September was a month of leadership for Osmar (FC Seoul). His presence in the middle of the field, where positions change every night, was evident in both attack and defense. He was the most efficient passer in the K League 1.
The Korea Professional Football League (hereinafter referred to as the league) released the “TOP5” of the K League’s packing (passing) data for the 29th-32nd rounds of the K League 1 and 30th-34th rounds of the K League 2 in September. According to the data, Osmar played in four K League 1 games in September and completed 331 successful passes. With these passes, he beat 424 opponents. His average packing was 1.28.
The packing index is a measure of passing efficiency. It’s the number of opponents a pass reaches when it reaches a teammate. This is why there are so many defenders at the top. Defenders tend to make more mid- to long-range passes than the players in front of them. The longer the distance, the more players they beat. This can be a good indicator to help you enjoy the game from different perspectives. Federations are ranked based on the total number of packs.
Passing is a way of communicating between players on the field. Osmar was the player who attempted the most ‘conversations’ for FC Seoul in the month of September. According to game-by-game data from the K League Data Portal, he was among the team’s top three passers in every game. He was the initiator of build-ups and the center of transition plays, especially in the tense rivalry Super Match and the Gwangju FC game, which was a battle of pressing and counterattacking.
Osmar’s passing efficiency stood out in the defensive and central areas, where he topped the pack with 144 and 260 respectively. Pass length was also significant. He led the pack in short passes (15 meters or less) and mid-range passes (15-30 meters). Putting the data together, we can draw a picture of his movements. In the defensive zone, he kept the ball in play with relatively short passes to maintain stability, while in the central zone, he tried to control the pace with short and medium passes to keep the ball in possession and support the attack.
Grant (Pohang Steelers), ranked second overall, is a similar character to Osmar. He plays an important role in his team’s tactics of high pressing, controlling the final line. He’s also the one who starts the buildup and supports the team’s counterattack.
Grant is also a very efficient passer from the back. He was third in the defensive zone with a PACKING of 105 and second in the central zone with a PACKING of 211. This data reflects his style of play, which is to drive the ball upfield and get high. He also ranked second in mid-range passing. With 142 successful mid-range passes, he outperformed 175 opponents.
He doesn’t neglect his defensive duties either. He anchored a solid defense that was in line with the team’s direction of moving forward and 토토 counterattacking. The Pohang Steelers kept a clean sheet in their four September matches with Grant at center back. It was a strength that kept them in a fierce battle for points.
The player with the highest passing efficiency in K League 2 was Baek Dong-gyu (FC Anyang), who started all five games in September. He completed 207 passes, beating 321 opponents. He ranked third in defensive area coverage, fourth in mid-range coverage, and third in long-range coverage. While he doesn’t rank at the top of the list in terms of passes attempted and pass length, he ranks first in the overall packing index. This indicates that he was a very good mid- and long-range passer.