The 454th CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post presents the 20 outfield players for six positions playing in 28 leagues around the world whose number of accelerations* per match (SkillCorner data) deviates most positively from the value expected with respect to their position and their team’s style of play (level of possession, pressure and verticality), according to a statistical model explaining more than half of the differences observed between players.

With 1.93 more accelerations per game than expected, Victor Osimhen (Napoli) ranks first among centre forwards. The Nigerian is ahead of Ghanaian Emmanuel Boateng (Rio Ave) and Ivorian Vakoun Bayo (Watford). Among the wingers, the podium is made up of Álvaro García (Rayo Vallecano), Armand Laurienté (Sassuolo) and Felipe Anderson (Lazio). Dutchman Guus Til (PSV Eindhoven) tops the list for attacking midfielders.

As for the other positions, Sessi D'Almeida (Pau) is ahead of Josh Laurent (Stoke City) and 19-year-old Ezechiel Banzuzi (OH Leuven) among central or defensive midfielders; Jeremie Frimpong (Bayer Leverkusen) crushes the competition for wing or full backs with the greatest positive gap overall (x2.1 compared to the expected value) ahead of Marlon Fossey (Standard Liège); Danilo (Juventus), Ruan (Sassuolo) and Davinson (Galatasaray) make up the top three among centre backs.

* Accelerations refer to runs of at least 0.7 seconds at >10.8 km/h/s. Only footballers who played at least 1,000 domestic league minutes in the current or last completed season, of which more than three quarters in the same position, are included in the rankings.