Richarlison and David McGoldrick have been tracking back for their sides this season, but who else makes the alternative XI?
Wednesday 8 April 2020 16:18, UK
On Sky Sports this week, we are discussing the Premier League team of the season - but who would make it into alternative XIs based on certain stats? Today we are looking at the best Tackling XI...
As with each of these alternative XIs, a 4-3-3 formation will be used and players included must have played at least 50 per cent of the season so far.
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As a position, many of this season's most persistent tacklers in the Premier League have been right-backs, and it's Everton's Djibril Sidibe, who averages the most per 90 minutes of any defender.
Opposite the France international is Wolves' Jonny, who has recorded the most of any left-back, and both full-backs slot in outside a centre-back pairing of Jonny's team-mate Willy Boly and Newcastle's Fabian Schar.
In goal, a grand total of 3 tackles is enough to install Aston Villa's Tom Heaton as this side's best option.
In midfield comes the Premier League's king of this category - Leicester's Wilfried Ndidi. Not only is his 4.4 tackles per 90 minutes the best return of any player this season, but it's considerably higher than the next best return by a midfielder, Southampton's Oriol Romeu (3.2 per 90 mins), who accompanies him.
The final spot is then taken by West Ham and England's Declan Rice, in an especially unaccommodating trio.
Up front is David McGoldrick - yet to score this season but contributing in plenty of other ways for his high-flying Sheffield United side.
McGoldrick is flanked by Richarlison - who has impressively recorded 20-more tackles than any other Premier League forward this season - and Leicester's Ayoze Perez.
While it does not appear an XI likely to regularly break down its opponents, it would clearly have little problem repeatedly dispossessing it.
