Best defenders in the premier league: 5 players destroying attacking statistics in 25/26 season.
5 Scorecard Dominators Season (2024-2025)
Muñoz scored again last week. Gvardiol assisted the winner at Forest. Tarkowski keeps racking up clean sheets while Everton fights relegation. Defenders contributing goals and assists isn’t unusual — but five players this season have posted numbers that demand attention. Fans tracking performance metrics on platforms like 1xBet have noticed. Clean sheet markets, anytime goalscorer odds, assist props — these names keep showing up.
Daniel Muñoz (Crystal Palace)
Eleven goal involvements from a right-back. Five goals, six assists. Nobody else is close.
| Stat | Value |
| Goals | 5 |
| Assists | 6 |
| Clean Sheets | 14 |
| Tackles + Interceptions | 133 |
Standout match — Wolves (A), 2-0 win:
- Opened the scoring
- 8 clearances
- 100% tackle success rate
- Clean sheet secured
Oliver Glasner’s system gives him freedom to overlap, but Muñoz earns that freedom by tracking back. He ranks fifth among all players for combined tackles and interceptions — defensive midfielder territory, not full-back numbers. Opponents have to choose: track his runs or stay compact centrally. Most guess wrong.
Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City)
Guardiola converted him into a left-back who drifts inside during possession. Sounds ridiculous on paper. Works brilliantly in practice.
The Croatian essentially plays two positions depending on game phase:
| In Possession | Out of Possession |
| Tucks into midfield pockets | Drops as deepest defender |
| 2 goals, 3 assists | 125 clearances |
| Extra passing option centrally | 38 interceptions, 32 tackles |
Fourteen clean sheets with him starting. Against Forest, he logged thirteen defensive actions then played the pass for the winner. The positional switch looked experimental last season. Now it looks permanent.
James Tarkowski (Everton)
Everton spent most of the season scrapping near the bottom. Tarkowski kept them in matches they had no business surviving.
The raw numbers tell the story:
- 206 clearances — most in the squad by a wide margin
- 148 aerial duels won — nobody in the league wins more headers
- 44 interceptions — reads the game two passes ahead
- 11 clean sheets — for a relegation-threatened side
His away performance at Forest stood out: nineteen defensive contributions, thirteen clearances, three blocked shots, nine duels won from ten. Fans checking match updates via https://1xbet.gm/en/user/login have watched him deliver consistently all season. Deep blocks, set-piece defending, organizing a backline under constant pressure. Tarkowski handles it week after week.
Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace)
Forget attacking returns for a moment. Lacroix does something rarer.
87% dribble success rate — 20 stops from 23 attempts. Best in the league.
Players simply can’t beat him one-on-one. He reads passing lanes early and steps into challenges before attacks develop.
His partnership with Marc Guéhi has transformed Palace defensively. When both start, the team’s defensive record improves by nearly 30%. His offensive numbers stay modest, but his positioning makes Muñoz’s forward runs possible. Someone has to cover the space left behind. He does, consistently.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Fourteen clean sheets. A 72.1% aerial duel success rate. Zero errors leading to goals. Fewest fouls among regular starting centre-backs.
Van Dijk doesn’t make highlight reels much anymore because he rarely needs to. Positioning handles threats before they become dangerous.
Liverpool’s title push leaned heavily on his organization. When opponents pressed high, he stepped into midfield zones and kept possession cycling. When crosses came in, he cleared them. When strikers tried to run the channels, he covered. Quiet dominance, match after match. The standards he set years ago? Still holding.
One Thing Worth Noticing
Four of these five don’t play for traditional title contenders. Crystal Palace has two names on this list — Muñoz and Lacroix — yet sits mid-table. Everton has Tarkowski putting up historic defensive numbers while fighting relegation.
The connection? These clubs can’t outscore opponents consistently. They need defenders who do more. Muñoz creates because Palace lacks creative midfielders. Tarkowski dominates aerially because Everton defends deep and faces constant crosses. Gvardiol drifts inside because Guardiola has the luxury of experimenting.
Context shapes output. Same position, different demands, different numbers.
