ONES TO WATCH: CENTRE BACKS

The heart of the defence is by myth, the part of the team with the most vocal leader. Usually tall and tough tackling, willing to get stuck in challenges and give attackers the death stare. It’s a position famed for the perceived nonchalance rather than elegance of the greats that have played there. Cannavaro, Nesta, Costacutra, Baresi, Puyol, Terry, Vidic, Maldini these names seemingly send shivers down the spines of attackers as the announcer bellows their name through the speakers. This season some centre backs have burst onto the scene and are defying the myth that you need to be experienced to properly ply your trade in Europe’s top 5 leagues. We’ll take a look at 4 of the best from Spain, Germany and France. 

PAU TORRES

Before this season Pau Torres had played only 53 minutes of top division football in Spain for Villarreal, two substitute appearances in 2017/18. Fast forward to today and he has played in all but 4 games this season. He’s been handed the no. 4 jersey and has played most of this season beside the established Raul Albiol beside him. Only 22, there is a bright future for Pau Torres in football if he continues on this trajectory. He’s on the radar of bigger clubs like Man City.

Torres is an accurate passes when he’s on the ball, completing 86.3% of his passes. Most importantly however, he is forward thinking with his passes, with 2.82 progressive passes per game covering almost 400 yards. Those aren’t exactly prime numbers like Van Djik or Koulibaly, but that is down in many ways to the difference in systems. His long passes are also a very big weapon in his arsenal. He completes an average of 22 every game which is 79.8% of what he attempts. He’s also capable of bringing the ball out of defence by carrying it and driving forward. His 47.1 carrier per 90 show how frequent he travels with the ball but the 171.6 yards shows he covers a lot of distance. In comparison Van Djik covers only 127.6 yards for his superior 60. This shows that he is effectively a good ball playing defender and his 3.09 passes into the final third reinforce that.

Defensively, Pau Torres is solid. He wins 0.7 tackles which he attempts which is 62.5%. He applies the occasional pressure in his defensive third inning 31% of them but that figure is not impressive. He attempt few tackles in matches with 0.7 per 90 but his high percentage of dribblers tackled, which stands at 63.6%, disputes the idea of a conservative or proactive defender. Albiol beside him takes that role as the experienced defender but Pau picks his moment wisely rather than chasing aimlessly. 0.94 interceptions per game may not seem particularly impressive but that is as a result of him choosing to tackle in the when faced with dribblers.

For all his impressive stats on the ball and defensively, Pau is not excellent in the air by any means. He might be just over 191.4cm (6’2) but he doesn’t win as many aerial duels as he is should, winning 47.4% of his duels. 

Pau is definitely ready for the next step, which would be to play European football. Though Villarreal have qualified for Europa this season, he can step up to play in the Champions League. He would be perfect for a team which controls possession, like Man City which has been linked to, because of his ball playing ability. His passing range and passing ability are simply best fitted to a team that dominates the ball.

TRANSFER SUGGESTIONS: Man City, Arsenal, Barcelona, PSG

MOHAMMED SALISU

If you stumbled upon a Real Valladolid game, you would most likely notice Salisu before any of the other players on the pitch. Valladolid are under pressure most times in games and Salisu is the crucial to relieving that pressure. He’s almost the cliché old school centre back, in the way he is rather clear the ball away than control and build from the back. His left-footedness also adds a unique angle to the strength he displays on the pitch. 

Salisu is a no-nonsense defender in every sense of the word. He averages 8.02 clearance per game to go with his 1.45 blocks. Those numbers are of course evidence that he plays in a team that defends more than it attacks. But he’s very solid defensively. He attempts 1.72 tackles winning 1.09 a game at 63.37%. Yet he commits so few fouls, with just 0.43 per 90, to show just how effective yet assertive he is in the tackle. Salisu frequently applies pressure on the ball when it is in his defensive third though he can improve and win the ball on more occasions when he presses. In the air too he is powerful winning 67.6% of his aerial duels.

On the ball Salisu is not a liability of the highest order but it is not his biggest strength either. He completes 84.3% of his passes but most are short passes, completing just 8.98 long balls a game. Salisu is not the most progressive defender so any team that he moves to would be better off pairing him a more technically proficient ball progressing defender. His ball progression stats show why. He only plays 1.72 passes covering 221.1 yards per game. He doesn’t travel with the ball either, carrying it only 25 times over a mere 54.6 yards a game. However he doesn’t get dispossessed easily when he is on the ball with just .13 times per game.  

Salisu is has been linked with moves to Stade Rennes and Southampton, with the links to the Saints becoming serious growing stronger in recent days. His lack of ball playing may be a hindrance to a top European club but he definitely has what it takes to play at the level just below.

TRANSFER SUGGESTIONS: Southampton, Lille, 

JEAN-KEVIN DUVERNE

Duverne is a player that hasn’t attracted any attention from the big clubs all over Europe, which is genuinely surprising but understandable when you consider he has played 3 of his 4 pro seasons in Ligue 2. He only recently turned 23, so he is in some ways beyond the title of prospect. Brest took a calculated risk signing him and believing that he would step up to Ligue 1 level but the 2 million they paid is looking like great business. He’s a great ball playing defender. His focus and concentration when on the pitch mean he is switched on positionally most times. 

His 85.7% passing accuracy shows his competence with the ball at his feet. He’s also relatively progressive with his passing with 3.97 passes considered progressive per 90.  He’s also very good at bringing the ball out of the defence and covering considerable distance as he advances with the ball. Another impressive quality is his prowess from long balls. He completes an average of 20.2 every game (i.e. they cover 25+ yards). That is 78.9% of tee long balls he has attempted. He’s also a calm and proactive defender preferring read the game than jump into tackles. In his defensive third he puts pressure on the ball about 6.49 times per 90 but he’s very effective when he applies pressure, winning the ball 37.4% of the time. He also likes to dribble his way out of trouble attempting almost one dribble every game.

 Defensively, his tackling stats reinforce his conservative approach. He only attempts 0.84 tackles per game but completes an impressive 64.61% of them.

The most notable weakness in his game is that for someone 184cm (6ft) he is often dominated in the air. Only winning 46.9% of his aerial duels which can be a problem on set pieces in both boxes. He’s also fairly easily dribbled past and it’s evident in the low percentage of dribblers tackled. His tackling can be improved on too.

For a preferred move, Duverne would be better off moving to a Ligue 1 team in the upper reaches of the table to or move to a mid-table Premier League team. 

 TRANSFER SUGGESTIONS: LILLE, LYON, EVERTON, LEICESTER

OZAN KABAK

Schalke 04 struggled after the restart. They drew just 2 games losing the rest resulting in them picking up just 2 points from a possible 27. But Kabak was one of the shining lights in the very dim series of games for the club. At just 20 years old he’s one of the most impressive young defenders in world football. 

Kabak is a very technically gifted ball playing defender. Per game, he completes an average of 15.3 long balls which is 75.1% of his total attempts. He also completes 1.12 switches. His passing is very efficient with a passing accuracy of 83.6%. Kabak is very impressive at progressing the ball with his passing. He plays 3.65 progressive passes covering 332.1 yards per game. He can also move forward by carrying it over relevant distances. He likes to dribble his way out of pressure and which reinforces his quality on the ball.

Defensively, Kabak is a more than sound. He’s dominant in the air winning 74.3% of his aerial duels. That is an impressive percentage for the 4.11 duels he competes in. For comparison, Koulibaly wins just 2.25 and wins 65.2% of his aerials. His tackling is excellent too. He wins 1.83 tackles a game which is 64.43%. Kabak is a more of a reactive front-foot defender than a calm conservative one. This means he would commit fouls a lot more often. The high number of defensive pressures at 7.66 per 90 is proof. Kabak is successful in his pressures 36.7% of the time which is an impressive figure.

Kabak’s most notable weakness is some time his energy in attacking the ball. It allows him to be easily bypassed sometimes by attackers. He also doesn’t really keep possession and build from the back with short passes and that can put off bigger clubs who want to play more of a possession based system.

The next move from Kabak should not be a massive big step forward and preferably he should stay in Schalke’s blue for some more time. He’s just 20 and joined last summer so while his stock has obviously risen there is no reason to cash in on him now. 

TRANSFER SUGGESTION: STAY IN SCHALKE