Next up in our look at the top scoring centre-halves of 2010/11 is La Liga. The top two teams are represented here, with Gerard Pique and Ricardo Carvalho proving their importance at either side of the pitch for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively. There were impressive performers near the foot of the table, too, with the likes of Diego Colotto of relegated Deportivo and Mallorca’s Ivan Ramis both showing a keen eye for goal as their sides battled the drop. Here’s the rundown:
Gerard Pique - 3 goals, 1 assist
Attacking
With a total of 3 goals, Pique scored as many as Xavi for Barcelona last season. More than Dani Alves, too, he was the top-scoring defender for the La Liga champions. Pique managed 31 appearances in 2010/11 and with an average of 0.5 shots per game, had a total of 16 shots. This fares better than the more attack-minded Alves, who had a total of 28 shots at goal and scored only twice.
Defending
Pique was bottom of our five for tackles, interceptions and clearances. It’s more of an indication that playing for Barcelona limits the amount of defensive work required. Comparing him to fellow Barca centre-half Carlos Puyol shows the Barcelona captain is the more impressive with 2.1 to 1.7 tackles and 2.6 to 1.9 interceptions. Pique does outrank his skipper when it came to clearances (3.7-3.2) and blocked shots (0.4-0.1).
His lowly 56% aerial success is joint-bottom with Ricardo Carvalho here but again, this is more to do with the fact he does little defending in comparison to any other team in Spain’s top division. Barca, after all, had the best La Liga defence, conceding just 21 goals last season. Pique averaged 6.95 per game in WhoScored.com’s ratings, the second highest of our five featured centre-halves.
Ricardo Carvalho - 3 goals
Attacking
The ex-Chelsea man grabbed 3 goals in his debut season at the Bernabeu. This was the same number as Madrid full-backs Marcelo and Sergio Ramos, as Joes Mourinho’s side finished top scorers in La Liga with an incredible 102 goals.
While Ramos averaged 0.8 shots per game and Marcelo 0.6, Carvalho managed a mere 0.3 per game, which over the course of his 33 appearances, equated to a total of 10 goal attempts in 2010/11.
Defending
Carvalho’s presence at the back brought about an air of calmness and authority for Mourinho’s side, as they ended the season with just 33 goals conceded- second to Barcelona. He made the most tackles (2.1) here, though comes out second-bottom for both interceptions (2.3) and clearances (4.6), though he does fare best for blocks per game, with 0.7.
A look at Carvalho’s stats in comparison with fellow Madrid centre-half Pepe, shows he’s the least defensively active of the two- Pepe leads the way for tackles by 2.7 to 2.1, interceptions by 2.7 to 2.3 and also when it came to clearances, with 5.4 to Carvalho’s 4.6. While his WhoScored.com match rating of 6.91 is nevertheless impressive, it was the lowest of any Madrid first-team outfield player.
Ivan Ramis - 3 goals
Attacking
Ramis was a key performer at both ends of the pitch for Mallorca as they finished just one point above the relegation zone. Scoring 3 of his side’s 41 goals, Ramis managed 0.6 shots per game, joint-top of our defenders here. From 33 appearances, then, he had 20 goal attempts and an indication of his threat from the back is highlighted by the fact that Mallorca’s other defenders managed just 1 goal between them.
Defending
Ramis is second of our centre-halves for interceptions (3.2) and second for aerial success, with an impressive 68%, behind only Sergio Fernandez here- a key component of his game and a major weapon in the opponent’s penalty box. Mallorca mainly played a 4-2-3-1 last season, taking to the field 28 times in this formation.
Ramis’ main central defensive partner was club captain Jose Nunes and a comparison of their stats shows he wasn’t too far behind his skipper when it came to output at the back. Nunes just edges it 2.0 to 1.8 in tackles and 3.4 to 3.2 in interceptions, though Ramis leads the way for blocks (0.5 to 0.4) and clearances, with an average of 4.8 to Nunes’ 4.7.
He picked up 1 Man of the Match award and averaged 6.91 per match- this was the third highest of our central defenders and second overall for Mallorca, a clear indication of just how vital he was to keeping the side in La Liga in 2010/11.
Diego Colotto - 2 goals, 3 assists
Attacking
With 2 goals and 3 assists, Diego Colotto contributed to 5 goals for his side- only three players bettered this combined total. La Coruna’s eight other defenders managed just 1 goal and 1 assist between them- a perfect example of Colotto’s importance.
His 0.6 shots per game ties for top with Fernandez and Ramis in our top five and over his 33 appearances, Colotto had 20 shots at goal.
Defending
Colotto’s consistency sees him second of our featured five centre-halves for tackles (1.9), clearances (5.2) and also blocks (0.6). None of his stats are real standout figures; instead they demonstrate solidity at the back that couldn’t prevent Deportivo dropping out of La Liga on the final day of the season.
Deportivo mainly played 4-2-3-1 last season, with Alberto Lopo the main defensive partner of Colotto in the heart of defence and a comparison of the two shows the Argentine was key at the back, too. He bettered Lopo in tackles by 1.9 to 1.8, clearances (5.2 to 4.7) and also edged him on blocked shots, with 0.5 per game to his teammates 0.4. Colotto was also impressive in the air, winning 64% of aerial duels and picked up 2 Man of the Match award on his way to a WhoScored.com rating of 6.85, the fourth best Deportivo player in what proved a terribly disappointing campaign.
Sergio Fernandez - 2 goals, 2 assists
Attacking
The veteran showed his worth to Osasuna last season, scoring 2 goals from centre-half as his side finished a respectable ninth. With an average 0.6 shots per game, Fernandez is joint-top of our defenders but missed a number of games through injury and made 22 appearances in the heart of defence in 2010/11. This means he managed just 13 shots and, given his relatively low number of games played, shows an impressive goal return. In addition to his goals, Fernandez also picked up 2 assists for Osasuna.
Defending
Fernandez’s know-how and experience at the back stands out in comparison to our other featured defenders- he tops the lot for interceptions, with 3.6, for clearances (7.4) and was also the most commanding in the air, winning a brilliant 72% of his duels.
By comparing his stats to fellow Osasuna centre-half Miguel Flaño, it’s easy to see how important the presence of Fernandez was at the back. He leads Flaño on all three of the key defensive stats- 1.8 to 1.2 on tackles, 3.6 to 2.3 on interceptions and 7.4 to 5.3 on clearances. With Flaño also winning just 55% of his aerial duels, Fernandez’s contribution is impossible to downplay. He picked up 1 Man of the Match award and averaged 7.00 per game for Osasuna, the highest average of any of our featured five.
