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The Premier League is known for its high-octane footballing action. It's a fast paced brand of football where teams attack relentlessly. There is hardly any time wasted just passing the ball around trying to catch breath.
The Premier League features some of the most athletic defenders in the world
As a natural cause of this high-tempo, end-to-end action, the Premier League requires their defenders to be much more than giants with immense physical strength. They need to be extremely athletic and also be able to keep up with the speedy attackers who trawl the attacking realms in the English top-flight.
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It's not easy when players like Mohamed Salah, Marcus Rashford or Adam Traore are running at you. The ability to wrestle a player off the ball is obviously welcome but it needs to be complemented with the ability to keep up with attackers and make recoveries.
Without further ado, let's take a look at five of the fastest centre-backs in the Premier League right now.
#5 Antonio Rudiger (Chelsea)
Antonio Rudiger had become a peripheral figure at Chelsea during Frank Lampard's stint as manager of the Blues. The German international was widely linked with an exit during the 2021 January transfer window. However, he has since revived his Chelsea career under Thomas Tuchel.
Rudiger played a key role in Chelsea's UEFA Champions League triumph last season. Tuchel took over in January 2021 and immediately transformed Chelsea into one of the most solid defensive units in Europe. Rudiger is usually deployed as a left-sided centre-back in Chelsea's three-man defence.
In addition to having great aerial ability and tackling skills, Rudiger is also a very pacy defender. He is usually partnered with Thiago Silva, who has his limitations when it comes to pace as he is on the wrong side of 35.
But Rudiger helps snuff out the dangers of that nature by stirring his stumps and not letting attackers breach the Blues' backline easily.
#4 Ben Godfrey (Everton)
Everton centre-back Ben Godfrey is not the archetypal centre-back. He is 1.83 metres tall and is not stocky. But he uses his physical attributes to his advantage. The 23-year-old is a pacy centre-back who can go on to become one of the best in the league.
Pace has become an important part of Godfrey's game. Not only is he good at keeping up with the fastest of Premier League attackers but he is also excellent at carrying the ball out from the back.
His pace makes Godfrey a potent weapon when the Toffees are trying to break on the counter. Thanks to how fast he is, Godfrey can often carry the ball across long distances. This allows his attackers to get into dangerous positions instead of focusing on bringing the ball up the pitch.
#3 Caglar Soyuncu (Leicester City)
Turkish centre-back Caglar Soyuncu is a physically imposing customer. His wide frame and aerial ability help him greatly in dispensing his duties as one of Leicester City's first-choice centre-backs. Soyuncu has done a decent job over the past few seasons under Brendan Rodgers.
An underrated part of Soyuncu's game is his pace. The 25-year-old is also excellent with the ball at his feet and is crucial to Leicester City playing out from the back. He can also keep up with pacy attackers and is a very aggressive defender.
This makes him a difficult defender to go up against as it's difficult to beat him and speed away because he is pretty good at making recoveries.
#2 Virgil Van Dijk (Liverpool)
Virgil van Dijk is arguably the best centre-back in the world right now. The Dutchman is a colossus at the back. Not only is he extremely athletic and physically imposing, but he is also a very intelligent defender who knows how to time his moves.
Van Dijk rarely rushes in for a tackle. He forces the attackers to make mistakes while covering the channels they could run into quite efficiently. Van Dijk was the runner-up in the 2019 Ballon d'Or race after helping Liverpool win the Champions League in the 2018-19 season.
The 30-year-old is one of Liverpool's most inspired signings in recent times. He is one of the most well-rounded centre-backs of the modern era. In addition to being excellent in almost every aspect of his game as a centre-back, Van Dijk is also extremely fast for a man his size.
He can keep up with the fastest Premier League attackers and can even beat some of them for pace.
#1 Raphael Varane (Manchester United)
Manchester United's dip in form in the early phase of the 2021-22 season was aggravated by Raphael Varane's unavailability. The French centre-back has suffered multiple injury issues since joining the Red Devils in the summer.
However, he has proved to be a great addition to the side whenever he has played. Varane has always been renowned for his pace. He possesses an excellent reading of the game and it's a joy to watch him close down attackers in the blink of an eye.
The French World Cup winner is a Rolls Royce defender who is phenomenal at his job. Once he regains full fitness, Manchester United will undoubtedly be a whole lot steadier at the back.
