In a previous post (Evolving xPass Models), we flipped the concept of xPass upside down: instead of asking how hard a pass is, we asked how much defenders make it hard. But there’s a natural counterpart to that idea—evaluating how attacking players handle this difficulty. When pressure rises, do they play it safe or take risky decisions that can change a game?
To explore this, we analyzed wide players (wingers only) from the big five European leagues who played more than 1,000 minutes this season. The data focuses on pass attempts made under high defensive pressure—moments when time and space are scarce. From this, we built several metrics that quantify how players respond, focusing on two types of risk:
- Difficult passes: passes that are hard due to distance, angle, or low expected completion.
- Dangerous passes: ones that, if completed, generate high threat (e.g., breaks in the last line or entries into key zones).
We then measured not just how often players attempt these passes under pressure, but also how often they complete them. Combining both tells us who is taking risks, and who is making them count.
Decision Quality Under Pressure
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The first chart plots players by two custom metrics:
- Decision Quality Score – Dangerous: captures both the volume and quality of threatening passes made under pressure. High scores indicate players who not only seek to create danger, but succeed in doing so even when tightly marked.
- Decision Quality Score – Difficult: reflects how frequently and successfully a player attempts technically demanding passes under pressure—ones that most players would avoid due to low probability of success.
In this space, players like Luis Díaz (Liverpool), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), and Jérémy Doku (Manchester City) stand out with high scores on the Dangerous axis, but are more moderate on the Difficult axis. These are players who consistently go for damaging plays, but often avoid high-risk execution—a profile of high-impact but safe decision-making.
Two names that shine on both axes are Alex Baena (Villarreal) and Ismaïla Sarr (Crystal Palace). They combine danger and difficulty, showing boldness and skill in equal measure. These profiles suggest players who can both challenge pressure and overcome it with elite execution.
The Pressure Performance Index
Our second view uses a hybrid metric—PPPI (Pressured Pass Performance Index)—which blends difficult and dangerous pass accuracy into a single number using harmonic mean. We pair it with Aggressive Decision Ratio, which simply tells us how often a player attempts dangerous passes when under pressure.
This gives us a feel for efficiency vs. intent—who dares to break lines under pressure, and who actually pulls it off. Here we again see Luis Díaz and Alex Baena near the top right corner. But other names emerge too:
- Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (PSG)
- Maghnes Akliouche (Monaco)
- Lamine Yamal (Barcelona)
These players not only try difficult, valuable passes under pressure—they tend to complete them at high rates. They are the ones who thrive in chaos.
Final Thoughts
What makes this kind of analysis powerful is not just identifying standout players—it’s also giving context to stylistic differences. Some wingers constantly test defensive structures with high-risk plays. Others offer controlled danger, threading passes that don’t look flashy but are effective.
And the best of them? They do both.
The graphics in this article give you a broader view—highlighting top performers but also letting you explore the full landscape. Look out for your favorite player, or discover the next undervalued threat in Europe’s top leagues.
Data: SkillCorner