Defenders

[chelseafan]

There is a lack of quality defenders in football at the moment. The quality is poor when compared to the past 20-years with the likes of Desailly, Thuram, Nesta, Cannavaro, Stam, Maldini etc.

Do you think the art of defending is dying? Who are the top 5 defenders in the world?

 

[oo123Danch]

Modern football is all about adjusting to the pace of a game. That is why we see players like Luis Suarez and Balotelli coming back to help the defense. Defenders come for headers. One goal may make all the difference. It is better to watch speedy wingbacks like Cole defending. Stoppers can always get the backing of defensive halves to make up for speed.

 

[deansaliba]

Modern football is all about adjusting to the pace of a game. That is why we see players like Luis Suarez and Balotelli coming back to help the defense. Defenders come for headers. One goal may make all the difference. It is better to watch speedy wingbacks like Cole defending. Stoppers can always get the backing of defensive halves to make up for speed.

Nail firmly hit on the head. I think The Championship is probably a good place to find some old school defenders these days, Millwall have plenty of them in Paul Robinson, Danny Shittu, Shane Lowry, Mark Beevers and Alan Dunne. I miss them, as a defender myself I love nothing more than a nice crunching tackle, but because football seems to be turning into a non-contact sport we will see less of this breed.

 

[chikadinho]

The art of defending is not a forgotten concept. The reason why it may seem as though there are less quality defenders is due to the fact that there is more emphasis on the midfield and holding possession, rather than in the past where more focus was put on defending and last ditch tackles.

 

[oo123Danch]

I would cross oceans to watch a team like real Madrid play soccer. Whenever I watch Sergio Ramos play, I realize defenders can be as attractive as strikers. It's a pleasure to watch him switch effortlessly from defense into an attacking position.

Defenders of the modern era have to be absolutely spot-on with their tackles. I believe it helps to have players like Sergio who can adapt and understand the psyche of a forward. He depends on speed and agility to get the ball away from some of the best strikers in the world.

It goes without saying a few more teams like Real Madrid will change the concept of a total defender. Add Pepe to the elite list, and we wouldn't miss out of some of the greatest defenders of out time. I would go miles though to watch the defensive skills of Franco Baresi, especially his headers and skills as a sweeper back. I am sure we'll get some great defenders coming back into focus this season.

 

[rashidckk]

I am not a close watcher on defenders and hence I can't make a top defenders list. In my opinion, Thiago Silva, Raphael Varane, and Sergio Ramos are top class defenders.

 

[petersos]

I would cross oceans to watch a team like real Madrid play soccer. Whenever I watch Sergio Ramos play, I realize defenders can be as attractive as strikers. It's a pleasure to watch him switch effortlessly from defense into an attacking position.

Defenders of the modern era have to be absolutely spot-on with their tackles. I believe it helps to have players like Sergio who can adapt and understand the psyche of a forward. He depends on speed and agility to get the ball away from some of the best strikers in the world.

It goes without saying a few more teams like Real Madrid will change the concept of a total defender. Add Pepe to the elite list, and we wouldn't miss out of some of the greatest defenders of out time. I would go miles though to watch the defensive skills of Franco Baresi, especially his headers and skills as a sweeper back. I am sure we'll get some great defenders coming back into focus this season.

I do not think that the art of defence has been lost. What has happened is evolution. Players need to be all round no matter their postion on the field. Taking for example t Victor Wanyama in Celtic as a defensive mid-fielder yet has a stong eye at goal. That is exactly what you see in Sergio at Madrid evolution.