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The Greatest Centre-backs in Premier League History


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absolute travesty shite like Sami Hyypia and Carragher are in there but Wes Morgan and Robert Huth aren't.

How many Premier Leagues did Hyypia and Carragher win :35_thinking:??

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Terry had the pleasure of being a leading part of some of the Premier League’s great sides at Stamford Bridge. His laundry list of character defects cannot take away from his defensive excellence. John Terry has the most clean sheets of any single defender in Premier League history and is also the highest scoring defender in Premier League history. Whatever else he is, he is very good at defending on a football pitch.

Enough said... B|

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1 minute ago, Bluewolf said:

Terry had the pleasure of being a leading part of some of the Premier League’s great sides at Stamford Bridge. His laundry list of character defects cannot take away from his defensive excellence. John Terry has the most clean sheets of any single defender in Premier League history and is also the highest scoring defender in Premier League history. Whatever else he is, he is very good at defending on a football pitch.

Enough said... B|

:12_slight_smile:

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I was never very good at analysing centre backs when I was younger, but the list seems sensible.

Apart from the exclusion of Ashley Williams which is frankly a scandal. Didn't see Sami Hyypia, Nemanja Vidic or John Terry making any European Championship semis with their third-rate footballing nations.

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Here is some food for thought: is playing defensive football more difficult than playing attacking football for defenders? Did John Terry have it more difficult having to defend for longer periods of time for Chelsea, or did Puyol have it harder with the ball  for Barcelona?

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5 minutes ago, Spike said:

Here is some food for thought: is playing defensive football more difficult than playing attacking football for defenders? Did John Terry have it more difficult having to defend for longer periods of time for Chelsea, or did Puyol have it harder with the ball  for Barcelona?

Depends. Is the attacking football possession based or more direct? The reasons why I rate Puyol so much higher than the likes of Pique, are that he was an aggressor and was an elite tackler. You could tell that he could fit into any defence in the world and still deliver the same quality. Pique looks to strive when his team has the ball, yet still has the concentration to make those critical 2 to 3 tackles per match. 

Terry belongs in the same elk as Puyol. Great on the ball and great defensively. Thought Terry would strive under Pep and at Barca. 

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4 minutes ago, Cicero said:

Depends. Is the attacking football possession based or more direct? The reasons why I rate Puyol so much higher than the likes of Pique, are that he was an aggressor and was an elite tackler. You could tell that he could fit any defence in the world and still deliver the same quality. Pique looks to strive when his team has the ball, yet still has the concentration to make those critical 2 to 3 tackles per match. 

Terry belongs in the same elk as Puyol. Great on the ball and great defensively. Thought Terry would strive under Pep and at Barca. 

Possession probably requires the strongest attention and concentration. It is probably easier to get into a 'rhythm' ith defensive styles but under constant pressure is more likely to lead to mistakes. I'd say they are about even but depends on the player. Someone oike Ramos you want defending as little as possible because he is liable to red carded.

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18 minutes ago, Spike said:

Possession probably requires the strongest attention and concentration. It is probably easier to get into a 'rhythm' ith defensive styles but under constant pressure is more likely to lead to mistakes. I'd say they are about even but depends on the player. Someone oike Ramos you want defending as little as possible because he is liable to red carded.

Playing in an attacking system may require more concentration, but the main problem is that you're left far more exposed as the players in front of you take risks and roam upfield. That's where I'd make a distinction between attacking systems and possession systems. Having a lot of the ball doesn't necessarily mean you're attacking, and obsessively maintaining possession is more of a defensive style than an attacking one. It's the best way to protect your defenders.

Defending for long periods of time, especially against quality opposition, is a more thorough test of technique and the physical and mental sides of your game than playing in a team that has a lot of the ball, but you're more likely to have help around you to bail you out and to give you less to worry about at any one time.

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I know it's not quite what was asked, but as a pairing together, Ferdinand and Vidic were completely unplayable. People may say Keown/Adams, Terry/Carvalho, even Hyypia/Carragher, but for me, they were truly the perfect accompaniment for each other. 

Ferdinand's ability to mark a man, dust them for pace and then play an attacking ball; Vidic's brute physicality, towering headers and ability to bully the best attackers out of the game... I hate them both by association with United's success, but good God they were fearsome.

Any mention of Sol Campbell makes me chortle and think back to when 5ft 7 man-microbe Stelios out-muscled (and out-jumped) him all game at the Reebok 😁

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3 minutes ago, StefBWFC said:

I know it's not quite what was asked, but as a pairing together, Ferdinand and Vidic were completely unplayable. People may say Keown/Adams, Terry/Carvalho, even Hyypia/Carragher, but for me, they were truly the perfect accompaniment for each other. 

Ferdinand's ability to mark a man, dust them for pace and then play an attacking ball; Vidic's brute physicality, towering headers and ability to bully the best attackers out of the game... I hate them both by association with United's success, but good God they were fearsome.

Any mention of Sol Campbell makes me chortle and think back to when 5ft 7 man-microbe Stelios out-muscled (and out-jumped) him all game at the Reebok 😁

By the same token, when I think of Vidic… I think of a man who was always torn apart by Torres. But I'm not so sure these individual matches are really the best way to define their careers... otherwise you could just point at Carra and say "he was very good at scoring on Liverpool" xD

Out of partnerships though, I'd say Terry-Carvalho was the best. In terms of individuals... I'm going to make you chortle and remember Stelios out-muscling him, because I'm going to say Sol Campbell.

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10 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

By the same token, when I think of Vidic… I think of a man who was always torn apart by Torres. But I'm not so sure these individual matches are really the best way to define their careers... otherwise you could just point at Carra and say "he was very good at scoring on Liverpool" xD

Out of partnerships though, I'd say Terry-Carvalho was the best. In terms of individuals... I'm going to make you chortle and remember Stelios out-muscling him, because I'm going to say Sol Campbell.

Oh of course, I was being semi-flippant with my Campbell addendum. Undeniably a class defender.

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I wonder what the fullback list would be. Ashley Cole would undeniably be first. Though like Vidic he did have trouble with direct wingers.Tricky wingers like young Ronaldo? No problem mate, but someone fast, strong, and direct like Antonio Valencia? He would skin Cole.

Fullbacks either seem to be elite or a bit shit. I think a lot of them rely on recovery pace other any sort of positioning sense. Either failed wingers (Bellerin) or short centrebacks (Neville).

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39 minutes ago, JOSHBRFC said:

Terry is fully deserving of the number one spot. Not the most technically gifted player but as an all round defender he was an absolute beast. 

I disagree, his forst touch and passing range was elite

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26 minutes ago, Devil-Dick Willie said:

I remember Terry as a dude who would get skinned a lot, then recover with a perfect last ditch tackle or block. It's better if you don't get beaten in the first place but he never gave up and man he could tackle clean from behind.

He certainly liked getting his tackle into Wayne Bridge's Mrs from behind :whistling:

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