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Reigning Champions Barcelona currently sits at top of the LaLiga table and their free-flowing attacking style is showing immensely tangible results, but in terms of defense, they are looking shaky right from the start of the 2018-19 campaign.
The 25 times La Liga Champions have conceded the most goals (18) in the top half of LaLiga table and their defensive fragilities are clearly seen and particularly, their man at the heart of their defense line Gerard Pique has come under the spotlight numerous times for unimpressive defensive showings. Especially, Barcelona's recent clashes against Athletic club and Valencia are nights to forget for the Spaniard.
Gerard Pique has been outstanding for the La Liga outfit throughout his reign at Camp Nou and by any margin, he will be remembered as one of the best defenders in the world. But, maybe the time has come for the World Cup winner. Pique is 31 years old and It looks like his downfall is commenced. Therefore, Barcelona cannot afford to be so dependent on him for long.
In this feature, we take a look at five outstanding defenders around who can be possible replacements for Gerard Pique.
#5 Jonathan Tah
Jonathan Tah signed for the Bundesliga outfit Leverkusen back in July of 2015 for just €7.5 million from Hamburger and since then has flourished to a great extent.
Tall, headstrong and outstanding in the air, Jonathan Tah is one of the best emerging defensive stars in the World. The German center back has an astute average of 1.6 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per game. The defender has been tall and strong for Bayer Leverkusen it has seen him getting compared with Germany's defensive icon Jerome Boateng.
Being just 22 years of age, Jonathan can get even better in future, and would be an astute long-term defensive recruitment for Barcelona so as to replace Gerard Pique.
#5 Kalidou Koulibaly
Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly has emerged as one of the best center backs in the world after a series of thumping showings for the Italian outfit Napoli in the very recent past.
A shade under 6 feet 5 inch, he boasts of an immense defensive skillset and his statistics of 1.8 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game in 2018-19 campaign outlines his huge potential as a center back.
The 27-year-old defender has continued his outstanding form in the 2018-19 season. His physicality and headstrong defensive ability illuminates his charisma as a fine defender but he can't be judged only upon these criteria as he further attracts intention with his speed and qualities on the ball.
Moreover, it has recently been reported that La Liga table-toppers Barcelona are weighing up a big money move for the Senegalese defender who has been fantastic this season.
#3 Dayot Upemecano
The 19-year-old French defender, Dayot Upemecano has emerged as one of the most promising young talents has been fantastic for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig in recent years.
The center back made a €10 million move to Red Bull Arena club from Salzburg and has become successful to make an immediate impact.
The French defender has retained his upward graph in the 2018-19 campaign and particularly, his stellar Europa League showings produced statistics of 3.7 tackles and 2.2 interceptions per game.
Dayot Upmecano is a robust, tall figure gifted with immense reflexes and high agility. Moreover, excellent distribution skills further illuminate his charisma as a classy defender.
Recently, it has been reported that Barcelona are weighing a gigantic £87 million for the French youngster which would see world record getting broken, but Dayot Upemecano could prove to be worthy of it.
#2 Jose Gimenez
Quick, pacy, dominant and brilliant in the air, Jose Jimenez has raised his bar and has developed substantially under Diego Simeone at Atletico Madrid in recent years.
The Uruguayan has made 134 appearances for the LaLiga outfit so far. Jose Gimenez is a quite different sort of center back who moves freely in the defensive line and has great agility. Jimenez has formed a strong defensive partnership with Diego Godin.
The 23-year-old defender produced stunning statistics of 2.3 tackles and 3.3 interceptions per game in the World Cup which eventually enhanced his reputation as a classy center back.
His immense improvement in the past couple of years saw European Elites such as Real Madrid and Liverpool getting lured to avail his services. But however, he has recently signed a new contract with Atletico Madrid that runs until the end of the year 2023.
#1 Matthijs de Ligt
Ajax's defensive ace Matthjis De Ligt is a standout young center back who has recently been nominated for the Golden Boy award.
The Dutch defender is gifted with immense passing abilities along with exceptional tackling skills and high presence in the air. Despite his very young age, De Ligt has already achieved some outstanding landmarks as he is already a regular first team starter, Europa League runner-up and Netherlands' international.
While highlighting Matthjis De Ligt's qualities and future role, Ajax CEO Edwin Van Der Sar insisted,
"He looks like he’s been doing this for six or seven years,"
"He is also strong with both feet, has an extremely good range of passing, can head the ball, scores goals and is a real leader at the back already at the age of 18.
"He came into the first team last year and has never looked back.
Immense ball control, outstanding passing skills, quick decision making; Matthjis De Ligt possesses all these traits and moreover, great on and off the field presence makes him an undisputed first choice Gerard Pique's replacement.
