Fastest, unluckiest, least accurate: Premier League stat leaders in 10 leftfield categories

What better way to end the international break than by talking about the Premier League we have missed so dearly?

Here, we take a look at some statistics you might not have heard about so far this season, focusing on the players who are leading the way in some of these less talked about categories.

Fastest players

Manchester City's flying winger Leroy Sane leads the way here, having at one point hit 35.5 kilometres per hour, leaving everyone in his wake in what has been a lightning quick start to the season for both player and team.

The players closest behind him are interesting, with Patrick van Aanholt second having run at 35.4kph at one stage, and Tottenham's much-maligned £30 million signing Moussa Sissoko third with 35.3kph.

He doesn't get much credit for his footballing ability but this is where he (nearly) stands out.

Looking at highest average speeds reveals some surprising leaders, but shows that a different type of player to the explosive players mentioned above is just as important.

Brighton's Pascal Gross has maintained a higher average speed than any other player in the Premier League this season, at 8.1kph, closely followed by... wait for it... James Milner! He runs at 8kph, on average. Christian Eriksen, Bernardo Silva and Aaron Ramsey make up the top five.

Most chances created without an assist

Maybe it's harsh to lay this on Yohan Cabaye given Crystal Palace haven't had a fit centre-forward for much of the season, and even when they did Christian Benteke was far from clinical in front of goal.

But the stats don't lie, and Cabaye is top of the list here, having created 20 chances so far this season without registering a single assist.

Most crosses dropped

Jordan Pickford was rightly praised as the only Sunderland player to come out of last season with any credit, and he was part of a summer in which Everton were said to have 'won' the transfer window because they were so busy.

Pickford has been extremely busy between the sticks for an under-performing Everton team this season and is having to do more than most keepers. As a result, Pickford has dropped at least two more crosses than anyone else this season, with five. 

You might have expected to see Simon Mignolet here, but he has only dropped one.

Most involved in play

Yaya Toure hasn't been involved much for City this season, but when he does get on he has played a key role. 

He has had a whopping 98 touches in just 29 minutes on the pitch - an average of 3.4 per minute, which is three times as many as Kevin De Bruyne or David Silva.

The fact that Toure has only made two appearances obviously skews this somewhat, but he has clearly been making an effort when coming off the bench, which isn't something we've always been able to say about him.

Woodwork hits

It might not be that surprising to see Harry Kane top this list given the number of shots he has, but what is amazing is that he has hit the woodwork more times than 14 Premier League teams have in total.

Kane has struck the post or crossbar five times; the second most is by any player is two. So close but yet so far.

Most shots without a goal

Two wingers who probably retain England ambitions - Nathan Redmond and Tom Ince - have struggled in front of goal this season, each attempting 27 shots without once finding the back of the net.

Both need far better end product - Ince in particular, given he also doesn't even have an assist to his name. 

Most inaccurate passes

A player in whom Arsene Wenger places an awful lot of trust considering that many Arsenal fans are still unconvinced by him, Granit Xhaka is a regular in a team that sees a lot of the ball, and he is holds an unwanted record in that team: he is most responsible for giving the ball away.

Xhaka has misplaced 153 passes so far this season, which is more than any other player in the Premier League. Granted, risks are necessary in order for a team to move forward, but playing in central midfield alongside the more attack-minded Aaron Ramsey, and behind the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez, it isn't entirely clear that that is Xhaka's responsibility.

Headed clearances

If you are going to survive beyond one season in the Premier League, you're going to need committed defenders protecting your goal, and Brighton, flying high in eighth place as things stand, have those in abundance.

No one captures that more than Shane Duffy, who leads the top flight in headed clearances, with 77 in 11 appearances, which is seven more than any other player and nearly as many as Liverpool in total.

Most sprints

Generally speaking, running fast frequently is a positive thing: clubs will often base a significant portion of their statistical analysis on such numbers.

Dele Alli's 74 high speed sprints per game is the most in the Premier League this season, and given how important a player he is and how much he scores.

Jordan Ayew, meanwhile, has the highest total sprints, with 796, but has also committed the most fouls in the Premier League - does he just go charging into opponents constantly? - and has only one goal to his name. A bit of a headless chicken, it seems.

Distance covered

Jack Cork, a recent call up to the England squad, has covered more ground than any other player this season, running 12.1km per game, amounting to a total of 133.4km.

Hard-working and tidy on the ball, Cork has a lot to offer, but it remains to be seen if he can make the step up to the big time.