When it comes to listing off Marcelo's playing attributes often it is his technical ability and his knack of getting past opponents and pushing forward that is talked about. However, the Brazilian also stands out in terms of the job he does at the back. He showed that during the last La Liga season, which he closed out as one of the division's top players with regards to winning back possession (doing so 5.5 times on average per game). So far the South American has been replicating that same form at the beginning of the current campaign: 6.5 interceptions per game.



Having recovered possession on 46 occasions during the seven matchdays played to date, Marcelo is La Liga's best defender in this facet of the game. Trailing behind the Real Madrid defender on this list, and tied on 38 points each, are Cabral and Rosales, who play at the back for Celta and Málaga respectively.