Ranking the best five Premier League defenders of 2021-22
                     RANKING THE BEST FIVE 
PREMIER LEAGUE 
DEFENDERS OF 2021-22
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The Premier League this season has been action-packed with the occasional kickback 
by the pandemic. Still, we are halfway through the season and some familiar faces can 
still be spotted at the top of the table. The current 2021-22 campaign sees 
Manchester City, Liverpool, and Chelsea at the forefront as they are neck to neck this 
season. So far, we have witnessed some frantic and relentless football on our screens. 
The action has still remained top class like it always does. Similar to last year, players 
have not had free time on their hands while playing for their clubs and representing 
the country as well when called for action. One thing that hasn’t escaped everyone's 
notice is the extraordinary performance by the Premier League defenders during the 
campaign.
England’s top-flight competition is well known for its competitiveness throughout 
Europe. The players and everyone involved needs to be perfect at all times with no 
margin for error whatsoever, and it is this level of performance that gets noticed the 
most in the leagues and even forces the clubs to burn so much money. The most 
appreciated form within the league for defenders is their ability to stay on top of 
fitness and be present for every minute of action on the field and most importantly 
save goals. The discussion would be incomplete without saying the names of West 
Ham United’s Aaron Cresswell, Manchester United’s Virgil Van Dijk, Arsenal’s Ben 
White, Burnley’s James Tarkowski, and Chelsea’s Thiago Silva. But still the big names 
even after their contribution this season still haven’t been able to cross the top five 
defenders category.
Counting backwards in fifth place we have 
Reece James, he made a name for himself 
in the 2020 campaign but this season he 
took the game to another level and could 
even be considered as the most improved 
player this season. Premier League 
DataGareth Southgate may have had a lot 
of options to choose from in terms of right-
back but James has cracked his way in the 
list at the age of 22, the level of skills he 
possesses is sensational. Being a regular 
part of Thomas Tuchel’s squad, he has 
moved up the ladder and in 2021 he even 
scored four goals and even had five assists 
next to his name in just England’s top-flight 
tournament.
Last season James won his first-ever Champions League as Blues won 1–0 against 
Premier League Champions Manchester City in the 2021 UEFA Champions League 
Final in Porto.
Like a man possessed he can control the ball and deliver passes skillfully. When it 
comes to his defensive side it is a task to take the ball pass him. He might even be 
considered the best fullback in the Premier League by some.
Next in the list is Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold, he is a vicious attacking weapon 
Reds hold in their arsenal this season he has been in red-hot form in the 2021-22 
Premier League campaign. He played a pivot role in ending Liverpool's 30-year league 
title drought by winning the 2019–20 Premier League.
Recently he had to deal with a lot of 
criticism for his form but still has been a 
crucial part of Liverpool’s line up as they 
challenge Manchester City for the Premier 
League title. In the second half of the 2021 
the 23-year-old has significantly improved 
his skills and pulled off some great tackles 
and saved many points for the team while 
missing just two matches in the year.
Moving one rank up, next on the list is 
Antonio Rudiger. Blues centre-back is one 
of the best in the league, the 28-year-old 
secured a total of 35 appearances in the 
competition. His physicality alone has kept 
attackers at bay adding his skills to the mix. 
Other than that, the German has even netted thrice in the season with two assists 
and his quick counterattacks has helped Chelsea turn the match around.
Another well-known name in this category is Manchester City's Joan Cancelo, who 
was a key part of their title-winning campaign in 2021, and this season he has been in 
form as they defend their title. His ability to play from both left-back and right-back 
positions has been a game-changer for the club and Pep Guardiola has realised that 
and leveraged it from time to time to improve their possession-based game.
There is a reason why Manchester City is at the top of the table apart from world-
class strikers, City tops the table in terms of defenders as well. Another key player in 
their squad is Ruben Dias, who can rightly be called the best defender in the English 
top-flight competition this year. Dias' contribution to the club was outstanding as with 
his help Cityzens reached their Champions league maiden final and even earned the 
title of the player of the season. With the Portuguese player on their side City has 
become almost impenetrable. His numbers speak for itself with over 4000 passes 
attempted his accuracy is over 90%, along with his precision, his tackles, and the 
ability to overpower strikers in the penalty area, bundled together make him into a 
world-class player and a legacy in the making.
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