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The Premier League is arguably one of the toughest leagues in the world. The difficulty in prospering in England's top division is in overcoming the physicality that is involved.
Not every player who has been successful in other top European leagues is assured of success in England. Some of the best players have at times struggled to make it big in the Premier League.
The Premier League challenges the physical strength of a player
Winning a duel is always a daunting task irrespective of whether it is being fought aerially or on the pitch. Ultimately, what matters is getting possession at any cost.
Some footballers have mastered the art of winning a duel in the Premier League and have been very efficient in that. Here, we take a look at the top players who have won the most number of duels since the start of the 2020-21 season.
#5 John McGinn (369)
John McGinn has been one of the most underrated players in the Premier League over the past few years. The Scottish midfielder has become an important player for Aston Villa ever since joining them in the 2018-19 season from Hibernian.
Playing as a central midfielder, McGinn is known to be more of an attacking outlet but his defensive side isn't bad either. With his aggression, constant high energy and desire to win the ball back, the left-footed footballer is often involved in duels on the pitch.
The 27-year-old has impressive tackling abilities under his belt and has used it quite effectively for Villa. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, McGinn has won 368 duels in the league. The Scotsman has so far won 79 tackles since last season.
#4 Joelinton (371)
The Brazilian has been somewhat inconsistent since arriving in the 2019-20 season from Hoffenheim. Joelinton has lately been shifted to a midfield role and is doing pretty well.
The Newcastle United midfielder has always had a knack for getting into intense challenges to win the ball. Joelinton has been impressive in the ongoing campaign, being a reliable player for manager Eddie Howe. Although he has committed the fourth-most fouls this season (49), he has won the 10th most number of tackles (37).
His desire to win the ball makes him more dangerous and with his tall and strong physique, he's always going to be challenged in tough duels. Joelinton has won 371 duels in the league since the start of last season.
#3 James Tarkowski (437)
The Premier League has some fine English defenders and James Tarkowski is surely one of them. Playing for Burnley, the 29-year-old is one of the most consistent defenders in the league.
Tarkowski has played a major role in helping the Clarets stay away from relegation since their promotion in the 2016-17 season. His reading of the game and anticipation has been top notch and has come of great use to manager Sean Dyche.
Tarkowski won the third-most number of aerial duels (184) last season and currently ranks third too in that department with 117. In total, the Englishman has won 437 duels since last season.
#2 Adama Traore (459)
The Spaniard is currently on loan at Barcelona from Wolverhampton Wanderers and has been quite impressive with them. He already has four assists to his name across all competitions with the Catalan club.
Adama Traore, with his blistering pace and quick footwork, has been difficult to contain. His time at Wolves saw him beat past players with utter ease, but the only part he struggled with was his productivity in the final third. He scored just 11 goals and made 18 assists in 154 appearances for Wolves in all competitions.
Nevertheless, Traore was quite successful in winning off most duels. He has won 459 duels in the league since the 2020-21 season and drew the second-most fouls (104) last season.
#1 Tomas Soucek (529)
Since arriving from Slavia Prague in the 2019-20 season, Tomas Soucek has slowly become a very important player for West Ham United. Playing alongside Declan Rice in midfield, the Czech Republic midfielder is involved in both the attacking and defensive part of the game.
With his ball-winning abilities, Soucek is a difficult player to beat. His height allows him to strongly challenge in the air and is quite an asset during set-pieces. While he's often guilty of committing fouls, the West Ham midfielder gets the job done for manager David Moyes.
Last season, Soucek won the ball the most number of times (228) in the league. Since last season, he has won 529 duels and helped win possession for the Hammers.
