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5 best tacklers at Barcelona right now

FC Barcelona v Levante UD - LaLiga Santander
FC Barcelona v Levante UD - LaLiga Santander

While the Barcelona defense hasn’t exactly been the club’s strong point over the last few years, they possess quite a few talented tacklers in the team. Many of them are not afraid of committing a last-ditch tackle in order to retrieve possession whether it be in the final third or in their own half.

Although tackling is often regarded as a primary defensive attribute that every defender should know, it isn’t just limited to that. Tackles can be made to recover possession in any area on the football field provided the correct opportunity arises.

This is one of the reasons why some of the best defenders in the world do not need to make tackles. It is often relied on as a last resort and the defender’s positioning is supposed to make sure that the attackers do not get enough space.

We’ll talk about the best tacklers in the Barcelona team this season. Attributes like tackles completed, ball possession recovered with tackles and tackle success rates against dribblers have been used to rank these players.


#5 Gavi

Villarreal CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga Santander
Villarreal CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga Santander

17-year-old Pablo Paez Gavi has taken the world of football by storm following his spectacular rise through the ranks at Barcelona this season. In the absence of Pedri, who has missed a large chunk of the season so far due to injury, Gavi has provided the spark in midfield for Barcelona.

Although Gavi is primarily a creative player who plays high up the pitch, he puts up impressive numbers when it comes to pressing and tackles. In fact, Gavi is one of the most aggressive players at Barcelona and you will often find him leading the pressing even in the final stages of the game.

Gavi has tackled 19 players successfully across all competitions this season. At Barcelona, he’s only behind Sergio Busquets and Sergino Dest but both have more minutes under their belt than Gavi. He has also recovered possession of the ball with a tackle 14 times and has seven successful tackles in the defensive third.

Gavi played 16 games for Barcelona so far:

- First 8 games: 4 yellow cards.
- Last 8 games: 1 yellow card. https://t.co/2f7Gq6CaCR

In his first few games, Gavi saw plenty of yellow cards due to his aggression and bad timing but he’s starting to get better at it with time.


#4 Gerard Pique

FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - LaLiga Santander
FC Barcelona v Real Madrid CF - LaLiga Santander

One of the best central defenders in the last decade, Gerard Pique’s consistency has been a major cause of concern for Barcelona for quite a while now. It’s quite clear that Pique is no longer the reliable defender he once was. Although the likes of Ronald Araujo and Eric Garcia have shown promise, Barcelona also need to reinforce their defense during the transfer window.

Gerard Piqué to the players after Memphis Depay's goal..

"Guys, use your brains, more than ever. Easy, eh. Play with time, don't rush. Make fouls, throw yourselves to the ground, do everything. Stay calm, we cannot lose these three points, lads."

Via (🟢): @fansjavimiguel [as] https://t.co/CNG9nPII8g

With that being said, Pique continues to be a regular starter for the club and exerts a significant amount of influence. He has made six successful tackles this season and has recovered the ball five times with his challenges. Pique has also made four tackles in the defensive third of the pitch.

The centre-back has a high success rate of 66.7% when tackling dribblers. Head coach Xavi will be demanding more consistency and concentration from his former team-mate this season.

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