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Clyne vs Bellerin: Why The Arsenal Star Has Been The Better Player Than His Liverpool Compatriot

Image result for Nathaniel Clyne vs Hector Bellerin

The Premier League is host to some of the best talents in world football in almost every position in the field and it is often hard to pick out the best player in the league in a particular position. Though the attackers and the midfielders have their own stats that can separate them from the ordinary, the defenders have very little to show for except for a clean sheet and just do not get enough recognition for their contributions. Two such players who are expected to be a part of the title race this season are Liverpool’s Nathaniel Clyne and Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin.

The right-back spot is one that needs utmost concentration to help the side out at both ends of the field and the duo has excelled so far this season making them one of the best in the league. Clyne is a consistent defender who loves to provide width in the attack and his strengths are his concentration levels at the back has made the Liverpool side a lot stronger than in the previous season.

Bellerin, on the other hand, loves marauding forward and wants to stay high up the pitch. But he has time and again showed that he has what it takes to keep Arsenal strong at the back and it is hard to pick one of the two as a better player. So who leads this race according to stats?

Image result for Nathaniel Clyne and Hector Bellerin 2016-17

Let’s start with the offensive contribution of both the players. Both of them is yet to score a goal this season and both of them have registered an assist each. The Arsenal man edges Clyne with a passing accuracy of 84% compared to the 80% of the Liverpool man this season but the English international has created more than twice the number of chances that Bellerin has created 12 games into the season. The Liverpool man averages considerably more than 1 key pass for 90 minutes while Bellerin is lying in the low 0.68 region per 90 minutes. Bellerin has a successful take on completion rate of 71% while Clyne lays low at 50% making this part of their game an even contest.

Moving to the defensive area, the most important for the duo, Hector Bellerin has a sizable advantage over his counterpart in the duels won department. Clyne has won just 14% of his ariel duels this season compared to the 46% of Bellerin this season. The Arsenal man wins 53% of his total duels per 90 minutes while Clyne rates just around the 47% mark per 90 minutes. Bellerin also averages more than 2 clearances a game compared to the 1.25 from Clyne per game this season. However, the English international has made more clearances and has won more tackles than the Spaniard making him an effective option.

Both players have been consistent for their teams in recent times and are among the best players in the position in Europe. The stats clearly shows that the Arsenal man stands on a bit higher ground than his competitor, so we’ll consider this as a win for the Gunners.

But who do you think is the best right-back among the two?

Note: The article was written prior to GW 12