure of 3.67, and hit his target with a slightly higher percentage at 15%. He proved the most creative in terms of key passes per game on the list having made an average of 1.46, though just 3 assists from these figures show his side's front-line could have been sharper. He also attempted a joint high of 1.6 shots per game, leading to 4 of his 7 league goals coming from wider positions.
Giaccherini showed decent all-round ability and only finished bottom of our leading 4 in terms of his chance conversion rate. Having attempted an aforementioned joint high of 1.6 shots per game, the wingers 4 goals from wide came every 9.5 shots he attempted.
Alejandro Gomez
The final player on our list is Argentine wide man Alejandro Gomez, who made 23 appearances from the wing last term. The diminutive 23-year-old's versatility saw him play in a variety of attacking positions, though he was most commonly used on the right side of midfield by his club, Catania. The only stat in which Gomez shared a joint lead on our list was in his shots per game, tying Giaccherini's 1.6. He did however, finish second in terms dribble success with a decent 37% of his attempts, as well as contributing to the second highest number of goals having netted 4 times and assisted another 4.
Improvements can be made in the young winger's conversion rate, having taken 9.25 shots on average to score. However, the department in which Gomez is most let down lays in his crossing. Having attempted the lowest amount of deliveries per game with 2.91, he reached his target with a pretty average 12% of his efforts and will need to build on these figures.
