The top 10 busiest defensive players in the Premier League

Defending is a vital part of the game. Players have to get stuck in to win their team the ball. Here are the busiest 10 players in the Premier League for combined tackles and interceptions.

The great Italian defender Paolo Maldini once said, "If I have to make a tackle then I have already made a mistake."

While it's a good sentiment, one that every defender or defensive player should live to, these days the Premier League requires players to get properly stuck in.

For this list, we've taken a look at who the busiest defensive players are, ranked by the combined number of tackles and interceptions they have made so far this season.

Christian Norgaard - 149

Top of this list might come as a slight surprise, but Christian Norgaard is at the heart of the Brentford midfielder and has 91 tackles and 58 tackles for the season so far. Those 91 tackles are the most in the league by a good 20, while his 58 interceptions has him in third.

Mohammed Salisu - 128

Southampton’s Mohammed Salisu has put in some fantastic defensive displays this season, with his efforts in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City last month earning him a lot of praise from around the league.

His 128 tackles and interceptions are broken up into a second best-in-the-league 67 interceptions and joint third-best 61 tackles. Salisu has been setting the tone for the Saints’ backline, displaying a tremendous amount of ability considering he played only 12 games last season, which was his first season in the Premier League.

Tyrick Mitchell - 124

Tyrick Mitchell has worked his way up through the Crystal Palace ranks, starting with the Palace development squad in 2016 and progressing through the under-18’s then the under-23’s. He made his senior team debut in the 2019-20 season, then featured in half the Premier League games the following season.

This season, under the tutelage of Patrick Viera as his manager, he has started in every game so far. Viera has put his faith in the young London lad, and he has repaid him with some strong defensive displays.

Declan Rice - 122

The man many teams will be fighting for this summer, Declan Rice has been a main feature at West Ham for four years now, and he has been their deep-lying playmaker this year in what has been a strong season for the Hammers.

A total of 53 tackles and 69 interceptions makes up a combined 122, which is particularly impressive considering Thomas Soucek, who plays alongside him, is often seen as the anchor who does the most defensive work while Rice is free to move up the pitch to be part of the attack.

Matty Cash - 118

Aston Villa weren’t the strongest side under Dean Smith, scoring 14 goals but conceding 20 in their first 11 games. But they have improved since Steven Gerrard took over, scoring 17 and conceding 15 in the 11 games since.

Matty Cash has been in the starting lineup for all 22 games so far and has been their busiest defender. His total of 118 tackles and interceptions is split into 61 tackles and 57 interceptions.

Stuart Dallas - 107

In their first season back in the Premier League last season, Leeds looked like an absolute force. They brought a strong challenge to then-reigning champions Liverpool in the first game of the season, losing to an 88th-minute penalty at Anfield, then held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw just three weeks later. This year, though, things haven’t been as strong for the West Yorkshire team. They have had strings of poor performances that sees them down in 15th place.

The bad displays aren’t from lack of trying, though, at least they’re not from Stuart Dallas. His 107 tackles and interceptions - broken into 58 tackles and 49 interceptions - is a squad high by quite a margin. The next best is Pascal Struijk with 64 combined.

Joao Cancelo - 99

Joao Cancelo is having a stellar year. The blue side of Manchester are enjoying another one of their practically unbeaten seasons, and a large part of that is down to the fact that every player is playing their role to perfection.

Cancelo is seen as more of an attacking wing-back, getting up the pitch a lot more to join the attack or is the outlet to start the attack and provides an option down either wing, whichever side he is playing that game. But the stats show he is a competent defender, too: 50 tackles are the most for his side, with 31 of them winning City possession. And his 49 interceptions make up his total of 99.

Max Kilman - 95

Max Kilman made a huge jump up in leagues in 2018, starting the year with non-league Maidenhead United and ending it with Premier League Wolverhampton Wanderers, making him the first player to make such a jump without a loan in between since Chris Smalling in 2008.

And it has paid off, as Kilman this season has become a solid starter for Wolves as they challenge for the fourth and final guaranteed Champions League spot. Kilman’s total of 95 is made up of 44 tackles and 51 interceptions.

Pierre Hojbjerg - 93

Tottenham has had a tricky rollercoaster of a season. It started with three wins from three to start the season, then defeats in the next three. They sacked Nuno Espirito Santo not long into the season, replaced him with Antonio Conte which looked good at first but has now seemingly stalled out again.

Pierre Hojbjerg has been a beacon of light for the north London side, though. The Dane was a solid midfielder for Southampton before making the move to Spurs, where it took him roughly half of his first campaign last year to get up to speed with them. This season he has been strong for the 20 games he has played so far - 45 tackles and 43 interceptions take his combined total to 93.

Valentino Livramento, Wilfried Ndidi & Juraj Kucka - 92

The 10th and final spot is shared between three players with teams who have had quite different seasons. The second Southampton player on this list, Valentino Livramento has been a standout for the Saints this year. Signing him from Chelsea has turned out to be one of the best decisions they have made in a long time. He has 37 tackles and 55 interceptions for the year.

Wilfried Ndidi has been a mainstay at Leicester for some time now and has still been one of their stronger players in what has been a miserable season for the Foxes. He has 58 tackles and 34 interceptions for the year.

Juraj Kucka is probably the least-known name on the list but has been one of Watford's strongest defensive players statistically this season. He has 56 tackles and 36 interceptions for the year.