The Top Defenders In Europe’s Big 5 Leagues

In this segment, we do a deep dive into the numbers, as we compare and analyse the best defenders in the big 5 European leagues based on some defensive metrics.

The chart below shows the top defenders in Europe’s big 5 leagues and compares them on the percentage of aerials and tackles won, represented in the right quadrant. Meanwhile, on the left quadrant, we have defenders who are congregated there based on their blocks plus interception rate.

The top quadrant showcases the top performers who excel in either or both the aforementioned metrics, while the bottom quadrant contains some big-name defenders who under-perform on those specific metrics.

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Aerial & Tackle Win Percentage (AWP & TWP)

In this section, Kyle Walker has won 100% of his tackles , although he has made only 4. He has also won 75% of his aerial duels. Ramos also has an impressive TWP at 75%, with his AWP at 73.7%. Barca’s Aurajo comes close, with the experienced Senegalese Koulibaly following after him. Theo Hernandez has a high volume number of tackles attempted, but his TWP is less than 50%, while he has the highest AWP of this group at 80%. Dias under-performs on these metrics, but just about makes the list along with Konsa.

Blocks + Interceptions (B+I)

In this quadrant, Neco Williams has the highest volume at 34 B+I, with more blocks than interceptions, perhaps showcasing the amount of defensive work Forest players are having to do. Trippier has the next highest B+I volume albeit with more interceptions than blocks, with Cucurella following close by. Ben Mee and Robin Koch also have more interceptions than blocks with both having a B+I of 25. Despite Van Dijk’s poor form this season which has seen Liverpool have a poor start to the season, he still features here with a B+I total of 23. Bayern’s Davies completes this list.

Top performers

The top performers of the season feature in the upper quadrant. Alidu Seidu of Clermont Foot does well on both metrics, attempting 17 tackles at a TWP of 70%. He has the highest B+I at 38, with a whopping 27 interceptions. His AWP is also the highest at 88.9%. Another Leeds player features here as Llorente has a high TWP of 81.81%, AWP of 80.8%, and 24 B+I.

Veteran Silva who has been a consistent performer for Chelsea throughout, has a TWP of 61.53%, AWP of 69%, and 30 B+I. Meanwhile, Ben White has contributed to Arsenal’s steady defense helping the Gunners to a flying start this campaign. He has done so by winning 64.28% of his tackles, 68.8% of his aerial duels, and making 30 B+I this season.

Martinez has made amends after a shaky start to his United career by scoring a 70% TWP and 75% AWP. He has also made 19 B+C. Tagliafico however has the highest volume of tackles attempted and won out of any defender in this chart. He has won 21 of his 30 tackles at a rate of  67%. He also has a 65.2% AWP, along with making 25 B+I. Finally on this list, Tomori has a 60% TWP and 50% AWP, along with 23 B+I.

Under-performers

Some of the under-performers in these metrics are big names, with the likes of Alexander-Arnold featuring here. He has a TWP of just 37.5%. Only winning 50% of his aerial duels, he has also made only 13 B+I. Pavard has an even lower TWP at 35.29%, while Smalling has the lowest at 25% with just 4 attempted tackles. While Hummels fares better in all metrics, Mario Rui has the worst AWP at 11.8%.