Parejo leads the league in completed crosses

Dani Parejo can be relied upon to provide leadership, vision in the midfield and a metronomic quality to Valencia CF's play. The captain is also the go-to man for crosses into the box, and the statistics after 8 Matchdays in LaLiga this season show that nobody does that better.

The midfielder has floated in some 18 crosses that have reached his teammates, more than any other player. Trailing him in this facet of play are the likes of Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Beñat (Athletic Club), Joan Jordán (Sevilla FC), Denis Suárez (Celta Vigo) ane Koke (Atlético Madrid). Besides the crosses met by his fellow VCF players, he has also flashed some dangerous balls across the face of goal that have come close to being converted.

When he himself is attempting to add to the scoresheet, Parejo has also proven to be decisive. His 4 goals scored so far make him joint top scorer for his team, along with striker Maxi Gómez. His goals have come from midfield, a position from which only Santi Cazorla (Villarreal CF) and Raúl García (Athletic Club) match him at the moment. It is Parejo's best start to a LaLiga season in terms of finding the net, and adds to two assists that he has provided thus far this campaign.

It comes as no surprise, then, that Parejo has been an ever-present under coach Albert Celades, playing every minute of every game since he took over at Valencia CF.

That amount of minutes is significant, over a run of 7 games in 21 days. For the first time in several international breaks, Parejo was surprisingly left out of the Spain squad. Whilst he is proud to represent his country whenever called upon, the VCF captain's opportunity to rest up is set to benefit his club. He will be rested come the start of another hectic series of fixtures, starting with the trip to the Wanda Metropolitano to take on Atletico Madrid on October 19th.