Since 1980 27 Posted January 18, 2016 Who has been the Premier League''s best defender so far this season?From SkySports website Most clearances Player Team Clearances Sebastien Bassong Norwich 181 Ashley Williams Swansea 163 Toby Alderweireld Tottenham 158 Robert Huth Leicester 144 Steve Cook Bournemouth 141 Chancel Mbemba Newcastle 136 Jan Vertonghen Tottenham 130 Russell Martin Norwich 126 Ramiro Funes Mori Everton 125 Virgil van Dijk Southampton 118 Clearances may not be a glamorous aspect of the game - and some prefer to pass their way out of trouble - but they are a defender''s bread and butter nonetheless. Norwich''s Sebastian Bassong has made the most (181) followed by Swansea''s Ashley Williams (163) and Spurs'' Alderweireld (159). Most goals scored Player Team Goals Laurent Koscielny Arsenal 3 Russell Martin Norwich 3 Scott Dann Crystal Palace 3 A goalscoring defender is a precious asset, and this season, Koscielny, Dann and Norwich''s Russell Martin have netted three each. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
morty 0 Posted January 18, 2016 Stats that show Norwich City in a positive light?What sort of witchcraft is this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tetteys Jig 830 Posted January 18, 2016 Depends if you class your defenders making lots of clearances as positive or not. I''d say it''s a double edged sword.Stats provide the background but a good statistician has to provide the context and logical conclusion. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrs miggins 0 Posted January 18, 2016 Who would''ve thought it; so Bassong is the best defender in the league.Its a FACT because I put ''fact'' in capitals. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
It's Character Forming 1,160 Posted January 18, 2016 This is the case with most football stats that I see - I always think "yes, but...". So I''m not surprised plenty of the teams with players doing well for this stat are in the bottom half of the league but above the drop zone. Their defences are under a lot of pressure but doing well enough (much of the time) to keep them out of the relegation zone. And I think Basso has done pretty well over the season so far - which I didn''t need any stats to tell me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Since 1980 27 Posted January 18, 2016 Bassong is only best for clearances. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
swjf50 0 Posted January 18, 2016 Perhaps we should also look at the statistic ''which defenders made the most mistakes that resulted in goals'' and also ''which teams were attacked the most''.For the latter one, it would then be obvious why Bassong and Martin are on the list, as having made the most clearances as we may have been attacked the most.Having said this, it is difficult to compare defenders in this way.I think the former statistic might be the most important. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kidderminster Exile 0 Posted January 18, 2016 Booting the ball out of defence and finding an opposing player in mid field is not defending. passing to one of ours is what its all about. Its not rocket science Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
norfolkngood 1,086 Posted January 18, 2016 it would be better if our defenders were not on that list shows how easy it is the get the ball in and around our box Share this post Link to post Share on other sites