A current Celtic star and a key Manchester United transfer target both feature.
The business end of the World Cup kicks in tomorrow as the pressure of the last 16 and the knock out rounds takes over.
The group stage produced no shortage of drama with some high profile sides already back on home shores while Liverpool forward Luis Suarez did something, which has affected his club hugely.
We’ve decided to take a look at the best defenders throughout the group stage of the competition across several statistical areas.
Tackling Accuracy
| Country | Pos | Tackles Won % | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Afful | Ghana | DF | 100.00 | 2 | 180 |
| André Almeida | Portugal | DF | 100.00 | 2 | 70 |
| Efe Ambrose | Nigeria | DF | 100.00 | 3 | 270 |
| Santiago Arias | Colombia | DF | 100.00 | 3 | 124 |
| Souleymane Bamba | Côte d’Ivoire | DF | 100.00 | 3 | 270 |
Several players won 100% of the tackles they went in for during the group stage but we’ve chosen to focus on Efe Ambrose, as he was one of the players to appear in all three group games. He’s a consistent and reliable defender for Celtic and will be important for Nigeria in the last 16.
Aerial Duels
| Country | Pos | Aerial Duels Won % | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Afful | Ghana | DF | 100.00 | 2 | 180 |
| André Almeida | Portugal | DF | 100.00 | 2 | 70 |
| Santiago Arias | Colombia | DF | 100.00 | 3 | 124 |
| Daley Blind | Netherlands | DF | 100.00 | 3 | 270 |
| Jason Davidson | Australia | DF | 100.00 | 3 | 270 |
Several players also showed dominance in the air with perfect results in terms of the number of aerial duels they won. Manchester United transfer target Daley Blind gets a mention because if the Ajax man moves to Old Trafford, the aerial part of his game will be thoroughly tested. However, bear in mind that the majoruty of his work came through protecting the back four.
Outfield Blocks
| Country | Pos | Outfielder Block | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daniel van Buyten | Belgium | DF | 5 | 3 | 270 |
| Bruno Alves | Portugal | DF | 4 | 3 | 270 |
| Geoff Cameron | USA | DF | 4 | 2 | 180 |
| Johan Djourou | Switzerland | DF | 4 | 3 | 270 |
| Frickson Erazo | Ecuador | DF | 4 | 3 | 270 |
Daniel van Buyten made more outfield blocks than any other defender during the group stage. What that tells us is that his positional play was superb, which is remarkable considering he didn’t play consistently over the course of last season under Pep Guardiola.
Effective Clearances
| Country | Pos | Effective Clearance | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Jeong-Ho | South Korea | DF | 38 | 3 | 252 |
| Sergei Ignashevitch | Russia | DF | 35 | 3 | 270 |
| Jorge Guagua | Ecuador | DF | 29 | 3 | 270 |
| Gary Medel | Chile | DF | 28 | 3 | 270 |
| Rafik Halliche | Algeria | DF | 27 | 3 | 270 |
Hong Jeong-Ho was superb in terms of effective clearances. He tried to instil a brand of no nonsense defending across the South Korea back four but was largely unsuccessful. It will be encouraging for Cardiff City fans to see Gary Medel featuring, which bodes well for next season.
Successful Interceptions
| Country | Pos | Interception Won | Apps | Mins | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Mensah | Ghana | DF | 15 | 3 | 270 |
| Jason Davidson | Australia | DF | 11 | 3 | 270 |
| Rafik Halliche | Algeria | DF | 10 | 3 | 270 |
| Emir Spahic | Bosnia and Herzegovina | DF | 10 | 3 | 270 |
| Harrison Afful | Ghana | DF | 9 | 2 | 180 |
Jonathan Mensah is a player that several teams could be looking at after the World Cup if he maintains his impressive initial form. He was able to read the game effectively and step in to intercept the ball before it developed into a goalscoring chance for the opposition.
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