Right Back
The results of the right back comparison show that Ivanovic is the clear winner in the right back comparison, with Zabaleta coming in second.
Please note:Â Ivanovic and Jones were included in the right back comparison as they have both played more games at right back this season than they have in any other position.
Ivanovic has won 68% of his ground 50-50s this season, which is 5% more than Sagna and 9% more than Walker. He has also won 77% of his aerial 50-50s this season, which is 3% more than Richards and 7% more than Sagna.
Ivanovic has also completed the highest percentage of his passes out of any of the right backs in this comparison as he has completed 83.44% of his passes this season. This is 0.41% better than Zabaleta and 0.45% better than Rangel. He has also been accurate with 30% of his crosses this season, which is 2% more accurate than Simpson and 7% more accurate than Sagna.
Sagna has been successful with 85.37% of his tackles this season, which and 2.02% better than Simpson and 2.04% better than Walker. It has also taken Sagna 425 minutes to lose possession of the ball this season, which is 236 minutes longer than Ivanovic and 270 minutes longer than Zabaleta.
Zabaleta does make a tackle for his team every 22 minutes though, which is 9 minutes more often than Jones and 12 minutes more often than both Walker and Rangel. Zabaleta has also created a chance every 77 minutes this season, which is 12 minutes more often than Johnson and 13 minutes more often than Sagna.
Zabaleta has also conceded the fewest amount of goals per game this season as Man City have only conceded 0.56 goals per game when he has played. This is 0.24 goals per game better than Jones and 0.26 goals per game better than Johnson.
Johnson along with Walker have won the ball back in the defensive half of the pitch every 22 minutes this season, which is 1 minute more often than Ivanovic and 6 minutes more often than Zabaleta.
Angel has made 95 interceptions this season, which is 28 more than Walker and 35 more than Simpson.
Therefore, as Ivanovic comes out on top in this comparison and scores  5 points more than Zabaleta and 10 points more than Sagna he is our choice for the right back slot.
Right Back Choice: Branislav Ivanovic
Centre Backs
The results of the centre back comparison show that Kompany and Coloccini who were picked for the PFA team of the year do not fare as well statistically and remember this is a statistical comparison for team of the year and not what we watch from the stands or on our televisions.
Lescott has won an impressive 90.70% of his tackles this season, which is 7.72% more than Vermaelen and 8.56% more than Luiz. However, Koscielny has made a tackle every 34 minutes, which is 5 minutes more often than Dunne and 7 minutes more often than Kompany.
Koscielny has also won possession of the ball back in the defensive third of the pitch every 18 minutes, which is 1 minute more often than Luiz and 4 minutes more often than Coloccini. Koscielny has also made the highest number of interceptions this season, as he has made 12 more than Hangeland and 14 more than Kaboul.
Ferdinand has rarely lost possession of the ball this season as he has only given the ball away every 513 minutes, which is 5 minutes less often than Heitinga and 14 minutes less often than Skrtel.
Skrtel has won 69% of his ground 50-50s this season, which is 2% more than Kompany, Ferdinand, Terry, Agger and Kaboul and 3% more than Hangeland. Skrtel has also won the highest percentage of aerial 50-50s, as he has won 3% more than Lescott and 7% more than Terry.
Terry did come out on top in pass completion percentage though, as he has completed 91.07% of his passes this season. This is 1.04% better than Evans and 1.08% better than Ferdinand.
Evans has conceded the fewest amount of goals per game when he has played this season as he has conceded 0.04 fewer goals per game than Kompany and 0.13 fewer goals than Lescott.
Therefore, as Koscielny and Skrtel come out on top in this comparison they are our choices to play at centre back.
Centre Back Choices: Laurent Koscielny and Martin Skrtel
Statistical Team of the Year: Defence
So far our team of the year based on statistics looks like this: Hart, Ivanovic, Koscielny, Skrtel, Figueroa.
Stay tuned in the next couple of days for part 2 when we look at who made it into the team of the year’s midfield.
