Old-school fans of the Premier League have long been complaining that defending has become a lost art. Now, there’s statistical evidence to back up that claim.

There has been a sharp drop in the number of tackles per game made by the Premier League’s best-tackling centre-backs since the 2009/10 season. Carlos Cuellar led central defenders with 3.7 tackles during that campaign, and for the next two seasons, the tackles per game number for the leading centre-back was 3.8.

However, since then, there has been a significant decline in the number of tackles the top-tackling defender has made. In each of the last four seasons, including the ongoing one, the per-game number has been 3.0 or less.

Given that Manchester City’s defence has been much maligned in recent weeks, it may come as a surprise that their Argentine centre-back Nicolas Otamendi currently leads all central defenders in the Premier League in tackles per game. Otamendi in fact led the league in this statistic last season as well.

But Otamendi’s manager can provide the best explanation for the declining numbers seen here. Pep Guardiola famously said last month that he doesn’t coach tackles. While the Spaniard faced ridicule for his statement, especially given City’s shambolic defensive performances recently, his is not an isolated opinion.

Where centre-backs’ primary duty used to be tackling, now priorities have changed, with attributes like positioning and passing ability being prized over old-school defensive technique. It’s no wonder the number of goals being scored is rapidly increasing – defenders are now as valued for their ability to launch attacks as stopping them.