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In the modern game, the fans have always been attracted towards the skills and goals of the attackers, ignoring the importance of the defenders at the back. The attackers have constantly enjoyed the limelight while the defenders have continued to live under their shadow.
There are several instances where the defenders have shown their class, times when attackers have failed. A clean sheet guarantees you a point, but a goal doesn't, does it?
To know the importance of defenders, here a look at the stats of five different seasons.
#5 2011/12 season - Blackburn Rovers
In the 2011/12 season, Blackburn were relegated from the top-tier despite scoring more goals than 8th-placed Liverpool due to their poor collective performances at the back. The Rovers were ninth in terms of goals scored across the league as they managed to net 48 throughout the campaign - an average of more than 1.25 goals per match.
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48 goals would have ensured they remained in the Premier League, had they been more consistent at the back. They leaked 78 goals -- an average of two per game -- during the course of the campaign, making them the second worst in terms of goals conceded behind Wolves, who finished bottom of the table.
The Rovers failed to maintain discipline at the back as they accumulated 66 yellow cards and 5 red cards during the campaign. One of the reasons for their failure was the miserable display from their centre-backs who had a season to forget. Scott Dann was clearly the weak link in their defence as he struggled to perform in every game he started.
Stats reveal that he had been very poor in the air as he has won a mere 19 out of 54 aerial battles which is clearly behind the mark for a centre-back. Adding to this, the English defender slotted three goals in his own net showing his poor awareness at the back. He finished the season with a tackle success ratio of 60% which was the poorest among the other defenders in his side.
Liverpool managed to finish in eighth position, despite scoring one less than Blackburn in comparison. Their defensive performances were not particularly impressive when you compare them with rivals above them, though they crucially kept clean sheets in eight of their 14 league victories.
Blackburn meanwhile, only kept three clean sheets (all against teams in the bottom half) during the campaign and regularly lost high-scoring matches. The sheer gap between the two sides highlights the importance of having a stable defence within your side to avoid failure.
#4 2008/09 - Fulham
In the 2008/09 season, Fulham managed to finish in the top seven despite their poor attacking displays. As a result, they finished 11 places ahead of relegated Newcastle United, who interestingly netted one more goal than the Cottagers.
The Cottagers failed to score in 15 of their 38 matches contested, but still managed to finish in an excellent position thanks to their solid defensive displays. They kept 16 clean sheets during the course of the campaign - with only the top three sides managing to concede less than Roy Hodgson's side.
Fulham finished the season as the best-disciplined side in the league as they collected 40 yellow cards and just one red card in total. Brede Hangeland was their star performer at the back as the Norwegian enjoyed an excellent season. The centre-back's aerial ability was particularly impressive as he won 126 out of 172 aerial battles showing his dominance in the air.
Hangeland also made 499 clearances - making him the second-best in the list just behind Titus Bramble who made eight more than the Norwegian. The centre-back read the opponents' play very well as he made 86 interceptions in total which is the highest among all the others defenders in his side.
Newcastle United scored 40 goals during the course of the season but still failed to stay in the competition as they finished miserably in the bottom three. In spite of scoring 40 goals, one more than the 7th placed team, they found themselves in the wrong end of the table due to their poor defensive display. Conceding 59 goals in the campaign, they finished 4th in terms of most goals conceded which led to their relegation.
#3 2003/04 - Leicester City
The 2003/04 season saw Leicester City get relegated from the Premier League despite scoring 48 goals throughout the season. The main reason behind the relegation was their shaky defence which conceded 65 goals at an average of around 1.75 goals per game.
Leicester City finished tenth in terms of goals scored but eventually failed to stay in the top-tier due to their poor defensive display. They were the third poorest team considering the number of goals conceded, just behind the other two relegated teams. Six teams managed to score four or more goals against them in a single game, showing their poor organization at the back.
Leicester City's defenders showed poor discipline as the club accumulated 62 yellow cards and 7 red cards in total. Micky Adams struggled to find the best defensive line and constantly made changes at the back due to their poor show in every game.
Ben Thatcher had one of the poorest seasons as the Englishman struggled to control his aggression on the pitch. Thatcher accrued a total of eight yellow cards showing his failure to time his tackles. Riccardo Scimeca and Nikolaos Dabizas too had poor seasons as each collected five yellow cards and were sent-off once during the campaign.
Adding to the discipline woes, Leicester topped the charts of own goals as their players scored eight goals in their own net - five more than the second team on the list.
Aston Villa, who scored the same number of goals as Leicester, finished comfortably at 6th position, 12 places ahead of the Foxes. The full credit of the success goes to their solid defence which kept 11 cleansheets and conceded just 44 goals during the course of the season.
#2 2010/11 - Blackpool
In the 2010/11 season, Blackpool set an unfortunate record in the Premier League due to their dismal performance at the back. They became the first team to score 50+ goals and get relegated in the season as they mustered 55 goals in total during the course of the season to end up being demoted.
Blackpool attackers showed their class as they averaged nearly 1.50 goals per game which is above-par considering the bottom-table teams. Their defenders were to be blamed as they conceded a whopping 78 goals at an average of around two goals per game which led to their relegation woes. They conceded three or more goals for a record 15 times during the course of the season proving their defensive instability.
Tottenham Hotspur, who scored the same number of goals as Blackpool, finished comfortably in fifth position, 14 places ahead of the Seasiders! Their defence conceded just 46 goals in 38 games and remained solid throughout the season which led them to an Europa league spot.
The main reason for Blackpool's failure was their failure to read the opponent's play. Tottenham's Assou-Ekotto alone managed to make 109 interceptions in total while none of the Blackpool's defenders were able to cross the 50 mark. Blackpool topped the list of scoring the most number of own goals while Tottenham finished at the bottom of the list.
Blackpool's Ian Evatt accumulated a total of six yellow cards and was once sent-off during the season. The Englishman also had his part in two of the five own goals which made this a season to forget for the centre-back.
#1 2004/05 - Southampton
The 2004/05 season will go down as the best example which shows the importance of having a dependable back-four. Everton and Southampton scored an identical number of goals during the course of the season but found themselves in the extreme ends of the table as the former finished in top-four while the latter finished bottom of the table.
The Saints scored 45 goals in their 38 games and ranked 11th in terms of number of goals scored. But their defence let them down as they conceded 66 goals which averages to nearly 1.75 goals per game. Nine teams managed to score three or more goals against them showing their vulnerability at the back. Only Norwich City had conceded more goals than Southampton as the Canaries let in 77 goals which led to their relegation as well.
One of the major reasons for Southampton's failure at the back was Andreas Jakobsson who had a dismal season throughout. The Swedish international spent just a single season in England and had a poor stay in the league which saw him move to his home at the end of the season. Southampton racked up seven own goals in which Andreas Jakobsson was involved thrice. The centre-back's poor run of form meant that the Saints kept a mere 7 cleansheets out of 38 games they played during the season.
At the other end of the table, the Toffees enjoyed an excellent season despite scoring the same number of goals as the bottom-placed team. An excellent display at the back ensured a top-four finish as their defence stood rock-solid, keeping 13 cleansheets in the process. This 29-point gap proves the importance of stable performance at the back in crucial games.
