Sean Longstaff tops the charts for the most amount of pressures applied per 90 minutes this season.
On average, the Geordie midfielder makes 52.1 a game – joint with Crystal Palace’s Jordan Ayew – and ahead of the likes of Fred, Dwight McNeil and Martin Odegaard.
Longstaff’s impressive stats show that he has been busting a gut and constantly closing players down when selected in the NUFC engine room so far this campaign, despite what the general perception might be about our lacklustre midfield.
No Man City, Chelsea or Liverpool players make the top five – which may surprise you – but given these sides dominate possession of the ball, their players don’t have to make as many “pressures” as teams further down the table.
Newcastle averaged just 37% possession before Saturday’s 3-3 draw with Brentford, the worst in the Premier League.
Here is the top five, courtesy of Opta:
While Longstaff’s stats may seem impressive, perhaps it is an indictment of just how bad we have been this season that he has had to pressure the opposition so much…
It’s a shame there appears to be no definition of what a “pressure” actually is in your article, and yes it sounds almost like a back-handed compliment – a bit like when Dubravka made the most saves in a season – a stat that didn’t so much rate him as the best keeper, as ours as the worst defence.
Fred Taylor(Quote)