Jurrien Timber is proving the toughest full-back to beat in the Premier League this season, according to new dribbling statistics.
Opta statistics released by OptaJoe this week reveal that Jurrien Timber has the lowest dribbled-past percentage for full-backs in the Premier League this season, based on a minimum of 30 true tackle attempts.
Timber has made 57 attempted tackles, with only five players getting past him, putting him at a 91% success rate.
The nearest player is Reinildo Mandava of Sunderland, who has been dribbled past four times from 38 attempts for an 89% success rate, followed by Michael Kayode (six from 46).
Riccardo Calafiori rounds out the top four, with only six of 45 dribble attempts against the Arsenal left-back proving successful.
The Gunners’ starting full-backs both featuring in the top four in the league is likely a big factor in the club’s impressive defensive record this season.
Few would argue that Timber and Calafiori aren’t some of the best full-backs in the division, and the central defensive combination of Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba has been one of the best around for a long time now.
The concern at the moment is just around how often those four players will actually make it onto the pitch together.
Timber and Calafiori have both had serious injury issues with Arsenal in the past, and both have been dealing with knocks over the last fortnight. To make matters worse, Timber’s backups Ben White and Cristhian Mosquera are both injured, denying him rest opportunities.
Then Saliba has spent some time on the sidelines recently too, and Gabriel remains out of action with an Adductor injury.
If the quartet can all get fit and stay fit for the second half of the season, Arsenal will have a great chance at winning some trophies.