FIFA 15: Predicting the top 10 defenders in the game

Defenders are a pivotal part in the game of football. From defending goals and making clearances, defenders are also important in scoring goals from set-pieces and corners. The ratings of a defender in FIFA matters the most if you are looking to build a World-Class team.Here is a slideshow predicting the ratings of the top 10 defenders in FIFA 15:Note: While compiling the list, we not only took a players rating into consideration, but also his age and potential.

#10 Marcelo: 85

Marcelo’s 2013/14 season with Real Madrid has been impressive overall. The Brazilian was also the primary left-back for Brazil in their World-Cup campaign. The opening game of the World Cup against Croatia will be one of Marcelo’s worst nightmares as the defender scored the opening goal against his own team. The defender scored a single goal and had 6 assists to his name for Real Madrid in 2013/14 La Liga.

Moving towards the peak of his career, Marcelo’s rating in FIFA 14 is 83, and after a series of impressive performances he may receive a statistical upgrade of up to 85.

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#9 Philipp Lahm: 87

Philipp Lahm recently announced his retirement from international football following Germany’s World Cup winning campaign in Brazil. He was an integral part of the 2013/14 World Cup campaign for Germany. Interestingly, Lahm was converted as a defensive midfielder from his primary position of a right-back at Bayern for the 2013/14 season by new manager Pep Guardiola, and his passing accuracy and tackling abilities have seen a major improvement since then.

Lahm’s rating in FIFA 14 is 87, and after an impressive 2013/14 season with Bayern and Germany, his ratings may remain the same or maybe boosted to around 90 as the career progresses.

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#8 Giorgio Chiellini: 87

Giorgio Chiellini is one of the best defenders out there at this moment, and had a yet another fine season with the Bianconeri. Chiellini managed to score 6 goals, and had 3 assists to his name in the 2013/14 season for Juventus. The Italian was a part of Italy’s shortlived 2013/14 World Cup campaign in which an unwanted incident occurred with Uruguay’s striker Luis Suarez.

Chiellini’s rating in FIFA 14 is 86, and since he is moving towards the best patch of his career, he is expected to a get an upgrade of at least 1 point, taking his rating to 88.

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#7 Jerome Boateng: 84

Jerome Boateng formed a solid defensive partnership with Mats Hummels in Germany’s World Cup winning campaign, and was also consistent for Bayern Munich throughout the season leading them to yet another Bundesliga title. Winning aerial duels and having a high percentage of pass accuracy are some of Boateng’s major strengths. The defender was pivotal in Germany’s World Cup final victory winning most of his duels and also having a high percentage of pass accuracy.

Boateng’s rating in FIFA 14 is 83, and his boosting may receive an upgrade of up to 85 in FIFA 15.

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#6 Mehdi Benatia: 85

Mehdi Benatia is one of the most-sought defenders, and it all due to Roma’s clean sheet record this season. He is already being linked with most of the top-league clubs including Arsenal, Manchester United and Bayern Munich. Benatia has improved a lot since his £13.5 million move from Udinese to Roma, and has scored 5 goals for AS Roma in the Serie A which means his heading ability will be quite high.

Benatia’s rating in FIFA 14 is 82, and after an impressive 2013/14 season his ratings should be receiving a statistical upgrade of up to 85 in FIFA 15.

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#5 David Luiz: 84

David Luiz completed his big money move from Chelsea to PSG for a fee believed to be around £50 million making him the most expensive defender in the world. The Brazilian enjoyed a fine 2013-14 season, and was even prolific for a defender in front of the goal scoring two goals in the World Cup, one being a superb free kick against Colombia in the quarter-finals which ultimately was the winner.

David Luiz’s rating in FIFA 14 is 82, and his rating may go up to 84 in FIFA 15.

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#4 Thiago Silva: 87

Thiago Silva was in fine form for both club and country, and is known to be very dangerous in front of goal when it comes to set-pieces. Silva managed to score 4 goals for PSG in the 2013/14 season. His performances for Brazil in the World Cup were also impressive. He scored one goal against Colombia in the quarter-finals before being thrashed out of the tournament by Germany.

Thiago Silva’s rating in FIFA 14 is 87, but since he is already at the peak of his career, it is highly likely that his rating will remain the same in FIFA 15.

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#3 Sergio Ramos: 87

Sergio Ramos is enjoying the peak of his career, and is most likely to be rated at 87, being one of the game’s best defenders. Starting in a total of 69 matches last season, Ramos scored on seven occasions, one being an important one against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final, a big feat for a defender. Ramos had an average World Cup campaign as Spain were eliminated in the Group Stages after being thrashed 5-1 by Netherlands and 2-0 by Chile.

Ramos’ rating in FIFA 14 is 86 and after an impressive 2013/14 season, his FIFA 15 rating may remain the same or maybe boosted up to 88.

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#2 Javier Mascherano: 85

The Argentine defender was in fine form in the World Cup despite his 2013/14 season for Barcelona was plagued by injuries. The defender was included in the Argentina squad for the World Cup. Mascherano’s sliding tackle ability have been one of his major strengths. Mascherano’s performances in the World Cup were impressive as he formed a solid defensive partnership alongside Ezequiel Garay.

We predict his rating to be around 85, and given he is turns 31 next year, his potential ability might get downsized. Mascherano’s potential in FIFA 14 was around 87 which might change in this year’s FIFA.

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#1 Mats Hummels: 85

The German defender had a spectacular 2013-14 season with both club and country. Mats Hummels was a pivotal part of the Borussia Dortmund defence, and his performances at the club earned him a starting spot for Germany at the World Cup. It must be noted that Hummels scored the winning goal against France in the quarter-final from a corner, so he is not just a defensive player, but instead is very strong during aerial duals. Hummels scored 2 goals in 6 games for Germany in the World Cup, both of them being from set pieces.

Mats Hummels rating in FIFA 14 is 85, and his spectacular 2013-14 form may give him a statistical upgrade of up to 88 in FIFA 15 which makes him our no. 1 defender.

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