Thursday 26 April 2018 18:30, UK
Which Premier League players have played the most minutes, run the farthest and completed the most sprints? We reveal this season's iron men...
With just 17 days left of the Premier League season, it would be understandable if some players suffer from fatigue - but which players have been worked hardest this season and pushed the limits of athleticism?
In all competitions, Chelsea players have completed more minutes than any other Premier League club this season with 53,958, followed by fellow Big Six rivals Arsenal (53,780), Manchester City (53,037), Manchester United (50,474), Liverpool (50,436) and Tottenham (50,431).
At the other end of the scale, Newcastle's recent upturn in form might have benefited from playing just 36,917 minutes, with Watford (37,440), Stoke (37,560) and Burnley (37,950) also completing nearly 50 per cent fewer minutes than last season's champions.
Of the outfield players, Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta has completed more minutes across all competitions than any other top-flight player this season with 4,275 to date.
The Spaniard has accumulated his league-high tally from 33 appearances in the Premier League, eight in the Champions League, three in the FA Cup, two in the EFL Cup and the Community Shield defeat to Arsenal in August.
Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has clocked the second-highest total with 4,004 minutes, followed by Kevin De Bruyne (3,940), Jan Vertonghen (3,929) and Nemanja Matic (3,886).
Other players to have featured prominently for their respective teams include Nicolas Otamendi (3,868), Marcos Alonso (3,747), Roberto Firmino (3,744), Mohamed Salah (3,736) and N'Golo Kante (3,728).
Interestingly, Bournemouth have covered more distance in the Premier League than any other club this season with 4,040 km - almost the distance from Land's End to the coast of Canada.
Rock-bottom West Brom are the only other club to have smashed the 4,000 km threshold - despite almost certainly facing the drop come May.
Liverpool (3,972 km), Burnley (3,964 km), Tottenham (3,915 km), Watford (3,892 km) and Chelsea (3,881 km) have also recorded above-average distances this term.
In contrast, Manchester United have covered the least distance with 3,672 km, followed by Leicester (3,676 km), Swansea (3,689 km), West Ham (3,698 km) and Southampton (3,794 km).
Burnley's Jack Cork tops the Premier League for distance covered by a country mile with 426 km this season - the equivalent of 10 marathons - hitting a season-high 13.2 km during the 1-1 stalemate with Manchester City in February.
Watford midfielder Abdoule Doucoure has also clocked considerable distance with 402 km, followed by Christian Eriksen (394 km), Joe Allen (393 km), and Nemanja Matic (385 km).
Other top runners include Grant Xhaka (381 km), Dale Stephens (376 km), Luka Milivojevic (372 km), Kevin De Bruyne (369 km) and Pascal Gross (368 km).
In terms of sprints, three of the Big Six clubs reign supreme with Liverpool leading the way - having completed 19,676 in the top flight this term.
Tottenham (19,404) pip newly crowned champions Manchester City (19,023), while Bournemouth feature prominently for athleticism once again with 18,837.
West Ham sit bottom of the table for sprints with just 15,880 completed over their 34 games to date, followed by fellow strugglers Swansea (15,911), Crystal Palace (16,491), Newcastle (16,801) and Brighton (16,818).
Dele Alli tops the Premier League for sprints, completing 2,358 to date during his 32 league games - recording a personal high of 93 during the 4-0 win against Everton in January.
As with distance covered, Abdoulaye Doucoure holds runner-up spot for sprints with 2,267, followed by Roberto Firmino (2,141), Joe Allen (2,135), Jordan Ayew (2,045) and Hector Bellerin (2,012).
In addition to ranking third for distance covered, Eriksen ranks seventh for sprints with 2,000, while Andros Townsend (1,961), Jay Rodriguez (1,951) and Richarlison (1,904) also make the top 10.
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