Against Everton, Mesut Ozil registered more created chances than any other Premier League player in a single game this season with eight. And though the Arsenal playmaker has rightly been lauded for some of his creative displays during the 2017-18 campaign, his assist total tally is not enough to lift him into the top 10 in the rankings.
Two of his German compatriots have, though, with only David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne currently above Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Pascal Gross. The 25-year-old summer signing has been involved in 70 per cent of Albion's goals this season, with Chris Hughton's side sitting in 12th position after the opening 10 fixtures.
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Gross' importance to Hughton's side comes from the traditional No.10 role behind either Tomer Hemed or more recently Glenn Murray, stitching the midfield unit with the lone front man.
Hughton's counter-attacking system calls for players to work tirelessly for each other before exploiting wide areas of the pitch, and Gross has demonstrated both his ability to squeeze opponents into submission and an outstanding range of distribution.
The 25-year-old has covered more ground than all but two Premier League players this season - Burnley's Jack Cork and Watford's Abdoulaye Doucoure - and created more chances than the likes of Manchester City winger Leroy Sane, Newcastle's Matt Richie, and Riyad Mahrez of Leicester.
Not only does Gross possess remarkable vision, but his set-pieces have also caused issues for opponents throughout the campaign. As the Bundesliga's most creative player for the past two seasons, there were questions whether Gross would be able to replicate his performances in the English top flight prior to this season, but he has proved an inspired piece of business by the Albion recruitment team.
Manchester United's Henrikh Mkitaryan has registered the same number of chances created as Gross, and indeed the same number of assists, with Sane, the other German in the rankings, completing the top five.
PREMIER LEAGUE CREATIVE STATS
| PL 2017-18 | Team | Assists | Minutes Played | Chances Created (inc. assists) | Passing Accuracy | Goals | % Team Goals Involved in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Silva | Manchester City | 6 | 873 | 28 | 90.78 | 1 | 20.00% |
| Kevin De Bruyne | Manchester City | 6 | 841 | 30 | 86.04 | 1 | 20.00% |
| Pascal Groß | Brighton & Hove Albion | 5 | 838 | 23 | 75.9 | 2 | 70.00% |
| Henrikh Mkhitaryan | Manchester United | 5 | 733 | 23 | 82.41 | 1 | 26.09% |
| Leroy Sané | Manchester City | 5 | 588 | 15 | 83.15 | 6 | 31.43% |
| César Azpilicueta | Chelsea | 4 | 900 | 7 | 83.74 | 1 | 27.78% |
| Matt Ritchie | Newcastle United | 4 | 887 | 14 | 73.56 | 0 | 40.00% |
| Riyad Mahrez | Leicester City | 4 | 778 | 12 | 78.91 | 1 | 35.71% |
| Kyle Walker | Manchester City | 4 | 764 | 7 | 87.19 | 0 | 11.43% |
| Kieran Trippier | Tottenham Hotspur | 4 | 633 | 14 | 81.82 | 0 | 21.05% |
DISTANCE COVERED IN PL 17-18
| Premier League 2017-18 | KM Covered |
|---|---|
| Jack Cork | 121.13 |
| Abdoulaye Doucouré | 118.59 |
| Pascal Groß | 117.63 |
| Dele Alli | 116.56 |
| Nemanja Matic | 116.20 |
| Dale Stephens | 115.86 |
| Granit Xhaka | 115.31 |
| Davy Pröpper | 114.52 |
| Wilfred Ndidi | 114.06 |
| Jay Rodriguez | 113.93 |
Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli and United's Nemanja Matic complete the top five in terms of ground covered across the first 10 games of the campaign, with another two Brighton players making the top 10 - Dale Stephens and Davy Propper, Albion's central two midfielders in their 4-4-1-1 system.
Arsenal's Granit Xhaka, Leicester's Wilfred Ndidi and West Brom forward Jay Rodriguez complete the top 10.
