La Liga’s toughest defensive team according to the stats

Most teams in La Liga have played 8 games now, meaning we’ve made it through enough of the season to draw a few conclusions, statistically speaking.

FBRef have some really neat data on their site – and if we’re looking at who has defended the best through the opening 20% of the campaign so far, there’s one outstanding side.

Sevilla have conceded only 3 goals and 4.3 expected goals against.

By comparison, Granada at the bottom of the same table have conceded 13.6 expected goals against.

Even Diego Simone’s Atletico Madrid and Jose Bordalas’ tough new look Valencia have each conceded 6.1 xG against this season, so Sevilla are performing a whole level above their nearest competition in terms of staying solid.

Julen Lopetegui’s project looked to have fallen off the pace a little this season, but those defensive numbers are superb, and should provide a great platform for them to get back into the race as the campaign wears on.

La Liga - Club News