David Luiz vs Antonio Rudiger – A Statistical Comparison
Antonio Conte helped Chelsea to yet another league title in his first year in charge at Stamford Bridge but the squad at the Bridge is a bit weak and needs some serious additions this summer. Chelsea are looking at some of the finest players in world football to add to their squad before the start of the next season but the only player they have managed to sign so far is German defender Antonio Rudiger.
The former AS Roma defender joined the Blues in a £34m deal, and this might push one of David Luiz or Gary Cahill on to the bench at Chelsea next season. The Brazilian star David Luiz was Chelsea’s best defender last season. So how does he compare with Rudiger? Here is a statistical comparison of the two for their previous campaigns for their respective clubs.
With a goal to show for his efforts, David Luiz was a pillar at the back that was the foundation that helped Chelsea lift the league title. With a passing completion of 84% last season, Luiz won 0.85 tackles per game last season in the Premier League. Rudiger, who was the first choice for Roma in the Serie A had a passing accuracy of just 83% but he won 1.39 tackles per game, more than what Luiz could register in any of his previous seasons in England.
However, the former PSG star aces Rudiger in almost every other aspect of the game. With a successful take-on rate of 86.67%, Luiz, who is strong in the air, won 55.17% of his aerial duels and 52.19% of his total duels in the Premier League last season.
Rudiger had a successful take-on rate of just 69.57% and he won just 54.55% of his aerial duels and 46.37% of his total duels. The German defender was also slightly more error prone, as he has committed 1.84 fouls per game, compared to just the 0.88 fouls per game for Luiz.
The Chelsea man also made 2.09 interceptions, 0.45 blocks and 5.18 clearances per game, which is commendable. Rudiger is way below Luiz in all those aspects, carving out just 1.04 interceptions, 0.27 blocks and 3.38 clearances per game.
Both players committed a foul each but neither of those led to a direct goal. Both players have similar playing styles and Conte will know that he will have enough options next season to build a formidable defensive lineup next season.