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. Gareth 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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