Tackling seems to be a dying art form, earlier, supporters loved a great tackle which would take the ball but not necessarily the man, alright, the good old days of football saw some great tackles but quite a few ones which could be called a little overenthusiastic. These days with so much protection for players, you see whistles being blown for almost any tackle coming in from side on or even from behind the man, even if the player won the ball cleanly.
We pay our respects to some of the best tacklers in the Premier League and list out the top 5 based on tackles completed from Whoscored.com, this list only consist of those players who have completed 25 games or more this season for their club.
5. Alexandre Song – West Ham
A surprise on the list, Alex Song was one of the reasons why West Ham had such a brilliant start to the campaign. The Barcelona player on loan at West Ham was a revelation and felt like he was playing for another London club, Arsenal. Song was even touted to sign for a few big clubs, but that still hasn’t materialized. The Cameroonian averaged a brilliant 3.3 tackles made per game and comes 5th in our list.
4. Nathaniel Clyne – Southampton
A breakout season not only for Southampton this season but also for Clyne, the right-back was one of the stars for Ronald Koeman’s side and even got a chance to play for the English team, he probably will sign for a much bigger club pretty soon but for now can enjoy the time he has spent with Southampton and maybe they help them make it into Europe next season. The English right-back averaged 3.3 tackles per game and at only 24-years-old; he still has time to become a better player.
3. Nemanja Matic – Chelsea
The tank in midfield for Chelsea, Matic is exactly the kind of player you would expect to feature in this list. Strong, athletic and a great tackler, the Serbian has become a mainstay for the Chelsea team without whom they seem like a completely different outfit. Matic averaged 3.6 successful tackles per game for Chelsea this season and would be looking to increase that number next season.
2. Pablo Zabaleta – Manchester City
The Argentine was one of the best players in an underwhelming season for the ex-champions, Zabaleta might not have won much this season in terms of silverware but he was one of the most consistent players for Manchester City. Zabaleta averaged 3.7 tackles per game this season and can hold his head up high for doing extremely well for Manchester City when a lot of other players failed to perform.
1. Morgan Schneiderlin – Southampton
Not really a surprise on the list but Schneiderlin was expected to be frozen out from the team after he made his intentions clear of him wanting to leave the club, the Frenchman didn’t and he in fact had a great season for the team. Morgan averaged 3.7 tackles per game and was responsible for the Saints high finish this season, the question remains is where will he be playing his football next season?
As the 2023-2024 football season draws to a close, so does the era of one…
In the celebrated history of Bayern Munich, their success and dominance is totally incomplete without…
The three Lions of England were drawn in Group C against Serbia, Slovenia, and Denmark…
If you're from a country where cricket is popular, you probably know the rules. If…
When the Ballon d'Or was first awarded in 1956, Stanley Matthews of Blackpool and England…
The current competition for the strongest football division in Spain started in the first half…