Caughtoffside ranks teams from Europe’s top five domestic leagues based on the stinginess of their defences.
Football fans were left slightly underwhelmed with what the Champions League semi-finals served up this week.
Despite attacking stars such as Diego Costa, Cristiano Ronaldo, Arjen Robben and Frank Ribery taking the to the field, only one goal was scored in just over three hours of tense, tight and tactical play across Tuesday and Wednesday.
However, such defensive dominance should not really have come as much of a surprise. After all, the four sides in action – Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich – have all been notoriously stingy at the back this season.
In fact, all four feature in our latest list, which shows which sides have conceded the fewest league goals per game in the top divisions in England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France this term.
Real Madrid – joint 12th
Conceded 0.97 goals per game
Despite conceding two goals in La Liga on nine occasions, losing 4-3 to Barcelona in last month’s Classico and leaking three goals in a high-scoring win over Sevilla in October, Real Madrid have managed to keep their average down to just under one goal per game. This is largely as result of the 15 clean sheets kept by Diego Lopez, who has played every minute of his side’s league campaign, much to the frustration of World Cup winner Iker Casillas.
Everton – joint 12th
Conceded 0.97 goals per game
Roberto Martinez’s top-four-challenging Toffees have kept 14 Premier League clean sheets and have conceded more than one goal in just eight of their 35 top-flight outings. Tim Howard, Sylvain Distin and Leighton Baines have been Everton’s main defensive stars, while on-loan Manchester City midfielder Gareth Barry has given the Blues backline added protection. Everton may struggle to maintain their impressive defensive stats over the coming weeks though, with Distin having just joined Phil Jagielka on the treatment table with a hamstring problem.
Saint-Etienne – 10th
Conceded 0.91 goals per game
With just four games remaining, Saint-Etienne currently sit fourth in the Ligue 1 table, two points above Lyon. Their impressive campaign owes much to goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier, who has kept 15 clean sheets in 34 appearances. However, Les Verts have only secured one shutout in their last seven matches, a run of games that has seen them pick up just nine points from a possible 21.
Barcelona – ninth
Conceded 0.82 goals per game
It is widely believed that Barcelona are fairly vulnerable defensively, but that they manage to avoid too much punishment by simply starving their opponents of the ball. The stats suggest that this theory is very plausible. Ball-hogging Barca’s average share of possession in La Liga this season has been 69%.
Monaco – eighth
Conceded 0.79 goals per game
Russian owner Dmitry Rybolovlev’s millions have, so far, failed to deliver AS Monaco’s first Ligue 1 title since 2000. Despite the club’s mega spending last summer, two of their most successful players this season actually arrived on free transfers. Eric Abidal and Ricardo Carvalho have been part of a formidable backline that has kept 14 clean sheets.
Chelsea – seventh
Conceded 0.74 goals per game
Jose Mourinho made the football phrase ‘park the bus’ famous when he accused Jacques Santini’s Tottenham Hotspur side of doing just that to gain a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge in September 2004. A decade later, Mourinho has been exposed as a bit of a hypocrite, having parked many a double decker to get his team a result away from Stamford Bridge. As well as employing the blockade tactic in the Champions League on Tuesday, similar displays have seen the Blues earn 0-0s at Man United and Arsenal.
Atletico Madrid – joint fourth
Conceded 0.65 goals per game
Although 27-goal striker Diego Costa has been the man grabbing the headlines for Atletico Madrid this season, the capital club’s position at the top of La Liga is a result of the team being highly disciplined in the art of defence. The likes of Filipe Luis, Diego Godin and Juanfran have ensured that on-loan Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been a spectator for much of the campaign, but the Belgian stopper has come up with some outstanding saves when called upon.
Bayern Munich – joint fourth
Conceded 0.65 goals per game
Like Pep Guardiola’s former club (Barcelona), Bayern have monopolised possession this season, with an average share of 71.1% in their Bundesliga games. It would be fair to say that the German champions are more competent than their Spanish counterparts when their backline is challenged, though, and the stats reflect that, as they have conceded just 20 goals in 31 league matches.
Juventus – joint fourth
Conceded 0.65 goals per game
Juve are running away with Serie A and that is no shock when you consider that they have won all 17 of their home games, conceding just nine goals. Bad news England fans… Juve goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, along with defenders Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini, is likely to lineup for Italy against England in June’s World Cup Group D opener.
Lille – third
Conceded 0.59 goals per game
Lille have needed to have a sturdy defence this season because their strikeforce has been far from potent. Going forward, Rene Girard’s men have averaged just 1.12 goals per game in Ligue 1, making them the division’s joint-eighth lowest scorers. However, keeping 21 clean sheets in 34 games, thanks to frequent standout displays from Simon Kjaer, has seen the 2011 winners establish themselves in the top three and put them well on course for a place in next season’s Champions League.
Paris Saint-Germain – joint first
Conceded 0.56 goals per game
With a manager like Laurent Blanc, one would expect PSG to excel defensively. They certainly have this season, conceding just 19 league goals and keeping 19 shutouts. Former Chelsea man Alex and ex-Milan star Thiago Silva have established a fine centre-back partnership at Parc des Princes. Whoever said Brazilians couldn’t defend!?
Roma – joint first
Conceded 0.56 goals per game
Like Serie A leaders Juventus, Roma’s impressive campaign has been based on an undefeated home record and a fine defence. The Rome giants have actually conceded three fewer league goals than Juve, but three draws at the Stadio Olimpico and a slightly inferior record on the road leave Rudi Garcia’s men eight points off the pace in Italy.
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