LIGA MX
Who is the most creative player in Liga MX Apertura 2023?
The Mexican league is home to some incredibly talented creators on the pitch, but who leads the way in the stats?
Liga MX may have only just begun, but we have seen some fantastic performances from plenty of teams, and some terribly poor games from others. San Luis currently lead the way in the table ahead of Juárez, while Necaxa, Cruz Azul and Pachuca slug it out at the bottom.
But what about the players? Who is the most creative in the league? Well, here’s all you need to know...
To start off, all of the statistics used in the piece come from FBREF, unless stated otherwise. So, in terms of creativity, the team with the highest number of assists is Club América, with 12. And top of their squad sits Julián Quiñones, potentially the most dangerous player in the entire league. It’s no wonder that Mexico are so keen on pushing through his paperwork and getting him a green shirt, as Jaime Lozano could definitely find a use for the América man.
Which team is the least creative in the league?
Club América sit third in the league, two points off top and with a game in hand over those above them, meaning once they catch up the azulcremas could well be top of the pops. For that, they’ve got Valdés, who certainly provided the creative spark in the Clásico Nacional against Chivas, which the home team won 4-1. Valdés scored two that day, but it is his creativity that also helps América shine: he is second in his team for progressive passes and progressive carries; he is also 4th in the league for progressive passes, behind Güemez, Aquino and teammate Fidalgo.
Perhaps surprisingly, it’s Pachuca who lead the way when it comes to the number of shots per 90 minutes, meaning that they might just need to find their goalscoring touch if they are to crawl their way out from the bottom of the well. Necaxa, however, don’t find themselves in the same place, and are second bottom for number of shots per 90 minutes, behind fellow strugglers Mazatlán.
Who are the most creative players in the league?
26-year-old Argentine, Juan Brunetta, who plays for Santos Laguna, has managed 3 goals and 3 assists (top) after 8 games, as well as being the top expected assists, shots on target, total shots, key passes and shot-creating actions. It’s a shame then, that Santos Laguna are second bottom when it comes to completed passes, . They are, however, third for shots per 90 minutes and top when it comes to shots on target per 90 minutes. Quite the enigma, it seems.
Eduardo Salvio, another Argentine, is also shining this season. The Pumas UNAM player is in the 95th or above percentile in the league for, wait for it: non-penalty xG (94), total shots (99), expected assists (98), shot creating actions (99), progressive carries (99), successful take-ons (99), touches in attacking box (98) and progressive passes received (99).