Tottenham’s Alderweireld vs Stoke’s Muniesa H2H: One outdoes the other in four key areas

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How do Stoke City’s Marc Muniesa and Tottenham Hotspur’s Toby Alderweireld compare?

Tottenham Hotspur host an ever-improving Stoke City side this weekend in a fixture which will see talented defenders Marc Muniesa and Toby Alderweireld go head to head.

The latter has been Spurs’ biggest signing this season, the Atletico Madrid defender opting to trade the Spanish capital for North London following a successful loan spell in the Premier League.

Last season, Alderweireld was plying his trade on the south coast with Southampton where he impressed immensely, leading to many pundits citing him as one of the league’s standout centre-backs.

Another name which has stood out his Stoke’s Marc Muniesa, the former Barcelona star working his way into the Mark Hughes’ first-team plans and remaining their on merit.

On Saturday, the duo will be on opposite ends of the White Hart Lane pitch and we take a look at which player has performed better since the turn of the New Year.

As per the table provided by Opta Stats, it’s a close shave between the two though Muniesa comes out on top, outdoing his upcoming opponent in four of the seven key categories throughout 2015.

The Spanish defender averages more effective clearances, interceptions, defensive duel winners and aerial winners per Premier League encounter.

The most surprising stat is undoubtedly the aerial winners, especially considering Stoke’s 22-year-old stands at just 5ft 10inch whereas Alderweireld is the much taller at 6ft 2inch.

Nevertheless, Spurs’ Belgium international averages more tackles and ball recoveries per league match, while in possession he’s an assured figure with solid distribution from the back.

The aforementioned stats since the start of 2015 are unlikely to prove much come Saturday. However, if it does illustrate one thing, it shows that the Potters have an excellent young player on their hands.