West Ham’s central defenders are statistically outperforming next opponent Brighton’s

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Manuel Pellegrini was brought to West Ham to introduce a more attacking philosophy, but a large part of his summer recruitment drive centred around his defence.

In order to play the high-tempo game Pellegrini demands, West Ham needed a more mobile backline; so Issa Diop and Fabian Balbuena were brought to the club.

After a shaky start, the duo are now beginning to look like a very solid partnership. On Friday night, they will come up against a Brighton side who are built on the foundations of Lewis Dunk and Shane Duffy.

The pair were key last term as the Seagulls retained their top flight status; but how do they measure up with the Hammers duo in terms of the numbers? We’ve taken a look at WhoScored to investigate…

The Numbers

We looked at five key areas for central defenders; interceptions, tackles, clearances, clean sheets and goals conceded.

In terms of interceptions, the difference between Dunk’s 1.7 and Diop’s 1.8 per game is negligible. Duffy makes 2 per match, but Balbuena’s aggressive stance sees him make a whopping 2.9. He is clearly a key part of Pellegrini’s implementation of a high line.

In terms of tackles, Balbuena (1.9 p/g) and Diop (2) dwarf Dunk’s 0.7 and Duffy’s 1. This again shows the importance of the duo’s more proactive style.

Dunk’s clearance tally of 3.7 per game seems very low up against Diop’s 5.4 and Duffy’s 5.6. But it is again left in the shade by Balbuena’s staggering 8.3. Again, the new-boy is out performing two men who are very adept at defending their own 18-yard line.

What does it mean?

The two sides’ raw defensive numbers are actually very similar; Brighton have let in 13 goals this season, West Ham 12.

Chris Hughton’s men are yet to keep a clean sheet; Pellegrini’s men have just the one. So perhaps the numbers are just a symptom of varying styles of play; it’s clear Pellegrini prefers a more proactive stance to Hughton.

However, the Seagulls have just one win so far this season, which came back in August. The Hammers, by contrast, are now flying.

So the disparity in the numbers could be telling; they do indicate that Diop and Balbuena will be the more confident, aggressive duo on Sunday. That could be the difference as the Hammers seek to extend their good run.