Just How Good is Chelsea's Gary Cahill?

In April last year, I wrote an article questioning how good Gary Cahill is. The research into the article revealed some rather interesting facts surrounding the highly rated centre back.

The findings showed Gary Cahill was a decent centre back. His statistics didn’t shine, nor did they condemn him.

However, Gary Cahill has finally made the move to a bigger club. After years of speculation Gary Cahill has moved on from Bolton, to Chelsea for a fee of around £7million. The fee is far more down to earth in comparison to the numbers being touted in the gossip columns in the summer. There were a number of reports suggesting clubs seriously considered paying fees of around £20million for the 26 year old.

But now Cahill has got his move, it seems wise to compare him to other centre back’s in the division. Unlike last time, I intend to be more incisive by looking at the Gary Cahill’s defensive statistics so far this season. Cahill will be compared to; Joleon Lescott, John Terry, Vincent Kompany, Laurent Koscielny and David Luiz.

Before we start, there are things that need to be put into perspective. Firstly, Gary Cahill statistics are those from his Bolton Premier League games this season and importantly the statistics were taken on 28/01/12. This means he was a figure in the team who have conceded the most goals in the Premier league this season. This will un-doubtly have a negative effect on his defensive statistics in comparison to the other defenders.

So onto the stats.

	Gary Cahill	John Terry	Joleon Lescott	Vincent Kompany	Laurent Koscielny	David Luiz
Appearances	19	22	19	19	20	10
Minutes Played	1638	1980	1630	1694	1726	900
Clean Sheets	2	6	6	8	7	4
Goals Conceded	38	25	17	13	28	9
Goals Conceded Per Game	2	1.14	0.94	0.68	1.4	0.9
Total Tackles	14	43	29	43	53	18
Tackle Success %	71.43%	69.77%	93.10%	88.37%	64.15%	77.78%
Total Ground Duals	163	149	113	110	173	85
Ground Duals Success %	56%	68%	63%	67%	69%	56%
Total Aerial Duals	103	54	35	23	62	14
Aerial Duals Success %	61%	78%	77%	74%	68%	50%
Interceptions	43	47	26	46	67	35
Pass Completion %	74.45%	91%	87.63%	88.36%	84.27%	86.35%

Looking at the amount of tackles made, Gary Cahill has made the fewest with 14. While Koscielny made the most with 53 tackles. There is a clear reason as to why Cahill has made such few tackles. As stated before, Gary Cahill is a covering centre back. Meaning his style of play is not to rush into challenges, but more to get into the correct positions to sweep up loose balls.

On the flip side, Cahill has made a mere 14 tackles in 19 games. Thus meaning he makes a tackle an alarmingly every 117 minutes. One could argue a weakness of Cahill is that he is rather hesitant in going into challenges. After all, David Luiz, (a player who has played only 900 minutes) has managed to make more tackles than Cahill. Indeed, Chelsea will demand Cahill to be less hesitant in going into challenges. This hesitancy could lead to the opposition having more space, time and opportunity to attack Cahill’s team.

In terms of tackling success, Gary Cahill has the 5^th best out of the players analysed. Cahill’s tackle success ratio of 71.43% is a decent record. Indeed, it is better than John Terry’s and Laurent Koscielny’s tackle success ratio. This demonstrates Cahill’s solidarity as a centre back. It’s transparent Cahill is a player who more often than not leaves a tackling dual with the ball. Cahill’s highly thought of technique and reading of the game is a key reason as to why the England international’s tackle success ratio is so high. After all, Cahill can effectively determine if he can win the ball, and has the technique to successfully execute the challenge.

John Terry’s tackle success ratio rings alarm bells. After all, most would expect him to be at the top of the list, considering how highly he is rated not only by Chelsea fans but by England fans and the UK press too. However, Man City’s Vincent Kompany made the exact same amount of tackles as John Terry. But in 43 tackles, Kompany won a fantastic 88.37% of them, which is the second best out of the players analysed. This highlights one of the reasons why Kompany is viewed as the best centre back in the league. As Kompany makes a number of attempts to tackle and wins an extremely huge amount of them.

However, Joleon Lescott’s tackle success ratio illuminates Kompany’s and the others tackle success ratio. Lescott has won 93.1% of his 29 tackles. This is outstanding. It displays that Joleon Lescott’s qualities are not entirely overrated. Looking at his statistics collectively, you could say it perhaps justifies the huge fee paid by Man City for his services. It’s evident along with the statistics that Lescott is a valuable asset for Man City. He is a player who can be trusted to win the ball and protect his side.

Arguably, ground duals are crucial in determining just how good Gary Cahill is. After all, Cahill style of defending demands good positioning and impeccable alertness to nick the ball from the opponents feet.

Gary Cahill has attempted 163 ground duals, the second highest amount. While Koscielny has attempted the most with 173. Both Koscielny and Cahill have attempted far more ground duals than the others. However, the difference between Koscielny and Cahill in regards to ground duals is huge. Koscielny has had a ground dual success of 68% which is the best out of the selection of centre backs. While Gary Cahill has a ground dual success of 56%, which is joint worst alongside David Luiz. This is a cause for concern for Chelsea. Luiz and Cahill are viewed as the defensive partnership which will lead Chelsea in the future. But both have struggled to dominate ground duals. This could lead to Chelsea continuing to be porous at the back.
However, Cahill’s reading and execution of the game will improve now he’s at Chelsea. After all, he is now at a team who have a better selection of defensive abilities and more organisation at the back. Not only this, Cahill’s application defensively will improve with the better players he now will immerse himself with around in training with.

What’s intriguing is that the other defender who is viewed as a covering centre back, Laurent Koscielny, has a very high ground dual success figure of 69%. Koscielny’s statistics demonstrate just how effective he has been. The Frenchman has settled and developed sensationally in his second season at Arsenal.But for Gary Cahill, the stats suggest he is not leading the Premier League at all in terms of competing for ground duals. If Gary Cahill is to be viewed as a genuine top quality covering centre back, he needs to win more ground duals amongst other aspects of his defensive game.

Many have stated, Gary Cahill’s true strengths lies in his reading of the game. In some respects this is correct. Looking at Cahill’s interception statistics, it’s not terrible, but neither is it fantastic.

Cahill has the 4^th best interception statistic out the players analysed. What’s interesting is Cahill’s new defensive team mate, David Luiz in just 10 games has managed nearly the same amount of interceptions as Cahill. However, the former Bolton man’s interception figure will most likely increase rapidly now he is at Chelsea. This is because Chelsea play a high defensive line, meaning a key feature of their system will be to press more quickly onto the opposition attacker in order to limit the space and time the attacker has on the ball.

The best interceptor, by far, was Laurent Koscielny with 67 interceptions. This is further proof of the Arsenal man’s fantastic development and true quality. Koscielny is often subjected to many criticisms, but the reality is he is one the leading covering centre backs in the Premier League. The second highest interceptor was Chelsea’s John Terry. The Chelsea captain has also been subject to broad criticisms with some arguing he is no longer a top defender. But his interception statistics indicate otherwise. As much as Terry isn’t the defender he once was, but there aspects of his game where he is still sharp and effective.

One area which Gary Cahill dominates in comparison to the players analysed was his aerial abilities. Cahill attempted 103 aerial duals which is by far the highest out of the players analysed. But Gary Cahill had the 5^th most successes in aerial duals. Cahill won 61% of his aerial duals. 61% isn’t bad at all, considering the number of attempts he’s had. In fact, it’s solid. But on the other hand it suggests there is clear room for improvement in the aerial aspect of Cahill’s game.

However, Cahill’s new captain John Terry’s aerial success percentage is the best out of the players analysed. Terry’s impressive 78% aerial success ratio is further evidence that the England centre back is still one of the divisions best defenders. Perhaps a real positive for the Chelsea fans is that, Cahill’s aerial and interception success statistics are better than David Luiz’. Meaning Chelsea have brought a player who should improve the depth of the squad. But one must not forget, Luiz has played far less games than any of the players analysed.

Furthermore, considering all the statistics and comparing them to the other players, Gary Cahill has not covered himself in much glory at all. The stats make him look like a decent defender rather than someone touted as one of the best centre backs in the Premier League. Chelsea’s payment of £7million for Cahill’s services seems like a justified price. No one can deny, the centre back is talented, but even for £7million he still has a lot to prove.

The statistics may alarm Chelsea and England fans, after all, Cahill fails to dominate any of the positive areas of the analysis. But one must take Cahill’s statistics with a pinch of salt. Gary Cahill was playing for Bolton, a team struggling to survive in the Premier League. While the other defenders were playing for sides who are winning most weeks and have better defensive players at their disposal.

Conversely, the statistics also tell a simple story. They tell, Gary Cahill must improve if he is to survive at a bigger club like Chelsea. Cahill must hit the ground running at Chelsea and will have to develop with every game.

Furthermore, at Chelsea, there will be more scrutiny thrown towards Gary Cahill. As people will expect him to stablise Chelsea’s brittle backline. Not only this, Chelsea are expected to win every game and keep clean sheets. If Cahill costs Chelsea a sloppy goal or even the game, the pressure will well and truly be on Cahill as his mistakes will be recognised on a much wider scale.

One could argue, the reason why Gary Cahill has not been able to get into the Chelsea team is not because he isnt fit enough, as Andre Villas -Boas would tell you. The real reason could be, as the stats show, Cahill is no where near the the top level defenders in the Premier League. Perhaps, Villas -Boas wants to give Cahill time to settle and adapt to Chelsea's style.

But, Gary Cahill will improve naturally at Chelsea, but the 26 year old faces a big challenge. He must learn, develop and conform to the expectations of a top four defender.

Cahill has shown his competency on the England stage. But now he has to prove he can do it week in week out for a team battling for trophies.

It seems certain Cahill will improve at Chelsea with the better players, but the question is how long will it take for him to be at the similar levels to the other defenders analysed.

Statistics from EPL Index. (Stats taken on 28/01/12)

Five Observations from Week 10 in the Premier League

1. Manchester City prove they get can away wins against tough mid-table teams- This was a real test for Manchester City. It was a test which City just about passed. QPR threw a load of punches at Man City. The first critical punch came when QPR took the lead. It was the first time in the league an opposition has taken the lead against Manchester City. Indeed, Manchester City stood up and got the equaliser through Edin Dzeko, who has now scored 10 Premier League goals, 7 of those coming away from home. City then grabbed the initiative again by taking the lead, but against determined opposition, who have a very solid attacking unit and with their passionate fans behind them, QPR reacted and managed to bring the game level to 2-2. But again, this didn’t effect severely effect Man City. Within a few minutes City took the lead again – which ended up being the crucial winning goal. This result proves City have strong belief and togetherness to come out of tough tests with all the three points. A number of teams would have fallen apart and lost their way after being pegged back away from home. It also proves, even if City don’t play at their very best, the team have enough quality and cohesion to get the win away from home.
2. Liverpool are not good enough for a top four finish – Liverpool let themselves down again. For the third home game in a row, they have drawn. For the second time in a row, they have drawn at home games against two newly promoted sides. Utterly woeful. Liverpool’s attack has improved from last season, but The Reds have lacked a clinical cutting edge this season. Indeed, Liverpool have created the chances but the finishing simply hasn’t been there. That was the case against Swansea. It’s clear if a team have aspirations to be in the top four they must win their encounters at home against the teams below them in the league. With every game, Liverpool’s finishing has been a growing concern. It’s vital Dalglish and his players rectify this because as it stands, Liverpool feel and look extremely brittle at Anfield.
3. Chelsea finally get their first clean sheet since August but one must not get carried away with this stat – Chelsea grabbed their first win in three with an away win at Blackburn. Perhaps this result was expected. After all, prior to this game, Blackburn had gone 5 games without a win. But Chelsea, got the three points thanks to yet another Frank Lampard goal, and they said his best days were over? Look at him now! But more crucially, Chelsea got themselves a clean sheet. Their first clean sheet since the opening day draw at Stoke. But Chelsea know they can’t get carried away. They were playing one of the Premier League’s out of form sides, they were playing a team who had only managed a woeful 1 win in 5 games at home this season. Furthermore, Blackburn haven’t kept a clean sheet this season, so it was inevitable Chelsea would come out on top. But this is a morale boosting win, as bigger challenges lay ahead for Chelsea.
4. Wolves get three points in their biggest game of the season..so far, while Wigan lose yet again- Wolves finally end their run of 8 games without a win. It was a win which was utterly deserved. Wolves didn’t play Wigan off the park, but they did play a far better game than Wigan. Wolves defended better, used the ball more wisely and attacked in a more clinical fashion. This was a vital game for both Wigan and Wolves. Prior to this game, both teams had lost more than 6 games in a row. Both teams saw this as a 6 pointer fixture for themselves. But Wolves showed their strength and determination to end this run. While Wigan, yet again, showed no substance. The team were not clinical and arguably their goalkeeper Ali Al-Habsi kept Wigan within reach of Wolves. But Wigan looked out of sorts. The team seem struggle to score and struggled to defend. It will certainly be a long season for Wigan. While for Wolves, what a difference a win makes. Wolves go into the international break in 13^th position, a point behind Stoke and QPR.
5. Bolton finally win at home – Prior to this game, Bolton were the only team in the Premier League who have failed to pick up a single point at home. But that changed this weekend. Bolton hammered Stoke. Perhaps it was a reverse of the hammering Stoke gave to Bolton in the FA Cup Semi-Final last season. Bolton fully deserved the points against Stoke. Bolton seemed more fresher and more hungry for the win. The Wanderers imposed themselves on Stoke and put Pulis’ men under a great deal of pressure throughout the game. Kevin Davies, a man whose form has been under scruinity this season played a crucial part in Bolton’s win. He was an imposing figure, who caused Stoke a handful of problems with his physicality and great holding up of the ball. However, for Stoke, the team looked tired and its evident the effects of playing in the Europa League are having an effect on the team’s domestic performances. Pulis must find a formula to get his side to perform in the games after tough Europa League encounters.

Five Statistics from this Weekend

1. Gabriel Agbonlahor has scored against 26 of the 30 different teams he has faced in the Premier League.
2. 48% of Arsenal’s goals have come from Robin Van Persie this season.
3. Liverpool have drawn the most games at home this season (4 draws)
4. Brad Friedel made his 276 consecutive start in the PL versus Fulham. Last time he missed a match was May 2004.
5. QPR have only won 1 home game in 6 attempts this season.

Five Observations from Week 8 in the Premier League

1. Manchester City send a powerful message that will resound across Europe – Prior to the Manchester Derby, Man United were viewed as invincible at home. And so they should have been. United had won their previous 24/25 Premier League home matches, a feat which in itself was a key factor as to why United won the league last season. Ahead of the match Mancini said he would be content if he left Old Trafford with a draw. But boy, didn’t he leave with so much more. Manchester City compounded Man United to their worst defeat since 1955. Mancini’s city were sensational. David Silva toyed with Man United’s defence throughout the game. Silva’s movement, passing and creativity was incontainable for Manchester United. City severely frightened Man United. Actually no, Manchester City humiliated Man United. But the result is a massive indicator of how Man City need to be taken seriously. Firstly, the fact Manchester City hammered Man United at Old Trafford demonstrates the sheer monstrosity of this expensively assembled City side. It proves not only does Manchester City have title credentials, they have the belief, quality and hunger to run away the Premier League. Secondly, in England, the press seem adamant to brand Roberto Mancini’s style as ‘calculated, disciplined and defensive.’ But these statements were confounded by this weekend’s result. Manchester City headed to the Champion’s invincible ground. A ground in which United had not lost a league game in over two years. But Manchester City came, saw and conquered. Not only this, City proved Mancini is willing to make his side play adventurous football in order to get crucial wins at away grounds, something he was criticised for continuously since becoming Man City manager. Finally, Man United now know the ‘noisy neighbours’ are no longer noisy. Manchester City are now roaring with hunger, belief and pride.
2. Liverpool must to learn to take their chances or fourth place will be beyond them – Liverpool have now drawn 3/5 of their home Premier League matches this season. Draws against Sunderland, Man United and Norwich have been agonising for Liverpool fans. All three games could have easily been won. Had Liverpool been more clinical. The simple matter is, Liverpool have been creating the chances. But the team, especially the strikers have failed to finish the chances. This wastefulness has cost them in the short term, as its meant Liverpool have dropped points against teams which they should have easily got three points off. As a result Liverpool find themselves 4 points away from 4^th placed Newcastle. But in the long term, Liverpool’s wastefulness upfront could have detrimental effects on their long term goals. The fact Newcastle and Tottenham have been solid and productive at home it could mean that Liverpool could fall away rather dramatically from 4^th place because of their rather avoidable dropped points.
3. Swansea impresses, but show they lack Premier League experience – Swansea played Wolves off the park for 83 minutes. Swansea kept the ball better, they created the better chances and looked far more accomplished against a rather defensively clumsy Wolves side. Swansea quite rightfully went into half time 2 goals ahead. It was utterly deserved. They dominated proceedings. But as the second half progressed, Wolves pressed higher up and looked desperate to somehow claw their way back into the game. Throughout the game, Swansea dealt with Wolves set pieces in a rather unconvincing manner. The team struggled to get the ball away and lost many key tackles and headers during set pieces. It came as no surprise that Wolves goal came from a set piece – be it a scrappy one. But the Wolves goal seemed to give the Wanderers all the confidence and momentum. Two minutes later, Jamie O’Hara made it 2-2. But this result was completely undeserved for Wolves. Who were second best for most of the game. The draw showed Swansea still lack a certain degree of Premier League experience. At the back, Swansea were not very organised in defending set pieces. While after the first Wolves goal, Swansea lost their focus and allowed Wolves to grow in confidence. This weekend’s result will provide harsh evidence to the Swansea players that keeping their concentration and not getting complacent for 90+ minutes is an imperative. As a team can be woeful as Wolves were and can still manage to come away with a draw by simply hanging in there and throwing knock out punches when the opportunity arises for them.
4. Bolton become softer and softer at home – Last season, Bolton were pretty hard to beat at home. The Wanderers only lost four home games last season. While this season, a different picture is painted. In five Premier League home games, Bolton have lost every single one, thus failing to even pick up a point at home. That is disastrous form. This form is unacceptable in any league in the world. The team have scored 4 at home this season, while conceding a monumental 17 goals at home. But this weekend’s game against Sunderland was supposed to be the game which Bolton bag their first home win of the season. Sunderland was there for the taking. Like themselves, Sunderland’s form has been relatively inconsistent. Prior to this weekend, Sunderland had only won once in 8 games – a hardly impressive feat. But Bolton have looked far too soft this season. In defence Bolton look unoriginally weak, while upfront, Bolton look toothless. Perhaps the difference between the Bolton and Sunderland was that Sunderland were more clinical. Bolton have a lot of improving to do. The team seem to have no real strengths at the moment.
5. Chelsea’s indiscipline could cost them their title challenge – So far this season, Chelsea have looked rather impressive. Their style of play, along with their attacking nature has made Andre Villas –Boas team very entertaining to watch. However, this weekend, they were the victims of their own downfall. Prior to the match, QPR provided Chelsea with a key chance to go ahead of Man United in the league. Furthermore, QPR’s home form this season has been far from impressive. The Rangers had not won a single home game and had only scored two goals at home prior to the game. But Chelsea’s two red cards which both were frustratingly avoidable and changed the game. Chelsea unsurprisingly with 9 men looked rather shaky at the back, but Chelsea reacted fantastically. Chelsea dominating proceedings with just 9 men. The Blues attacked, attacked and attacked. Perhaps Chelsea were unlucky not to get at least a draw. Chelsea created a handful of chances. However, Chelsea’s finishing was a tad lacklustre. Had they been more clinical, Chelsea could have possibly got all three points let alone a single point. But in 9 Premier League games, Chelsea have gained three red cards. 2/3 of the red cards were strikers (Torres and Drogba) both challenges were reckless and unneeded. AVB must further discipline his players, or Chelsea could be victims of their own downfall.

Five Statistics from this weekend

1.) Man United have allowed the opposition more shots per game than any other Premier League side

2.) 80% of the goals Liverpool have conceded have come in the second half

3.) Robin Van Persie has scored 25 Premier League goals in 2011 – no other player has scored more than that in the Premier League in 2011.

4.) Edin Dzeko has scored 8 Premier League goals this season – 7 of those goals have been scored away from home.

5.) Manchester City have scored the first goal in every Premier League game they have played in this season – Only team in league to have this record in tact.

Just how good is Gary Cahill?

Gary Cahill has been a name which been branded across all the gossip columns. The likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Man United and other big clubs have been rumoured in showing an interest in the centre back. One would have to say, its justified. As he clearly is a decent ball playing centre back. But, one thing has always confused me about Gary Cahill. His valuation. Bolton in January demanded £20 million for Cahill. This begs the question, is Gary Cahill that good?

Now, of course, no one can deny Gary Cahill’s ability. He is a centre back who is competent with the ball at his feet, he can win his fair share of headers and has a great attacking instinct for a centre back. When one remembers Gary Cahill, they remember his fantastic goals. That brilliant overhead kick versus Birmingham comes to mind. Or just recently, his brace against his former side Aston Villa. Its evident he is a centre back who knows how to take his chances.

But being a centre back, his finishing skills are useful, but there not as vital as other attributes. The question mark about Gary Cahill is simply been about, how good is he defensively. On the surface, it seems he is most certainly at Premier League standard for these attributes.

However, is this really worth £20 million? I have taken a close look at three English centre backs. Gary Cahill, John Terry and Joleon Lescott. I have analysed their last 5 games and have compared them to Gary Cahill’s last 5 games. If Gary Cahill is near these centre backs in terms of statistics in winning tackles, making interceptions and successfully passing. Maybe the price tag is justified.

The reason why I have chosen Terry and Lescott is because of two reasons. John Terry was chosen simply because he is arguably England’s best centre back at the moment. So if Gary Cahill’s stats are similar to John Terry’s perhaps his valuation and interest from bigger clubs is tolerable. While Joleon Lescott was chosen because he is a similar player to Gary Cahill. He is similar in the sense that Joleon Lescott was signed for Manchester City for £22 million. And like Cahill, people are still questioning his ability and whether it correlates to the £22 million shelled out to buy him.

The first attribute we will analyse is passing. A defender’s ability to pass well goes along way. As most teams start their attacks from the back, and centre backs see a lot of the ball. On the surface, Gary Cahill is a good passer. He has a fine passing range and has no qualms in passing offensively. But let us compare his passing statistics to John Terry’s and Joleon Lescott’s.

Gary Cahill – Passing – Last 5 Games

Fixture	No. of Passes	No. of successful passes	No. of unsuccessful passes	Percentage of successful passes
V West Ham (Home)	26	17	9	65%
V Birmingham City (Away)	29	18	11	62%
V Manchester United (away)	19	11	8	57%
V Aston Villa (Home)	27	20	7	74%
V Newcastle (Away)	39	31	8	79%
Total	140	97	43

John Terry –Passing – Last 5 games

Fixture	No. of Passes	No. of successful passes	No. of unsuccessful passes	Percentage of successful passes
V Stoke (Away)	43	33	10	76%
V Man City (Home)	57	52	5	91%
V Blackpool (Away)	63	55	8	87%
V Man United (Home)	32	24	8	75%
V Fulham (Away)	69	64	5	92%
Total	264	173	36

Joleon Lescott – Passing – Last 5 Games

Fixture	No. of Passes	No. of successful passes	No. of unsuccessful passes	Percentage of successful passes
V Liverpool (Away)	32	22	10	68%
V Sunderland (Home)	27	21	6	77%
V Chelsea (Away)	26	19	7	73%
V Wigan (Home)	35	30	5	85%
V Fulham (Home)	53	37	16	69%
Total	173	129	44

Its evidently clear, in the last 5 games, Gary Cahill’s passing wasn’t as good as Joleon Lescott’s nor anywhere near as good as John Terry’s. However, one must consider because Lescott and Terry play for two teams in the Champions League places. It’s expected that their teams will see far more of the ball compared to their opponents. Thus explaining why Terry saw almost double the amount of passes compared to Gary Cahill. But the success percentage is rather alarming. The highest percentage Cahill earned in the 5 games was 79%, while Lescott’s was 85% and Terry’s was 92%. This shows that Gary Cahill’s passing range isn’t as effective as Lescott’s or Terry’s. However, this can be justified. Throughout the 5 matches when I analysed Cahill’s passing range, it seemed he often tried the long pass. Whereas Terry consistently kept his passing short. However, the fact the average of Cahill’s passing success rate is far smaller than Terry’s and Lescott shows that there is room for improvement.

The second attribute under inspection is tackling. Obviously, tackling is an imperative for a centre back. Being able to successfully tackle also highlights other attributes too. A successful tackler is an individual who has good positioning, good composure, good anticipation, good acceleration and other attributes. Below are the tackling statistics of Joleon Lescott, Gary Cahill and John Terry.

Gary Cahill – Tackling – Last 5 Games

Fixture	No. of tackles	No. of successful tackles	No. of unsuccessful tackles	Percentage of successful tackles
V West Ham (Home)	8	3	5	37%
V Birmingham (Away)	7	5	2	71%
V Man United (Away)	5	3	2	60%
V Aston Villa (Home)	7	5	2	71%
V Newcastle (Away)	11	7	4	63%
Total	38	23	15

John Terry – Tackling – Last 5 Games

Fixture	No. of tackles	No. of successful tackles	No. of unsuccessful tackles	Percentage of successful tackles
V Stoke (Away)	11	4	7	36%
V Man City (Home)	8	6	2	75%
V Blackpool (Away)	11	8	3	72%
V Man United (Home)	8	7	1	87%
V Fulham (Away)	3	3	0	100%
Total	41	28	12

Joleon Lescott – Tackling – last 5 Games

Fixture	No. of tackles	No. of successful tackles	No. of unsuccessful tackles	Percentage of successful tackles
V Liverpool (Away)	5	3	2	60%
V Sunderland (Home)	5	5	0	100%
V Chelsea (Away)	4	4	0	100%
V Wigan (Home)	5	5	0	100%
V Fulham (Home)	7	6	1	85%
Total	26	23	3

Again, Gary Cahill is trailing both Joleon Lescott and John Terry. However, its clear Cahill does win most of his tackles but at the same time, he does lose a fair amount too. If this is compared to John Terry, England’s leading centre back. Terry clearly wins most of his tackles. Bar the Stoke City game. But when Terry has more successful challenges than unsuccessful challenges, his tackling success rate in the last 5 games is 72% or above. While within those 5 games, the highest success percentage for Gary Cahill is 71%. This shows there is a substantial difference between the two players in terms of tackling.

What did surprise me, was how successful Joleon Lescott’s tackling success rate was in the last 5 games. Like Cahill, for me the jury has still out for Joleon Lescott. I have never thought that highly of him as a defender. But the statistics do all the talking. In 26 tackles, he has only lost 3 of those tackles. That is a fantastic record. Cahill has lost 5 times more than that. This shows there is a clear difference between Cahill and Lescott in terms of tackling. Cahill’s last 5 games show that his tackling rate isn’t outstanding at all. And he clearly hasn’t got one of the best rates in the Premier League. Yet, he is still one of the Premier League’s most wanted centre backs.

The third attribute being analysed is the number of interceptions. A defenders ability to read the game is critical. It restricts the number of chances the opposition could potentially have. Having centre backs who can effectively read the game is priceless. As it gives them an edge over their opponents. As they can foresee what their opponent is planning. Here are Cahill’s, Terry’s and Lescott’s interception rates from the past 5 games.

Gary Cahill – Interceptions – Last 5 Games

Fixture	No. of successful interceptions
V West Ham (Home)	2
V Birmingham (Away)	1
V Man United (Away)	1
V Aston Villa (Home)	1
V Newcastle (Away)	3
Total	8

Fixture	No. of successful interceptions
V Stoke (Away)	2
V Man City (Away)	3
V Blackpool (Away)	1
V Man United (Home)	2
V Fulham (Away)	1
Total	9

Joleon Lescott – Interceptions – Last 5 games

Fixture	No. of interceptions
V Liverpool (Away)	1
V Sunderland (Home)	2
V Chelsea (Away)	3
V Wigan (Home)	2
V Fulham (Home)	1
Total	9

For the first time, Gary Cahill’s statistics are close to the other two players. This tells you something. The fact Cahill has intercepted 8 times within 5 games it could suggest that Cahill is a good reader of the game. Perhaps, this is a contributing factor to why people ask if Gary Cahill is really that good. Normally, the types of defenders who are memorable are those who often make last ditch tackles and clearances. However, making last ditch challenges suggests a poor reading of the game. As they see the opposition’s attacks late. Whiles, a good reader of the game can prevent these attacks without having to resort to a last ditch challenge. However, in contrast, one may argue that what makes Cahill such an appealing defender is his fantastic reading of the game.

It’s vital to say that, the last five games do not provide a true snap shot of Gary Cahill’s ability. It simply provides a bit of an incite into the player’s ability. Perhaps, using a different batch of 5 games could have made the statistics better or worse. As it depends on factors such as the fixture and whether the match is home or away.

But the last five games have shown that Gary Cahill’s abilities for me are slightly over rated. Of course, he can read the game well, but the game extends to more than that. His tackling success rate is still questionable and his passing could be far more accurate. This shows there still needs to be a vast amount of improvement before he really does live up to the valuation of £20 million.

However, the 6ft2 centre back has the potential to become one of the best defenders in the league. The general all round ability of Gary Cahill makes him appealing to all the big European sides. If he ends up going to a big club such as an Arsenal, which is pretty much expected. It could naturally make the player improve. As teams like Arsenal will see more of the ball so his passing would naturally improve. While the sheer competitiveness of being at an elite European side would assist his tackling success ratio.

But had his statistics been outstanding maybe this would have made his valuation a little justifiable. But at the moment, his defensive attributes do not provide a substantial reason to why he is valued that highly. Perhaps the simple fact that he is English provides a crucial lynchpin for his valuation.

However, one thing is for certain. Gary Cahill has a big future at a big club.

But at the moment it seems he is over rated.

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