The Partey vs Rice vs Rodri stats comparison exists because of their outstanding performances in the 2022/23 Premier League season.
It is well known that goals win you games and it is the reason why the goal scorers are more acknowledged and appreciated in football but other sectors of the team cannot be neglected.
The midfielders are also very important to the team with the key role they play at the middle of the pitch and today, we will be comparing the stats of three of the best defensive midfielders in the English Premier League in the 2022/23 season which are: Thomas Partey, Declan Rice and Rodri.
These three players were arguably the best defensive midfielders from the 22/23 season in the EPL but before diving into their stats and performances, let us take a look at the roles of a defensive midfielder.
The Roles Of A Defensive Midfielder
Defensive midfielders, also known as holding midfielders, are players predominantly at the middle of the pitch protecting the defence – giving it its stability and relieving the attacking pressure from the opposing team.
The DMs are well known for making blocks, interceptions and rough tackles which often leads to a foul.
They also play a vital role when converting defence into attack – distributing long balls and crosses into the final third which could lead to a goal.
All three midfielders which we’ll discuss possess all these skills and abilities and the aim of this article is to ascertain who performed better as a DM.
Thomas Partey 2022/23 Premier League Stats
Starting from the oldest of the three, Thomas Partey. Partey joined Arsenal from Atletico Madrid in 2020 and became one of the stand-out players in the Premier League since his arrival.
The Ghanaian International is known for his physicality and defensive skills. He was crucial to the Arsenal team that finished 2nd in the league with the key part he played in his midfield position.
Injuries didn’t do him any good as he played 33 games, starting in only 28 but delivered in the minutes he was on the pitch. Let’s look at a brief stat of Thomas Partey from last season in the league.
| Appearances | Blocks | Interceptions | Tackles | Clearances | Aerial duels won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 | 5 | 28 | 70 | 39 | 37 |
Declan Rice 2022/23 Premier League Stats
Rice had yet again another delightful Premier League season from an individual point of view.
Due to his brilliant individual performance in the 2022/23 season (and previous seasons as well), English International became a priority to most top clubs in England.
Well known for his play-making skills, defensive skills, off-the-ball awareness, ball recovery and holding abilities. We now take a brief insight into Rice’s 22/23 season.
| Appearances | Blocks | Interceptions | Tackles | Clearances | Aerial duels won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 15 | 63 | 79 | 55 | 37 |
Despite West Ham having a disappointing Premier League campaign, finishing 14th, Declan Rice was still able to put up these numbers which, in turn, won him West Ham Player Of The Year.
Rodri 2022/23 Premier League Stats
Rodrigo Hernandez, better known as Rodri, had one of the best seasons in 2022/23. After the season he had with Man City, Rodri was regarded as the best defensive midfielder in the world by some.
He was absolutely crucial to The Treble winning Man City side; protecting the defence, holding down the midfield and assisting in the attack for the entirety of last season but for the sake of this article, we’ll only dwell on Premier League stats.
Here are some of what he delivered last season.
| Appearances | Blocks | Interceptions | Tackles | Clearances | Aerial duels won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 36 | 14 | 33 | 67 | 42 | 72 |
After looking at the individual stats from each player, let us now carry out an in-depth comparison of all three players in different aspects of the game – attacking and defending.
Partey vs Rice vs Rodri Stats Comparison
First, let’s consider the Defensive stats of Partey vs Rice vs Rodri.
| Defensive Stats | Rice | Partey | Rodri |
|---|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 37 | 33 | 36 |
| Minutes played | 3,372 | 2,485 | 2,920 |
| Blocks | 15 | 5 | 14 |
| Interceptions | 63 | 28 | 33 |
| Tackles | 79 | 70 | 67 |
| Tackle success % | 48.03 | 57.62 | 61.91 |
| Clearances | 55 | 39 | 42 |
| Aerial duels won | 37 | 37 | 72 |
| Yellow cards | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Red cards | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fouls | 23 | 37 | 47 |
Looking at the key areas of a DM, Rice seems to have the upper hand south of the three players as we can see he has the most blocks, interceptions, tackles and clearances.
Rodri, on the other hand, used his height effectively, winning 72 aerial duels and out of the 67 tackles he made, he succeeded in 61% of them but at the same time, he made the most fouls.
Now, let’s dwell on Partey vs Rice vs Rodri attacking stats for the 2022/23 season.
| Attacking Stats | Rice | Partey | Rodri |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goals | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Assists | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Big chances created | 3 | 2 | 9 |
| Passes | 2,083 | 1,946 | 2,977 |
| Successful passes % | 88.05 | 87.98 | 91.27 |
| Touches | 2,587 | 2,357 | 3,363 |
| Through balls | 4 | 11 | 2 |
| Crosses | 44 | 9 | 6 |
| Shots | 36 | 28 | 50 |
| Forward passes | 607 | 531 | 624 |
One of the qualities a good defensive midfielder must possess is attacking skills – the ability to help the team in attack, transitioning from defence to attack and general team play performance.
From our table above, Rodri beat his counterparts in almost all categories of the attack.
Partey managed to get the most through balls with 11 while Rice got the most goals with 4.
Having compared all three of them, Rodri has the upper hand in most of the stats used.
Pep used him the most out of all his midfielders at Man City and his importance cannot be overemphasized.
Rodri was, undoubtedly, the best DM in the Premier League from the 22/23 season and his numbers definitely speak for themselves.
Conclusion
The defensive midfielders are one of the most hardworking players on the pitch as they are to protect the team’s defence and that is why most top managers are always very careful when getting their DMs.
The Premier League had exceptional defensive midfielders but the three discussed above were three of the best.
After discussing and comparing all three of them, Rodri turned out to be the standout defensive midfielder in the 2022/23 Premier League season; beating other DMs in various aspects on the pitch.
