One of the criticisms of stats is that they can be made to say what you want. If I wanted to favour one defender or the other I might omit a key stat. That’s me being honest with you – a stat can easily be manipulated if you want it to. That’s why, when I do these comparisons, I’m trying to be as fair as possible. Picking defensive duels won, aerial duels won, interceptions, clearances and passing stats gives an all-round view of the player’s numbers.

Plus, it’s worth considering that these numbers are an average; Callum’s average is across four games, whilst Cian’s is over a longer period. It could be argued that to maintain a number over 13 games is a bigger ask than recording good stats over four. I’m not trying to say one is the better player, merely point out what the numbers say about each.

They’re actually very similar when it comes to the figures. Callum wins 5.92 defensive duels per game, whilst Cian records a success rate of 5.53. As a percentage, which isn’t on the graphic, Callum comes out slightly higher; 78.9% of his are successful compared to 67.6% of Cian’s. They’re close though and Cian’s stats are over a longer period, including some tough games. Remember, these are only appearances as a centre half, so Callum’s spell in midfield is not included.

You would have thought Cian would win more aerial duels, but against Callum comes out on top. He wins 9.03 per game, whilst Cian comes out at 7.07. These figures do include the EFL Trophy games, in which Callum put in a commanding performance this week. I wonder if perhaps being the ‘lead’ defender helps with picking up aerial wins; Cian has always had Jason Shackell to one side gobbling up some of the challenges.

I did find the interceptions and clearance numbers interesting. Callum makes 8.41 interceptions per game, compared to Cian’s 6.75. The youngster also edges the clearance numbers, 4.98 compared to 4.39. I suppose much depends on the opposition as well; Cian played against Southend who offered little going forward so his numbers might be affected. Again, there’s always an argument for and against stats and I want to ensure this doesn’t seem like me saying one is better than the other. They both have strengths and weaknesses, but I’m surprised by how strong Callum’s numbers are.

Number of passes per game surprised me as well because Cian makes more; 36.1 to 35.5. The numbers are close, but I had Callum down as a ball-playing defender and Cian as a more traditional centre half. Their pass success rate is virtually identical, 78.9% to Callum and 78.4% to Cian.

THAT VOTING PAGE ONCE AGAIN – INCASE YOU MISSED IT!