What Premier League pass maps tell us: Salah needs the ball, Man United rely on Shaw
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What Premier League Pass Maps Tell Us: Salah Needs the Ball, Man United Rely on Shaw
Pass maps from the early stages of the 2025/26 Premier League season reveal key insights into team and player dynamics, showing both strengths and weaknesses in possession and passing patterns.
Liverpool and Mohamed Salah
Liverpool’s pass maps highlight how critical the ball is to Mohamed Salah’s effectiveness. Salah receives a substantial number of passes, confirming he needs consistent involvement and ball access to influence matches. This dependence on Salah suggests Liverpool’s attacking threat is closely tied to his ability to get the ball in dangerous positions, emphasizing a playstyle that channels passes to him to maximize offensive output.
Manchester United and Luke Shaw
On the other hand, Manchester United’s passing maps demonstrate a significant reliance on Luke Shaw. Shaw is integral to their build-up, frequently involved in passing combinations that enable the team to transition efficiently from defense to attack. His prominence in United’s passing structure underlines the team’s tactical dependency on his role as a key distributor and link between defense and midfield.
General Observations Across Premier League Teams
- Arsenal shows a trend toward more balanced distribution, with new midfielder Zubimendi facilitating passes evenly across flanks, reducing their previous right-sided bias.
- Central defenders typically form the most frequent passing pairs as teams circulate possession from the back, with Arsenal displaying this through the Saliba-Magalhães partnership.
- Passing patterns reveal how teams either emphasize possession-based football or counterattacking strategies, evidenced by the number and direction of passes among players.
- Early-season pass maps, though based on a limited sample, provide valuable insights into player roles and team playstyles that could define the season’s tactics.
Overall, these passing trends underscore Liverpool’s attacking focus on Salah’s involvement and Manchester United’s build-up dependency on Shaw, while also highlighting evolving tactical nuances across other top Premier League sides.