After some initial uncertainty over his appointment, Celtic fans are loving life under Ange Postecoglou.
The Greek-Australian boss has clear and uncompromising ideas about how the game should be played, with quick attacking football based around possession the order of the day.
And that approach is paying off in spades as new research indicates Celtic are pulling their opponents about more than anyone else in the WORLD.
Postecoglou’s style has been compared to the likes of Pep Guardiola and Maurizio Sarri but when it comes to moving the ball his side have them beaten this season.
The CIES Football Observatory collated data on the number of passes attempted per match and their average length for teams from 40 leagues worldwide.
That gives an indication of how far teams are moving the ball throughout the match as they pull their opposition around the park.
And it’s clear to see that Postecoglou’s approach is bearing fruit as Celtic came out on top with an incredible 12.8 kilometres per match.
The Hoops have made 735 passes with an average length of 17.5 metres to see them top the table ahead of Dinamo Zagreb.
The Croats have moved the ball for 11.8 kilometres per match, on par with Ajax and just ahead of Bayern Munich and Manchester City but a full km less than Celtic.
It will come as no surprise that Rangers are second in Scotland for this metric, with 587 passes and 10.5km per match.
Aberdeen and Hearts come in with 10km each, with Hibs in fifth with 9.4km.
But it’s Celtic who lead the way across those 40 leagues, further proof that ‘Ange-ball’ has truly taken hold at Parkhead.
Most ball circulation across 40 leagues worldwide
10 – Barcelona: 11.km per match
9 – Bodo/Glimt: 11.1km
8 – Liverpool: 11.3km
7 – MSK Zilina: 11.5km
6 – Sevilla: 11.5km
5 – Manchester City: 11.6km
4 – Bayern Munich: 11.7km
3 – Ajax: 11.8km
2 – Dinamo Zagreb: 11.8km
1 – Celtic: 12.8km
