{"id":635942,"date":"2024-02-17T04:00:07","date_gmt":"2024-02-17T09:00:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/?p=635942"},"modified":"2024-02-16T18:21:38","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T23:21:38","slug":"the-brighton-de-bruyne-pascal-gros-unsung-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2024\/02\/17\/the-brighton-de-bruyne-pascal-gros-unsung-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"The Brighton De Bruyne: The Numbers Behind De Zerbi&#8217;s Unsung Hero"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Pascal Gro\u00df has been crucial to the success of Roberto De Zerbi\u2019s side through his intelligence, versatility, and creativity. The German\u2019s numbers in the Premier League this season indicate his immense importance to the Seagulls.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pascal Gro\u00df: The Numbers Behind Brighton\u2019s Unsung Hero<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Watch:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The domino effect ruining football<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"THE DOMINO EFFECT RUINING FOOTBALL\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fNQxiqia1Vo?start=3&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Pacal Gro<\/span><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00df<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0Creative Influence<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The former Ingolstadt 04 midfielder has stood out creatively not only within the Brighton squad but also when compared to the entire Premier League.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Gro\u00df ranks joint third for league\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/sport\/football\/premier-league\/top-scorers\/assists\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">assists<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0this season alongside Mohammed Salah and Pedro Neto, with eight in total. He is the highest central midfielder on the list, with only Kieran Trippier and Ollie Watkins ahead of him, who have ten each.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">These figures have come from the 32-year-old\u2019s ability to make decisive passes in crucial areas. Gro\u00df ranks fifth in the division for chances created this season (59), averaging 2.78 key passes per 90 minutes, according to data from\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/fbref.com\/en\/players\/8aec0537\/Pascal-Gross\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Opta<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. He also ranks fifth for passes into the final third (139) and is seventh for passes into the penalty area (46).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Read More:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2024\/02\/13\/brighton-simon-adingra-lights-up-afcon-final\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">&#8216;Talented&#8217; Brighton Winger Lights Up AFCON Final And Leads Ivory Coast To Victory<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The German takes up a number of positions, meaning he can utilise his exceptional crossing ability and his incisive passing. Gro\u00df ranks third for crosses into the penalty area (14) and is the only midfielder or attacker in the top eight for this statistic.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His four Premier League goals mean he has the most goal involvements for Brighton in the league this season with 12, and the second most in all competitions (16) behind Joao Pedro, who has scored 19 goals this campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">How Pascal Gro\u00df Controls The Game<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The midfielder ranks fifth in the league for completed passes (1615), with Brighton team-mate Lewis Dunk ranked second behind Manchester City\u2019s Rodri.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Gro\u00df is the only player in the top ten for both passes completed and assists in the Premier League this season, showing his unique ability to create goals for the south-coast side and control the tempo.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This is further demonstrated as the German ranks third in the league for touches of the ball, averaging 99.51 touches per 90 minutes, once again behind Dunk and Rodri in second and first.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The midfielder\u2019s ability to transition the Seagulls from defence into attack is also vital and is shown as he ranks fourth in the league for carries, making 62.7 a game.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">How Gro\u00df\u2019s Ability Impacts Brighton<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Gro\u00df\u2019s dependability has been demonstrated with the German starting 21 of the 24 league games this season and playing more minutes in the league than any other Brighton player (1908).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Roberto De Zerbi has recognised and relied on Gro\u00df\u2019s versatility, having deployed him at right back several times. The Italian has often spoken of his importance and talent and once said:\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=oDBFnmIe-Yc&amp;ab_channel=TNTSports\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cPascal is one of the best players I worked with.\u201d<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Read More:<\/span><\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2024\/01\/10\/brighton-valentin-barco-boca-juniors-transfer\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Medical Booked: Brighton Beat Manchester City And Liverpool In Race To Sign South American \u2018Phenomenon\u2019<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Now in his seventh season at the club, Gro\u00df\u2019s impact on Brighton\u2019s style of play is evident. The Seagulls have had the most touches in the league this season, and only Man City have completed more passes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It is also only Pep Guardiola\u2019s side who have had more possession than De Zerbi\u2019s men this campaign with Brighton having an average of 61.2% of the ball.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">With top scorer\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.brightonandhovealbion.com\/news\/3886973\/spurs-team-news-joao-pedro-ruled-out\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Joao Pedro out injured<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, Gro\u00df\u2019s creativity could become even more crucial to the Seagulls.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Pascal Gro\u00df has been crucial to the success of Roberto De Zerbi\u2019s side through his intelligence, versatility, and creativity. The German\u2019s numbers in the Premier League this season indicate his immense importance to the Seagulls. Pascal Gro\u00df: The Numbers Behind Brighton\u2019s Unsung Hero Watch:\u00a0The domino effect ruining football Pacal Gro\u00df\u00a0Creative [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5049,"featured_media":636051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,1265],"tags":[3626,1653,6865],"class_list":["post-635942","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-premier-league","category-brighton-and-hove-albion","tag-analysis","tag-pascal-gross","tag-roberto-de-zerbi"],"modified_by":"Ricky Carroll, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635942","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5049"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=635942"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/635942\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=635942"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=635942"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=635942"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}