Walton: I can easily achieve a 100% pass success rate, but the most important thing is to pass forward

May 12th News Recently, Crystal Palace midfielder Walton was interviewed by the Times and talked about his understanding of passing.

football writer George Sims pointed out that Walton's pass success rate is extremely low, reaching only 75.6%, ranking 200th among Premier League players. But close to Palmer (76.9%), De Bruyne (76%) and others, his passing propulsion statistics are astonishingly high. This just explains Walton's "mystery": he is a No. 6 player with a No. 10 soul.

Another "mystery" is that although Walton ridiculed himself for his "ordinary" in the face of the data, he is the player in Crystal Palace who has the most ball rights every 90 minutes. This is thanks to his prediction ability, he can flash and intercept the ball at the right time like Rodri.

What is a good pass? Walton said: "Strength. Execution. The message you give it. For example, to the fullback who pulls the sidelines at a high position, can you send the ball to him? When you want your teammates to do it back, can you pass it softer?"

As for the pass success rate data? Walton: "I don't care. If I pass the ball to a central defender or fullback every time, I can easily achieve a 100% success rate, but who won't? Any professional player can pass the safe ball across the side for 90 minutes. But if you can pass the ball forward, there is no reason not to do it."

He played No. 10 when he was young. "As No. 10, you can always find space in the ribs but can't catch the ball, which is frustrating. The influence of No. 10 in the ribs often determines the outcome of the game. So, now when I get out of the backcourt, if I can pass to No. 10, I will pass to No. 10."

When talking about the style of the game, his point is surprising. He doesn't think it's important to play the team, it's the coach's choice. "I personally think I should be able to adapt to any style."

Therefore, Walton's data needs to be combined with background. Crystal Palace's pass accuracy is the lowest in the Premier League, as coach Glasner demanded a quick conversion and boldly tried to make a straight pass and counterattack. However, during the Blackburn Rangers, under the ball-oriented Jon Dahl Thomason, his pass success rate was as high as 89%.

In his debut in England against Bosnia and Herzegovina in June last year, Walton set a record. Since Opta counted the pass data, the first English midfielder who has completed 30+ passes and a 100% success rate has been in his first debut.