Welcome to the latest edition of The Alternative Premier League Table, where each week, The Athletic analyses the entire division through a specific lens.
Dribbling is back in fashion in the Premier League. With teams going more direct, opportunities for isolating defenders and contesting individual duels in the attacking third have increased. The pace, power and technical quality these players possess, especially in wide areas, makes it a valuable tool to progress play.
So, this week’s Alternative Table will rank the league in terms of take-ons (also known as dribbles) attempted per 90 minutes across the pitch and successful take-ons in the box. Key takeaways include:
- Crystal Palace rank bottom for take-ons for the second successive season
- Manchester City lead the league with at 25.6 take-ons per 90. Their 2.3 successful take-ons in the penalty box per 90 are more than double those of second-placed Liverpool and Chelsea (both 1.1 per 90).
- Liverpool enjoy the most success with take-ons, beating their opponent 43 per cent of the time.
- No player attempts more take-ons than City’s Jeremy Doku (9.7 per 90). Leeds United’s Noah Okafor (6.7 per 90) and Tottenham Hotspur’s Mohammed Kudus (6.5 per 90) follow him.
As usual, the article that follows is long but detailed, so please settle down and enjoy it all — or use the club badges at the bottom of the page to jump to a specific team.
Crystal Palace
In the 2022-23 season, Palace attempted 21.6 take-ons per 90 minutes, the fourth-best mark in the Premier League. Wilfried Zaha, Jordan Ayew, Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze all averaged four or more per 90.
Under current manager Oliver Glasner, Palace have traded that dribbling flair for runs in behind, with Jean-Philippe Mateta, Ismaila Sarr and last summer’s signing Yeremy Pino all excelling in that area. Across the past eight seasons, they have attempted the league’s fewest take-ons, in 2025-26 (12.5 per 90) and 2024-25 (13.9 per 90).
In the 2-1 FA Cup defeat to non-League Macclesfield last weekend, they attempted 22 take-ons, another sign of Palace being thrown off their game during a seven-match winless run that dates back to December 7.
Manchester City
City’s 25.6 take-ons per 90 this season ranks first among all teams since the start of 2018-19, with 2023-24 Bournemouth the closest at 24.4 per 90.
The shift in styles has been drastic, as my colleague Thom Harris explains. This is a faster, more vertical side that thrives at pace, led by Doku. Phil Foden and last summer’s signings Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders have added to their threat in this regard. Cherki’s four key passes after a one-v-one, in just 841 minutes, is second behind Doku’s five.
This Cherki dribble before setting up Erling Haaland in the 3-0 win against Sunderland last month was a moment of incredible individual quality.
The January signing of Antoine Semenyo, who is averaging 4.2 take-ons per 90, from Bournemouth is another sign of the direction Pep Guardiola’s side are taking.
City’s 2.3 successful take-ons in the box per 90 across a league season ranks first among all teams in the past eight campaigns. They own the next three spots in that table too, but those teams from 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 feel like an eternity ago.
Further back, Gianluigi Donnarumma — not famed for his ball-playing — is one of only two goalkeepers to attempt more than one take-on.
Liverpool
The champions are averaging 18.8 take-ons per 90, very similar to their 18.7 per 90 return last season. However, their one-v-ones in the box have dropped from 3.0 to 1.9 per 90.
Arne Slot’s side have struggled to break through low blocks and isolate defenders in the final third. Failing to replace Luis Diaz, who led the team with 1.98 successful take-ons per 90 and was second with 0.8 take-ons per 90 in the penalty area, after his summer move to Bayern Munich has played its part. Diaz also made a team-high five key passes after a take-on.
Mohamed Salah’s regression has been a factor, too. His 0.9 successful take-ons per 90 and one-v-one success rate of 24 per cent are both his lowest in the past eight seasons. His 16 take-on attempts against Nottingham Forest in November’s 3-0 defeat at Anfield are the most by a player in one game this season. But only four of those were successful (three inside the box) and his 39 possessions lost in that match are also the highest by anybody in a single fixture.
Salah’s dribbling numbers have declined in 2025-26 (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Everton
Everton are the only team to have two players in the top 10 for take-on attempts per 90: Iliman Ndiaye (5.0, seventh) and Jack Grealish (4.9, eighth). Those numbers would place them second and third for the club in the past eight seasons, with Ndiaye’s 2024-25 season (5.6 take-ons per 90) ranking first.
The Senegal international is one of the most elusive players in his position. In the example below against Brighton & Hove Albion in August, he breezes past multiple players before shooting — albeit weakly — on target.
Grealish has just a 27 per cent take-on success rate – the lowest in his past eight seasons – but his willingness to take players on has returned after briefly disappearing in his final seasons with Manchester City before joining Everton on loan last summer.
Everton could do with a little more from their full-backs, who are largely conservative dribblers, to add to the threat Ndiaye and Grealish offer. Watch out for youngster Adam Aznou, who attempted four take-ons and won a penalty off the bench in their FA Cup defeat on penalties to Sunderland last weekend.
Tottenham Hotspur
Mohammed Kudus’ absence for the coming weeks will be a big blow to a Spurs team struggling for creativity. Kudus, who sustained a thigh injury against Sunderland that could rule him out until March, has averaged 6.5 take-ons per 90, the third-best individual mark in the league.
Tottenham have needed more success from their ball-carrying, given the lack of penetrative passing in the side. But it is easy to forget that Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison (both yet to play this season) and Son Heung-min (left the club last summer) were three of their six players with the most take-ons last season.
Mathys Tel, who ranked first with 5.7 take-ons per 90, has featured for just 465 league minutes this season, while Dominic Solanke (2.4 per 90 last season) has played just 31 minutes so far.
Randal Kolo Muani, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons have shown glimpses of potential in dribbling in their limited minutes. More will surely be expected of them with Kudus now out.
Tottenham will miss Kudus’ ball-carrying ability while he is injured (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Newcastle United
Lewis Hall is the highest-ranked defender among the players with most take-ons, averaging 3.5 per 90 with a 57 per cent success rate. He attempted nine and completed seven in the 1-0 loss to Manchester United in December, including this dribble from his own half before setting up Jacob Murphy with an excellent through ball.
Hall has added to Newcastle’s threat from that side with Anthony Gordon, whose 5.7 take-ons per 90 rank fourth among all players. Gordon’s ability to weave infield and also go on the outside has proved difficult for defenders to stop. He notably attempted 14 take-ons in just 70 minutes of game time in the 2-1 loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in October.
Newcastle have not had the same kind of threat on the right, though Murphy (2.5 take-ons per 90) and Tino Livramento (2.4 per 90) have done a decent job.
Leeds United
Noah Okafor ranks second behind Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku in take-ons per 90 this season with 6.7.
A large chunk of these, as seen below, come in the defensive and middle thirds, with his dribbling prowess crucial for Leeds to break out of their defensive structure and get on the front foot.
Among the top 15 players with the most take-on attempts, he is one of only three (alongside Mohammed Kudus of Spurs and West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville) to not attempt a shot after a take-on.
Leeds’ other key outlet in dribbling terms has been left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson. He trails Okafor in successful take-ons due to averaging just 3.1 per 90 but has a 45 per cent success rate and leads the team in fouls won with 34.
Anton Stach, another solid ball-carrier for manager Daniel Farke, is the only player to manage more than one shot after a take-on with two. Ethan Ampadu and Wilfried Gnonto, who has started just once since August and has only 328 league minutes after missing seven games with a calf injury, have one each.
Chelsea
Chelsea have invested in plenty of dribbling talent in recent years, ranking third for take-ons by wingers or wide midfielders since the start of 2024-25 (9.5 per 90, behind both Manchester City and neighbours United).
Their issue this season has been a lack of accurate passing in the aftermath of beating a player. Chelsea’s wide men have managed just two key passes after a take-on this season, the joint third-worst rate alongside Wolves.
Estevao has been a bright spark, attempting 59 take-ons in just 604 minutes of action, the second-most behind Pedro Neto (71), who has played nearly 1,650 minutes. Newcomer Alejandro Garnacho has struggled to beat his man consistently, recording a 26 per cent take-on success rate.
Jamie Gittens, who averaged 9.2 take-ons per 90 for Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga last season, has played just 448 minutes and has not shown the same confidence in taking players on since moving to the Premier League.
Garnacho has a dribble success rate of only 26 per cent this season (Warren Little/Getty Images)
West Ham United
West Ham are averaging 6.6 successful take-ons per 90, their second-lowest mark in the past eight seasons, while their 39 per cent take-on success rate is the joint worst in that time, with their 2022-23 side.
The lack of dynamism in this team is obvious, especially among their central midfielders, with their 21 successful take-ons per 90 ranking joint-fourth-bottom with Palace. Mateus Fernandes has contributed to over half of those (11).
Crysencio Summerville (ninth among all players in total take-ons per 90 with 4.7) and Jarrod Bowen (20th with 3.7) have tried their best from the wide areas but both have success rates of less than 40 per cent. Summerville has won a penalty too, which Lucas Paqueta converted in the 3-0 win at Nottingham Forest in August.
Aston Villa
Villa’s defensive midfielders have attempted the second-most take-ons from that position at 3.1 per 90, only trailing Liverpool (3.4).
Manager Unai Emery’s preference for play to progress through the centre of the pitch is well-known and he possesses multiple excellent ball-carriers in those positions in Youri Tielemans, Boubacar Kamara, Amadou Onana and John McGinn. Those four also have the flexibility to pick up different positions on the pitch, occasionally even popping up out wide.
In addition, Villa rank first in take-ons by their centre-forward, with Ollie Watkins enjoying his best Premier League season in that regard with 2.2 take-ons per 90. He has attempted three shots following a take-on, one of which led to him forcing this save from David Raya in December’s 2-1 win against Arsenal.
Arsenal
Speaking of centre-forwards, Arsenal new boy Viktor Gyokeres ranks joint first for take-ons in the box (eight) alongside Watkins, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland and Hugo Ekitike of Liverpool. However, just one of his have been successful, with the other three managing to pull off five, three and six respectively.
Gyokeres’ final touch has let him down at key moments, while he has had difficulties in controlling the ball up against defenders matching his physical prowess. The only take-on in the box he succeeded with led to his goal against Leeds in August, when he cut inside from the left.
Arsenal as a team, though, have limited their ball-carrying, with their 18.9 carries per 90 being the lowest figure they’ve recorded in the past four seasons. Simultaneously, nine per cent of their passes have been long balls, the highest in that same stretch, hinting at an active change in strategy.
They have still managed to get their wingers into play, with Arsenal’s wide players averaging 9.2 take-ons per 90, the fourth-highest figure in the division. Their 2.1 take-ons inside the penalty box rank behind only Manchester City (3.2).
Sunderland
No centre-back has attempted more take-ons in the league than Omar Alderete with 15. He and team-mate Nordi Mukiele, who has attempted eight take-ons, are emblematic of Sunderland’s football, with solid defensive acumen and the ability to make stylistic shifts and raise the tempo with quick passing or dribbling.
All-action midfielder Noah Sadiki has been one of their best in this regard, completing 50 per cent of his 1.9 take-ons per 90. Enzo Le Fee leads the team with 2.0 take-ons per 90, though only 23 per cent of his have been successful.
Up the pitch, Sunderland rank only 14th with 1.2 take-ons in the penalty box per 90, but nearly 50 per cent of those are successful — a mark of their efficiency. Wilson Isidor has generated three of their seven total shots after a take-on, forcing a save from Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma and a goal-line clearance by Federico Chiesa of Liverpool.
Brentford
Brentford have added multiple explosive dribblers in recent seasons, none more so than Michael Kayode, who routinely makes long carries while bustling past opponents by using his speed and strength. His 3.2 take-ons per 90 leads all Premier League right-backs, while his 48 per cent success rate only trails Malo Gusto of Chelsea (50 per cent), who has less than half the attempts at 1.3 per 90.
Among forwards, Dango Ouattara leads the team with 4.2 take-ons per 90. His 20 per cent success rate is the second lowest among forwards with 900 minutes (behind Viktor Gyokeres’ 17 per cent for Arsenal), but he has won four penalties, double the second best (Manchester City’s Jeremy Doku with two).
Brentford’s 18.1 take-ons per 90 is their highest since promotion to the Premier League in 2021. It is only a marginal increase on the 17.6 per 90 they averaged last season, hinting that head coach Keith Andrews has built on the foundations laid by predecessor Thomas Frank.
Doing so despite selling Bryan Mbeumo (1.4 successful take-ons per 90, only behind Mikkel Damsgaard’s 1.5 among players with 900 or more minutes) last summer deserves praise.
Brighton & Hove Albion
Last January, my colleague Liam Tharme wrote about Brighton dribbling more than anyone else in the top five European leagues and the issues that arose from doing so. Dribbling and losing the ball, especially for a side in winning game-states, opens the defence up to being attacked in transition, where teams are often their weakest.
Brighton have continued to attempt plenty of take-ons this season at 21.1 per 90 — only marginally lower than the 22.6 they averaged in 2024-25. Their success rate has remained the same at 39 per cent.
They hold two of the top three matches with the most take-ons attempted, recording 37 each in draws with Wolves and Sunderland. Across those two games, only 21 were successful and just five were in the opponents’ penalty box.
Brighton’s record when leading has improved, with seven wins and two draws in 10 matches compared to 16 and eight in 26 last season. But they have had difficulties in breaking down low blocks with just dribbling, particularly as teams have been able to double up on their wingers with their midfielders struggling to thread passes between the lines.
The return to the club of an excellent passer in Pascal Gross, signed from Borussia Dortmund this month, should help.
Nottingham Forest
Forest have attempted more take-ons this season (18.2 per 90) than in their previous three campaigns since returning to the Premier League, but their success rate of 39 per cent is the lowest in that stretch.
Omari Hutchinson (2.5 successful take-ons per 90), Callum Hudson-Odoi (1.5 per 90) and Elliot Anderson (1.3 per 90) have been their most reliable outlets in this regard.
Hutchinson has also played three of their seven key passes after a take-on. He also recorded one of their five shots after one, cutting inside onto his left foot and forcing a save from Alisson with Morgan Gibbs-White scoring the rebound in November’s 3-0 win away to champions Liverpool.
Gibbs-White has struggled so far to have his usual ball-carrying success, averaging 1.5 take-on attempts and a 35 per cent success rate — both his lowest marks in the past four seasons. He is, however, on track to eclipse the seven times he scored in 2024-25 with five already, offering the bulk of Forest’s goal threat with Chris Wood dealing with injuries and Igor Jesus’ erratic finishing.
Omari Hutchinson is averaging 2.5 successful take-ons per 90 for Forest this season (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
Fulham
Fulham added Kevin, one of South America’s most exciting dribbling talents, in the summer. While the Brazilian has accumulated just 712 minutes of game time, he has attempted 73 take-ons with a 47 per cent success rate, the third-best figure among Premier League wingers with at least 30 attempts behind Tottenham’s Wilson Odobert (52 per cent) and Jeremy Doku at Manchester City (50 per cent).
Kevin has benefited from the attention his midfielders attract, with Josh King, Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe all excellent at dragging markers out of position. That often leaves Kevin one-on-one with full-backs and his combination of flair and acceleration make him incredibly hard to defend.
Fellow summer arrival Samuel Chukwueze, who has played only 395 minutes due to injuries and ongoing Africa Cup of Nations duty, has attempted 28 take-ons and completed 14. The Nigerian has accounted for three of Fulham’s eight shots after a take-on.
More memorably, he made waves for jokingly criticising club and country team-mate Calvin Bassey for this wild shot after a run forward from defence against Burnley last month. As you can see, Chukwueze is unmarked at the far post when the centre-back ambitiously decides to go for goal himself.
Bournemouth
Antoine Semenyo moving to Manchester City last week will be a big blow to Bournemouth’s dribbling prowess. His 102 successful take-ons since the start of 2024-25 at least double the total of their next best player for that metric — Justin Kluivert with 47. Semenyo also recorded 13 shots after a take-on in this period, with no other Bournemouth player managing more than four.
Now they are without a single hub, however, Bournemouth can diversify their attack further. Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier are solid ball-carriers, while Alex Jimenez’s recent rise is reason for optimism.
The right-back on loan from Milan is averaging 3.2 take-ons per 90, the same as Brentford’s Michael Kayode, with a success rate of 46 per cent. Jimenez has the joint-most take-ons in the box with six (level with Leeds’ Jayden Bogle), three of which have been successful. As the map below shows, he has the confidence to dribble out of his own box, too.
The 20-year-old Spaniard’s final product can be inconsistent, but his burst of pace and close control along the byline make him a threat.
Manchester United
Last summer, United signed one of the Premier League’s best ball-carriers in Matheus Cunha of Wolves, and the Brazilian has largely delivered on that front, averaging 4.3 take-ons per 90 (10th most) with a 46 per cent success rate. That number was only bettered by Amad (4.5 per 90) from their 2024-25 squad.
Cunha has generated three shots after a take-on, with only Amad (five) managing more in the whole of last season. This run from his own half to break open what has since proven to be a stout Arsenal midfield and defence on the campaign’s opening weekend in August is one example of the threat he brings.
Amad, alternating between the No 10 and wing-back roles on the right under the now-sacked Ruben Amorim, has been United’s next best dribbler, averaging 3.7 take-ons per 90 with a 42 per cent success rate. Summer signing Bryan Mbeumo has not hit the heights he managed at previous club Brentford, with his 2.7 take-on attempts per 90 and 29 per cent success rate both the lowest of his Premier League career.
On a team scale, United’s 6.7 successful take-ons per 90 is their second lowest in the past eight seasons, only ahead of the 6.6 they averaged in 2024-25. That could change with Michael Carrick now in interim charge, given the former United and England midfielder encouraged positional freedom and using the width of the pitch to attack when Championship side Middlesbrough’s manager from late 2022 until the end of the previous campaign.
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Losing Matheus Cunha (to Manchester United) and Rayan Ait-Nouri (Manchester City), who accounted for 3.8 of their 8.5 successful take-ons per 90 (over 40 per cent) last season, in the summer has been felt. Wolves have lacked dynamic ball-carriers, alongside a myriad other issues for the bottom-of-the-table side, with Hugo Bueno leading their 2025-26 team with 3.1 per 90 from left-back.
Joao Gomes has improved his dribbling, moving from a 44 per cent success rate in 2024-25 to 60 per cent, while averaging the same number of attempts (2.1 per 90). Gomes’ decision-making has let him down on occasion, but he has been Wolves’ best path to ball progression, given the lack of penetrative passing from midfield.
Mateus Mane, however, is the most exciting prospect in this regard. The 18-year-old striker is still raw, with just six out of his 28 take-ons proving successful, but those many attempts in just 447 minutes of action for a low-possession side is encouraging.
Mane is at his best when running at defenders at pace and knocking the ball past them before beating them in a foot race to get it on the other side. He has won 14, including this one against Brentford last month, where he accelerates past two defenders with ease.
Burnley
Burnley rank bottom of the Premier League for take-on success rate at 30 per cent, often struggling to attack at pace after committing multiple players to defending their final third.
They have, however, recorded seven key passes after a take-on, level with Chelsea, Bournemouth, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest. Marcus Edwards’ recent reintegration into the team has been crucial, with the midfielder playing each of their past three such passes. Edwards has attempted 25 take-ons already in just 398 minutes of action.
Burnley have also recorded three shots after a take-on, all of which have come from Jaidon Anthony. The 26-year-old forced a save from Matz Sels against Nottingham Forest and shot just over against Liverpool, and showed incredible composure to round Robin Roefs and score the clinching late goal as they beat Sunderland 2-0 in August.
