Having analysed the Premier League's most prolific crossing wingers in our latest feature on wide men, we look at the top 5 in the division with regards to their defensive contribution.

All figures shown relate to the performances each player made from wide positions only and are based on WhoScored.com ratings for defensive contribution, including tackles and interceptions per game.

The results show some significant findings, not least in the repeat inclusion of one player who made the list for the top 5 attacking wingers in terms of crosses and dribbles per game. Another notable trend sees all three of Liverpool's players most used in wide positions making the leader board- indicative of the effort that manager Kenny Dalglish expects from his attacking stars.

 

The Premier League's Top 5 Wingers for Defensive Contribution

 

Marc Albrighton
Topping the list in double the number of categories than any of the other top 5 is Marc Albrighton, who ranked 4th in our top 5 for his more attacking assets. His appearance on both leader boards is testament to the youngsters heroic work rate for Aston Villa, and at just 21 it appears Albrighton has all the makings of an outstanding all-round winger. The wide man was required to step up to the plate at Villa Park following the departure of another tireless midfielder, James Milner, and his stats show that the club may well have found themselves a ready made replacement.

Albrighton led the way in terms of tackles made per game with 3.1, crosses per game with 6.45, dribbles per game with 4.35 and assists with 4. The aforementioned figures prove that the youngster can work just as effectively tracking back as going forward and he will be an invaluable asset to Alex McLeish following the departures of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing. His cross accuracy of 20% is second best on the list having attempted far more than any of the other contenders, showing the quality he produces from wide. The England Under-21 international only ranked bottom for dribble success with 30%, having attempted far more than any of the others on the list.

Raul Meireles
Liverpool's summer signing from last year Raul Meireles proved his versatility in the previous campaign, featuring 12 times from out wide as opposed to his preferred central position. In those appearances he put in the effort required from both Kenny Dalglish and the manager who signed him, Roy Hodgson, making a commendable defensive contribution in the process. The Portuguese international led the way in terms of interceptions per game with 2.67 and his 2.92 tackles per game assured him of the highest combined figure of the top 5 from both regards with 5.59.

His dribble success rate of 86% is remarkably high but comes having attempted just 7 runs at opponents from a wide position. His cross accuracy was a weakness with just 12% of his deliveries reaching their target, while he netted just 1 of his 5 goals from last season from a position on the wing, proving his goal threat is somewhat nullified in this area of the pitch.

Steed Malbranque
Experienced Sunderland midfielder Steed Malbranque makes the top 5 in third place having made 2.63 tackles per game during the 16 appearances he made on the wing. Although he only attempted a third of the amount of crosses per game (2.13) as list leader Albrighton, Malbranque hit his target with an impressive 24% of his deliveries. Similarly to the youngster, he attempted a high amount of dribbles per match with 3.44, but was successful with slightly more of these attempts at 32%.

The main department in which the Frenchman falters from a wide position is his ability to contribute to goals alongside his defensive capabilities. Having made the fewest key passes of the top 5 with 1.38, the 31-year-old managed just 1 assist. He was also the only player on the list not to score a goal from a wider role, or indeed all season.

Dirk Kuyt
Dutchman Dirk Kuyt's inclusion on a list that proves work rate and industry, in both an attacking and defensive sense, is perhaps the least surprising of the bunch. The 30-year-old made 21 appearances from wider positions last term and never disappointed Dalglish with his contribution going forward and back. Along with an impressive second top figure of 2.14 interceptions per match, Kuyt made 2.62 tackles a game to boot. His goal contribution was the best of the leader board having scored 8 times and set up a further 3, as well as making a list high of 1.67 key passes per game.

The attacking winger-cum-striker is constantly stereotyped as the reliable workhorse of the Liverpool attack and his stats back that conclusion up. Kuyt had no real weaknesses to his statistics in any of the categories, only ranking outside the top 3 in terms of tackles made per match.

Maxi Rodriguez
Argentina international Maxi Rodriguez completes Liverpool's 3-man contingency in our top 5. The winger will be remembered from last season for having scored two hat-tricks in quick succession but his defensive contribution should not be overlooked. The 30-year-old made the most appearances from the wing of any of our top 5 with 22 and made a commendable 2.41 tackles and 1.86 interceptions per game. His high dribble success rate of 47% can be attributed, like Meireles' figure, to being somewhat reluctant to taking on his opponents having averaged just 0.64 dribbles a game. Despite netting two trebles, the Argentine scored in just one other game, finishing the season with 7 goals.

The one area in which Maxi could do with immediate improvements is undoubtedly his crossing. His unwillingness to get the ball into the box saw him attempt just 0.55 crosses per game last year. However his pretty dismal figure of 8% success from said deliveries may go a long way to explaining his preference to pass or dribble. Having said that, if Rodriguez cannot up his stats in this regard next season he may fall foul of the arrival of Stewart Downing, having failed to contribute a single assist last term.