04 June 2013
Classy defender Martin Caceres combined his combative strengths with a reassuring presence on the ball throughout the 2012/13 Serie A campaign.
The Uruguayan international, who joined the club permanently from Sevilla last summer, showed just why Antonio Conte rates him as an integral member of the first-team squad, occupying a number of roles to good effect across his total of 18 championship appearances.
His consistent displays are also backed up by the statistics. Caceres tops the completed passes index with a figure of 91.3%, whilst also being the most accurate member of the squad when attempting to pick out a team-mate in the opposition half (88.9%).
These figures, however, are no anomaly when Conte’s preferred approach of building from the back is taken into account. Trailing ‘El Pelado’ are fellow defenders Andrea Barzagli, Giorgio Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci.
Caceres’ unquestionable battling qualities, which came to the fore in the heat of the cauldron of Celtic Park, enabled him to make 49 clearances, 26 of which came from aerial challenges, and complete 73.1% of his attempted tackles.
