Flashiness is an aspect loved by almost everyone. It is one of the reasons why the Flash is such a favourite among comic book readers. Indeed, Quicksilver’s unprecedented scene in X-Men: Days of the Future Past was the favourite sequence of the movie for many.
In football, it is the forwards that catch the eye of the fans the most with their mazy dribbles and knack for scoring goals. The defenders are there to clean up the mess—and only a very few people like cleaning the mess.
However, while many might argue with this, the sweepers are just as important to a hospital as the doctors are and it is no different in football—forwards win you games, defenders win you championships (except, of course, if you are Atletico Madrid).
And here are the 10 best defenders from the 2015-16 season…
1) Jose Gimenez (Atletico Madrid)
When Atletico Madrid signed Jose Gimenez, he was only a teenager who looked upon as the heir apparent to Diego Godin’s throne for Uruguay. Hence, it was only logical to name him as the successor to the chair with the Rojiblancos as well.
His breakthrough tournament came in the form of the U20 World Cup in 2013. He was an indispensable member of the team that only lost out in the final of the tournament to France.
Atletico Madrid saw the potential he had and snapped him for a miserly €1 million. By the second half of his second season with the club, he established as the first choice alongside his compatriot and idol, Diego Godin. And now, if rumours are to be believed, Real Madrid are interested in signing him for a mammoth €51 million.
This season was his finest in professional football. He did what Raphael Varane had done in the latter’s breakthrough season. Atletico Madrid have conceded only 18 goals in La Liga this season and his heroic displays was one of the key reasons for it.
His stats are outrageous for someone his age as well. In 27 league games, he has an average of 2.1 tackles-per-game and 2.5 interception-per-game, which is even bettered by 5.4 clearances in each game.
2) Diego Godin (Atletico Madrid)
Like successor, like predecessor. Diego Simeone has been lauded as a mastermind tactician who has revolutionised Atletico Madrid, but the man who has stood up for him the most and made it possible was Diego Godin.
Like wine, the Uruguayan is getting better with age as he has graced us with yet another season of artful defending.
The term artful might not go down well with some enthusiasts because of the rough approach used by him during defending--something that has always come under scrutiny. However, when one gazes through the veneer of the brutality, what they will only find is passion and the will to do anything to guard the goal.
He might be older than Gimenez, but his stats show how experience is more important for defenders than anything else. With 2.7 tackles and 3.4 interceptions every game, combined with 6.5 clearances, he shows what an important player he is to the team and its aspirations.
3) Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid)
They say that to know the true value of someone, absence works better than presence. Whenever Dani Carvajal doesn’t play a game, his importance to the team becomes glaringly apparent. While Danilo is a decent right-back, he is nowhere near Carvajal’s level—who actually makes Gareth Bale a better player with his support.
Real Madrid are going through a good patch of form—something that sees them challenging for the league title as well as playing in the final of the Champions League—and the young Spaniard has been one of the catalysts for that.
With 4 assists under his name and many more pre-assists for that matter, he is the best attacking right-back in the world. He also makes 1.2 crosses-per-game and 1.4 key passes to top off his brilliance.
Defensively, his positioning might not be as sound, but he is not terrible either. In fact, he makes 1.5 tackles, 1.8 interception and 1.4 clearances every game—numbers that are really good for an attacking right-back.
4) Toby Alderweireld (Tottenham Hotspur)
While Arsenal fans might claim that Laurent Koscielny is the greatest defender to set foot on this earth, the truth is something that is totally different and will hurt them.
Leicester City might have won the Premier League but the title of the best defensive team in the Premier League goes to Tottenham. The London club conceded only 30 goals this season—fewest among all Premier League teams—and Toby Alderweireld’s presence was the main cause of it.
Signed from Atletico Madrid (imagine if they had him too—oh God!), it could be said that he is an unsung hero of sorts because his assured performances was what gave the other players the freedom to play at their best.
With 1.3 tackles and 1.9 interceptions in every game, he shows his superior positioning skills that make it unnecessary for any last-ditch attempts to get the ball out of danger. This is further testified with the fact that he makes an astonishing 7.2 interceptions per game.
5) Gerard Pique (Barcelona)
He might have had a hand or two in Barca’s slump a few weeks ago, but that doesn’t change the fact that he has had yet another brilliant season for his club.
It is no coincidence that Barca’s successes have always coordinated with Gerard Pique’s rise in form. When he was at his worst, so were the Catalans as they had to endure the pain of finishing a season without winning in a single trophy back in 2014.
However, he is back to his best now and it is of no wonder why Barca are favourites to win a double this season.
With 1.4 tackles, 1.8 interception and 3.5 clearances in each game, he stands like a rock in a Barca team that is almost always in the opponent’s half. His alert nature doesn’t allow the opponent to hit back with the counters, helping Barca maintain the second best defensive record in La Liga this season.
6) Christian Fuchs (Leicester City)
The only other fullback on this list is this 30-year-old former Schalke player. He now finds a PL winners medal in his showcase—and he was one of the most crucial, as well as underrated, players for Leicester this campaign.
While most heaped praises on Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante, the Austrian international kept on doing his job in the shadows.
No player has created more chances in the Premier League this season than Christian Fuchs. In 31 league games, he managed to make 3.2 tackles in every game while complementing it with 3.1 interceptions and 3.9 clearances.
But that’s not all. He made 1.4 key passes and 1 cross in each game to stamp his influence in the attacking half of the pitch.
7) Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)
And a list like this without an Italian defender is no list at all. We sum up our best defender of this season series with Juventus’ Leonardo Bonucci, who had yet another fantastic season with the Old Lady.
Juventus have won their 5th Serie A title in a row and he has been an ever-present rock-like entity that leads the backline of the Turin club. There was once a time when doubters thought he wasn’t good enough to be the first choice defender of a top club.
Now, however, he is one of the indispensable players in the Juve team.
His positioning skill is so good that he doesn’t have to make many tackles since the need for that is averted even before it arises. With 2.4 interceptions and 4.3 clearances in every game, he further proves his intelligence when it comes to sensing danger and removing it before it does any damage.
8) Jan Vertonghen (Tottenham Hotspur)
Tottenham Hotspur were, prior to Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment, a team ridiculed for their weak defence. Week-in and week-out, they conceded goals too easily and only had respite when Ledley King was on the playing field—which wasn’t much, no thanks to an injury-plagued career.
It was no coincidence that Spurs qualified for the Champions League the season Ledley King played a lot of games.
And it is of no coincidence that they have repeated that feat with the Belgian duo of Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen playing as centre-backs.
The king of clearances, he makes 6 clearances—a testament of his alertness—in every game coupled with 1.6 tackles and 2.3 interceptions, numbers that reveal his importance to Tottenham’s aspirations.
9) Eric Bailly (Villarreal)
Villarreal have been another defensive revelation of the season. While everyone is busy lauding Diego Simeone for his excellent work with Atleti’s defence, Villarreal have quietly risen as the third-best defensive unit in La Liga, conceding only 33 goals in their 37 games.
Their defense is a product of solid teamwork at the back. However, a tight-knit backline always needs a leader—and 22-year-old Eric Bailly has been just that.
He has shown this season that age is just a number as he has been one of Villarreal’s best players this season—harbouring interest from Manchester City and Chelsea in the process.
With 2.4 interceptions, 1.7 tackles and 4.6 clearances, he has made it clear that age is only but a number.
10) Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli)
I can’t think of a better defender in Serie A than this 24-year-old Senegalese centre-back. Defying all critics, he has done a truly remarkable job at Napoli, who boast the second-best defensive record in the league.
Standing like a rock in defense, he has been the no-nonsense defender that Napoli needed to compete with Juventus. They might have lost the war against the Old Lady for the Serie A title, but have earned praises for their effort—and none more than him and Gonzalo Higuain.
With 2.4 tackles, 2.7 interceptions and 3.8 clearances in every game, he made sure that Higuain’s goals didn’t go in vain as Napoli will now play in the Champions League next season thanks to his assured performances.
