Data reveals Hartlepool United’s best defence amid League Two survival battle

Despite the victory over Grimsby, Hartlepool remain in the relegation zone.

Pools have shipped a goal in each of their last seven league games and kept a League Two clean sheet just once this season.

They currently have the worst goal difference in the division, and the defensive mishaps are something they will need to eradicate fast if they want to survive come May.

So, we’ve crunched the stats, and this is what the data tells us regarding who Curle should play in defence.

Right wing-back: Clarke Oduor (Jamie Sterry and Reghan Tumilty)

The 23-year-old Odour joined Pools on deadline day on a season-long loan from Championship outlet Barnsley. The utility man can be an option for Curle in several areas as he can play left-back, right-back and left midfield.

Odour has proved to be solid at the back, only being beaten 0.4 times per game and winning the majority of his challenges. The loanee is yet to commit a foul in a Pools shirt.

With Jamie Sterry suffering from an injury, Scottish defender Reghan Tumilty has been the go to right wing back, with Curle using Odour on his favoured left-hand side.

The Scottish full-back is slightly less secure when ran at, as he has been beaten 0.7 times per game, the most of any Pools defender this season

But Tumilty does read the game well, averaging 1.4 for interceptions won per game.

Pools on a whole are struggling to win their aerial duels, with Tumilty having only won an average of 0.2 - and lost an average of 1.2 – per game, and having been caught out by balls over the top.

Odour is who the data says should be Curle’s first pick, as he offers more security in the tackle and the air.

Right centre-back: Alex Lacey

The former Gillingham man will be looking to follow up on his equalising goal on Saturday by contributing to more clean sheets for Pools.

The 29-year-old has played in all 17 of his side’s League Two fixtures and is very much part of the starting XI, as chosen by our data.

Lacey is Pools’ best when it comes to clearances, averaging 6.5 per game, while also winning over 60% of his aerial duels this season.

He has also won on average 1.5 of the 1.6 tackles per game he has attempted, yet committed only 0.5 fouls per match.

Although Lacey seems a little panicky at times, especially when next to fellow Scotsman Euan Murray, the stats suggest he could go down as a solid defender for Pools.

Centre-back: Rollin Menayese (Euan Murray)

If fit, Walsall loanee Menayese deserves the central centre-back position in our data-driven best defence after proving to be a solid addition to Curle’s side.

The Welshman has not been scared to roll his sleeves up with a tackle success rate of 2.3 out of a total of 2.6 attempts per game this season.

Menayese is also averaging just 0.7 fouls a game, and offers strong presence in the air, having averaged 4.5 winning aerial duels per game, whole also completing 2.9 clearances per 90 minutes.

Sadly, Menayese is currently back with Walsall undergoing tests on an ankle injury.

By contrast, fellow centre-back Euan Murray has struggled to adapt to life in League Two – as did a number of Paul Hartley’s summer signings.

Murray has the lowest tackle success rate of any Pools defender, averaging 1.1 per game.

A mediocre ratio of 0.8 interceptions per match is offset somewhat by his stats for successful clearances (4.5 per 90 minutes) and aerial duels won (1.6 per match).

But neither his general stats nor the evidence of Pools’ fans’ own eyes suggest Murray is the answer to Curle’s defensive worries.

Left centre-back: Mouhamed Niang (David Ferguson)

Again, data suggests that injury is the only thing which should keep Niang – although naturally a defensive midfielder – out of the heart of Curle’s first-choice backline.

The former Partick Thistle man has recorded a very good tackle success rate when fit – averaging 2.1 successful challenges per game out of 2.7 attempted.

Niang has also completed 1.4 clearances, won 2.5 aerial duels and blocked 1.1 passes per 90 minutes.

Niang has played in the centre-back position on numerous occasions this season and may remain the ideal choice for that area of the pitch when fit – at least until the January transfer window.

Left wing-back: David Ferguson

Fan favourite Ferguson is the final player in this five-back formation who should - but for injuries forcing him into a makeshift centre-back role - be playing at left wing-back.

Although he hasn’t been at his best this season, the Sunderland-born player’s defensive stats remain solid, with him winning an average of 1.8 of the 2.3 tackles per game he has attempted.

The 28-year-old has also made 1.9 clearances per 90 minutes – the most of any of Pools’ potential full-backs – and is a strong aerial presence, winning 1.7 of his 2.5 duels in the air per game.

As mentioned, injuries have meant that Ferguson has had to play as a centre-back, with Oduor being used in the left wing-back position.

But the stats clearly show that having the two men each in wing-back roles would serve Curle best.