Pep Guardiola is known for being a manager that encourages retaining possession and seldom relinquishing the ball, so it’s no surprise his Manchester City players top the charts for passing statistics in the World Cup.
Rodri has made more passes per game on average (153.7) than any other player in the 2022 tournament. Aymeric Laporte is second in the charts (125.5) and John Stones is third (95.5).
Rodri has been playing as a makeshift centre-back and therefore sees a lot of the ball without being pressed, so he’s completed 93.5% of his passes. Laporte has been his partner for Spain, so it’s little wonder his completion ratio is 94%.
Stones has completed 95% of his passes, so he’s been more accurate than his club teammates. He’s also made more accurate long passes (6.8) than Rodri (5.7) and Laporte (4.5) too.
For City in the Premier League, Rodri was averaging 92.5 passes per game with 91.1% completed, blowing Laporte (61.3 and 91%) and Stones (68.6 and 94.7%) out of the water.
Spain are blessed to have two ball-players who line up together at club level on a weekly basis. England are also lucky to have a defender like Stones who is so comfortable in possession, as it means the creative players will get more of the ball rather than it going long.
In other news, Kevin De Bruyne blasted by Graeme Souness after World Cup exit
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