{"id":1253275,"date":"2022-03-21T15:20:31","date_gmt":"2022-03-21T15:20:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?p=1253275"},"modified":"2022-03-21T18:33:20","modified_gmt":"2022-03-21T18:33:20","slug":"cleanest-tacklers-europe","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/cleanest-tacklers-europe\/","title":{"rendered":"The top 10 ‘cleanest’ tacklers in Europe right now"},"content":{"rendered":"

Serie A has long upheld a reputation as Europe\u2019s most competent defensive league, but this season\u2019s \u2018cleanest\u2019 tackler is currently strutting his stuff in the Premier League.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Top flight Italian football has previously been described as a ‘striker’s university’, given the hard-hitting yet precise tackling nature of the division’s centre-back stars. This is a league, after all, that birthed Alessandro Nesta, Fabio Cannavaro and Paolo Maldini, a trident of defensive legends who made tackling an art form.<\/p>\n

However, you would have to cast your gaze in the direction of England to find 2021\/22’s most proficient tackler in Europe’s top five leagues. Marc Guehi has proven a revelation since trading Chelsea for Crystal Palace last summer, with his defensive exploits recently earning him his first England call-up.<\/p>\n

So far this campaign, 1,252 players have attempted 30+ tackles in Europe’s top five divisions and Guehi currently has the best true tackle success rate of those (89%). He is one of just four players with 80% or more for that particular metric, but are those other three players you would expect? Read on below for the top 10.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace)<\/h2>\n
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READ MORE:<\/span> Gareth Southgate explains three big absences from England squad for March international break<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

TRUE TACKLE SUCCESS: <\/b>89%
\nTotal Tackles Attempted: <\/b>35
\nSuccessful Tackles Made: <\/b>31
\nFouls From Attempted Tackles:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>3<\/span>
\nTimes Dribbled Past:\u00a0<\/span><\/b>1<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s a rare sight, but Palace have three players\u00a0in Gareth Southgate’s England squad, with Guehi looking to emulate Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher and make his international bow for the Three Lions. The 21-year-old has flourished under the tutelage of Patrick Vieira and could prove the missing piece to England’s defensive puzzle when the winter World Cup comes around.<\/p>\n