ÉVER BANEGA - THE FIFTH MOST ACCURATE PASSER IN LALIGA

LaLiga returns this week after the second international break and for Sevilla FC, matchday 9 will be played at home in the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán against Levante UD - who sit in 10th place on the table with 11 points. The team to face Levante UD will almost certainly have Éver Banega in the middle of the park, who has started the season by putting together some impressive statistics in the opening 8 matchdays.

Firstly, the man from Rosario is currently the fifth most accurate passer in LaLiga; only bettered by Piqué and Lenglet of FC Barcelona, Kroos of Real Madrid and Marc Roca from Espanyol - with whom Banega is tied. Banega has attempted a total of 504 passes, successfully completing 444: which gives him an accuracy rating of 88.27%. In addition, we have to remember that Banega didn't feature in the first game of the season in Cornellá El Prat because he was suspended. Therefore, in the seven games in which he has played, he has made an average of 63.4 accurate passes. 

Banega leads the charts for Sevilla FC in attempted passes (504), and assists (2)

Likewise, in terms of Sevilla FC, as well as being the leader in terms of attempted passes (504), he is also the leader in assists so far with 2. The first of which came against Celta de Vigo when he crossed for Mudo Vázquez to score; with the second coming in the last home match against Real Sociedad, when his ball to Nolito started the comeback. These numbers see him sit 12th in the table for the whole league in terms of assists, a spot he shares with many players. The leaders, a total of seven players, lead the way joined at the top of said leaderboard with three assists in total.

However, the good numbers for Banega don't stop there. Out of the 500 odd passes already mentioned that Banega has tried, more than 60% of them, a total of 325, have been attempted in the opposition half. This statistic speaks for itself and shows how the team like to stay in the opposition half. It also demonstrates the individual precision of Éver Banega, as being accurate with your passes in the opposition half is never as easy.

With 17, the Argentine sits third on the list of players who have created the most chances in LaLiga; only bettered by Cazorla and Odegaard

Another statistic that highlights the impressive start to the season that Banega has had, is the number of chances he has created for his teammates. He sits in third position in said table for the whole league, only bettered by Cazorla from Villarreal, and by Odegaard of Real Sociedad. Banega has created a total of 17 chances, with two of them resulting in goals.

Overall, these impressive statistics from Éver Banega relect his importance in the style of play that Lopetegui is implementing. He is playing further up the pitch than last season, and without the need to do a lot of the defensive work.