Do you remember the “Ever Wonder?” video produced at NBC Sports a few weeks back?
Hit play in the video above to learn how much distance elite soccer players travel during each game. The stats are quite remarkable in comparison to other sports.
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Some interesting stats also popped up from Opta on Thursday, and below is a little bit of a closer look as to the specific players in the Premier League who have covered the most ground this season.
Hint: it helps if you’re ever present this season, but it’s still fun to look at the top five players, in terms of distance covered.
- Andrew Surman (Bournemouth) - 224.3 miles
- Gareth Barry (Everton) - 200.7 miles
- Harry Kane (Tottenham) - 198.8 miles
- Matt Ritchie (Bournemouth) - 198.2 miles
- Craig Dawson (West Bromwich Albion) - 197.7 miles
On the surface, there’s a real mixture here with defenders, midfielders and strikers all represented, while Andrew Surman is head and shoulders above the rest as he’s played in every single PL game for Bournemouth this season.
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Looking a little further into the stats regarding these players, it is interesting to note that after playing 42 games last season Kane had covered 143.2 miles in the Premier League in 2,878 minutes of play, while after 42 games this season the Tottenham striker has covered 198.8 miles in the PL in 3,307 minutes of play.
There’s a lot to be said for how useful these distance stats are, and many become obsessed with analyzing the teams who cover the most ground during games and how hard players work. It’s all about being economical with how you cover the distance and most importantly about what you do when you have the ball in your possession. However, in this era where gegenpressing is all the rage, covering the most distance seems increasingly crucial in order to break opponents down.
That said, it’s always interesting to follow some trends and it’s clear to see that Bournemouth’s team is full of incredibly hard-working players, while teams like Liverpool and Tottenham consistently outrun opponents game after game.
