Brighton analysis: Bissouma vs Kante vs Hojbjerg - who is the best defensive midfielder?

Bissouma is probably one of the first names on the team sheet these days for Graham Potter, and it's hard to argue against it, the midfielder has cemented his place in that defensive midfield role.

The role is one which usually goes under the radar in terms of eye-catching performances due to the nature of its output: read the game, make a tackle or interception, lay the ball off and set the team on the attack - no thrills, but vital to a well-functioning side.

So let's take a look at Bissouma's stats this season and compare them - with a pinch of salt - to a couple of players in a similar position and with a similar style of play: N'Golo Kante and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

I decided to compare Bissouma to these two players for a few reasons: they play in a similar position and have the same roles on the pitch, they share similar strengths and they have all played nearly the same amount of games this season - Bissouma 10, Kante 10 and Hojbjerg 11.

And finally, Hojbjerg and Kante are currently putting in solid 7 out of 10 performances, according to WhoScored.com, so why not compare Bissouma to the elite players for context.

Bissouma vs Kante vs Hojbjerg

Tackling

Bissouma averages 2.5 successful tackles per game, Hojbjerg averages 2.18 per game and Kante averages 2.02.

The majority of these players' tackles come inside their own defensive third or in the middle third of the pitch.

The main takeaway from this is Bissouma is a bit of an enforcer in front of his back line.

Pressure

Pressure measures the number of times a player applies pressure to an opponent who is receiving, carrying or releasing the ball.

On average, Bissouma completes 16 pressures per game and is successful in 6.4 of them.

On average, Kante completes 19 pressures per game and is also successful in 6.4 of them.

On average, Hojbjerg completes 18 pressures per game and is successful in 6 of them.

Very similar stats for all three players, which suggests that Bissouma is an effective presser of the ball.

Loose ball recoveries

Bissouma is stepping up his game with the amount of loose balls he has recovered so far this season, 120.

This means on average he is recovering 12 loose balls per game, which indicates that he is cleaning up the danger and reading the game effectively.

His figures are similar, again, to Kante and Hojbjerg.

Kante recovers on average 12.4 loose balls per game, while Hojbjerg also has an average of 12 loose ball recoveries per game.

Dribbling

Bissouma is recorded as a strong dribbler by WhoScored.com and his stats back that up.

On average, the Brighton man completes 1.8 successful dribbles per game and goes past two players every 90 mins.

Kante completes 0.92 dribbles per game on average and goes past 0.92 players per 90.

Hojbjerg completes 0.45 dribbles per game and goes past 0.55 players per 90.

These stats give weight to Bissouma's unique strength: the ability to go past people.

Play Progression

To assess the players' ability to progress the game forward we can look at the amount of carries they have made and their progressive distance statistics.

Carries is the amount of times a player controlled the ball with their feet, and progressive distance is the number of yards gained running towards the opposition goal by the carrier.

On average, Bissouma records 43 carries per game and travels 128 yards up the pitch.

On average, Kante records 49 carries per game and progresses 130.3 yards up the pitch.

On average, Hojbjerg makes 54 carries per game and gets 106 yards up the pitch.

Again, Bissouma looks to be holding his own in this department. The stats suggest he picks the ball up and is confident to make strides forward to break the lines.

Passing types

Normally you would think these players are expected to win the ball back and play a simple lay off to a teammate, which is what they usually do, but let's look at the types of passes where there is a little bit more technical ability, vision and flair.

Key passes is a metric that tells us if a pass leads to the receiver taking a shot. Bissouma has made one key pass this season, Kante has made six and Hojbjerg has made five.

Maybe it could be down to his colleagues' lack of willingness to shoot, or, Bissouma isn't finding players in space who have the opportunity to take a shot on.

However, the next two statistics suggest that it is Bissouma's colleagues who are not taking the shots on, as the Malian's forward passing is similar to Kante's and Hojbjerg's.

Passes into the final third: Bissouma, on average, makes 4.1 per game, Kante makes 4.68 per game and Hojbjerg makes 6.36.

Passes into the 18-yard box: Bissouma, on average, makes 0.6 per game, Hojbjerg 0.18 and Kante 0.55.

It seems as if Bissouma gets his head up and plays forward balls and isn't just a sideways passing merchant you sometimes see with defensive midfielders.

Aerial Duels

Bissouma is six foot, Hojbjerg is about six foot one and Kante is five foot five.

Bissouma has won 65 per cent of his aerial duels so far this year (15 out of 23), Hojbjerg 64 per cent (18 out of 28), and Kante 42.1 per cent (eight out of 19).

Put simply, Bissouma's ability in the air positively contributes towards his role as a defensive shield.

Conclusion

From the stats above it appears Bissouma is having a strong season. If you're in and amongst the likes of Kante and also Hojbjerg, who is playing in a strong Spurs side, the Brighton man must be doing something right.

I would recommend taking these stats and then performing the eye test - watch the player play - to see if they match up with his performance.