Velocity is considered fascinating in most top-level sports activities, however historical past has proven {that a} Usain Bolt-like capacity to maneuver is not a pre-requisite for footballers.
If that was the case, then Bolt himself could have loved a extra dashing profession than the one he briefly launched into after conquering the sprinting world.
A few of the sport’s all-time greats had been undeniably fast, with lots making up for bodily deficiencies with their capacity to course of info and make selections with out lacking a beat. Nonetheless, generally, slowing down is critical.
English soccer has lengthy been revered for its rugged depth all the way in which again to the times of kick-and-rush, however international affect in modern instances has allowed for an amalgamation of cultures to make up the nation’s footballing id.
Working quite a bit and doing it quick is now not celebrated because it as soon as was on English shores. Sluggish and regular could not win you the race, however you possibly can definitely survive within the Premier League with out possessing lightning-quick velocity.
Listed here are the 2024/25 Premier League’s 5 slowest gamers based mostly on their prime speeds recorded by Opta.
|
Participant |
Group |
Prime velocity (km/h) |
|---|---|---|
|
Bernardo Silva |
Man Metropolis |
29.4 |
|
Craig Dawson |
Wolves |
29.6 |
|
Mikel Merino |
Arsenal |
29.8 |
|
Casemiro |
Man Utd |
30.2 |
|
Tomas Soucek |
West Ham |
30.2 |
Opta outline 25 km/h as a ‘dash’, and the slowest recorded participant within the Premier League this season, Bernd Leno, has solely reached a prime velocity of 23.6 km/h regardless of enjoying each single minute between the sticks for Fulham. The German solely saunters when he races off his line.
If we exclude goalkeepers, Bernardo Silva, perennial Premier League winner and so usually a person lauded for his work price, has the slowest recorded prime velocity within the division. His peak of 29.4 km/h is 7.7 km/h slower than the highest velocity of the quickest man within the Premier League, Micky van de Ven.
Whereas age has performed a job in Bernardo’s bodily decline, in addition to Pep Guardiola’s unwillingness to supply him respite in the course of the first half of the season, he is by no means been a person reliant on velocity regardless of spending a lot of his profession ready the place a burst of tempo is supposedly a job requirement.
Of the 5 slowest Premier League gamers this time period, all however one are a minimum of 30 years previous. Craig Dawson (a prime velocity of 29.6 km/h) continues to be going at 34 however hasn’t performed a lot soccer in any respect, whereas Casemiro and Tomas Soucek (each 30.2 km/h) have carried out extra usually, particularly the latter. Not solely is Soucek the joint-fourth slowest within the division, however he is additionally coated essentially the most floor whereas jogging (140.8 km) and is averaging the second-most distance coated per 90 minutes (12.2 km).
The Czech midfielder will get by a ton of labor, however not often does he suppose velocity is critical.
The one man but to breach 30 is Arsenal’s summer season arrival Mikel Merino, who boasts a prime velocity of 29.8 km/h. The Spaniard has been used as a makeshift centre-forward in latest weeks, however Mikel Arteta unsurprisingly would not ask Merino to do a lot channel working. He performs a target-man operate and has confirmed to be a reasonably useful operator within the opposition’s field.
