Top tacklers in the Premier League so far this season

Pep Guardiola, undoubtedly one of the best and most innovative coaches of his generation, once said he does not coach his players the art of tackling, whilst former Liverpool star Xabi Alonso stated he does not believe ‘tackling to be a quality’

Christ, even Paulo Maldini, one of world football’s all-time great defenders says he had made a mistake if he was forced to tackle, so someone should tell this lot they’re doing the game all wrong.

We’re joking, of course, and if like us you believe a good old-fashioned tackle to be a fundamental part of the beautiful game, then these ball-winning machines are right up your street.

Here are the top tacklers in the Premier League so far this season, according to iSports API data.

Declan Rice – West Ham – 30 tackles

The West Ham youngster has emerged as one of the most promising talents in the Premier League, establishing himself in Gareth Southgate’s England squad after his switch of allegiance from the Republic of Ireland.

His impressive performances have seen him linked with a move to some of the division’s biggest sides, and the statistics show just why he is so highly-rated in the holding midfield role. The 20-year-old has been prolific in his ball-winning during West Ham’s impressive start to the new campaign, making 30 tackles in his eight appearances so far.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka – Manchester United – 31 tackles

Nicknamed ‘The Spider’ by teammates due to the range of his long legs as he dives into challenges, the full-backs prolific tackling ability has won him admirers throughout the Premier League.

Having made his name at Crystal Palace, Wan-Bissaka’s tackling and difficulty to beat one-against-one saw him join Manchester United in a £50m deal this summer, where he has continued to make challenges at an impressive rate.

The 21-year-old has made 31 tackles in just six appearances, a rate of more than five per game, establishing himself as a fixture at right-back and earning a first call-up to the senior England team.

Oriol Romeu – Southampton – 33 tackles

The Southampton midfielder continues to act as an enforcer down on the South Coast, marshalling in front of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s defensive set-up and breaking down play.

Romeu has started in each of the club’s opening eight fixtures of the new season, making 33 tackles in the process.

Many have tipped Southampton for a season of struggle and the club have won just twice so far, and they will need Romeu to continue to shut-down opposition attacks as regularly as possible if they’re to avoid the drop.

Wilfried Ndidi – Leicester – 35 tackles

The most prolific tackler in each of the past two seasons, speak to any Leicester fan and they will tell you that the Nigerian international is amongst the finest holding midfield players in the division.

Whilst the likes of N’golo Kante and Fabinho may grab more headlines, Ndidi’s statistical numbers are incomparable when it comes to breaking up the play.

The 22-year-old is strong and athletic, whilst his reading of the game allows him to provide a platform for Leicester’s exciting attacking talents to flourish.

Bigger clubs have been linked, though the Foxes will do their utmost to retain him.

Ricardo Pereira – Leicester – 35 tackles

Alongside Leicester teammate Ndidi at the top of the charts is flying full-back Pereira, who has been one of the stand-out players in the early weeks of the new season.

The Portuguese international is quickly being recognised amongst the best right-backs in the Premier League and has played a key role in the impressive early season form of Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Having scored twice already his attacking threat has been well documented in recent weeks, though his joint-leading 35 tackles prove he is equally adept defensively.

*All data collects from iSports API.

Five highest scorers in Euro qualifying history

Cristiano Ronaldo’s one-man assault to claim every goalscoring record ever invented continued this week, the Portuguese superstar scoring the 700th goal of his magnificent career during Portugal’s Euro 2020 qualifier with Ukraine.

It was the latest landmark in Ronaldo’s extraordinary legacy and continued his prolific record in European Championship qualifying, but where does he rank amongst all-time greatest goalscorers in qualification history?

The five highest scorers in Euro qualifying history，according to iSports API football data:

Zlatan Ibrahimovic – 19 goals

The Swedish superstar is still going strong at the age of 38 in MLS, though the former Manchester United man called time on his international career as arguably his country’s greatest ever player back in 2016.

Comfortably Sweden’s all-time great goalscorer following a 15-year international career that delivered 62 goals in 166 caps, Ibrahimovic fired 19 goals during Euro qualifying as Sweden qualified for four successive finals between 2004 and 2016.

One of the greatest forwards of his generation, 11 of Ibrahimovic’s qualifying goals would come as Sweden reached the 2016 finals, though after a disappointing group stage exit he would retire from international duty at the conclusion of the tournament.

Hakan Sukur – 19 goals

Known as the ‘Bull of Bosporus’, Sukur broke several goalscoring records in a career which spanned more than two decades, including becoming the greatest goalscorer in the history of the Turkish national team during a memorable international career.

Sukur would net seven times as Turkey qualified for the 1996 championships in England, though failed to replicate that form at the finals as his side were eliminated without scoring a single goal.

Capped 112 times, Sukur would score 51 international goals, including a huge 19 in Euro qualifying. His goals would help Turkey once again reach the finals in 2000, where they were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Portugal.

Jon Dahl Tomasson – 19 goals

The Danish forward couldn’t buy a goal during a disappointing Premier League spell at Newcastle, though Tomasson was a different proposition in the red shirt of his national team.

He would fire six goals as Denmark qualified for the finals in 2000, while another haul of five saw them once again qualify for Euro 2004, where he was named in the team of the tournament.

A deep-lying forward, Tomasson’s best personal haul would be in qualifying for Euro 2008, though Denmark failed to reach the finals despite his eight strikes.

The former AC Milan striker would remarkably never go more than two qualifiers without finding the net, retiring from international duty in 2010 as his country’s joint all-time record goalscorer with 52 goals.

Robbie Keane – 23 goals

The talisman for the Irish for virtually the entirety of his international career, Keane would prove prolific at international level scoring 62 times for the Boys in Green.

The joint-fifth highest European international goalscorer of all-time, Keane is also the second most prolific player in the history of Euro qualifying.

Despite the regularity of his cart-wheeling celebration in qualifiers, Keane would reach just two finals, in 2012 and 2016 where a place in the last 16 was their best finish. His 23 goals would prove the benchmark, until it was surpassed by one man in September 2019…



Cristiano Ronaldo – 27 goals

Who else? One of the game’s all-time greats continues to set new records and landmarks, surpassing Keane to become the greatest goalscorer in European Championship qualifiers in September 2019. He achieved the feat in typical Ronaldo fashion, hitting four goals in a thrashing of Lithuania.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner further extended his record by scoring in October’s qualifiers with Luxembourg and Ukraine, the latter being the 700th goal of his illustrious career.

Portugal’s all-time record goalscorer now has 95 goals in 162 caps for his national side, whilst he is quickly closing in on Iranian Ali Daei’s record of 106 goals as the greatest goalscorer in the history of international football.

The 20 finalists for the 2019 Golden Boy award have been revealed

The 20 finalists for the best U21 player of the year have now been announced.

The Golden Boy trophy is dished out annually by Italian outlet Tuttosport and was last year won by Matthijs De Ligt.



The 20-year-old Dutchman is in the running for the award again this year and the winner will be announced on 16 December.

In the meantime, here are the 20 finalists …

1) Matthijs DE LIGT, (Juventus, The Netherlands)

2) Alphonso Boyle DAVIES, (Bayern Munich, Canada)

3) Gianluigi DONNARUMMA, (Milan, Italy)

4) Ansu FATI, (Barcelona, ​​Spain)

5) Philip Walter FODEN, (Manchester City, England)

6) Mattéo Olié GUENDOUZI, (Arsenal, France)

7) Erling Braut HÅLAND, (Salzburg, Norway)

8) Kai HAVERTZ, (Bayer Leverkusen, Germany)

9) JOÃO FÉLIX , (Atlético de Madrid, Portugal)

10) Dejan JOVELJIC (Eintracht Frankfurt, Serbia)

11) Moise Kean (Everton, Italy)

12) KANG-IN LEE (Valencia, South Korea)

13) Andrij LUNIN (Valladolid, Ukraine)

14) Donyell MALEN (PSV Eindhoven, The Netherlands)

15) Mason MOUNT (Chelsea, England)

16) Rodrygo Goes (Real Madrid, Brazil)

17) Jadon SANCHO (Borussia Dortmund, England)

18) Ferrán Torres (Valencia, Spain)

19) VINICIUS Jr. (Real Madrid, Brazil)

20) Nicolò ZANIOLO (Rome, Italy)

Cristiano Ronaldo makes history with 700th career goal

Cristiano Ronaldo is officially the sixth highest scorer in football history after netting his 700th goal against Ukraine on Monday.

His second-half penalty saw him reach the milestone, with Gerd Müller (701) and Ferenc Puskás (709) in more than catchable distance.



Here is an official breakdown of where Ronaldo’s goals were scored, according to iSports API:

450 – Real Madrid
118 – Manchester United
95 – Portugal
32 – Juventus
7 – Sporting CP

The 34-year-old will also be hunting down former Iran striker Ali Daei, who currently holds the international goalscoring record on 109 goals.

What an achievement.

The longest serving player at Premier League Big 6 club

Some surprise names and some surprise tenures! Here are the longest serving players for each Premier League club right now.

Players currently out on loan not included, data according to iSports API.

Arsenal: Emiliano Martinez



The Argentine goalkeeper, currently on international duty for the first time in eight years, has never been closer to the number one slot at Arsenal.

Having made his debut for the club way back in 2012, Martinez has since gone on six different loan spells. Now, at 27, he’s the Gunners’ cup keeper for the season.

Chelsea: Cesar Azpilicueta


Mister Reliable himself. Azpilicueta is a rare long-serving player at Stamford Bridge.

The club captain has won two Premier League titles and two Europa League titles since his arrival from Marseille in 2012.

Liverpool: Jordan Henderson


Signed in the summer of 2011 when Kenny Dalglish was in charge of the club, Henderson came with a big price tag and lofty expectations.

The midfielder has gone on to replace Steven Gerrard as captain and lifted the Champions League trophy in June – not bad!

Manchester City: David Silva


An absolute magician with four Premier League titles to his name.

Now in his final season with the club, Silva is a bonafide legend not just for Manchester City but in Premier League football.

Manchester United: Phil Jones



Yep, Phil Jones, who joined from Blackburn in 2011 and has a contract at Old Trafford until 2023.

Doesn’t that just sum up the malaise at Manchester United?

Tottenham: Danny Rose

Signed by Martin Jol in 2007 – yes, 2007! – Rose had to wait a while to make his mark at Spurs.

He made it, though, and did so in style, scoring a screamer against Arsenal on his debut in 2010. The left-back has been a regular under Mauricio Pochettino.

For more details, please visit iSportsAPI.com

Miralem Pjanić has been Europe's best player so far this season

There hasn’t been a better player in Europe this season than Miralem Pjanić.

That’s according to the well-respected football data provider iSports API, who have crunched the numbers and reveal just who has been performing the best across the continent’s top five leagues.

Pjanić comes out on top, just ahead of Inter’s Stefano Sensi and Atalanta forward Papu Gómez.

The Juventus playmaker has played nine times in all competitions so far for Maurizio Sarri’s men, scoring twice and assisting a further two more,as per iSports API data.

There’s no Premier League representation on the list, but there is a place for two Real Madrid players and two more from Paris Saint-Germain.

Olivier Giroud must seize his chance with France given his limited minutes at Chelsea

When Olivier Giroud arrived on Monday to the France national team's headquarters at Clairefontaine, an hour south of Paris, it wouldn't be surprising if he took a deep breath of fresh air.

He was back in familiar territory, a place he knows so well and feels at home.

He was also welcoming a break from his daily routine at Chelsea, which has been rough so far this season. Last weekend, he was not in the Blues' matchday squad in their win at Southampton. Chelsea manager Frank Lampard only wanted one striker on the bench with Tammy Abraham in the starting lineup, going with Michy Batshuayi and leaving Giroud back in London.

That's not to say that Giroud is unhappy at Chelsea. He likes the club, the fans and the vibe in the dressing room, but he also wants to play. He needs to play. And so far, he has not played enough: only three games in the Premier League (one start) for a total of a mere 101 minutes, according to iSports API football data. Add that to his 17 minutes in Champions League group stage play so far, and you get the picture.

France striker Olivier Giroud is struggling for time at Chelsea. If Giroud is to factor for France at the 2020 Euros, he'll need more game time at the club, and as you'd expect, he is ready to fight for it. He had a discussion with Lampard recently, who assured him that he was counting on Giroud and that he would have his chance.

When Giroud did play earlier in the season, he made the most of it. He started and scored in the UEFA Super Cup loss against Liverpool in August. He also had convincing performances in the first 45 minutes against Leicester before being subbed off. He was also solid off the bench against Norwich. Now he's waiting for another opportunity to impress his club manager.

A few days ago, he celebrated his 33rd birthday, and as he is getting older, he is also getting wiser. He doesn't want to panic yet, there is no need for it. But ahead of France's upcoming Euro qualifying matches against Iceland and Turkey, manager Didier Deschamps has expressed his concern over Giroud's situation.

"I am worried. I don't take away what Olivier has achieved with us. His recent performances were very good. He is the third-best scorer with the national team. But I wish his situation would change. Above his efficiency, it is also about his rhythm. He already had times before where he was not playing much. But at the moment, it is not enough, fitness-wise. He cannot be at his best," Deschamps said on Monday.

But Deschamps knows Giroud inside-out. He knows he can rely on him and that he will not give up.

It is reminiscent of what happened at the start of the 2017-18 campaign when Giroud was still at Arsenal. Behind Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, he was third choice and he had to leave in January. He went across town in search for more playing time to ensure his spot on the 2018 World Cup squad.

The move worked well for him and for Les Bleus. Even though he didn't score in Russia, Giroud featured in seven matches as France secured their second World Cup trophy.

Could the same happen in January 2020? It is a possibility, but there is still a long way to go before the transfer window opens anew. For now, Giroud wants to show Lampard that he deserves to play more, that he can score goals for Chelsea and bring something different to the team. All of Giroud's career has been defined by such adversity and the need to prove people wrong. This is nothing new to him. It is just a new chapter and he's used to it.

On Friday in Reykjavik, Giroud will start up front alongside Barcelona's Antoine Griezmann. As per iSports API football data, it will be his 94th cap for Les Bleus and he will be looking for his 36th international goal. It will do him a lot of good to play a big part of the game. There is also a very strong chance that he will then start again against Turkey next week at the Stade de France. Starting two games in a row has been so rare this season that it would be great for him to shine at this point in time.

The international break can be tiring for some players, but for Giroud, it represents a breath of fresh air. Hopefully, it'll give him a lot more confidence and momentum before going back to the grind at Chelsea and fighting for his place.

All football data collected from iSports API.