Top 5 passers in Europe so far this season

As we pass the opening stages of the 2013-14 season and enter the meat of the domestic year, it’s high time we reflected on the players from Europe’s top five leagues who have lead the way in terms of passing in their respective leagues.

One of the most undervalued, but most important elements of the game is a player’s ability to find a teammate. Here is a look at the top five players who have made the most passes so far this season and helped their teams’ to a solid start in terms of ball-retention.

5) Marco Verrati – 509 completed passes

Paris Saint Germain’s Marco Verratti has appeared eight times in Ligue 1 so far this season, starring in all-but-one of the club’s opening fixtures.

With a pass accuracy of 91% to his name, the 19-year-old is portraying real signs of class in a team bursting to the brim with quality players.

His scooped pass, during the build-up for PSG’s second goal versus Benfica in the Champions League, is another reminder of the skill that he possesses.

4) Dante – 532 completed passes

Paris Saint Germain’s Marco Verratti has appeared eight times in Ligue 1 so far this season, starring in all-but-one of the club’s opening fixtures.

With a pass accuracy of 91% to his name, the 19-year-old is portraying real signs of class in a team bursting to the brim with quality players.

His scooped pass, during the build-up for PSG’s second goal versus Benfica in the Champions League, is another reminder of the skill that he possesses.

3) Philipp Lahm – 555 completed passes

Bayern captain Lahm is enjoying a new role under Pep Guardiola. After years of success at Munich, the right-back has been promoted to the midfield role by the club’s new coach.

Guardiola has called Lahm “the most intelligent player I’ve ever coached” and it’s easy to see why. This season the German has been positioned just in front of the Bayern back four and he’s doing a fantastic job, he has dominated the midfield in the absence of Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Having made 555 passes, Lahm has registered an average accuracy of 92%. He has played a vital role in building the teams’ attacks from the defensive midfield role – 60.4% of these passes have seen the ball move forward.

2) Roberto Trashorras -561 completed passes

Roberto Trashorras has been the star man for Rayo Vallecano this season and his club-high Performance Score of 230 points is a significant indication of this.

In eight appearances for the Spanish outfit, Trashorras has made a total of 561 passes with an average accuracy of 85%.

With 22 chances created and two assists, he is leagues ahead of any of his team-mates – clearly he is the key man for Rayo in midfield.

1) Xavi – 622 completed passes

Xavi is Europe’s modern pass master and it is no surprise that he tops this list even so early in the season. With a fantastic 622 completed passes already this season it’s clear to see exactly who makes Barca tick.

On average the Spaniard has completed an incredible 95 passes per match, with a mean accuracy of 93%. These figures are truly outstanding and it’s quickly becomes evident at just how much of an impact he has in La Liga, especially with a Squawka Performance Score of 484 points.

In total, Xavi has accounted for 13.2% of Barcelona’s total number of passes, and with 63.1% of this contribution moving the ball forward, it’s obvious why the Spanish giants are such a threat in attack.