Every football team requires certain key aspects – a solid defence, a ruthless attack and an assured midfield. But one player that is a must-have is the player that is able to halt attacks before they begin.
Rather than waiting for the situation to reach a point where there is a need to get their hands (feet, rather) dirty and go in for a crunching tackle, they choose to stay clean and use their innate reading of the game to cut out potentially dangerous passes.
Also read: Football's 10 biggest traitors
In addition, these players do not receive as much credit as they should, seeing as they are silent guardians of their teams’ fate. Clubs had better be on the lookout for these players, as they could prove to be game-changers, or even season-changers.
On that note, here are the players with the most interceptions from across Europe.
#5 Ismail Konuk
Age: 29
Club: Bursaspor
Position: Centre back
Interceptions per game: 4.2
Coming in at number five on this list is Turkish centre-back Ismail Konuk, better known in his homeland as simply Ismail. He has spent his entire professional career in Turkey, starting from Denizlispor, and debuting for the club in 2006. He is a defender in the traditional mould, a part of a backline whose job is to just boot the ball as far away from the goal as possible.
This is backed up by the numbers, which show that he makes 6.7 clearances per game, and attempts 3.1 long balls per game, figures which have been fairly constant over the last few seasons.
Now, at the age of 29, Ismail is at his peak and his number of interceptions per game this season has shot up from a relatively modest 2.6 and 2.5 in the last two seasons to 4.2 this campaign. It is staggering to think that with numbers like these, he has not yet been snapped up by bigger clubs such as Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.
#4 Vitaliy Denisov
Age: 29
Club: Lokomotiv Moscow
Position: Left back
Interceptions per game: 4.3
Just shading Ismail to the fourth spot is the first of two Russian Premier League players on this list, Lokomotiv Moscow left-back Vitaliy Denisov. Another perhaps old-fashioned player, Denisov is not a traditional attacking full-back, as many are today. His attacking numbers do not make for impressive reading, but his defensive stats are fantastic.
Over the last five seasons, Denisov has averaged 3.5 interceptions per game, the number rising with each passing year, from 3.7 in 2014/15 and 4.2 in 2015/16 to 4.3 so far this season.
What is interesting to note is that even if things go wrong, he can be depended upon to bail his team out as he also averages 3.1 successful tackles per game over the last five years. He still has a good few years left in the tank and could be a useful option for a mid-table side in any of Europe’s top five leagues.
#3 Thiago Alcantara
Age: 25
Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Central Midfield
Interceptions per game: 4.3
Thiago Alcantara is probably the only name on this list that is familiar to the average football fan. Ever since leaving Barcelona for the Allianz Arena in 2013, the Spanish international has cemented himself as one of the best young midfielders on the planet.
He has never been much of a goal-scoring or box-to-box player, rather finding his calling in helping the midfield stay stable and keep its shape. He has an impressive pass accuracy, hovering constantly at the 90% mark for the past couple of seasons.
However, this season under Carlo Ancelotti, he has added another facet to the defensive side of his game – interceptions. Peaking at 4.3 per game this season, having never gone above 2.6 previously, this shows that he has the willingness to put himself about, and cover more ground, putting out fires for his side all over the pitch.
He is already one of the most coveted talents in world football, and his stock is only going to rise in the coming years.
#2 Nuno Sequeira
Age: 26
Club: Nacional
Position: Left back
Interceptions per game: 4.5
Into Portugal now, a country famed for producing top quality players over the years, and this one might just be a diamond in the rough. Nuno Sequeira has not been making waves in the media this season, but he ought to be.
After spending the majority of his career in the lower leagues of Portugal, this is Sequeira’s first season in the top flight, helping Nacional to promotion from the second division, where they had plied their trade for four years.
In addition to his 4.5 interceptions per game, Sequeira makes 2.9 successful tackles per game, and 3 clearances. His attacking numbers are good as well, as he provides 1.1 key passes per game, a high number for a left back.
He may not be ready for a move to the big leagues just yet, but perhaps a move to a bigger side in Portugal could aid him in becoming a household name in the near future.
#1 Ilya Kutepov
Age: 23
Club: Spartak Moscow
Position: Centre back
Interceptions per game: 4.9
At first place on this list is also the youngest player on this list, 23-year-old Ilya Kutepov. The Russian made his debut just last season for Spartak, playing 10 games in total. However, this season, he has been nothing short of sensational. In 17 games, Kutepov has made 4.9 interceptions and 2.1 tackles per game.
That figure of 4.9 means that he is potentially the best reader of the game in Europe. He is also the second player on this list from the Russian Premier League, not to mention the second player from a Moscow club, so Russia may not be a bad place for clubs to recruit top-notch defenders.
Achieving these kinds of numbers at the age of 23 is mind-boggling, especially considering that as a defender, he has a longer shelf life than most players. A national team call-up cannot be far away, and he could yet be Russia’s most important asset in the 2018 World Cup.
