An attack wins you games, but a great defence will win you leagues. At the halfway point of the 2016/17 season, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus and OGC Nice top the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 respectively.
The 2016/17 season has already thrown up a couple of surprises in the Bundesliga and Ligue 1, and the defensive stats across Europe carry that trend, with all of the top 5 conceding less than 15 goals so far.
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Here are the 5 best defences across Europe currently
*Stats accurate up to January 3rd, 2017
#5 Tottenham Hotspur – Premier League – GCPG = 0.73
Tottenham lie 5th in the Premier League table and are also the 5th best defence in Europe at the moment. With just 14 goals conceded in 19 games so far, Tottenham are the 2nd best defence in the Premier League, with a record of 11 wins, 6 draws and 2 losses earning them 39 points so far.
Strangely, Mauricio Pochettino’s side have been rather unsuccessful in their tackling this season, with only 255 out of 625 tackles coming off – a success rate of 41%. Despite a reputation for being a high-pressing side, interceptions only account for 22.2% of their overall defensive actions, relying on clearances for most of the time.
Jan Vertonghen is Tottenham’s best defender in public opinion and the stats bear it out, as the Belgian averages a staggering 9.5 clearances every game with Toby Alderweireld second with 6.1. Danny Rose leads with way with the number of tackles every game (3.3).
The Lilywhites have been impressive in defence, with 7 clean sheets so far, and if they continue at the same rate, can look to end the season with just 28 goals conceded.
#4 Villarreal – La Liga – GCPG = 0.6875
The main reason for Villarreal’s success this season in La Liga has been their defence, surprisingly. With just 11 goals conceded so far, the Yellow Submarines are the 2nd best team across Europe for goals conceded, although they have only played 16 games so far this season.
It’s quite a feat for their manager Fran Escriba, as he has managed to ensure that the defensive solidity under Marcelinho continued into 2016/17. Villarreal have managed to keep a clean sheet in slightly less than half of their games, with 7 clean sheets out of 16 games.
Mario Gaspar leads the way for the Yellow Submarines with 3.3 tackles per game, while Mateo Musacchio remains the rock at the heart of the defence, averaging 4.5 clearances every game. Overall, Villarreal rely on interceptions most for their defensive play, making a superb 268 interceptions so far this year.
#3 OGC Nice – Ligue 1 – GCPG = 0.6842
Mario Balotelli has grabbed all the headlines as Nice have rocketed to the top of Ligue 1, but Lucien Favre can point at his defence for much of the team’s success. The Ligue 1 side have only lost once all season, and a large part of that has been their rock-solid defence.
Les Aiglons are the best defensive side in a league known for its erratic defensive play, with just 13 goals conceded in 19 games, at an average of 0.6842 goals conceded per game. They have also kept clean sheets for more than half the games played this season, with 9 clean sheets in a run that has seen them pick up 13 wins.
Nice have made over 500 clearances this season, which accounts for 65% of their defensive actions. Paul Baysse and Dante have been superb for the Ligue 1 table-toppers in defence, with the duo averaging 7.4 and 5.5 clearances every 90 minutes, while wingback Ricardo leads the way in tackles, making 74 so far.
#2 Chelsea – Premier League – GCPG = 0.6842
Antonio Conte’s side have been re-writing the record books this season as they top the Premier League table at the turn of the year. Chelsea have conceded just 13 goals in 19 games, amidst a 13 match winning run that has seen them lose only twice this season to amass 49 points.
The Blues have switched to a 3 man defence after a 3-0 loss to Arsenal early in the season and have not looked back, with 11 clean sheets kept so far. Chelsea have won 50% of their duel in the Premier League so far, the best of the league.
David Luiz and Gary Cahill have been the best defenders for the Blues this season, averaging 5 and 4.2 clearances every 90 minutes. Unsurprisingly, N’Golo Kante leads the way in tackles, with 83 made in all his appearances so far, although his success rate is only 40%.
#1 Bayern Munich – Bundesliga – GCPG = 0.56
Despite all the storylines surrounding RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga this season, Bayern Munich have quietly gone about their business, and now stand top of their domestic league and possess the best defence in Europe as well, having conceded just 9 goals in 16 games so far.
Carlo Ancelotti’s side have kept a clean sheet in 50% of their games so far, with 8 clean sheets in 16 games so far. However, it is rare that Bayern are dominated in a game, as was evidenced by their evisceration of 2nd placed Leipzig. Thus the Bavarian giants have only averaged 33 defensive actions every game, which is quite low compared to the other teams on this list.
Mats Hummels and Javi Marinez lead the way for Bayern in clearances, while Thiago Alcantara has topped the tackles chart. With a goals conceded per game ratio of just 0.5625, Bayern are on track to finish the season with just 19 goals conceded, which will probably result in another Bundesliga title for the Bavarians.
