While the likes of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Inter Milan may have bagged more goals than any team in their divisions last season, all failed to capture their respective leagues. A look at each of the top five divisions in Europe shows that, in three instances, the team with the highest number of clean sheets ultimately clinched the title; Dortmund, Barcelona and AC Milan. Elsewhere, Man City finished third place in the Premier League while a resolute Rennes ended the season sixth in France.

So what made these defences so special? We looked at all five teams most-used defensive players, analysing their key men to see how each team differed last term:

AC Milan 20 Clean Sheets. 38 games, 24 goals conceded. Formation 4-3-1-2

Goalkeeper Christian Abbiati- Saves 110, Saves per game 3.14

Full Backs: Ignazio Abate and Luca Antonini
Average: 2.4 Tackles,  2.1 Interceptions,  2.95 Clearances, 0.25 Offsides. 42 % Aerial Duels won, 84% Pass Accuracy

Centre Halves: Thiago Silva and Alessandro Nesta
Average:  1.85 Tackles,  1.9 Interceptions, 7.1 Clearances,  0.6 Blocked Shots, 1.0 Offsides, 59.5% Aerial Duels won, 90% Pass Accuracy

Defensive Centre Midfield: Mark van Bommel, Gennaro Gattuso and Mathieu Flamini
Average:  2.93 Tackles,  1.6 Interceptions,  1.3 Clearances,  % Aerial Duels won, 76% Pass Accuracy

One of the main factors in Milan’s clean sheets was the performance of Christian Abbiati between the sticks. He averaged more saves per game (3.14) than any of our featured keepers, while Thiago Silva’s Clearances (7.5) and Pass Accuracy (92%) at the back stood out in particular.

Abate was a real stand out, defensively; his 3.2 Tackles per game was double that of team mate Antonini and second for full-backs overall. He also caught opponents offside 0.4 times on average, compared to Antonini’s 0.1. Gattuso and Van Bommel’s tenacity in midfield saw them average 3.6 Tackles per game with the latter also impressing in the air, winning 67% of Aerial Duels.

Barcelona 19 Clean Sheets. 38 games, 21 goals conceded. Formation 4-3-3

Goalkeeper: Víctor Valdés- Saves 76, Saves per game 2.37.

Full Backs: Daniel Alves, Maxwell
Average:  2.1 Tackles,  1.95 Interceptions,  1.95 Clearances, 0.2 Offsides, 46.5 % Aerial Duels won, 87.5 % Pass Accuracy

Centre Halves: Carlos Puyol, Gerard Pique
Average: 1.9 Tackles,  2.25 Interceptions,  3.45 Clearances, 0.25 Blocked Shots, 0.7 Offsides, 63.5% Aerial Duels won, 89.5 % Pass Accuracy

Defensive Centre Midfield: Sergio Busquets, Javier Mascherano
Average:  2.6 Tackles,  2.4 Interceptions,  0.75 Clearances,  47.5% Aerial Duels won, 92% Pass Accuracy

Barcelona’s stats are the least impressive defensively of the five, purely as they have so much of the ball in offensive areas, their back-four are troubled less than normal. Dani
Alves makes the most Tackles of the Barca defenders, 3 per game.

Alves’ 87% Pass Accuracy, while fantastic, is the lowest amongst his team mates here, with Carlos Puyol managing 92%, the equal of Thiago Silva. Puyol is far more dominant in the air than Gerard Pique, with a 71% Aerial Duel success rate to 56% and he catches opponents offside 0.9 times per match, the best of the Guardiola‘s back-four. Mascherano and Busquets Interceptions (they average 2.4) are a feature, as both play the defensive midfield role behind Xavi and Iniesta to perfection, nipping in and regaining the ball before opponents can start an attack.

Man City 18 Clean Sheets. 38 games, 33 goals conceded. Formation 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper Joe Hart- Saves 111, Saves per game 2.92.

Full Backs: Aleksander Kolarov and Pablo Zabaleta
Average:  2.4 Tackles,  1.85 Interceptions,  3.25 Clearances,  0.15 Offsides, 48% Aerial Duels won, 78% Pass Accuracy.

Centre Halves: Kolo Toure and Vincent Kompany
Average:  2.45 Tackles,  2.1 Interceptions, 8.05 Clearances,  0.7 Blocked Shots, 0.5 Offsides, 63% Aerial Duels won, 86.5% Pass Accuracy

Defensive Centre Midfield: Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry
Average:  2.85 Tackles,  2.35 Interceptions,  1.65 Clearances,  69.5% Aerial Duels won, 87.5% Pass Accuracy

City were the only team where the centre-halves made more tackles than the full-backs, bucking the trend across the majority of teams. This was mainly down to the poor defensive work of Kolarov, with just 1.7 Tackles on average, compared to Zabaleta’s 3.1. Zabaleta also made 2.7 Interceptions to Kolarov’s 1.

Vincent Kompany was magnificent in the heart of defence, his 9.1 Clearances the best of not only the City back-four but any of our featured players. Kompany also impressed with 0.9 Blocks per game and won 70% of Aerial Duels. Nigel De Jong and Gareth Barry came out top for midfielders here, with both impressive in Aerial Duels (70 and 69%) with the Dutchman’s 3.0 Tackles and 2.7 Interceptions a real stand out. With Joe Hart making almost 3 Saves per game behind them, it’s little wonder City were so hard to break down.

Rennes 16 Clean Sheets. 38 games, 35 goals conceded. Formation 4-2-3-1.

Goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez. Saves 106, Saves per game 2.86.

Full Backs: Romain Danze and Kévin Théophile-Catherine
Average: 2.65 Tackles, 2.45 Interceptions, 4.5 Clearances, 0.35 Offsides, 54.5% Aerial Duels won, 76.5% Pass Accuracy

Centre Halves: Kader Mangane and Jean Armel Kana Biyik
Average:  2.35 Tackles,  2.45 Interceptions,  7.85 Clearances,  0.55 Blocked Shots, 1.1 Offsides, 65% Aerial Duels won, 81.5 % Pass Accuracy

Defensive Centre Midfield: Yann M'Vila and Alexander Tettey
Average:  2.55 Tackles,  1.9 Interceptions,  1.85 Clearances,  60.5% Aerial Duels won, 81.5 % Pass Accuracy.

It says a lot of Rennes’ defence that, even in comparison to the best defences in Europe, the stats of their full-backs and centre-halves stand out. The defensive work-rate of both full-backs is quite brilliant, with their 4.5 average Clearances compared to Dortmund’s 1.6 indicative of their performances. The duo’s 2.65 Tackles is also better than any of our defensive pairings. Kévin Théophile-Catherine is the main performer of the two, with 3 Tackles, 2.6 Interceptions and 4.8 Clearances giving him the best all-round contribution of our full-backs.

At centre-half, Mangane’s 8.7 Clearances is second only to Vincent Kompany. Both he and Armel Kana Biyik made more Interceptions and won more Aerial Duels (65%) than any centre-half pairing. A fantastically organised defence that battle to the last.

Borussia Dortmund 14 Clean Sheets. 34 games, 22 goals conceded. Formation 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller- Saves 68, Saves per game 2.06.

Full Backs: Marcel Schmelzer and Lukasz Piszczek
Average:  2.5 Tackles,  1.85 Interceptions,  1.6 Clearances,  0.3 Offsides, 50.5% Aerial Duels won, 75% Pass Accuracy.

Centre Halves: Neven Subotic and Mats Hummels
Average:  2.1 Tackles,  2.4 Interceptions, 4.15 Clearances,  0.5 Blocked Shots, 1.2 Offsides, 63.5% Aerial Duels won, 78.5% Pass Accuracy

Defensive Centre Midfield: Nuri Sahin and Sven Bender
Average:  4.3 Tackles,  2.65 Interceptions,  0.7 Clearances,  44% Aerial Duels won, 76% Pass Accuracy

Dortmund’s “double pivot” is crucial to their solidity. Nuri Sahin makes 3.8 Tackles per game, the same as Rino Gattuso, but Sven Bender’s 4.8 makes his top midfielder in that area. The Dortmund pair come top for Interceptions too, with Bender’s 3.1 to Sahin’s 2.2 as they close opponents down quickly and protect their back-four.

The dominance of Subotic and Hummels in the air at centre-half and the pair’s reading of the game is fundamental. Subotic caught more opponents Offside than any of our centre-halves (1.6) per game whilst Hummels’ 2.8 Interceptions was a stand-out stat. Marcel Schmelzer made more Tackles (3.4) than any of our full-backs, a further example of the combative aggression that sees Dortmund protect their keeper better than any of the five, with Weidenfeller making just 2.06 saves per match.