"Attack wins you games, defense wins you titles." This is a famous quote by the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson. This is a true fact because, without a good defense, your attack is pointless. Simply said, if you concede there is no point of scoring. So that said, Defence or defenders play an important role in football. They are not the ones who get the recognition for individual brilliance in this era, and not eye catchy as the goals either, but they play an integral role in every game which is mostly unnoticed due to the attraction of goal scorers in these days.
Here, we take a look at top defenders in football right now and their abilities and weaknesses are discussed.
The players are not ranked in any particular order.
Sergio Ramos
The Real Madrid captain has been sturdy throughout the past couple of season contributing to the success the club has been enjoying for the past couple of seasons. The most interesting fact about him, as we all know is his ability to head the ball. How many times has he saved Madrid last season? One of the main reasons Real Edged over their arch-rivals Barcelona over the La Liga title. Apart from his goal scoring abilities, his defending is also top notch. The Spaniard is sturdy and most defenders will have to do something extra to beat him.
Abilities
He is strong physically, does have an excellent heading ability and also his marking is top notch. He is good in passing and his long passes are very good for a defender.
Weakness
He tends to go out of positions on numerous occasions which causes many problems for his fellow defenders and is known for his aggressive nature which has caused many controversies certain times.
Giorgio Chiellini
Bonucci and Chiellini were the top performers during their successful UCL campaign last year, which they eventually lose to Real Madrid in the finals. They were the side to concede the least number of goals in the campaign until the final which shows how good a defense they were. Chiellini, the experienced defender was having his best form of his life at the time. With his great physique and experience, coupled with great heading abilities he is one of the toughest defenders to face in any competition and will be one tough job for the opposition strikers.
Abilities
Great physical strength along with superb heading abilities and good positioning make him one of the best defenders around.
Weakness
Chiellini apart from all those qualities lacks a good pace which might be causing a problem when facing players with such quality.
Dani Alves
The Brazilian right-back was one of the mistakes Barcelona did because even at this age he is one of the best, if not the best in the position. And Barcelona are still struggling in that position which shows his quality. After his move from Blaugrana side to Juventus, Dani Alves played a crucial role in taking his side to the Champions League finals. He was also instrumental in their league run in that year. Dani Alves made a move to PSG in 2017 which can see him pairing with his Brazilian teammate Neymar and it was a right move considering the team PSG have now. Dani Alves,
with his speed and skills, can be a real threat to the opposition and can also hurt you with his long rangers and freekicks which he is famous for. Definitely one of the best players around.
Abilities
Apart from his great defending, he is never afraid to go forward, a good dribbler, crosser and also good in taking shots and freekicks. What more do you want from a player?
Weakness
Not the best header of the ball mainly because of his height and slight positioning mistakes sometimes causes problems.
Leonardo Bonucci
Another Italian defender who was an integral part in the success Juventus enjoyed last season. As said before, the Juve defense was top notch in all the competition and the least goals conceded in the Champions League prior to the finals. Bonucci with his defensive partner Chiellini was the stars for Juventus. Bonucci has a great physique and good header of the ball. After looking for further challenges, he moved to Ac Milan in 2017 and will be interesting to see him there for further seasons.
Abilities
He has a very good physique, decent in the air and also a good tackler. He is also a good passer of the ball.
Weakness
He lacks pace which is similar to his Italian compatriot Chiellini.
Marcelo Vieira
The best left back at the moment is Marcelo. There is no argument about it! He is like a winger at times with his perfect crossing and skills. He was vital in certain games in Real's UCL campaign. Specifically the one against Bayern Munich when he was flawless against Robben. He also provided a great assist to Cristiano by a superb run tearing the Bayern defense apart. His crosses are perfect and with the likes of Cristiano and Gareth Bale at the box, it will be chaotic for the opposition. He is one of the top players of this season and one for the FIFPro World XI this year.
Abilities
His ability to cross the ball is excellent. He has good vision and passing and has great pace. He also possesses great skills.
Weakness
Out of position mostly due to the fact that he prefers to attack more. Bit weak physically.
